MLB 2009 thread

[Red001]

shayd i think Beane has done well but he has gotten away from the mental side with some Gio Gonalez comes to mind and really he should have moved on a 3rd basemen this winte counting on Chavez was unfortunate and we all know that Nomar really needs to dh and Cust and Giambi where already here.

the Brewers stole Felipe Lopez. I think they sign him long term and move Weeks to the outfield and then they can trade one of those outfielders for a Pitcher

Halladay is going to cost a team 1-2 Major Leaguers and 2 or 3 prospect or if your the Redsox all 5 of your top prospects plus at least on elite player currently in the Majors

red001

 

[shayd]

shayd i think Beane has done well but he has gotten away from the mental side with some Gio Gonalez comes to mind and really he should have moved on a 3rd basemen this winte counting on Chavez was unfortunate and we all know that Nomar really needs to dh and Cust and Giambi where already here.

the Brewers stole Felipe Lopez. I think they sign him long term and move Weeks to the outfield and then they can trade one of those outfielders for a Pitcher

Halladay is going to cost a team 1-2 Major Leaguers and 2 or 3 prospect or if your the Redsox all 5 of your top prospects plus at least on elite player currently in the Majors

red001

Gio is 23, and is just a year removed from leading the entire minor leagues in strikeouts. To say that he hasn't worked out is judging way too soon. Plus, Gio really hasn't had an entire season to pitch yet, and part of that isn't his fault. Geren has booted him between starting and relieving way too much to get a good read on him, and he's been very impressive every time he's been sent down.

Chavez was ruled healthy by the team doctors, Chavy's surgeon, and two other doctors before he was cleared to come back. Chavy said he felt good, and he looked it early on, so you really can't fault Beane for putting faith that he'd be healthy. And besides, the guy got injured playing, it's not like the previous injury influenced his performance. Nomar ideally would be the A's primary infield backup, as he wasn't signed as a starter. Giambi was supposed to provide some pop, and he just hasn't. Jack Cust should be the permanent DH, he is absolutely horrid defensively, as in bottom 5 in the entire majors for outfielders defensively. I would tend to agree that there wasn't really a solid 3B prospect in the A's system, but from what I'm gathering, Adrian Cardenas will probably end up moving there. And don't forget that this is a rebuilding process, meaning this season was really about getting the young guys who were ready or close to ready the chance to get some ML time, not competing. I think Billy has once again done a very good job of getting a large quantity of high quality prospects. Is every position as position of strength? No, but the advantage is that pitching is the A's position of strength, and that's something that every team needs, meaning the other needs could eventually be addressed if necessary.

 

[Red001]

well at least the A's did something right last night in winning a game the umps missed a call on. the dude was safe on that wild pitch.

actually i don't think Gio will ever be a starter at this level he dosen't have a third pitch to get through the order 3 times

red001

 

[shayd]

well at least the A's did something right last night in winning a game the umps missed a call on. the dude was safe on that wild pitch.

actually i don't think Gio will ever be a starter at this level he dosen't have a third pitch to get through the order 3 times

red001

Oh you're absolutely right, Cuddyer was safe by a mile. But I have to tell you, the A's rarely get the sympathy of the umpires, so it's nice to get one.

Gio has the stuff, but so far, his control has been the problem. He's got an average to slightly above average fastball, a plus plus curve and a plus change. His numbers in the minors seem to back that up, particularly the 45% swing chance by batters at his curve, with a contact rate of less than 20%, 37% for his change, with a contact rate of 27% and 52% for his fastball with a contact rate of 45%. The problem boils down to control, as he's throwing strikes at a rate nearly 8% lower than last year, and nearly 13% lower than this minors numbers. Add to that the fact that batters are making successful contact at a rate of 76% percent (his career average is 65%), and he's walking more than 5 per 9, and one thing seems obvious to me: his locations are off. If he gets his control issues resolved, there's no reason to believe he can't have a #2 ceiling. The scary thing for me though, is that he's actually significantly improved since last year overall.

 

[Red001]

shayd i've seen 3 of gio's recent mlb starts he dosen't show any mental toughness to be more than a number 5, other than the Cleveland start. maybe i expect more from somebody the whitesox loved enough to reaquire the year after they first dealt him and obvioulsly he dominates at triple aaa.

red001

 

[shayd]

shayd i've seen 3 of gio's recent mlb starts he dosen't show any mental toughness to be more than a number 5, other than the Cleveland start. maybe i expect more from somebody the whitesox loved enough to reaquire the year after they first dealt him and obvioulsly he dominates at triple aaa.

red001

He's pretty notorious for being a hothead at times, but that' something that the A's have tried to work on with him in the minors. He's dominating the minors, and has shown improvement from last year to this year, despite the fact that he's been bounced around. To me, that indicates he just needs a role in the rotation, and a full season or two to actually show what he can do. Giving him a 4 starts, then sending him down, then calling him up for 8 relief appearances and then extrapolating those performances probably don't add up to what he can do.

 

[shayd]

In other news, the non-waiver trade deadline is fast approaching, and it looks like the Cards are finally going to make a run at Matt Holliday. Thankfully for A's fans, Brett Wallace is at least the starting point of this deal, with potential for more players. Go to work Billy!

 

[Skyraider22]

In other news, the non-waiver trade deadline is fast approaching, and it looks like the Cards are finally going to make a run at Matt Holliday. Thankfully for A's fans, Brett Wallace is at least the starting point of this deal, with potential for more players. Go to work Billy!

They just made the trade about 3 minutes ago a four player deal

 

[Red001]

yeah getting brett wallace solves 3b right away.clayton mortsen should be a september call up and rotation canidate for next year. Shane peterson is an outfielder who is likely 2 years away. good trade for both teams

red001

 

[Ozmanks]

The Kansas City Royals have been out of the playoff race since the beginning of the year, so now all I have to look forward to is the start of college football and seeing how many losses the Royals can accumulate.

 

[Skyraider22]

The Kansas City Royals have been out of the playoff race since the beginning of the year, so now all I have to look forward to is the start of college football and seeing how many losses the Royals can accumulate.

You lost me:dunno:

 

[ArabJames]

im glad holliday got traded
he needed to get out of that hitter's hell hole known as oakland

he'll bat about .320 with about 15 homers the rest of the year hitting behind pujols

 

[yaheem]

Maybe Mark McGwire shouldnt help others with their hitting or Holliday is a NL guy after yesterdays performance. What I was disappointed in hearing was how the Giants didnt even inquire about Holliday, so what if Billy might have been asking for too much at least do the due diligence.

 

[shayd]

Maybe Mark McGwire shouldnt help others with their hitting or Holliday is a NL guy after yesterdays performance. What I was disappointed in hearing was how the Giants didnt even inquire about Holliday, so what if Billy might have been asking for too much at least do the due diligence.

Well, Sabean will be in very hot water if the Giants don't make the playoffs. Their farm system is pretty shallow, and they only really have two sure thing guys, in Bumgarner and Posey. I'm not all that high on Villalona or Alderson, as both have a lot of adjustments to make to actually come anywhere close to their potential, and so far, they haven't.

 

[Red001]

remember the A's park is one of the worse hitters park in the majors. The Giants blew a chance to Really help themselves by not getting Holliday and based on the return the price wasn't outrageous at all.

red001

 

[Thunderbolt]

I hope the Rays can stick it to the yankees and Red Sox and win the division ! Go Rays !

 

[Doc420]

The Sox need to win the next two against the Tigers. This is a BIG series and they cant go to the twins, yankees, or redsox cold. The sox have a very hard next couple weeks and the twins own us in their gay dome.

 

[Magnet]

Well, Sabean will be in very hot water if the Giants don't make the playoffs. Their farm system is pretty shallow, and they only really have two sure thing guys, in Bumgarner and Posey. I'm not all that high on Villalona or Alderson, as both have a lot of adjustments to make to actually come anywhere close to their potential, and so far, they haven't.

Thats because have a crap load of guys graduating to the majors.

The Giants may not have been able to take on any extra money, so that could be why they didnt even think about Holliday.

 

[shayd]

Thats because have a crap load of guys graduating to the majors.

The Giants may not have been able to take on any extra money, so that could be why they didnt even think about Holliday.

Uh, who exactly do they have who's even remotely close to the majors?

Out of the four of Sandoval, Schierholtz, Romo, and Ishikawa, only two are even legitimate above average starters. The Giants farm system has been weak since about 2003 when they decided to offload Liriano, Nathan + another for Pierzinsky. A good farm team has legitimate depth, and the Giants just don't have that, and haven't for a long time.

And money wouldn't have been an issue. The A's pitched in about $2 million of Hollidays approximately $5 million left this year. The $3 millions he's owed would have been worked out in the trade, as in the Giants would have sent someone back to offset the cost. Sabean was pretty suspiciously quiet about Holliday, most likely because he didn't want to give up any talent from an already thin farm system.

 

[Red001]

i think the Giants aren't going to add salary and are looking to keep cost down and are going to compete with what they have.

red001