Is there any system in place that attempts to quantify baserunning factoring in all variables? That could include forced pickoff attempts, number of balls thrown away or errors forced while on the bases, number of times going 1st to 3rd with less than two outs, the % of fastballs he forces the pitcher to throw when he is on base, defensive shifts he may create, etc?

Seems to me that this facet could be the least appreciated in the game but always seems to have a huge affect on the postseason

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20091115&content_id=7669422&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

Am I the only one left scratching their head with this one? I was sure that it would have come down to either Hanson or McCutchen and no one else would even be close.

Not saying Coughlan didn't have a solid rookie campaign or to slight him, but I thought the consensus was Hanson and McCutchen ran away from the crowd

I'm a Dbacks fan that has been rooting for you guys since 1993 and will be as well this year since the Dbacks are done.

Just a question for the board: Ibanez has taken a nose dive and you have two elite OF prospects on the cusp of the Bigs in Mike Taylor and Domonic Brown. What do you guys see happening next year? Taylor is in AAA and appears ready, Brown maybe a year behind him. How long does Ibanez have left on his contract? Does Brown get a chance to start next year or is too much money tied to Ibanez? What about in the future? Obviously Victorino isn't going anywhere and Werth is unlikely as well.

Good luck in the postseason guys

I don't understand the Rockies handling of Eric Young Jr. First they announce he's untouchable before the trade dead line, turning down numerous trade scenerios involving him, now they announce he's moving to CF when they already have their "future", Dex Fowler firmly entrenched and starting to flourish in the majors in CF.

If they didn't see him long term at 2b why not trade him at the deadline when his value was high? Now what is he, a backup CFer and 4th OFer? A utility sub type maybe? Dumb move IMO, because some teams were offering legit established players (like Freddy Sanchez) straight up for him.

My brother and I got into a discussion last night over who had the most crippling contracts in the game today. Not refering to guys like CC Sabathia, because even if he doesn't pan out the Yankees have enough resources to burn up his 7 year $161 mil deal. I am talking about teams that are affected by the bad economy and have guys that are putting a huge strain on resources while providing little on the field. Being here in Arizona, we hand the dubious honor to Eric Byrnes. Byrnes being a 32 year old career journey man/ 4th OFer that cashed in on a big 2007 season and is currently fleecing the Dbacks for $11mil per year. Byrnes not only raises the ire of Dbacks fans because he is our highest paid position player and sucks, but also because every time I see him I think he is the sole reason Orlando Hudson and Randy Johnson are not on the team this year. Further more, Curt Schilling made statements back in the winter saying that he wanted to be reunited with the Dbacks and Randy Johnson to finish out his career. Schilling may never pitch again, but if he does and he still has something left in the tank and he goes somewhere like Philadelphia because the Dbacks either don't have the money or don't have Randy Johnson, it will give me yet another reason to boo the shit out of Byrnes every time he bats.

Andruw Jones may have received attention before being released, but I'm not sure how his $18mil/per affected the Dodgers budget.

Who else should be nominated?

I bought The Show 2009 yesterday and spent all night playing it. So far I'm nejoying it. It hasn't changed much from last year, just cleaned up a little. I like the additions of the 40 man roster and all the challenges that brings. I also like the new features on player editing

Anyone play MLB 09 yet? Last year's game was terrible IMO so my expectations are low for this year too.

Anyone have any thoughts on the games?

Its no secret that Sabathia really wanted to stay on the west coast for either the Dodgers, Angels, or anyone else in California, then came returning to the Brewers, last came the Yankees. The Yankees kept dumping cash on him until he finally submitted.

How long is he actually a Yankee? I highly doubt he will play all 7 years in pinstripes. (and I know that would mean the Yanks eat a large % of the contract in a trade)

Got into a debate with a co-worker on this and wanted to see what people thought here. Moyer, at age 44, has 246 wins and 2248 K's on his career.

I argue very good numbers, but not Hall worthy.

My co-worker says that soon 250 wins will be the new 300 benchmark and Moyer will get in at some point.

IMO, he'd need over 280 wins (34 wins is a lot left for a 44yr old), 3000 K's, (750 short, no chance) or be a post-season stallwart (in the mold of a Duque Hernandez).

I have been a little skeptical after such a  mediocre regular season, but there is no doubt he has been the best hitter (not named Manny) this entire post season. 6 bombs, .400 ave to go along with the speed and athleticism. Will this postseason catpult him into elite status in 2009? Eric Davis in prime type #s? ( .300/.400/.600 with 30+ bombs and 50 steals ) Just based off this coming out party, I wouldn't be overly shocked

Thoughts ?????

Now I'm not trying to turn this into another Bash Baker thread, as I have defended him in the past. Obviously he has flaws as a manager and I have noticed something that struck my curiousity following the Reds recently:

Jerry Hairston is now the starting SS for the Reds and has been performing pretty well with the stick, hitting over .350 as the fulltime starter. My question is why is Hairston playing SS and why is Brandon Phillips still at 2b? Wouldn't the logically thing be to flip flop them? Phillips was rated the top defensive SS in the minors by Baseball America back in the day, and many cosider him the top defensive 2b in the game right now. I watched him play in the AFL years back and he has it all defensively- glove, range, arm, flash and that attitude that great SS's often seem to have. Hairston played a total of 15 innings of SS prior to this year. Hairston has been pretty much a career 2b while Phillips was regarded a future GG'er at SS.

I would do anything possible to help my pitchers out on defense, epsecially in that ball park they play in.