The last twenty comments in true blog fasion, with the links to their authors
and the player commented upon.
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If he had a normal career path he'd be entering his peak years. But, his path is far from normal. CIN is a huge HR park, so going to TEX won't boost his power.
All of those innings early in his career seem to have taken a toll. Although he got his Ratio, HR against, and ERA back in line with career numbers, his K rate was significantly lower than previous good years. That should be a point of concern.
All indications are, the guy can rake. He also is limited to 1B or LF, positions occupied on the Brewers by Fielder and (presumably) Braun. An excellent reserve pick if leagues don't matter to you, and still a reasonable one in the hope he gets dealt to another NL team.
BTW, his fielding may not be absolutely horrible; reports are mixed.
The Brewers get defensive help in centerfield, offseting the move of Ryan Braun to left field, and Bill Hall moves back to the infield. Win win win, it looks like.
It looks like the Angels have another move to make even if Wood starts the year in Triple-A, which is a reason to give those Howie Kendrick trade rumors credence.
Had a down year in 2007 after a solid 2006 between A and AA. Speed is his game, so you would like to see him improve his plate discipline and draw some more walks. He is very lanky and lean at 5-11, 170 lbs, but still has pretty good pop. The Pirates were trying to move McLouth in the off-season, and the Duffy experiment is over, so there is a good chance McCuthchen will be up in 2008 and be the starting CF in '09. The Pirates really like him, especially his defense.
Last year's ERA is pretty much the same as the year before, WHIP is better, K/W is much better -- so it's left to my Rating ((H+.5*BB+1.5*HR)/IP) to rain on Yabuta's parade. He was much more hittable last year.
A 12-point jump in Rating isn't the end of the world; it's entirely possible he just had bad luck with his h%. But it's also possible that, as he approaches baseball middle age (he's 34), his pitches don't have quite the same zip.
The Angels are loaded in the OF and at DH, so unless they move Matthews, it appears to me the Angels are prepared to have Figgins be the everyday 3B again. I expect Wood will be given every opportunity to make the team, but I don't see where his AB's will come from. The Angels will probably start him in AAA so he can get his AB's and hopefully work on those dreadful KK/BB ratios.
Baseball America's No. 7 prospect in the Eastern League. "For the first time in his winding career, Horne pitched like the first-round pick back in 2001, when the Indians failed to sign him out of high school." Led EL in Ks and ERA.
Was hurt in 2007, though it was reported to have been "minor" elbow surgery. Don't spend more than a buck or two (and a reserve pick is probably wiser), but a good spring could put him in line for a slightly more valuable role.
Coming off something of a down year, but the reports say he throws a good splitter off an average fastball, so could be a good setup man. That's not worth more than a few dollars, but he could end up earning more than that if he gets some wins, a reasonable chance if he's pitching close games in the seventh or eighth.
Has a good Japanese history of success; chances are he'll be a setup man, but it's not out of the question that he could get saves if Soria were to be hurt, ineffective, or moved to the rotation. Not a bad place to put a few dollars.
All the stats are right but ERA for some reason, which was 3.11 but for some reason displays here as 3.99. Okay, I figured it out. ERA is displaying on total runs scored, not earned runs scored.
The last twenty comments in true blog fasion, with the links to their authors and the player commented upon.
Jan 12 '08
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Jan 12 '08
BTW, his fielding may not be absolutely horrible; reports are mixed.
Jan 12 '08
Key for me is that the Xbh (extra base hits) were constant, it was the homers that declines.
He's going to hit 30 homers again soon, and may hit 40 if things break right.
Jan 12 '08
Jan 12 '08
Like I said a couple of days ago, it just seems to make more sense to use Joba out of the pen in close games.
This saga will have to be monitored all spring, I would assume.
Jan 11 '08
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Jan 11 '08
A 12-point jump in Rating isn't the end of the world; it's entirely possible he just had bad luck with his h%. But it's also possible that, as he approaches baseball middle age (he's 34), his pitches don't have quite the same zip.
Jan 11 '08
Jan 11 '08
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