SB Nation - Carl Everett

A Brief History Of Mariners With Clubhouse Concerns

Jeff — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 23:06:39 -0000

Ken Griffey Jr.: Remember the stories going around back before he was traded a decade ago? Junior, from the sounds of things, got to be a real pain. Then time passed, he aged by ten years, his career aged by fifty, and he became arguably one of the best clubhouse influences in the world.

Miguel Batista: Issues developed as a Mariner, and he never quite fit in, particularly with the 2009 team. Had no negative impact, at least off the field.

Carlos Silva: Issues developed shortly before becoming a Mariner and carried over into 2008. Appeared to have been a factor in the clubhouse mess that year, but he wasn't the biggest one, and once the team got a complete overhaul, it seemed like he didn't do anything but kiss people.

Ichiro: Ichiro kind of always did his own thing and never quite fit in from the beginning. Like everything else, his habits because a source of some resentment and frustration in 2008, but the team has been able to win with him, and 2009 saw him become a different person around his teammates through Griffey's influence.

Carl Everett: Brought in more for his fire than for his bat, Everett provided little fire, less bat, and was gone by July with nary a whimper.

Jose Guillen: Perhaps the most batshit player the Mariners have ever had, Guillen's influence on the 2007 clubhouse was considered by most parties involved to be nothing but positive, and he was very nearly brought back. Biggest controversy was his support of playing veterans over young guys down the stretch, but that was not a sentiment unique to Guillen.

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To be sure, the Mariners have never had a guy quite like Milton Bradley. His personality seems to be among the most volatile in the league. But what we've been able to observe in the past is that, sure enough, clubhouse issues tend to be at their most negative when you're losing and at their most positive when you're winning, and the 2010 Seattle Mariners are being built to win, and win a lot. That's what Bradley wants. He wants to play on a good team. One should note that he has been on playoff teams before, so it's not like his acquisition precludes success. He just needs to be watched, and we have the support system in place to take care of him. He says it's "surreal" that he gets to play with Junior. That can only work to our benefit.

Bradley is, of course, a constant risk to get ejected if something goes against him on the field. A Google search for '"Milton Bradley" ejected' turns up more than 10,000 results, and everyone remembers what happened to him in San Diego. But Ichiro got ejected too, and the occasional early exit from a game isn't that big of a deal. Being argumentative on the field isn't the same as being difficult off of it, and besides, given Wak's whole spiel about trying to go a whole year without getting a player or coach kicked out, that may be a thing of the past anyway. What really matters here is that, even with Bradley's history, there's no guarantee that his personality is going to be a problem in 2010. We don't have Lou Piniella and dumbass alcoholics in the bleachers. We have Don Wakamatsu and soccer moms. I mean it when I say that this is literally the best place for a player like Bradley to land, and that's why this makes me so excited.

Andruw Jones For $500K Is Good Deal

Satchel Price — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:38:11 -0000

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

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I know the move happened a bit ago, but in a move reminiscent to GM Kenny Williams' previous acquisitions of aging stars Roberto Alomar and Carl Everett (although those were trades), the White Sox added formerly elite center fielder Andruw Jones.

While Jones, who turns 33 in April, will likely never again be the player that posted WAR's over 5.0 seven times from 1997 to 2006, making him the best center fielder in the game during that period, he still appears to have some left in the tank after a solid rebound season in Texas. In relatively limited playing time, spent mostly as a designated hitter, Jones posted a .214/.323/.459 line and a .338 wOBA. Not exactly near his previous marks, but Jones showed that he's still far better than he showed the Dodgers in 2008, with much improved contact, line drive and HR/FB rates. In his very limited playing time in the field in 2009, he posted a +3.0 UZR, and while his declining athleticism and lack of experience in the playing field definitely indicate that he'll never be the defensive monster that he once was, there's reason to believe that, given his track record, he could be a solid defender, at least in a corner outfield spot.

While Jones was certainly helped by hitting in Arlington, a ballpark very condusive to offense, he was also held back by a very low .224 BABIP. Given Jones' extreme tendency to hit the ball in the air, low BABIP's certainly aren't new to him. From 2005-2009, he's posted these BABIP marks: .243, .270, .248, .231, and the lowly .224 mark from this season. Jones was definitely unlucky in 2009, but not nearly to the extent that one would generally expect. Using the brilliant Expected BABIP calculator provided by The Hardball Times, which uses a variety of result-driven statistics (K, AB, HR, BB, SB/CS, batted ball numbers provided by Baseball Info Solutions) to determine what a players BABIP *should* be, Jones' expected BABIP comes out to .299, right at the league average, and substantially higher than the .224 mark that he actually posted. Factoring in some improved luck from Jones in 2010 and he could very well be a solid everyday player if his defense hasn't declined substantially from his final days in Atlanta, although his declining athleticism and lack of playing time certainly puts that into question.

So for only $500,000, the White Sox have made another very astute move on the free agent market, adding a solid piece with some upside at a very low cost. Presumably Jones won't be expected to be more than Chicago's fourth outfielder and part-time designated hitter, and he definitely has the upside to offer far more than that given his power potential and ability to get on base. Considering Chicago's obvious need for some additional pop and outfield help, retaining Mark Kotsay didn't exactly add a big bopper to the lineup, this appears to have been a very solid addition for the White Sox.

11/19 - My Bad, Tito is Awesome

bs.uf15bosox9bears23 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:15:08 -0000

Terry Francona Hopes Red Sox Re-Sign Jason Bay - NESN.com

Of course. He's a player's manager, and he wants to support the guy who he thinks will be signed, right? I mean, he's one of those guys that believes heart and sportsmanship wins games...

Coaches Tim Bogar, DeMarlo Hale to Step Up Following Departure of Brad Mills - Terry Francona - NESN.com

Wow, he explains why "team chemistry" is a load of bull. Maybe I was wrong about Tito...

Our Manager is a Closet Stat Geek? - Yawkey Way Academy

Tito needs to talk about stuff like this more often - I was totally wrong when I said Tito was loyal to a fault. My bad. I really hope we get to see the saberfriendly Tito in action a lot more this season, so that we'll at least know what the thought process is if there's a controversial decision.

VORP v RARP - Inside the Book

Since ESPN has decided that VORP can be grasped by our feeble minds, you might as well find out how it compares to Baseball Prospectus's OTHER value stat.

What John Henry Can Learn From Belichick’s 4th and 2 - Fire Brand of the American League

Still, despite the loss, the second-guessing, and the media advocating for everything short of an all-out lynching of BIll Belichick, John Henry should use this occasion as an opportunity to learn something from Robert Kraft.

Since there's a couple Pats fans on here, this link will probably mean more to y'all.

After the jump, a look at the pay scale for the 2009 free agents, "modern" Moneyball, and some recognition for some of the most important Sox of the decade.

How much did the 2009 free agents sign for, per win?

Apparently 1 year deals ain't such a bad idea.

Defense and the Modern Moneyball - Yawkey Way Academy

Boston's Shortstop of the Future is Right Under Our Noses - NESN.com

Yay, the MSM has finally take a liking to Je- wait, what? Iglesias? How is he any sort of secret at this point?

Chone Figgins Could Add Explosive Dimension to Boston's Offensive Strategy - NESN.com

If you're going to make the argument, I'd recommend not using steals as your #1 support - it's been proven that they aren't nearly as valuable as most people think.

Jason Varitek Needs to Knuckle Down, Catch Tim Wakefield - NESN.com

Jason Varitek has come up with clutch hits and incredible defensive plays, he's called a record four no-hitters and he has maintained order in a clubhouse with personalities like Manny Ramirez and Carl Everett. However, if Varitek wants to make the most of his next -- and potentially, his final -- season of Boston baseball, then the captain is going to have learn how to catch the knuckleball.

Okay, not only is this factually wrong (he caught Wake when he first joined the Sox), it's also dumb. The argument of getting Vic rest should be used for Tek catching either Dice or Beckett, the two who "need" him.

All-Aughts Team of the Decade LF: Manny Ramirez - Fire Brand of the American League

What, you were expecting Bay or something? Oh, wait, Hermida's going to be our LF next season, so he'd obviously be a better choice.

All-Aughts Team of the Decade RP1: Mike Timlin - Fire Brand of the American League

Still have the urge to blindfold myself at the mention of his name, but that's not important.

All-Aughts Team of the Decade RP3: Alan Embree - Fire Brand of the American League

Closed out the 2004 ALCS, then proceeded to spiral into relative oblivion.

Comments, links, and general discussion to keep the irritable among us happy with new material would all be greatly appreciated.

In Defense of the General Manager

U-God — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 16:10:46 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

The man on the right is better at his job than people outside of Chicago give credit for. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

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When OSFIB posted this link today, I found my muse for the off day. As most of our readers (and White Sox fans in general) have probably noticed, ripping on Kenny Williams and calling him a below average GM has almost become accepted as common knowledge outside of the state of Illinois. Even other SBN sites have jumped in on it. The thing is, it hasn't been a correct assumption for a while. Further analysis (and an almost complete GM history) after the jump.

The man has made his mistakes and there is no denying that. The Todd Ritchie trade was awful, giving up Ray Durham for Jon Adkins still hurts, and who can forget the confusing multiple trades for Carl Everett and Roberto Alomar. And then there was his unfortunate attacks on Frank Thomas after the Big Hurt had some disparaging remarks towards the only organization he had ever known. The thing is, the man has improved. Over the course of his career he went from the sheep being fleeced to the man holding the shears. Over the past few season Kenny has turned minor leaguers and stable veterans into Freddy Garcia, Jim Thome, Jose Contreras, Javier Vazquez, John Danks, Gavin Floyd, Matt Thornton, Orlando Cabrera, and Carlos Quentin. He snagged Bobby Jenks off of waivers from the Angels. He brought A.J. Pierzynski, Tadahito Iguchi, Jermaine Dye, and Orlando Hernandez in as free agents during a time when other teams were more desirable. He kept Paul Konerko, Mark Buehrle, and Jermaine Dye in town when they could have made more money elsewhere. He gave Ozzie Guillen his first chance to manage a baseball team. He played a large part in the magic that was 2005. He took over an ineffective draft plan, and since he started being more hands on with it the Sox have drafted Aaron Poreda, Gordon Beckham, Daniel Hudson, Trayce Thompson, Jared Mitchell, and Jordan Danks. He opened a pipeline to Cuba using Contreras and El Duque that has helped result in Alexei Ramirez and Dayan Viciedo.

Does he still have his flaws? Yes. His hands were pretty much tied during the Nick Swisher fiasco. He still tends to get tunnel vision and focus on getting a player no matter what or when (Ken Griffey Jr and Jake Peavy). But he isn't the rube he was back in the day. The article OSFIB linked us compared Kenny Williams to a gambler that loses a good deal of money. I like the gambler comparison, but I really don't see the second half being true. This could be me simply being a homer. I do tend to give KW the benefit of the doubt with his moves, but it's not as if he hasn't earned it. He inherited an okay team with no farm system to speak of. He has given us one losing season, two trips to the playoffs, and improving farm system, and a World Series championship. He's even starting to get more credit from actual journalists, which is nice. Is he the best GM in baseball? No, granted I don't know who I would give that title to. Do I believe he is in the top 10? Yes. The man does his best to make sure we remain competetive every season without completely mortgaging the future. Remember that the next time you read about how big of a stooge or over-aggressive moron Kenny Williams is.

GM History from 2000-2008 courtesy of MLB Trade Rumors