Category Archives: Mariners

by | October 30, 2011 · 1:07 am

If I Were Jack Z

Happy Free Agency! I am a sucker for hot stove talk, MLB trade rumors, and general off season gossip. I get the feeling this could be an eventful winter for the M’s, and I am thankful that Jack Z will be calling the shots once again. That being said, I thought I would speculate on some potential moves the M’s could make over the next few months, and in doing, I’ve created my off season plan.

Before delving into the plan, let’s remember where the M’s are in, and the state of the franchise. 2012 will be the 4th year of Jack Zduriencik’s regime in Seattle. He inherited a major rebuilding project, no doubt about it. Top to bottom, the organization was a mess. For 3 years, Jack has concentrated on bulking up the farm, adding depth, and above all, talent. It took a couple years to shed the dead weight—bad contacts, bad draft picks, bad hires, and despite a couple setbacks (Chone), most fans understand the path the organization is on. It’s not as though losses don’t matter, but the record is not as important as the master plan, and Jack has not deviated from building the whole system, which is really the only way to sustain success. Even the Yankees and Red Sox, for all the money they throw around, build from within as good as anyone, and this has been Jack’s focus all along.

In 2012, wins and losses will matter. The grace period is gone, and the M’s had better start producing. A .500 record should be a reasonable goal, so considering the 2011 M’s won 67 games, where does Jack find an additional 14 wins this off season?

Let’s assume the M’s payroll is set at $90-95 million, which is on par for the past 3 years. $60 million is already guaranteed for Felix, Ichiro, Guti, Ryan, Ackley, Figgins, and Olivo, so Jack will have about $30 million to fill out the roster. Next, Jack will need to address the M’s 6 arbitration eligible players: Kelley, Vargas, Aardsma, L-Rodriguez, and League. If I were Jack, I’d non-tender Aardsma, but keep the others, for what will cost about $10 million total. Some would prefer to keep Aardsma, and trade League, but the money is virtually even between the two, and I think you need to keep one. League was an all-star closer, despite his brain lapses, so unless the trade market is high for a guy like League, I’d hang onto him. Finally, another $5 million will be tied up in about 10 spots, the kids like Smoak, Carp, Seager, and most of the young relievers who all make about $450,000. With the remaining $15-20 million, and still a few holes to fill, here’s the roster I would aim to assemble (click to enlarge).

Jump ahead to see how I’d get this team put together! Continue reading →

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by | September 30, 2011 · 11:36 am

MLB Division Series preview

Here are my quick picks for the various MLB Division Series starting this afternoon!

New York Yankees vs Detroit Tigers

How fun will it be to watch Justin Verlander vs CC Sabathia? A baseball fans dream to be sure. Because both pitchers are so dominant, they cancel each other out dramatically, so that perceived advantage the Tigers have evaporates quickly. I love Doug Fister, but who knows how he’ll do under the bright lights of pressurized playoff baseball. The Yanks have the best lineup in baseball, and I am encouraged by how well they played down the stretch. Detroit can hit, and the Yanks have issues in their rotation, but I can’t see anyone out slugging the Bombers. Yankees in 4.

Texas Rangers vs Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays are rolling into post season on one of the most incredible runs ever. Boston’s collapse opened the door for Joe Maddon’s crew to take the AL Wildcard in an unforgettable Wednesday night rollercoaster. It’s a great story, and I admit I’m rooting for Tampa to win this series. The problem is Texas is a better team. People tend to forget Tampa was struggling to score runs most of the season, and even down the stretch it took Evan Longoria’s bat catching fire for them to win. We know Texas can hit and score with anyone. They have a deep, balanced lineup. I think Texas’s pitching is underrated, they have a legit #1 in CJ Wilson and good pieces behind him, with a strong bullpen. Tampa is rolling a green as grass rookie out there for game one, and who knows in game 2. Texas won’t see Shields or Price until games 3 and 4, and then potentially another rookie in game 5. All this means is Tampa’s rotation is messed up for a short 5 game series, while Texas is setting things up nicely. My heart wants Tampa, and hey Joe Maddon gets more out of less than anyone, but I just don’t see how they out hit the Rangers. Tampa will stay on a roll and force 5 games, but that’s it. Rangers in 5.

Milwaukee Brewers vs Arizona Diamondbacks

This is the great mystery match up of the playoffs. Two teams that get almost no national attention, yet are packed with ridiculous talent. The Brewers are lead by Prince and MVP candidate Ryan Braun, while Arizona is lead by Cy Young hopeful Ian Kennedy and young stud Justin Upton. I’ve been intrigued by both teams all year. I love the Brewers make up, a tough, brash arrogant bunch that simply bashes the ball and wins a ton of home games. They have a decent bull pen, with ok starting pitching that is supported by the power bats. Arizona is simply a reflection of their manager, Kirk Gibson. They play tough and together as well, also playing with a chip that borders on arrogance. The key to this series to me is simple: Milwaukee has the home field advantage, statistically the best in baseball. And even on the road at Chase Field, a very homer friendly park, they’ll mash big flys. I think Prince blows up in this series, especially when they go on the road and the DBacks fans boo him again for his perceived all star snub of Upton. Kennedy and Hudson are solid pitchers, but completely unproven in the post season, especially against a powerful lineup. I’m bullish on the Brewers here. Crew in 4.

Philadelphia Phillies vs St Louis Cardinals

The Phillies come into the post season as the perceived favorites in the NL, and for good reason. When you roll Halladay, Lee and Hamels out there for the first three games, it’s hard to see how the Cards win a game, especially when Carpenter isn’t available until they go home. For this reason, and this reason alone, I love the Phillies here. St Louis is much like Tampa: red hot coming into the playoffs, but they have a jumbled starting rotation with a woefully over worked bullpen. Yes, I know the Phils struggled quite a bit down the stretch, but that doesn’t concern me at all. This is a veteran team with one goal, and that’s to win the World Series. They’ll regroup and refocus with renewed energy. I know the Cards are a chic pick in light of their recent success, but I see a let down coming, and I also see the Phillies starters dominating. Cards win one at home with Carpenter on the bump, and that’s it. Phillies in 4.

Pumped for some fall baseball! Wish the M’s were in it! Sick of the losing, wake up Howard and Chuckles! Time to hit the road!

Joe

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by | September 15, 2011 · 10:12 am

Poll Question–Luck, Prince, or Blue Chips?

Seattle sports fans, which of these scenarios would you most prefer see play out?

-Dan

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by | September 6, 2011 · 8:35 pm

Mariners 2011- What Still Has My Interest

I can’t imagine there are that many people still watching the Mariners on a regular basis.  I’ll turn them on once in a while, but I haven’t watched a full game in weeks.  Still, they’re an interesting team at the moment, just not a terribly watchable one.  I have a few posts in mind I’m hoping to get to before the season ends.  This offseason could be fascinating, so I’m going to try to work through the roster before we get to that point.

First up: what would I be watching for if I were still watching games regularly.  I’ll try to keep these short and simple, because they’re not terribly surprising and if we’re being honest, not that exciting either.

  1. Alex Liddi’s debut.  I’ve made my Liddi love quite clear on this blog, but it’s based almost entirely on his Italian-ness.  His baseball skills are intriguing but incomplete.  He has solid power and reportedly plays an improving third base, but like many Mariner power-hitting minor leaguers, he likes the strike outs.  Nonetheless, he’s joined the Mariners and should make his debut soon, which makes me happy.  He’s not likely to do much, this year or next, but sports are for fun, and Italian baseball players are nothing if not fun.  On a related note, how will Kyle Seager finish out the year?  Can he be the main man at third next year?
  2. The Mariners suddenly have a glut of talented outfielders.  Unfortunately, none of them is close to a sure thing.  Casper Wells and Trayvon Robinson could be starters next year, or they could be trade bait.  Michael Saunders, the forgotten man, is back with the big club, filling in for Franklin Gutierrez and his strained oblique.  Has he finally found a swing that will translate to the majors?
  3. Tom Wilhelmsen.  When Wilhelmsen was sent down early in the season to work as a starter, the move made sense.  He wasn’t pitching well, and starting would give him more innings to work on his stuff, and if they got lucky, he might turn into a solid middle of the rotation guy.  He didn’t seem to get much better in the minors, but then he was recalled anyway, and he’s been okay.  If you haven’t noticed, the rotation is potentially a little shallow next year.  I have my doubts about Blake Beavan and Anthony Vazquez.  If one of them is my fifth starter, I can live with it, but I’d really like Wilhelmsen or Charlie Furbush to bring actual strikeout stuff to the rotation.  I doubt September will give an answer to whether they can, but we might catch some glimpes.
  4. Justin Smoak has had a season from hell.  After a thunderous first month, he fell apart at the plate.  Also, his dad died, his nose got broken and he possibly had a serious thumb injury.  Who knows how much all that influenced his decline, but it can’t have helped.  I’d love to see him get hot this month.  I like the guy, and he clearly has talent.  Here’s to a better September and a breakout season in 2012.  He’s still the key to the future, in my mind.

There are some other things going on, like Ichiro and the young relievers, but this is my list.  What are you watching (or not watching) for?

Next up: a breakdown of where each position stands going into the offseason.

-Matthew

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by | August 1, 2011 · 7:44 pm

The Deadline in Review

The trade deadline has come and gone and the Mariners were very active.  In case the folks reading this blog haven’t got enough of a fill on reading about the trades, or actually wanted to know our opinions, here’s one more review.  I’ll get right down to it, as straight forward as possible.  (If you want more, all the Mariner websites have some sort of reveiw.  Here’s Lookout Landing’s.  Here’s USS Mariner.  SSI has several posts about the new prospects.)

Trade #1:  What We Lost:

Doug Fister – Of the three players we’ve lost, Fister is probably the most valuable.  The most talented?  I would say no, but he is the most valuable because he is cheap and under team control for several more years.  Fister doesn’t have the best stuff and that gave him the ‘over-achiever’ label.  What he did have was excellent control and the ability to take advantage of good defenses put behind him.  Fister was always intriguing and I always enjoyed him more than Jason Vargas, just because he didn’t have plus stuff to get people out but still held down the number 3 spot in the rotation and was very successful.  Fister could be successful for a long time, I hope he is, or his lack of dominant stuff might catch up to him.  Time will tell, but he served the Mariners well in his 2 years with the big league club.

David Pauley – David Pauley was a solid reliever for most of the year for the M’s.  With that being said, he wasn’t part of the teams future and isn’t much to write home about.  He’ll provide some bullpen help for the Tigers and that was why he was a part of this deal.

What We Got Back:

Casper Wells – Casper Wells is a 26 year old corner outfielder who came up to the Tigers’ big league club last Summer.  In his debut year his OPS was at .901 in 93 at-bats.  This year his OPS is .765 in 117 at-bats. He’s hit 8 home runs in 210 at-bats in the big leagues but has shown good power in the minors.  He is primarily a corner outfielder but can also play center.  His defense will be average in center (maybe a little better) and plus in one of the corner spots.  He was a 4th outfielder in Detroit because they were in a pennant race but he’ll be the starting left fielder here for the remainder of the season.  He could into a a little better than league average outfielder.  At the very least, I think he’ll be a good 4th outfielder.  At the most, the Mariners may have found their left fielder for the next couple years.

Charlie Furbush – I’ll refrain from any Furbush for Fister jokes…. Charlie Furbush is a left-handed pitcher who is being utilized in the bullpen at the moment.  His fastball is 90-92.  He also has a decent slider and throws a change-up.  He has a deceptive delivery which has drawn comparisons to George Sherril. While he is in the bullpen right now, he will eventually see time in the starting rotation.  Furbush’s ceiling is a number 3 starter.  He’s 25 and has played in AAA and with the Tigers this year.

Francisco Martinez – Francisco is a 20 year old who has already made his way to AA.  He has drawn a lot of comparisons to Carlos Triunfel, which I don’t think is very fair.  Triunfel is a 21 year old who is AA but arrived there when he’s 19.  He was injured, fell off many people’s radar and is still in AA (but he’s putting up decent numbers and is still young).  I think it’s an unfair comparison because they speak of Triunfel like he’s a disappointment.  He’s not yet.  Martinez has been in AA for 2 years and has been solid but not spectacular in those stints.  This year he is hitting .282 with seven home runs in the league this year.  He projects to have solid power but so far his plate discipline isn’t great (that’s where the Triunfel comparison comes from).  Francisco could make it to the majors in the next couple years.  He was the 4th ranked prospect in the Tigers system by a few people, which is pretty exciting.

PTBNL – Cool name, huh?  This player will be one the Tigers’ top 2010 draft picks.  We won’t find out who it is until August 20th.  It should be a good prospect though.

Overview of deal:  Losing Fister is a big deal.  He could have been a mainstay in the rotation for a long time.  But, this isn’t like losing a Felix or Pineda.  Fister won’t ever be an ace.  Losing Pauley is not big deal at all.  With these things in mind, I love the return the Mariners got.  Of course, evaluating trades isn’t fair until a couple of years down the road but at worst the Mariners got back a good 4th outfielder, a good lefty reliever, and two interesting prospects.  At best they got back a starting left fielder who will hit 15-20 home runs, a number 3 or 4 starter, a third baseman with some power, and something else.  I like that upside, but I also like the practicality.  Even if things don’t break right we’ll get something out of this deal.

Deal #2 What We Lost:

Erik Bedard – I love Erik Bedard.  He’s the type of pitcher I could watch for days.  He thinks while he pitches and is crafty.  He’s has all kinds of talent and, when healthy, he’s one of the best pitchers’ in the league.  With that being said, I didn’t know how much trade value he had because of how often he is injured.  I’ll miss Erik but dealing him was a no-brainer because he was going to be a free agent and there was no need for him to be here.

Josh Fields – Josh Fields was a former first-round draft pick who is bad.  Really bad.  I don’t know why the Red Sox wanted him.  Maybe someday he’ll put it all together and not walk every other batter but we didn’t lose anything to be worried about there.

What We Got:

Trayvon Robinson – Trayvon came to us via the Dodgers.  He’s a 24 year old who’s been playing for LA’s AAA affiliate in Albuquerque, which is a hitter’s park to put it lightly.  This discredits some of the 26 home runs Robinson has hit this year.  But, it doesn’t discredit them the way many people on the blogosphere are.  He hit 12 of those home runs on the road and Robinson still would be hitting home runs even if he wasn’t in a dumb park.  He swings and misses a lot, but still can take a walk.  Robinson is a center-fielder with a lot of speed.  SSI compared him today to Curtis Granderson and you can see the similarities in their swings.  Trayvon could be a September call-up.  I’m looking forward to watching him play and he could push Guti out of the door.

Chih-Hsien Chiang – Awesome name.  This guy is another outfielder, although he plays in a corner position.  Chiang is 23 and is absolutely killing AA pitching.  He has a 1.046 OPS right now in his second go around in AA.  He has 58 extra base hits on the year and will move up to AAA soon, I imagine.  He doesn’t have a lot to prove in AA anymore.

Overview:  This trade is great.  2 months of Erik Bedard in a lost season or a top-5 organizational talent along with another interesting prospect.  These guys may not work out, but Pete Carrol would be proud of the way Jack Z has built a competition for an outfield position.

All in all, it’s been a great deadline for the Mariners.  Even with all the bad luck the team has had, you have to think that one of these guys in the outfield competition will turn out.

The team has also won the battle for the coolest names dealing Doug, David, Erik and Josh for Casper, Charlie (Furbush), Francisco, Trayvon and Chih-Hsien.  That doesn’t even take into account PTBNL.  That name doesn’t even have any vowels in it.  There’s a chance the player they acquire may be named Chance.  But, if I was Jack Z, I’d just stick with this PTBNL guy if he’s focusing on coolest names.

I know it’s tough to be a Mariners fan right now but Jack Z has done a good job, he’s just run into a city full of bad luck.  I’m sure he wouldn’t use that as an excuse but the guy knows what he’s doing.  By acquiring all of these outfielders, I think he’s starting to try to make his own luck.

Andrew

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by | July 27, 2011 · 10:22 pm

Here Comes the Sun

Yesterday was a dark, dark day in Seattle sports.  One of the worst I can remember, to be honest.  I take no pleasure in recounting it, but, for the sake of this post, I’m going to anyway.

It was a Tuesday, a grey and wet day in Seattle.  Much like the rest of the Summer has been.  It was also grey and wet in New York, which just so happened to be where the Mariners were playing their game.  Were it not for the rain, that threw off C.C. Sabathia’s groove, the Mariners’ were at a very high risk of getting no-hit.  Thankfully, the rain delayed the game for a while and C.C. lost a little bit of his rhythm.  The Mariners’ were one-hit and lost their 17th straight game.  What a relief.

17 straight losses is a franchise record.  17 straight losses is the most consecutive losses in the past 6 years and one of the worst losing streaks of all time.  Jeff Sullivan, at Lookout Landing, mentioned that 17 straight losses has happened less times than perfect games have been thrown in baseball.  It’s amazing.  There was also this look at it from Matthew at Lookout Landing.

But, it could have been worse.  The Mariners could have had a perfect game thrown against them.

Of course, it was worse for Seattle sports fans.  Earlier in the day, before the 17th straight loss, we found out that Matt Hasselbeck would be leaving the Seahawks, via free agency, and the team was going to sign Tarvarias Jackson.  I’ve mentioned that I’m not a huge Seahawk fan (or NFL fan) before, but I was still a bit upset by this news.  Hasselbeck had been quarterback of the Hawks for as long as I’ve paid attention to them.  He led them through the best years that Seattle NFL fans have ever known.  We let him get away and then signed a backup quarterback from Minnesota who no else seemed to want?

Looking back, a lot of the reactions I heard yesterday may have been overreactions. But, at the time I thought they were completely justified.  One of our teams had just lost their 17th game in a row.  The other team had just lost the player that was the franchise icon.  And who knows if the Sonics will get to play this year because of the NBA lockout….. Oh, wait.  Yes, yesterday was a ‘Seattle Sports Fan Day’ by definition.

But, the sun rose and, fortunately, sports move on. Continue reading →

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by | July 1, 2011 · 12:01 pm

A Section Built For a King

Not many of us are in the mood to talk about the recent skid the Mariners have been on.  It seems the offense has forgotten how to score runs – even more than usual – and they’ve run into some bad luck.  But, instead of focusing on a team that might be falling out of contention, I’m choosing to focus on a little bit of Mariners’ genius: The King’s Court.  Because there are many reviews and thoughts on the section floating around the M’s blogosphere, I thought I’d give my personal account for anyone interested.

Last Friday night I had a chance to sit in this new section.   If sitting here wasn’t enough to boot, the Mariners were playing the Marlins in a ‘Florida home game’ so Felix had a chance to bat.

My friends (JP and Bernie) and I arrived about an hour before the game started and the section was about half full.  There wasn’t much of an atmosphere in there yet so I opted to go get some Kidd Valley and walk around for a little bit.

Getting back to the seat about half an hour later, a large cheer went through the crowd as Felix was walking out to warm up.  This is where the fun began.  From that point on the section had a buzz.  Most of the seats were full.  On my left, I had a grown man dressed-up as a Jester.  He seemed to be in charge of the section and seemed downright joyful.  You know, the way a true Jester ought to be.  A little closer to me was a 10 or 12-year-old who was dressed as the famous ‘Larry Bernandez.’  It was his birthday and I don’t know if he’ll ever have a better one.  On my right, there were several babies and toddlers dressed up as kings.  Camera men were walking around all over the place, ready to relay the sights and sounds of the nights to TV and the big screen.

The game started and the section was into it right away.  Every 2 strike count brought the crowd to its feet and chants of “K! K! K! K!” would come.  The Jester was awarded the Turkey leg and a celebration started.  It was slowly passed through the crowd until it wound up in Larry’s hand’s.  A slow chant arose from the crowd, “Larry, Larry, Larry…” This happened many times throughout the game (whenever he was shown on the big screen and when he was awarded rally fries later).

Felix was pretty wild through the first 2 innings but managed to escape without giving up any runs.  In the fourth a run scored on a wild pitch and the buzz of the King’s Court was brought down a little bit.  Still, this was an atmosphere that I’d never experienced at Safeco Field.  This was, dare I say it, a playoff atmosphere.

As the game rolled on, the section was waiting for something to happen.  As so often happens, the Mariners’ offense failed to show up through the first six innings.  Felix was rolling though, and if the offense could scratch across something we had to figure the game was over.  That happened in the 7th as the offense somehow got 3 runs across on a few bloop singles.

Felix continued to roll and the buzz in the section hit a new high.  The best comparison I could come up with was like a college basketball game.  The King’s Court was like the Dawg Pack and it got the whole stadium into it, much like what happens in Hec Ed.  Felix made it through 8 innings and only gave up 2 hits.  He was incredible and seemed to really enjoy the section.

Miguel Olivo loved the section too.  In the top of the 9th, a chant was born.  Everyone knows the tale now.  Olivo came up in the top of the 9th with a man on and after a long at bat in which the crowd endlessly chanted, “O-Liv-O, Oh Oh,” Miguel ripped a home run down the left field line.  It was one of the most magical moments I’ve experienced at a baseball game.

Felix was pinch hit for in the top of the 9th, much to the dismay of the fans.  The M’s went on to win the game and the party lasted all 9 innings.

Of course, the section had a few downfalls.  There are always dumb people at sporting events and this game was no exception.  There were 2 girls sitting in front of us who refused to sit down.  They called it supporting their team but only watched about 1 at-bat an inning.  I have no problem with people standing up through most of the game if they’re into it but these two girls weren’t.  Also, there were a few inappropriate chants that came up.  They were somewhat comical (“Dirty Sanchez” for Gaby Sanchez was my favorite) but some shouldn’t have come up.

With that being said, the whole experience was fantastic.  It was a great idea by the Mariners Marketing and a tradition that will live on through the years.  Felix clearly loves it and anything that makes him feel like Seattle is home is fine by me.

My friend Bernie asked me before the game, “If Felix is so great, why does he pitch for the Mariners?”  He didn’t mean it as an insult to the team, he didn’t understand contracts in baseball and was genuinely interested in why one of the best pitchers in baseball would want to be on a team that is perceived as bad.  But, it’s easy to see that the Mariners pull the right strings when it comes to Felix.  He’s a hero in Seattle and with every little marketing move – like the King’s Court – I like to think that Felix will think of Seattle as home for his whole career.

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by | June 18, 2011 · 10:21 pm

Twitter “Conversation” w/ Dave Cameron, USS Mariner

People who know me probably know that I love to ask questions. I think it is the single most important way to build relationships, because questions often get people talking. I’ve come to enjoy twitter for a couple reasons. First, it’s the quickest way to learn about breaking news in the world of sports. Secondly, it is a platform to spew quick thoughts that don’t require a post, and lastly, twitter provides an opportunity to have a conversation with people you probably never could have arranged to speak with. They have to be willing to reply of course, but surprisingly a lot of sports writers do respond, especially when posed with a question.

Last night, and again today, I was able to engage Dave Cameron in a twitter conversation. I was pleased to speak with Dave because I read USS Mariner regularly and although I agree with him on some things, I find myself disagreeing often, usually because I think he gets stuck in stats world and loses site of other aspects of the game. Below is the conversation/debate we had. I should mention that Dave Cameron really knows his stuff, far more than me, and I respect his opinion.

d_a_cameron David Cameron
Jack Cust is on the bench for the sixth time in the last 10 games. I’d bet he gets released before the All-Star break.

goodguyssports Dan Scansen
Fine by me. Roll your eyes but I’d rather watch Peguero than Cust looking at pitches all night. You disagree?

d_a_cameron David Cameron
The best hitters in baseball swing the least often.

goodguyssports Dan Scansen
Ya but when they do swing, they make things happen. Cust has a nice OBP but no future here. Pegeruo hacks but power is precious.

d_a_cameron David Cameron
Power is only useful if it comes from a player who can actually hit.

goodguyssports Dan Scansen
He can hit some, improving day by day, and his 5 HR in 30 games is a welcome sight in Seattle even if he strikes out 30%.

goodguyssports Dan Scansen
Besides, lots of power hitters strike out at that same rate (i.e. Nelson Cruz) I just think watching Peguero develop and provide some pop outweighs 3 more months of Cust.

—————————————————–

d_a_cameron David Cameron
The M’s have had five players post a BB% over 10% (min 50 PA) this year – 2 have been released, 1 optioned to AAA, and 1 has been benched.

goodguyssports Dan Scansen
So you’re saying M’s don’t value BB? Fine. Lhans, L-Rod, Milton, Cust are gone/benched because they hit .173, .167, .218, .214

d_a_cameron David Cameron
Not the M’s – Wedge. Also, people stopped using batting average to evaluate hitters about 20 years ago.

goodguyssports Dan Scansen
Wedge doesn’t value walks, or did those players just suck? I’d say the latter. Lots of hitting stats back this claim.

d_a_cameron David Cameron
There are a lot of sucky hitters on this roster. The only ones who have gotten tossed are the high walk guys.

goodguyssports Dan Scansen
M’s are 6th in AL in walks, not too worried. I know you’d prefer to see Cust play over Peguero, but of Bradley, L-Rod, Lhans, who would you have kept around?

d_a_cameron David Cameron
Was just making a point. It’s a problem that the manager thinks walks aren’t useful.

goodguyssports Dan Scansen
Fair enough but Wedge has been terrific w/ this team despite your line-up & BB gripes. Sorry there’s no sabermetric to show ya.

d_a_cameron David Cameron
The point of sabermetrics is to get people to think critically. Be willing to go beyond “team winning = manager good.”

goodguyssports Dan Scansen
I just think you need balance. Sabermetrics provides in-depth, critical info, but people play this game. Wedge = people pro.

d_a_cameron David Cameron
Heading to bed, but I’d just ask you to think why you believe that. Because someone said so? That shouldn’t be good enough.

goodguyssports Dan Scansen
Mike Salk has eluded to this, yes. But simply seeing Wak vs. Wedge, I see accountability, guys being called out. Refreshing.

goodguyssports Dan Scansen
Thanks for your time Dave, really do enjoy the blog and learning more about sabermetrics.

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