SB Nation User Blog: The Navigator

Should Kendrick have bunted?

The Navigator — Wed, 14 May 2008 14:52:28 -0000

Tues. night, bottom of the sixth, Phils up 4-3 at the time. Kendrick has made it out of the top of the sixth with the lead and he's due up second. Carlos Ruiz manages to reach base. Now what do you do? Kendrick's probably done no matter what happens, because it's after an off day and the bullpen is all set to go JC, Flash, Lidge.

We could save a bench player for later, in what looks to stay a close game, and have Kendrick bunt Ruiz over. But here's the thing: Kendrick is, like all Phillies pitchers younger than 45, a terrible bunter. And it's only a one-run lead and we need to increase it, with nine outs to go and the bullpen not likely to be perfect forever. And a pinch hitter is more likely to be able to swing away if that becomes necessary.

But here's another thing: we're confident we don't need to change up plans and have the hitter swing away. Even if Ruiz moves up to second on a PB or something, there's still none out and the best move with the nine hole is to bunt him to third. With a strong bullpen due up, stretching a one-run lead to two by playing for one run is a pretty good move with your nine-hole hitter, and as long as you're going to bunt for sure, why not use the pitcher?

Because he's a terrible bunter. We can't be taking gambles with the thinnest possible lead and a long way to go in the game - we need someone we're confident can get the bunt down.

But here's one other thing: Kendrick's not going to get better at bunting unless he practices bunting. He's got to get up there in game situations and work at it, so that maybe when it really, really counts in late September he'll be competent at it. And no, this isn't a safe time like a ten-run lead, but bunting with a ten-run lead is bad baseball manners anyway. Saving the pinch hitter for later, letting Kendrick give it a try when there's none out and you're leading with your bullpen set up might be the right move.

Is it? I can't quite decide. I think the answer is, no, you can't gamble with a one-run lead; if Kendrick's not pitching the seventh, you need a sure bunter up there. You don't save bench players - at least, not when you've still got a full bench - for later when you'e got a clear use for them now. But I'm not sure about this. Because the Phils pitchers have to, have to, have to get better at bunting somehow, just like Utley had to hit lefties poorly for a while to figure them out.

As it happens, we sent up Taguchi and he laid down an acceptable, albeit not great, bunt. But I have a thought: maybe we don't burn Taguchi there. Maybe we send up someone else to bunt, someone who's shown he's good at it. Someone who's old enough to be Kendrick's daddy. Yeah, that's right: pinch hitter Jamie Moyer.

What's Moyer worth?

The Navigator — Tue, 06 May 2008 17:33:19 -0000

If you were Ruben Amaro Jr., would (that is, should) you sign a league-average pitcher to a multi-year deal for 2009+? And would it make a difference if that pitcher was currently 45 years old?

Moyer is, so far this year, almost the definition of a league-average pitcher. His ERA is 4.15 in a league with a 4.34 average; his WHIP is 1.59. He's throw at least 199 innings in each of the last seven seasons. Watching him last night, I found myself appreciating how slender and flexible he is - I hope to match that when I'm 45 - and admiring his approach at the plate. Set aside his two hits, although they were pretty tasty; focus on that bunt. How rare is it to see a Phillies pitcher who regularly lays down good bunts?

Anyway, the point is, he looks like he could keep this up for another three or four years. Throwing that 76-MPH slop up there can't be taxing his arm too much. The guy I saw last night looked like a good candidate to be throwing 175+ innings of league-average ball in 2010.

So, how crazy would it be to offer a multi-year deal to a guy who'd be 46 in the first year? That's insane, right - baseball malpractice? I'm just posting this here because I caught myself thinking that it might not be insane, and that we could actually regret <i>not</i> resigning Moyer next year, a la Lohse.

Tell me you're not jealous

The Navigator — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 03:17:31 -0000

The wife and I made last-minute plans for an overnighter to Pittsburgh and I can finally see PNC Park. I'd love nothing more than to see the Phils do well. So who are the Saturday night Phils I get to see? Evidently they're gonna look something like:

Eric Bruntlett, Brad Harman, Carlos Ruiz and his .484 OPS, Greg Dobbs, Utley, Burrell, Worth, Jenkins, [the three top relievers are unavailable after two days on in a row, so once Kendrick leaves in the fourth, I guess Durbin goes two, then Madson, Condrey? Seanez for sure!] and starring...

Kyle Kendrick! Woo-hoo!

At least I'll get to see PNC and have a Primanti Bros. sandwich with french fries inside. Oh, and we're facing Matt Morris and his 9+ ERA. Damn. Actually that's good - I think my wife gets bored with pitching duels - no chance of that! Although she also gets sick of games that go on for four hours...

anyone seen an All-time Phils Tournament?

The Navigator — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 14:58:01 -0000

I was sure there was one around here somewhere, but I just can't remember when the last time I saw it was.... Maybe it's been lost, or stolen by Scott Rolen devotees; I just hope it hasn't been forgotten...

That's really all I wanted to say, but The Good Phight prohibits short diaries, so I have to add more text here. Let me note, then, that while I don't expect to come away with Phils tix, I wouldn't at all mind getting hooked up with a new Phillies hat to join the three I already have. Hence, I remain eager to see the results of my expected Abreu-Schmidt-Allen-Delahanty Final Four.

The catbird's seat - what it is

The Navigator — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 18:00:02 -0000

This is rather off-topic, but there was a good question in the Rumors thread: PhoenixPhilly posed the plaintive ponderable, "(what the heck is a cat-bird's seat anyway?)"

The Internet is a marvelous tool, boys and girls:

>"...Red Barber announces the Dodger games over the radio and he uses those expressions....'sitting in the catbird seat' means sitting pretty, like a batter with three balls and no strikes on him."
Red Barber, for you non-baseball fans, was not a fictional character. He was a popular radio announcer for the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1940s and '50s. Barber had a musical, soft Southern accent that somehow seemed perfect for Dem Bums, and he in fact did use those Southern expressions. After he retired, he wrote about his long career in baseball in Rhubarb in the Catbird Seat. Barber claimed to have picked up the phrase from a fellow poker player. It's definitely Southern, and probably 19th century, but is officially listed as "origin unknown."<

Based on that description, I'm not sure that Gillick is actually in the catbird's seat - as of this writing, we still have Burrell and everyone knows we don't want him - but it's a nice place to shoot for.

What's the deal with Burrell?

The Navigator — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 04:12:19 -0000

Where the heck is the Phils' rightfielder? Not only was he replaced in the starting lineup for Friday night's game against the Mets - at Shea, where he's pummeled the ball - by Joe Thurston, but several pinch hitting opportunities come up and Cholly (and later Varsho once Cholly was tossed) sent up Jose Hernandez and Danny Sandoval and Chris Roberson. Sandoval didn't even stay in the game. And this is a game that was close the whole way through. Turns out he's day-to-day, but if you're critical to the team, and they're in a critical game, don't they usually play you so long as you're not on the DL?

I hadn't heard about Burrell being hurt, aside from the foot owies he's dealt with all season long - but turns out Rotowire says "Burrell was out of the starting lineup Friday with a sore left wrist, the team's official web site reports. "I'm fine," Burrell said. "I just felt it on a swing and thought we should give it a few days."".

Uh, if you're 'fine', don't you play down the stretch - that is, if your team hasn't totally lost confidence in you? Last I checked, his August OPS was around .780 - not what you'd like to see, but... Danny Sandoval? I mean, the Phils were trying to win this game, right?

I understand that Burrell has platoon issues, but, man, when they don't bring you into a close, must-win game at all, in your favorite park to hit, and they send up Sandoval and Thurston and Hernandez, what does that say? I mean, they sent up Roberson - and not just for defense like usual; he actually hit for Rhodes.