SB Nation - Lyle Overbay

Making Your '00 Face: Our first backup infielder

KLSnow — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:00:18 -0000

With the '00's almost behind us, it's time to take a look back and work together to make a BCB All Decade team for the '00s. Each day, we'll tackle a new position, and we'll have our 25 man roster complete sometime around the 1st of the year.

The concept here is pretty simple. Each day, I'll give you a list of candidates: For position players, it's the full list of players who appeared in at least 100 games at the position during the '00s. Here are the players we've selected so far:

First Base: Prince Fielder
Second Base: Rickie Weeks
Shortstop: J.J. Hardy
Third Base: Bill Hall
Corner Outfield: Ryan Braun
Center Field: Mike Cameron
Catcher: Damian Miller

Voting for our final starting outfielder opened yesterday and will close at 4 pm tomorrow. Today we'll select our first backup infielder:

Russell Branyan

Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2004-2005, 2008
Slash line as a Brewer: ..248/.351/.526
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -9.1 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 1.7

Craig Counsell

Seasons as a Brewer: 4, 2004, 2007-2009
Slash line as a Brewer: .247/.341/.338
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: +8.5 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 5

Jose Hernandez

Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2000-2002
Slash line as a Brewer: .261/.324/.434
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: +4.7 runs*
WAR as a Brewer: 5.8

* - FanGraphs only has UZR data dating back to 2002, so only Hernandez's 2002 season is included here.

Mark Loretta

Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2000-2002*
Slash line as a Brewer: .281/.348/.374
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -2.7 runs**
WAR as a Brewer: 1.8

* - Loretta was also a Brewer from 1995-1999, but those numbers aren't included here.
** - Again, FanGraphs only has UZR data from 2002 forward, so only Loretta's 2002 season is included here.

Ronnie Belliard

Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2000-2002*
Slash line as a Brewer: .251/.327/.384
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -6.9 runs**
WAR as a Brewer: 2.9

* - Belliard was also a Brewer in 1998 and 1999. All stats here only reflect his performance from 2000-2009.
** - FanGraphs only has UZR dating back to 2002, so Belliard's 2000 and 2001 performances are not reflected in this total.

Keith Ginter

Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2002-2004
Slash line as a Brewer: .257/.344/.448
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -0.9 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 3.1

Eric Young

Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2002-2003
Slash line as a Brewer: .271/.340/.392
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -6.7 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 2.6

Junior Spivey

Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2004-2005
Slash line as a Brewer: .256/.337/.400
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: +8.2 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 1.2

Richie Sexson

Seasons as a Brewer: 4, 2000-2003
Slash line as a Brewer: .276/.366/.536
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -10.6 runs*
WAR as a Brewer: 10.2

* - FanGraphs only has UZR data since 2002, so this number does not reflect Sexson's 2000 and 2001 performances.

Lyle Overbay

Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2004-2005
Slash line as a Brewer: .289/.376/.464
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -12.3 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 4.6

Poll

Which of these players deserves a spot on the bench on the BCB All Decade Team?

Russell Branyan

36 votes

Craig Counsell

178 votes

Jose Hernandez

9 votes

Mark Loretta

44 votes

Ronnie Belliard

2 votes

Keith Ginter

5 votes

Eric Young

0 votes

Junior Spivey

3 votes

Richie Sexson

118 votes

Lyle Overbay

43 votes

438 votes | Poll has closed

Making your '00 Face: First Base

KLSnow — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:00:19 -0000

Richie Sexson

Seasons as a Brewer: 4, 2000-2003
Slash line as a Brewer: .276/.366/.536
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -10.6 runs*
WAR as a Brewer: 10.2

* - FanGraphs only has UZR data since 2002, so this number does not reflect Sexson's 2000 and 2001 performances.

Lyle Overbay

Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2004-2005
Slash line as a Brewer: .289/.376/.464
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -12.3 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 4.6

Prince Fielder

Seasons as a Brewer: 5, 2005-2009
Slash line as a Brewer: .284/.381/.550
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -27.2 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 12.0

Poll

Who should start at first base on the Brewers' All Decade Team?

Richie Sexson

20 votes

Lyle Overbay

8 votes

Prince Fielder

417 votes

445 votes | Poll has closed

Monday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:30:33 -0000

by Jim Prisching - AP

Jeff Suppan reacts after walking in three runs during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Cubs. Searching for someone who will take his contract could be one of the Brewers' focal points this week.

View full size photo »

Some things to read while the blue socks tie your look together.

All eyes turn to Indianapolis this week, as the Winter Meetings start today. While there, Brewer management would most likely jump at any chance to unload the contract of Jeff Suppan. Tom H. floated the idea of a Suppan-for-Juan Pierre deal, while Jorge Says No! wonders if Jeff Suppan and prospects for Gil Meche makes sense (Also noted in Rumorville). For whatever it's worth, the Meche deal is probably unlikely unless one of the Brewers' top prospects is involved. Apparently the Mets have also contacted the Royals to ask about him.

Other pre-meeting buzz:

Tom H. has a winter meeting preview with some stuff you've heard before and a Doug Melvin complaint about cost uncertainty.
Steve Henson of Yahoo says the Brewers are more likely to look for free agents than trades to fill the gaps in their rotation and bench.
Adam McCalvy has a look at some of the prospects that could be mentioned if the Brewers decide to make a deal, but acknowledges the fact that the Brewers don't have the organizational depth to make a major splash via that route.
Apparently Edwin Jackson, one trade candidate the Brewers have expressed interest in, could find a new home soon.
Meanwhile, Yahoo is reporting that multiple teams are interested in Doug Davis, but the only candidate they're naming at this point is the Crew.

If you weren't around over the weekend, Noah did a great job in the weekend Mug of covering reaction to the Gregg Zaun deal. Here are a few more nuggets on Zaun I spotted this morning:

Adam McCalvy tweeted that Zaun's deal includes $600,000 in incentives tied to games started, which could push the total guaranteed value up to $2.75 million if Ken Macha is unwilling to let one of the young guys play.
Fire Doug Melvin is not excited about the decision to guarantee Zaun the starting job.

The Zaun move inspired Casa de Machado to throw in the towel for 2010, complete with this quote:

I think are chances in 2010 are slim to none.

It's like this picture and The Iron Sheik's Twitter all rolled in to one. (h/t to the Former Hacks for the Sheik link)

I know at least some of you attended the Brewer Clubhouse Sale over the weekend. Did you find anything good? Did you show up in this WISN story?

Just one transaction note today:

Indians: Signed former Twin Brian Buscher to a minor league deal.

Some free agent deals might get done at the Winter Meetings this week, but don't expect John Lackey to be one of them: Lackey is believed to be seeking $17 million+ per year for at least six years, and it'll take some time for his price to fall back into a range that isn't laughable.

Six years and $102 million would probably earn Lackey honorable mention on Big League Stew's list of the worst ten contracts of the 2000s. Click that link if you'd like to feel better about the Brewer tenure of Doug Melvin: All ten contracts mentioned are clearly worse than Jeff Suppan's deal.

Looking for a buy-low rotation candidate? Diamond Notes mentions the Dodgers are expected to have interest in Chien-Ming Wang, when/if the Yankees announce their decision to non-tender him for next season. Assuming the price is right, one would think the Brewers might be interested too.

Speaking of the Dodgers, they're continuing to cut costs by attempting to deal George Sherrill.

On this day in 2005, the Brewers traded Lyle Overbay (along with Ty Taubenheim) to the Blue Jays for David Bush, Gabe Gross and Zach Jackson, clearing the way for Prince Fielder to take over at first base in 2006. Overbay has hit .275/.356/.449 over four seasons as a Blue Jay.

On this day in 2007, the Brewers acquired Salomon Torres from the Pirates for two minor leaguers. Torres posted a 3.49 ERA and saved 28 games for the 2008 Brewers.

Happy birthday today to Jim Austin, who posted a 3.06 ERA while making 83 relief appearances as a Brewer between 1991 and 1993, and turns 46.

Oh, and it looks like winter is now upon us, so it may be time to bust out the solar powered hat and gloves. Or just stay home and watch the Pride and Prejudice with Zombies miniseries. (h/t C. Trent Rosecrans)

Drink up.

Jays to Sign John MacDonald?

Tom Dakers — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 03:14:03 -0000

MLB Trade Rumors have a couple of Jay rumors.

First they have a link to a Twitter from Ed Price of MLB Fanhouse saying the Jays are about to sign John McDonald for $1.5 million for the 2010 season. A move I really don't understand. As Trade Rumors points out his .258/.271/.384 line from last year includes career highs in slugging average and OPS. I guess if we aren't competing this season we might as well overpay for a defense only 35 year old SS. That's rebuilding for you. If you are looking for signs that we are tanking this season, that one is a 10 foot neon flashing sign.

Also Jordan Bastian has a piece up saying the Jays are going to make an offer to free agent catcher Yorvit Torrealba. Now that one I can understand a little better, he wouldn't be my first choice at catcher, but gets on base a better than Rod Barajas and is 3 years younger. I would rather them try to trade for Ryan Doumit but Torrealba isn't bad.

Jeff Blair from the Globe and Mail has tweeted (twitted? twonked? I'd learn the proper term if I cared at all) that a 'baseball guy' told him that there is a 90% chance that Lyle Overbay gets traded at the winter meetings. No suggestion to whom he'd be traded to or what we are looking to get back.

Who Could Be Put on the Prospect List? Part One.

Tom Dakers — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:33:45 -0000

We took a look at the guys that were on our prospect list last year, to see which ones should move up or down on the list, now let's take a look at guys that weren't on last year's list and maybe could be this year. We'll look at the guys in that were in Triple and Double-A today and look at the possible prospects from A-ball tomorrow.

Brian Dopirak: Last year, when we put together the list, Dopirak was a minor league free agent, so we didn't know he'd still be in the organization this year. He started the year at Double-A New Hampshire and hit .308/.374/.576 in 87 games. Moved up to Las Vegas he hit .330/.366/.509 there. This winter he is playing in Venezuela and is clubbing the ball there too, hitting .287/.377/.504. He'll be 26 next month, so he's a bit old for a prospect but we keep hearing Lyle Overbay trade rumors, so there might be a spot for him on the Jays next year. Playing in Vegas gives a huge edge to the hitter so his minor league equivalents aren't that exciting, his minor league year equivalents for as about a .262/.308/.440 line in Toronto with about 20 homers.

Randy Ruiz: Honestly I can't consider a 32 year old a prospect, but he had a heck of a year in Vegas (.320/.392/.584) and then followed that up with a great month and a bit in Toronto (313/.385/.635). Vegas is such a hitter friendly spot that his equivalents aren't great: .255/.306/.447. I like the idea of him taking Millar's role next year. He can't possibly be any worst defensively and likely will be some better offensively, but hoping he hits like last year would be expecting a lot. He hit 35 homers last year between the minors and majors; he's never hit 30 in a season before, in 11 minor league seasons, so I'd guess this is the outlier. He could do a nice job platooning with Overbay, but if the team trades Overbay, I think it would be likely Dopirak would get the first base job and he hits righty too. In that case I'm not sure where Ruiz would fit.

Aaron Mathews: Not really a prospect at all, he'll be 28 next year, but if there isn't a move made over the winter he might have a shot at the fourth outfielder job. Hit .274/.321/.380.

Fabio Castro: Started the year great, and some of us wanted to see him get a chance with the team. The hot streak ended. He finished with a pretty decent ERA (4.49) in Vegas but in 142.1 innings he only struck out 81 and walked 64, not exactly the numbers of a prospect. He is pitching well in winter ball in the Dominican Republic with a 2.73 ERA in 6 starts. He's a minor league free agent now so we don't know if he'll be in the organization next year. Will be 25 next year.

Zach Stewart: You know the story, we got him in the Scott Rolen trade. He was drafted in 2008 and was used out of the bullpen last year. This year he made 14 starts between A and Double-A, then was moved to the pen when he moved up to Triple-A, presumably to keep his number of innings down. Between the 3 levels and 4 teams he had a 4-1 record with a 1.89 ERA. He pitched 105 innings, struck out 93 and walked just 32. He will be 23 next year and we might see him in Toronto at some point. He is a terrific prospect.

Randy Boone: He started the year at New Hampshire and made 23 starts there before moving up to Vegas at the end of the year. He was 9-8 with a 3.70 ERA, 129 innings, 90 K's and 42 walks at Double-A. He'll be 25 next year. He's at the back end of about a dozen guys that could start for us, but he could make it at some point.

Darin Mastroianni: A CFer who was drafted in the 16^th round of the 2007 draft and started last year at Dunedin and moved up to Double-A New Hampshire mid-way through the year. He hit very well at Dunedin (.325/.436/.390) and continued to hit well at Double-A (.271/.372/.340). He stole 70 bases between the two and plays a decent CF. Speed and the ability to get on base is a good combination. No power but then we could always use a good leadoff hitter. He's not doing great in winter ball in Phoenix (.231/.319/.256) in 11 games.

Luis Perez: 24 year old left-handed starter at New Hamshire last year he was 9-11 with a 3.55 ERA. Struck out 112 and walk 67 in 162 innings. The line of lefty starters is pretty long on our team but Perez has a shot in the next couple of years.

Reidier Gonzalez: A right-handed pitcher Reidier was drafted in the 19^th round of the 2005 draft and has moved up slowly through our minor league system. After going 12-4 in Dunedin in 2008 he was 4-6 with a 2.90 ERA in 17 starts in New Hamshire this year. He struck out 67 and walked 25 in 93 innings. He turned 24 at the start of the month, so it would be good to see him move up to Triple-A next year.

Kenny Rodriguez: A Cuban right-hander we signed before the 2008 season. He started the year in Dunedin going 6-3 with a 2.43 ERA there and moved up to New Hampshire going 4-5 with a 4.50 ERA. Between the 2 teams he struck out 7.7/9 innings while walking 3.7/9 innings. He'll be 25 next year but if he can get to Triple-A next year he's got a shot. May end up moving into the pen to make the majors but we'll see.

Daniel Farquhar: Started the year as closer at Dunedin and after 17 appearances and a 0.53 ERA he moved up to be closer at New Hampshire where he had a 2.36 ERA in 37 games. Between the two he struck out 10.6/9 but he walked too many 5.9/9. He didn't walk near as many in 2008 but then he didn't strikeout as many then either. He's just 22 and throws hard. He's only 5'10" and 170 lb.

MLB Trade Rumors: Roy Halladay On His Way Out of Toronto?

raygu — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:24:49 -0000

More photos » by Fred Thornhill - AP

2 months ago: Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Roy Halladay throws against the Seattle Mariners during first-inning AL baseball game action in Toronto, Friday, Sept. 25, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Fred Thornhill)

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There has been 3-4 trades made already this offseason, and the GM meetings haven't even started. With the GM meetings starting tomorrow in Chicago, I expect there to be several more trades made. The one that is most intriguing is whether or not Roy Halladay will be traded this offseason.

Well, new GM Alex Shankapotomous....er Anthopolous...has already made his intentions clear-Halladay wants to win, and Toronto is only a 75 win team, so that doesn't meet Halladay's requirement to play for a winner. And apparently he has been actively involved in trade talks already this offseason. I don't see anyone on the Blue Jays roster who would be more in demand that Roy Halladay, although Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes seems to think he needs to trade for Lyle Overbay of all people. <insert expletives here as I just traded for 1B prospect Brandon Allen in an NL only keeper league>

I expect Halladay to be dealt this offseason, and there will be a number of teams looking at acquiring his services including the Dodgers, Brewers, Phillies, and possibly the Mets and Red Sox. What was J.P. Ricciardi thinking not dealing Halladay at the July 31 trade deadline?

What would it take to land Halladay this offseason? Certainly less that what the price was on July 31st. Could the Dodgers deal Chad Billingsley straight up for Halladay? Or would it require a couple prospects like Chris Withrow and Josh Lindblom? Could Milwaukee deal third base prospect Mat Gamel in return for Halladay? Or will the Phillies part with outfield prospect Michael Taylor or Domonic Brown. Could the Red Sox package Michael Bowden and Josh Reddick for Halladay?

Poll

Which rumored deal has the best chance of actually happening?

Halladay to the Red Sox for Reddick and Bowden

149 votes

Halladay to the Phillies for Taylor of Brown

174 votes

Halladay to the Dodgers for Lindblom and Withrow

143 votes

Halladay to the Brewers for Mat Gamel

67 votes

533 votes | Poll has closed

Diamondbacks Chris Snyder to Toronto?

Eli Greenspan — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:04:02 -0000

More photos » by Ross D. Franklin - AP

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The Arizona Republic is reporting that the Diamondbacks are discussing a trade that would send catcher Chris Snyder to the Blue Jays for first baseman Lyle Overbay.

Snyder has two years and 11.25 million dollars left on his contract, but backup catcher Miguel Montero put up solid numbers this past season and has a organization friendly contract.

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Miguel Montero	128	425	61	125	30	0	16	59	38	78	1	2	.294	.355	.478

AZ Snakepit likes the concept of the trade, which would save the Diamondbacks a little over 2 million dollars while giving first base prospect Brandon Allen more time to develop in the minor leagues.

Overbay hit .265 with 16 home runs this past season, but cut his strike outs down by 21 from 2008 to 2009. However, Overbay was atrocious versus lefties, hitting just .190 in 79 at-bats.

Either way, the move gives the Diamondbacks a better idea of their future. Montero will be playing everyday, and if Brandon Allen proves he is ready for the major leagues, than the Diamondbacks can let Overbay walk and hopefully collect a draft pick or two, depending on the year he has.

Chris Snyder for Lyle Overbay? Apparently not

Jim McLennan — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:26:57 -0000

More photos » by Darren Calabrese - AP

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An interesting report by Nick Piecoro regarding a possible trade with the Toronto Blue Jays. This would see prodigal first-baseman Lyle Overbay return to the Diamondbacks. He was traded to the Brewers as part of the Richie Sexson trade in December 2003, and has been with the Blue Jays since the end of 2005. The deal is reported to involve Chris Snyder, now deemed expendable because of the blossoming of Miguel Montero. While Snyder is generally seen of as a superior defensive catcher, the output from Montero's bat is just too great to be ignored, and he will also be a lot cheaper than Snyder in the coming seasons.

After the jump, we'll take a look at the possibilities this might present, and what the trade could mean for Arizona next season - both at catcher and first-base.

[Update]. Per Nick Piecoro, "Concerns about catcher Chris Snyder’s surgically repaired back caused the Toronto Blue Jays to nix a trade that would have brought first baseman Lyle Overbay to the Diamondbacks. Not sure if Snyder "failed" the physical exam he was scheduled to undergo today or what the exact terminology is here, but we know that his condition was the reason Toronto called it off." So it seems the two teams were pretty close to a trade, before it fell through. I suspect the news will make other teams think twice about Snyder too, so it may be hard for Josh Byrnes to trade him this winter.

From a salary point of view at least, I like the basic concept of the deal, though my feelings will depend on the specifics of any trade - for example, do any money or other prospects change hands as a result Assuming, for the moment, that it's a straight-up swap, Overbay will earn $7 million next year, and then become a free-agent. Snyder is scheduled to receive $4.75m in 2010, $5.75m the season after that, with a $6.75m team option in 2012 (the buyout for that is $750K). So, it will lead to Arizona taking on about $2.25 million in additional salary - however, first-base was definitely one of the areas the team was looking to solidify, and doing so for that amount seems fairly cheap at the price. By the end of next season, we might have a better idea whether Brandon Allen is the 1B of the future.

Overbay had a very solid 2009, posting a line of .265/.372/.466 for an OPS+ of 120, including sixteen homers. It would initially seem he'd be a defensive upgrade too, having committed only two errors in 117 starts at the position last season. However, UZR is less impressed, scoring him at -0.6 in 2009, though his three-year average at the position is better, at +2.1. I also wonder how long it'll take him to adjust from the artificial surface on which they play in Toronto, back to 'real' grass in Phoenix? Looking at the UZR for Orlando Hudson, when he made the same transition, it's not good, as O-Dawg went from +8.2 to -1.3 his first season here. Hard to be sure if that's due to the change in conditions, aging, or something else.

One aspect which does surprise me is that Overbay is a left-handed bat. I would have been expecting us to look for a right-hander, someone with whom Allen (also a LHB) could team up. However, Overbay's career splits against left-handed pitching are mediocre: an OPS of .711, compared to .847 versus right-handers. And he's been even worse the past couple of seasons - over 228 at-bats against LHP in 2008-09, Overbay is hitting only .206 with one home-run. If he does arrive, it does nothing to address that gap in our line-up. One wonders if the plan would be to play Jackson at 1B against southpaw starters, with Eric Byrnes in LF for those games? [Assuming he's still about - if not, it'd be Gerardo Parra, and that's another guy who CHLFS.]

The departure of Chris Snyder would probably leave John Hester as the backup to Miguel Montero. The 26-year old catcher was 7-for-28 in fifteen appearances at the end of last season, replacing Snyder after Chris returned to the DL with back issues. Hester batted very well down in Reno - in 92 games, he was .328/.375/.535, an OPS of .910 - though as we all know, hitting there is like getting laid at the Bunny Ranch. No-one is very impressed and it doesn't exactly prove much. Still, Montero will be seeing the vast bulk of the starts; I hope his defense and game-calling continue to improve, as they seemed somewhat to do after he became the regular starter last year.

The Season That Was: Lyle Overbay

Tom Dakers — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:03:10 -0000

More photos » by Charles Dharapak - AP

Lyle Overbay singling. . (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

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This was Lyle Overbay's fourth season with the Blue Jays and it was his best season since the first. He seemed to have Rod Barajas disease though, he was either hot or cold and rarely in between. He doesn't seem to be one of Cito's favorites, I'd like to see him batting in the 2 spot, at least against RHP but it doesn't seem like something Cito would try.

In the Community Project we guessed Lyle would have a .350 OBP and .450 SLG in 570 PA which, with his good defense would add up to a 2.5 WAR.

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Lyle Overbay	132	423	57	112	35	1	16	64	74	95	0	0	.265	.372	.466

So we were short by 22 points of OB and 16 points of slugging, pretty darn close, but he only had 500 PA so we were a little high on that, Cito liked Kevin Millar too much. Fangraphs had his WAR at 1.9 but they had him as a below average fielder, which I really don't agree with. They give his value at $8.7 million, so we really aren't overpaying on the guy.

I guess it is no surprise to anyone that Lyle hit RHP much better (.282/.396/.509) than he hit LHP (.190/.256/.278). He really does need a platoon partner. I'd like someone better than Kevin Millar but we clearly need someone to spell him.

Overbay hit almost exactly the same on the road (.264/.363/.368) as at home (.266/.382/.463).

He didn't do well with RISP, .205/.366/.313.

His longest hitting streak was 15 games at the end of May and the start of June.

By Month Lyle hit:

April .250/.403/.500

May .294/.347/.515

June .246/.411/.478

July .227/.320/.364

August .329/.430/.507

Sept/Oct .242/.324/.440

Take out July and maybe September and you are looking at a pretty good season.

His favorite team to play? Oakland A's hitting 412/.500/.1.059 in 5 games. His least favorite team to play was the White Sox .071/.278/.071 in 4 games.

Fangraphs has his defense at a slightly worse than average (-1.7 UZR). I'm not sure how much you can read into UZR for first basemen. He only made 2 errors on the season for a .998 fielding average. I've always kind of discounted defense at first because that is the spot you put the guy that can't play anywhere else, but watching Kevin Millar this year I've changed my thinking some. I think a really bad first baseman can hurt you more than a bad fielder at other spots because the first baseman makes plays every game. An outfielder might not see a chance in a game, same with a third baseman so you might be able to hide a bad glove for a game or two.

He's been a good on base guy and like him as a player, but in a RBI spot in the order isn't the best for him. With him in a division with Mark Teixeira and Kevin Youkilis and Carlos Pena he looks worse than he really is. He's not going to win you the division but then he's not going to lose it for you either. 2010 is the end of Lyle's contract and likely will be his last year with the team. I'm hoping it is a good one.

Downs Blows Lead in 8th, Jays Lose

jessef — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 03:32:03 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

I know Hideki Matsui's just doing his job, but why does he have to do it so well against the Jays? This was his sixth homerun and he hit .373 / .439 / .745 against us this season. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

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Yankees 5 Blue Jays 4

Well, the Yankees took an early lead off Brian Tallet when they scored two runs in the first inning, off an RBI double by Mark Teixeira and an RBI single by Hideki Matsui. Vernon Wells doubled to lead off the second, but the Jays were unable to cash him. In the bottom of the second, Tallet took a grounder off his foot. He stayed with the ball, got the out at first and got a strikeout to end the inning. In the top of the third, the Jays came back to tie it up, thanks to a solo homerun from Jose Bautista and successive singles from Travis Snider and Marco Scutaro (an infield single off Yankees starter Chad Gaudin) and an Adam Lind RBI groundout. Shawn Camp came on to relieve Tallet due to injury concerns related to the grounder he took off the foot in the third and pitched three scoreless (indeed excellent) innings.

The Jays plated a run in the sixth off a Vernon Wells single, Lyle Overbay double and Rod Barajas RBI groundout, but were unable to add to the lead thanks to an intentional walk to Jose Bautista (I'm not making that up), which led to a Moonraker strikeout against Damaso Marte. Casey Janssen pitched an excellent sixth inning and the Jays added another run in the top of the seventh when Scoot doubled and Lind got him in with a sacrifice fly. Tek came back out for the seventh and ran into a bit of trouble when he gave up a single and Edwin Encarnacion made an error (albeit on a pretty tough play). However, Jeremy Accardo came in and got a quick strikeout, walked Derek Jeter and then induced a fly ball to left to escape the inning with the two-run lead still in tact. Tom requested that I do the recap and that's when things -- naturally -- fell apart. Cito went to Scott Downs for the eighth and before being removed with -- I think -- elbow tightness, he yielded a single to Alex Rodriguez and a game-tying dinger to Hideki Matsui. Jason Frasor closed out the eighth, but the Jays were unable to capitalize on a Moonraker bunt single in the top of the ninth and the score was tied at four going into the bottom of the ninth. Leading off the inning, Brett Gardner singled off Frasor on a full count and predictably stole second base. Derek Jeter grounded out to put Gardner on third and he scored when Francisco Cervelli (playing only because of Jorge Posada's suspension) drove him home with the game-winning single.

Jays of the Day: Camp (.185), Accardo (.159) and Overbay (.159). Honorable mentions to Scoot and Vernon, who had a single and double each, as well as Tek, who would have fared better, were it not for E5's error.

Towers goes to Tallet (-.110), though he may have fared better if he'd been able to stay in.

Batistas go to Snakeface (-.380) and Frasor (-.306).

Hinskes go to Lind (-.161, in spite of the two RBI) and E5 (-.138, plus the error) and Rod Barajas comes close (-.095).

Well, at least we don't have to watch anymore Yankees walk-off wins this year.