Sunday Notes
This week the story came out that Juan Encarnacion was not expected to play in 2008. This came as no real surprise but it is still a true shame. If you don’t recall the injury it happened when a foul ball off the bat of Aaron Miles (thanks Rotoworld!) fractured his left orbital bone on August 31st. At the time of the injury the Cardinals’ team doctor called it the “worst trauma I've seen. Absolutely." (thanks CNNSI!).
It happened as Encarnacion stood in the on deck circle and quite candidly I’m stunned it doesn’t happen more often. Next time you are at a game watch how close to home plate the on deck hitter stands. Often the on deck hitter is paying ancillary attention at best to the game and the potential for this type of injury is very high.
What troubles me is that there are many areas that Major League Baseball and the Players Association do not do enough to secure the safety of the players. I’m not talking about stuff like the armor players wear at home plate, in fact I think that is something that should not be allowed at all (except helmets).
What I refer to is situations where players have little or no ability to protect themselves. A player at bat can protect himself by backing off the plate a bit or not diving out over the plate. There are four areas that come to my mind as requiring further protection;
On Deck Hitters – This needs to happen. One injury of this type is too many. Whether its enforcing the rule for players to stand in the on deck circle or creating a screened off area for on deck hitters, something needs to be done.
Padded Walls – Outfield walls are mostly padded but behind home plate and in other foul ground areas are unpadded walls. I shudder at the thought of a catcher diving headfirst to try and catch a foul ball in Baltimore and slamming his head into the brick wall there.
In Play Bullpens – I’ve touched on this in the past. The idea that a bullpen with an elevated pitchers mound is in play is just appalling. These should be out of play. Not only is the risk of a ruined knee high but the fall when tripping over the mound could result in more serious injuries. Add “Tal’s Hill” in Houston to this list as well.
Pitchers – Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus has talked of pitchers wearing a cap with a built-in hard shell to protect them on line drives. It seems like something of this nature is reasonable.
Player health is paramount. Injuries are going to happen and sometimes there isn’t anything you can do about it. This is four areas where Major League Baseball can do something about injury potential without changing the way the game is being played.
*************************************************
According to the Herald the Red Sox are negotiating with Brad Wilkerson as a lefty 1B/OF. Wilkerson has struggled the last two years since being dealt from Washington to Texas. For some reason his walk rate has dropped substantially since the trade going from once every seven plate appearances to one every 9.2 plate appearances, a 31% decrease.
Conversely his home run rate has improved and that does not appear to be ballpark influenced as his road HR rate has remained stable. Wilkerson has the ability to play centerfield though he has only played one game in each of the last two seasons and has moderate speed. He could be a decent fit but I feel that letting Brandon Moss have the Hinske role is the best move for the Red Sox.
*************************************************
As you are aware here at Freddy’s we try not to spend too much time dealing with the steroid issue. Furthermore when we do the Freddy position tends to be less vehement than others are.
However I have seen much chortling over the performance of Congress this week. There seemed to be much amusement about mispronounciations of Selig and Palemeiro and the confusing of 300th hit versus 3000th hit. There was also one comment (I don’t remember where I saw it, sorry) that it was obvious that Christopher Shays doesn’t care about Major League Baseball.
To that we say…who cares? Whether it is right or wrong, fair or unfair, Congress is investigating a criminal activity. The players and trainers involved have committed a crime and it doesn’t matter if a Senator or Representitive thinks that a double play and a double are the same thing. There is no reason for Rep. Shays to give a damn about MLB, his job is to investigate what is happening with an illegal drug.
I believe the Congressional involvement in this issue is nothing more than the worst kind of grandstanding and something to be ridiculed and held against our elected officials. However, if they are going to investigate they should do so vigorously and whether they can pronounce names correctly or know even the most basic thing about the game of baseball is 100% irrelevant.
**************************************************
Carlos Pena has been resigned by the Tampa Bay Rays locking him up for the next three years. Pena will turn 30 in May and this is a good signing by the suddenly competent Rays.
Pena had some ups and downs from his time as a hot prospect for the Rangers but generally has been a solid player. While his 2007 season may not be replicable there is no reason to believe he won’t continue to be very good. In parts of seven Major League seasons he has had an OPS+ over 100 six times with only his 18 game tryout with the Sox being less than that.
What makes Pena effective is he has two skills that allow a player to be useful even when he struggling; patience and power. He’s not super-patient but he’s patient enough that even when he hits for a low average he will get on base at a decent clip. The power for Pena is a very real skill and so he can go through a lengthy slump but still help his squad with a couple of long ones.
***************************************************
Matt Holliday has also been resigned. In his case it is simply a two year deal that takes care of his arbitration eligible seasons until he becomes a free agent. The Rockies have already made some comments about “not being able to afford him” when he becomes a free agent so we’ll see what happens long term.
In my mind one of the biggest mistakes that teams consistently make is allowing a star player to walk. I realize that not every team is the Sox or Yankees and capable of having a huge payroll. However it is a lot easier to find role players than to find ace starters or #3 hitters.
If I were running a small or mid-market team I would rather give a guy like Holliday 16-18 million a year and find a 1 or 2 million dollar kid or waiver player to play first base. Too often in my view teams wind up letting stars walk then fielding a 5-8 million player at two different positions. They spend roughly the same amount of money but they don’t have that star player. Every year a Carlos Pena or a David Ortiz is flittering around on the fringes of free agency. Even when those guys aren’t around teams often waste money on “proven” players when they have roughly similar players that make a lot less money hanging out on their Triple A squads.
I believe that it is good for everyone when the small and mid-market teams can keep their star players and I believe they can do it more often than they actually do if they are smart.
***************************************************
More bad news for Anibal Sanchez who is apparently behind schedule with the Marlins. Latest reports indicate he won’t be ready for Spring Training and the most optimistic reports say he will be ready sometime in May.
Sanchez is only 24 years old but with two major arm surgeries behind him already he is fast becoming another sad, cautionary tale on young pitching. Hopefully he can return to the bigs and be successful but that may prove difficult.
****************************************************
Keltner List – Derek Jeter
I got some good feedback from a few folks on my Keltner List about Jim Rice this week. With that in mind I’m going to try to add it to this Sunday Notes feature. Each week I’ll run through the Keltner List on a player who strikes my fancy. It might be an active player, a retired player not in the Hall, a retired player in the Hall, it’s just going to be random. This will be a bit abbreviated as I will limit my responses to each question to 15 words or less with only one question being expanded on more than that. In the interest of space I’ll also be abbreviating the questions a bit. We’ll see how this works and if it does I’ll keep doing it.
1. Ever best player in baseball? Suggested as best player in baseball?
Suggested yes, truly best probably not.
2. Was he the best player on his team?
Perhaps though that is more a case of the talent of others on his teams.
3. Best player in baseball or his league at his position?
Yes for a few years after A-Rod moved.
4. Did he have an impact on a number of pennant races?
Ironically enough no he did not. Only twice in his career (2000, 2005) have the Yankees finished less than five games ahead of a playoff spot and only three other times have they been less than ten games ahead of a playoff spot (1996, 2003, 2007). Had the Yankees replaced Jeter with a decent shortstop (say Eckstein) they still would have likely made the playoffs in every year except 2000 and 2005.
Obviously he has had tremendous impact on a number of post-seasons however. This type of impact may prove to be more common for players on teams like the Yankees, Sox and Angels as the Wild Card era goes on.
5. Was he good enough that he could play regularly after passing his prime?
Not yet but he likely will be.
6. Is he the very best baseball player in history who is not in the Hall of Fame?
No.
7. Are most players who have comparable statistics in the Hall of Fame?
Five of the ten are (Joe Torre is one who is not).
8. Do the player's numbers meet Hall of Fame standards?
Black Ink – 6 (27 average HoF)
Gray Ink – 116 (144 average HoF)
Standards – 50.9 (50 average HoF)
Monitor – 221.5 (100 average HoF)
Overwhelmingly yes.
9. Was he better than the statistic suggest?
Yes. Those around him consistently rave about him credit him for his team’s success.
10. Is he the best player at his position who is eligible for the Hall of Fame?
Not if you count A-Rod as a shortstop. I might take Larkin over him also.
11. How many MVP-type seasons did he have?
Several including 1999 and 2006 when very strong cases could have been made for him.
12. All Star Type seasons?
Virtually every season of his career.
13. If this man were the best player on his team, would it be likely that the team could win the pennant?
He was and they did…frequently.
14. Did the player have impact on history, equipment or change the game?
No he did not.
15. Did the player uphold the standards of sportsmanship and character that the Hall of Fame, in its written guidelines, instructs us to consider?
Even the biggest Jeter detractors concede he plays the game “right.”
*****************************************************
Los Angeles Dodgers
After missing the playoffs in 2007 the Dodgers look to go back under the guidance of new manager Joe Torre in 2008. Torre has been criticized in recent years for two things; his bullpen handling and his devotion to veteran players. He has now been moved to a team that is in transition with players all over the age range.
I agree that Torre’s bullpen handling has been questionable but that’s a separate issue. What I am interested in is going to be his handling and integrating of the young players with the Dodgers. While Torre gets criticized for being devoted to vets I think this is erroneous. Just in the last few years he has successfully brought in Cano, Wang and Melky.
More importantly to the Dodgers when he was last presented with a team in transition, in 1996, he pushed the right button nearly every time. Rarely has he allowed a vet to keep a kid who deserved the right to play to get the opportunity. Soriano, Jeter, Posada, Nick Johnson as well as many pitchers got their start with Torre as manager.
Beyond these players he has not been afraid to use players like Shane Spencer, Shelley Duncan and Ricky Ledee for brief periods where they played above their head.
All in all Joe Torre has demonstrated in 12 years with the Yankees that he is exceptional at putting young players into a position to succeed. For a Dodger organization that is integrating Matt Kemp, Andy Laroche, James Loney, Jonathan Broxton and eventually perhaps Clayton Kershaw into regular status Joe Torre is precisely the right manager.
*****************************************************
(Rotoworld and Baseball-Reference were the primary sources for much of the above information)
It happened as Encarnacion stood in the on deck circle and quite candidly I’m stunned it doesn’t happen more often. Next time you are at a game watch how close to home plate the on deck hitter stands. Often the on deck hitter is paying ancillary attention at best to the game and the potential for this type of injury is very high.
What troubles me is that there are many areas that Major League Baseball and the Players Association do not do enough to secure the safety of the players. I’m not talking about stuff like the armor players wear at home plate, in fact I think that is something that should not be allowed at all (except helmets).
What I refer to is situations where players have little or no ability to protect themselves. A player at bat can protect himself by backing off the plate a bit or not diving out over the plate. There are four areas that come to my mind as requiring further protection;
On Deck Hitters – This needs to happen. One injury of this type is too many. Whether its enforcing the rule for players to stand in the on deck circle or creating a screened off area for on deck hitters, something needs to be done.
Padded Walls – Outfield walls are mostly padded but behind home plate and in other foul ground areas are unpadded walls. I shudder at the thought of a catcher diving headfirst to try and catch a foul ball in Baltimore and slamming his head into the brick wall there.
In Play Bullpens – I’ve touched on this in the past. The idea that a bullpen with an elevated pitchers mound is in play is just appalling. These should be out of play. Not only is the risk of a ruined knee high but the fall when tripping over the mound could result in more serious injuries. Add “Tal’s Hill” in Houston to this list as well.
Pitchers – Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus has talked of pitchers wearing a cap with a built-in hard shell to protect them on line drives. It seems like something of this nature is reasonable.
Player health is paramount. Injuries are going to happen and sometimes there isn’t anything you can do about it. This is four areas where Major League Baseball can do something about injury potential without changing the way the game is being played.
*************************************************
According to the Herald the Red Sox are negotiating with Brad Wilkerson as a lefty 1B/OF. Wilkerson has struggled the last two years since being dealt from Washington to Texas. For some reason his walk rate has dropped substantially since the trade going from once every seven plate appearances to one every 9.2 plate appearances, a 31% decrease.
Conversely his home run rate has improved and that does not appear to be ballpark influenced as his road HR rate has remained stable. Wilkerson has the ability to play centerfield though he has only played one game in each of the last two seasons and has moderate speed. He could be a decent fit but I feel that letting Brandon Moss have the Hinske role is the best move for the Red Sox.
*************************************************
As you are aware here at Freddy’s we try not to spend too much time dealing with the steroid issue. Furthermore when we do the Freddy position tends to be less vehement than others are.
However I have seen much chortling over the performance of Congress this week. There seemed to be much amusement about mispronounciations of Selig and Palemeiro and the confusing of 300th hit versus 3000th hit. There was also one comment (I don’t remember where I saw it, sorry) that it was obvious that Christopher Shays doesn’t care about Major League Baseball.
To that we say…who cares? Whether it is right or wrong, fair or unfair, Congress is investigating a criminal activity. The players and trainers involved have committed a crime and it doesn’t matter if a Senator or Representitive thinks that a double play and a double are the same thing. There is no reason for Rep. Shays to give a damn about MLB, his job is to investigate what is happening with an illegal drug.
I believe the Congressional involvement in this issue is nothing more than the worst kind of grandstanding and something to be ridiculed and held against our elected officials. However, if they are going to investigate they should do so vigorously and whether they can pronounce names correctly or know even the most basic thing about the game of baseball is 100% irrelevant.
**************************************************
Carlos Pena has been resigned by the Tampa Bay Rays locking him up for the next three years. Pena will turn 30 in May and this is a good signing by the suddenly competent Rays.
Pena had some ups and downs from his time as a hot prospect for the Rangers but generally has been a solid player. While his 2007 season may not be replicable there is no reason to believe he won’t continue to be very good. In parts of seven Major League seasons he has had an OPS+ over 100 six times with only his 18 game tryout with the Sox being less than that.
What makes Pena effective is he has two skills that allow a player to be useful even when he struggling; patience and power. He’s not super-patient but he’s patient enough that even when he hits for a low average he will get on base at a decent clip. The power for Pena is a very real skill and so he can go through a lengthy slump but still help his squad with a couple of long ones.
***************************************************
Matt Holliday has also been resigned. In his case it is simply a two year deal that takes care of his arbitration eligible seasons until he becomes a free agent. The Rockies have already made some comments about “not being able to afford him” when he becomes a free agent so we’ll see what happens long term.
In my mind one of the biggest mistakes that teams consistently make is allowing a star player to walk. I realize that not every team is the Sox or Yankees and capable of having a huge payroll. However it is a lot easier to find role players than to find ace starters or #3 hitters.
If I were running a small or mid-market team I would rather give a guy like Holliday 16-18 million a year and find a 1 or 2 million dollar kid or waiver player to play first base. Too often in my view teams wind up letting stars walk then fielding a 5-8 million player at two different positions. They spend roughly the same amount of money but they don’t have that star player. Every year a Carlos Pena or a David Ortiz is flittering around on the fringes of free agency. Even when those guys aren’t around teams often waste money on “proven” players when they have roughly similar players that make a lot less money hanging out on their Triple A squads.
I believe that it is good for everyone when the small and mid-market teams can keep their star players and I believe they can do it more often than they actually do if they are smart.
***************************************************
More bad news for Anibal Sanchez who is apparently behind schedule with the Marlins. Latest reports indicate he won’t be ready for Spring Training and the most optimistic reports say he will be ready sometime in May.
Sanchez is only 24 years old but with two major arm surgeries behind him already he is fast becoming another sad, cautionary tale on young pitching. Hopefully he can return to the bigs and be successful but that may prove difficult.
****************************************************
Keltner List – Derek Jeter
I got some good feedback from a few folks on my Keltner List about Jim Rice this week. With that in mind I’m going to try to add it to this Sunday Notes feature. Each week I’ll run through the Keltner List on a player who strikes my fancy. It might be an active player, a retired player not in the Hall, a retired player in the Hall, it’s just going to be random. This will be a bit abbreviated as I will limit my responses to each question to 15 words or less with only one question being expanded on more than that. In the interest of space I’ll also be abbreviating the questions a bit. We’ll see how this works and if it does I’ll keep doing it.
1. Ever best player in baseball? Suggested as best player in baseball?
Suggested yes, truly best probably not.
2. Was he the best player on his team?
Perhaps though that is more a case of the talent of others on his teams.
3. Best player in baseball or his league at his position?
Yes for a few years after A-Rod moved.
4. Did he have an impact on a number of pennant races?
Ironically enough no he did not. Only twice in his career (2000, 2005) have the Yankees finished less than five games ahead of a playoff spot and only three other times have they been less than ten games ahead of a playoff spot (1996, 2003, 2007). Had the Yankees replaced Jeter with a decent shortstop (say Eckstein) they still would have likely made the playoffs in every year except 2000 and 2005.
Obviously he has had tremendous impact on a number of post-seasons however. This type of impact may prove to be more common for players on teams like the Yankees, Sox and Angels as the Wild Card era goes on.
5. Was he good enough that he could play regularly after passing his prime?
Not yet but he likely will be.
6. Is he the very best baseball player in history who is not in the Hall of Fame?
No.
7. Are most players who have comparable statistics in the Hall of Fame?
Five of the ten are (Joe Torre is one who is not).
8. Do the player's numbers meet Hall of Fame standards?
Black Ink – 6 (27 average HoF)
Gray Ink – 116 (144 average HoF)
Standards – 50.9 (50 average HoF)
Monitor – 221.5 (100 average HoF)
Overwhelmingly yes.
9. Was he better than the statistic suggest?
Yes. Those around him consistently rave about him credit him for his team’s success.
10. Is he the best player at his position who is eligible for the Hall of Fame?
Not if you count A-Rod as a shortstop. I might take Larkin over him also.
11. How many MVP-type seasons did he have?
Several including 1999 and 2006 when very strong cases could have been made for him.
12. All Star Type seasons?
Virtually every season of his career.
13. If this man were the best player on his team, would it be likely that the team could win the pennant?
He was and they did…frequently.
14. Did the player have impact on history, equipment or change the game?
No he did not.
15. Did the player uphold the standards of sportsmanship and character that the Hall of Fame, in its written guidelines, instructs us to consider?
Even the biggest Jeter detractors concede he plays the game “right.”
*****************************************************
Los Angeles Dodgers
After missing the playoffs in 2007 the Dodgers look to go back under the guidance of new manager Joe Torre in 2008. Torre has been criticized in recent years for two things; his bullpen handling and his devotion to veteran players. He has now been moved to a team that is in transition with players all over the age range.
I agree that Torre’s bullpen handling has been questionable but that’s a separate issue. What I am interested in is going to be his handling and integrating of the young players with the Dodgers. While Torre gets criticized for being devoted to vets I think this is erroneous. Just in the last few years he has successfully brought in Cano, Wang and Melky.
More importantly to the Dodgers when he was last presented with a team in transition, in 1996, he pushed the right button nearly every time. Rarely has he allowed a vet to keep a kid who deserved the right to play to get the opportunity. Soriano, Jeter, Posada, Nick Johnson as well as many pitchers got their start with Torre as manager.
Beyond these players he has not been afraid to use players like Shane Spencer, Shelley Duncan and Ricky Ledee for brief periods where they played above their head.
All in all Joe Torre has demonstrated in 12 years with the Yankees that he is exceptional at putting young players into a position to succeed. For a Dodger organization that is integrating Matt Kemp, Andy Laroche, James Loney, Jonathan Broxton and eventually perhaps Clayton Kershaw into regular status Joe Torre is precisely the right manager.
*****************************************************
(Rotoworld and Baseball-Reference were the primary sources for much of the above information)
Labels: Sunday Notes
3 Comments:
At 9:15 PM,
Anonymous said…
Fully agree with your comments about the need for improvements to ballparks to protect players from injury. One area that could use some work is the right field/bullpen wall at Fenway. Two Red Sox players hurt their backs when they collided with that thing last year (Drew and Kielty). If the Red Sox can afford to pay Drew $70 million they can afford to spend a little more to make his workspace a little safer.
At 1:07 PM,
Edmundo said…
Your comments on the safety of the players resonates with me. I'm unsure of how far to disallow "body armor" -- if it was possible to penalize batters who turn into the pitch to get hit, then maybe a fairly liberal "body armor" rule could be reasonable.
I think that since the owners and players union have such a contentious relationship, getting the clubs to make the structural safety changes will be difficult, if done unilaterally. But since more stringent drug testing is coming, possibly including taking and storing of blood, maybe if the clubs and union brought about a crackerjack arbitrator, they can negotiate true safety improvements through compromise on both ends. That does assume a modicum of good faith on each side, something that has been hard to come by up to now.
At 2:07 PM,
Fragile Freddy said…
Good stuff both of you. Edmundo, there is in fact a rule on the books that says a player has to try to get out of the way on an HBP or it's not counted as such. It is called roughly once every century (there was a famous one during Drysdale's scoreless streak that would have forced in a run, Don Demeter I think). Unfortunately it's a very tough call for an ump and since it works both ways no one really gets upset about it.
It's a rule I wish were enforced though. I agree that would help.
Post a Comment
<< Home