scstrato
Mar 18, 2008 Feb 11, 2012 28 1612
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OT: Something different, take the quiz!
by scstrato on Nov 21, 2010 1:05 PM EST
on Talking Chop
Ok Braves fans, with the slew of rosterbation floating around on the site, I thought it might be nice to change things up a bit. A friend and I like to quiz each other about baseball topics every now and again and one day he came across a couple of questions that stumped both of us - at least initially. So let's see just how smart we all really are, huh?
Question 1: How can a fielder to turn an unassisted triple play without ever touching the baseball? (you must elaborate or give examples)
Question 2: Let's assume a pitcher throws 9 complete innings (regardless of score or who is winning and excluding errors and walks). How many total hits, actual base hits, could he have given up without allowing a single run (earned or otherwise)?
Now, I will preface this by saying the reality of either is slim to none but it is nonetheless a possibility. These are not trick questions! Also, please no cheating! The fun in this exercise will be in discussing all the possible, and possibly ridiculous, scenarios everyone comes up with.
Post your answers and I'll let you know if they are correct.
Introducing: The Sabermetrics Library
Ever wonder what wOBA, FIP or BABIP mean? Or even better, how to calculate one of these for your favorite player? Well now you can!
Some in the SABR community had been discussing a Sabermetric library even before John Sickels wrote an opinion piece a while back that sparked a TON of discussion. Thanks to Steve Slowinski, with the help of some friends as well, over at DraysBay, we now have a really neat resource to point to for someone who's looking to get a better understanding of Sabermetrics.
Mark Bradley makes me furious
by scstrato on Feb 22, 2010 1:16 PM EST
on Talking Chop
Good Lord, it never ends with this guy. Warning, don't click this LINK unless you are prepared to become infuriated!
$95 million doesn’t go as far as it did
But apparently $45 million does, at least that's what he thought last week when he insinuated the Marlins are the team to beat. "I like the look of these Fish."
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The flip-side of the "High Risk / High Reward" philosophy?
by scstrato on Feb 20, 2010 12:06 PM EST
on Talking Chop
Jeff Zimmerman over at Beyond the Boxscore has a couple of really interesting posts up. The first takes a look at the top 100 players who cost their teams the most money for time on the DL during the 2002 to 2009 time-frame. Can you guess who is number 1? That's right, our good buddy Mike Hampton. What's interesting to me is not the fact that he is number 1, but the AMOUNT of money paid to him while on the DL. $51.8 Million!!!!
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Soriano trade eligibility if he accepts arb (clarification)
by scstrato on Dec 7, 2009 12:25 PM EST
on Talking Chop
Lots of mis-information floating around out there, so I thought I'd try and clarify. The MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement can be found here (in case you want to read it for yourself).
Rumor Mill opinion poll
by scstrato on Nov 25, 2009 11:21 AM EST
on Talking Chop
First let me preface this by saying I am usually fairly tough on journalists. I get extra-ordinarily aggravated at them when they say things like "Garrett Anderson is a good fit for Atlanta" when every piece of evidence available says otherwise. Having said that, I have to say that I have been very pleased with Mark Bowman's recent performance. The guy has been spot on getting out quality information and busting rumors, that is until today. Not sure if this is Bowman's opinion or if he is getting his information from "team sources" but his article suggests that a Marlon Byrd signing would give us reason to trade Jordan Schafer.
Marlon Byrd: Coming off a season during which he hit .283 with 20 homers, Byrd will be attractive to a number of clubs looking for an affordable option to fill their outfield. If the Braves were able to grab him off the free-agent market, they would find themselves with more reason to explore the possibility of trading former top prospect Jordan Schafer.
So rather than go on a long, stat filled, rant about how ridiculous this suggestion is I thought I'd see how the Talking Chop community felt about it.
Frank Wren was interviewed this morning by MLB on XMRadio.
Thought everyone might like to hear some of his responses:
On if there is money left to sign an impact bat: "... Yes, there is money left."
He briefly addressed Andruw Jones saying that is something the team will internalize and discuss quite a bit over the next few days. Basically nothing new here except it's clear that Andruw coming back is not a "lock" as some have proposed.
He also talked about trade options for acquiring a bat indicating there were 3 or 4 really good players that are available that he is interested in. He also made it very clear the team is going to take their sweet time before making a move. I'm speculating here but obviously Swisher and Nady come to mind, anyone want to guess at the other two?
Cafardo on Lowe, Dunn and Sheets
The Braves appear to be an "emerging" suitor for Adam Dunn. Granted it's from a Boston sportswriter, so take it with a grain of salt.
Ben Sheets is also mentioned, the writer speculating that he and his agents are realizing there is no "big" deal out there for him. Whether this means he's actually on the Braves radar or not I don't know, but I am liking the fact that Sheets name is being linked much more often with the Braves recently. Maybe this will get Frank to at least make a phone call.
You will have to back track to page four for the update on Lowe, granted it's not much. He's speculating that all three NL East teams are still in the running, which I can guarantee you is exactly what Boras wanted in the first place. Honestly I wouldn't care if the Braves passed on Lowe and went straight to Sheets considering the potential difference in cost/terms.
Jordan Schafer profiled at Fangraphs
Peter Bendix compares Jordan Schafer to Grady Sizemore though he does note some differences as well. Nice read, does a good job of putting Schafers '08 stats in perspective. Love the closing paragraph ...
"Schafer is still young and may struggle in his first taste of the big leagues. Don’t expect him to storm into the majors like Jay Bruce did last year. However, if Schafer gets 300 at bats, he could hit 10 homers and steal 10 bases, while scoring and driving in a fair amount of runs and hitting .250 or so. There is some value in a player like that, especially a mid-season waiver-wire pickup. Schafer’s long-term star is very, very bright, but his 2009 may be somewhat of a disappointment."
Pettitte over Sheets?
River Ave. Blues has a new entry that agrees with a Newsday article (full article) on why Cashman and Co. now prefer to sign Pettitte over Ben Sheets.
It seems Sheets and his agent just lost a bunch of negotiating leverage. The poster wonders what this will do to the market for Sheets. It leaves me wondering IF there is a market for Sheets now.
Note to FW - would it really hurt to offer a low-ball type contract? If the market really has disappeared maybe he might accept. There is always the possibility that the Brewers pony up the cash, but we have no chance if you don't try!
Axelrod pissed, Peavy Dismayed
Absolutely love this article. This proves that Towers totally botched it, Peavy has no clue and Axelrod is a whiner!
My guess is Peavy gets stuck with SD and falls deeper into depression (if only he and his agent had played along instead of trying to control things). Axelrod will continue his whining, at least until the trading deadline. AND Towers will now have a permanent scar (Moores boot half way up his ass!).
A month ago the Braves were willing to provide the Padres with a package highlighted by Escobar. But because they used Brent Lillibridge to acquire Javier Vazquez last week, they no longer are willing to entertain thoughts of dealing Escobar, who one veteran Braves player considers, "the best shortstop in the National League."
http://hotstove.mlblogs.com/archives/2008/12/braves_still_not_ready_to_revi.html
Bowman basically says the Padres would have to initiate talks in order for them to even consider trading for Peavy. Even then they would not be willing to include Escobar. If this is true I'm back on the "Get Peavy" bandwagon.
CC Sabathia is not going to play on the West Coast. He is not going to play in the National League. CC Sabathia is going to be a Yankee, The Post has learned exclusively.
This may be good news or bad news depending upon your desire for A.J. Burnett to pitch for the Braves. Either way, I believe this will keep the Yankees from over bidding for his services.
What if the dominos fall just right?
by scstrato on Dec 5, 2008 7:11 PM EST
on Talking Chop
Fangraphs has an article up regarding a potential 2009 Braves rotation. Marc Hulet does a lot of speculating, the signing of Burnett / Smoltz returning to the rotation / Glavine not being re-signed, but it's a good read none the less.
I've said it before but I'm one that agrees with the prediction that Smoltz will return to the rotation if at all possible. I'm also hopeful we cut ties with Glavine. Love the guy, but I feel he's lost a little too much to be competitive. Another question mark is whether Burnett could throw 190 IP's. I'm sure that one will spur a lot of debate.
Update: Hanson/Schafer/Heyward off limits?
by scstrato on Oct 23, 2008 4:40 PM EDT
on Talking Chop
Hat tip to NEBravesFan33 for the link.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3659970
FW has apparently sent an email to the associated press debunking "most" of the rumors that have been posted lately on who's being offered for Peavy. I for one am happy Wren has tried to clarify the Braves position, but I'm afraid he's left a few too many loose ends untied. I want to say i'm clearly speculating here, but the lack of definitives in his statement opens the door for misinterpretation. Unfortunately we don't get to see the entire email, so we're still left to "some" guessing.
Wren's first statement: "From our perspective we still feel the same and we are looking to the future when that next wave of talent I spoke of arrives in Atlanta,". What does this mean? It could mean exactly what most of us hope it means in that Heyward, Schafer and Hanson (among others) are not being offered. BUT, it also could mean something else. Rather than speculate, let's see what else is in the article.
Next we have: "Many of the trade speculations that have been written over the past few weeks are inaccurate,", He goes on to clarify: "For the most part they are simply an outsider speculating what we might do and not what we would do.". I have a love/hate opinion with this comment. I love the fact he's proving some of our points about "don't believe everything that's written" but I hate the fact that he didn't specifically target some of the rumors. Then again, why should we expect him to? Unfortunately this leaves us right where we started, at least IMO, trying to guess who is on the board and who isn't.
Last, and probably the most important sentence in the entire article, the writer indicates that Wren believes Thomas Hanson will make his MLB debut at some point in 2009. He also adds that we should not expect him to make the rotation right out of spring training. Although it doesn't specifically state that his debut will be with Atlanta, I think it's safe to assume this will be the case.
So, does this article give us definitive proof of who's safe and who's not? In my opinion, outside of Hanson, it does not. What is your take?
Yep, he said it ...
by scstrato on Oct 16, 2008 7:31 PM EDT
on Talking Chop
Or wrote it actually. From Mark Bowman, Braves beat writer for MLB.com
" During the Arizona Fall League last year, Jordan Schafer legitimized himself as a top pitching prospect".
Link to the article: Here
I realize this is probably a simple oversight, but c'mon ... this guy is supposed to be a professional beat writer. Anybody else have any funny beat writer/blogger gaffes they'd like to share?
I need ten more words to reach the quota.
Pure Speculation ...
by scstrato on Sep 20, 2008 6:57 PM EDT
on Talking Chop
I just finished reading a handful of articles that appear to be lending credibility to a KC/ATL trade (see title!). So, I thought I'd put MY spin on a potential trade. First this:
http://www.kansascity.com/180/story/785522.html
Joe Posnanski writes about some clubhouse troubles in KC. He makes reference to open mocking of the manager. I take this, combined with Dayton Moore's openness about his team's lack of performance this year, as a sign they're about to "shake things up".
Next article:
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2008/09/francoeur-to-th.html
MLBtr references another article written by Joe Posnanski (link in MLBtr article) where is hypothesizes that Francoeur will soon be a Royal (almost at the end of the original article). Fair enough, a beat writer speculating isn't all that unique. But, considering Francoeurs performance, his public whining about being demoted and his refusal to sign any form of a contract and i'm starting to wonder if he isn't on his way out.
Then there's this (from Bob Dutton KC Star):
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/royals/story/806035.html
Some interesting quotes in there from MGR Trey Hillman. Looks like KC might be souring a bit on prized prospect Alex Gordon. This doesn't really pertain to Francoeur, but it got me to wondering (this is where the speculation comes in play) about a Francouer for Gordon swap.
Yes, I know, we have Chipper at 3B. My argument here is Chipper isn't in (or at least shouldn't be in) our long term plans and since next year is likely a throw away year, why not try and get something for him (P.S. Chipper is one of my favorite players and I would hate to see him leave, but I feel like we need to focus on what's best for us in two/three years). Moving Francoeur and using a stop gap next year clears the way quite nicely for Heyward, this way he won't have to deal with the whole "replacing Francoeur" BS.
OK, so I went WAY out of the way to make a case. It's been a little slow around here lately and I figured, with our season in the tank, I'd try and prompt some traffic.
Flame away!
Media outlets reporting done deal!
by scstrato on Jul 29, 2008 6:09 PM EDT
on Talking Chop
Tex for Kotchman and Marek
Here's what Sickels recently said about Marek:
9) Stephen Marek, RHP, Grade C+ 3.66 ERA with 57/21 K/BB in 47 innings for Arkansas, doing well in a relief role though command needs improvement.
I personally think we could have done better, but I like Kotchman. I would have held out longer for a starter, but maybe Wren knew this was the best deal he could get.
OH well. Let the flaming of Wren begin ...
Decision Weekend over
by scstrato on Jul 27, 2008 7:00 PM EDT
on Talking Chop
and we floundered. So, let's take a poll.
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Ryan Kalish - RF Greenville Drive
by scstrato on Jun 28, 2008 11:22 AM EDT
on Minor League Ball
A friend of mine scored club level seats to the Greenville Drive at Asheville Tourists game last night. "Club level" is basically nothing more than a bar area directly across from right field. I only mention this to help explain why I was so impressed with what I witnessed.
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Slightly OT: 1st year players
by scstrato on Oct 3, 2007 1:46 PM EDT
on Minor League Ball
Does anyone know of a website/source where I can get a list of 2007 first year players? I'm not looking for a rookie list per se, some rookies have had previous experience in the majors, I only want players who began this year with no previous MLB service.
Disclaimer: this is not fantasy related, it is for my own personal library, if you will. I started keeping this information two years ago but the problem is it is very time consuming. I've had to manually review every player (well, not quite every player) and it usually takes me over a month to complete. Any ideas?
1st year player concerns
by scstrato on Aug 30, 2007 9:46 PM EDT
on Minor League Ball
OK guys, i'm looking for some help regarding a few players who are in their first year of MLB service. I've been asking myself these questions for the last couple of weeks and I'd like the communities opinion (to compare to my own).
** DISCLAIMER: I do not play Fantasy Baseball, i'm asking these questions purely as a fan!
Joba Chamberlain: with his current success, albeit a very small sample size, what is the probability the Yanks take the Papelbon route and leave him as a reliever?
Ryan Braun (two parter): clearly this kid can rake but I have concerns with the lack of OBP. Is it a safe assumption to expect improvement in walks over the next couple of years? AND, does Milwaukee have anyone in their system that could push him to the OF or will he stick at 3B (considering the defensive inefficiencies)?
Alex Gordon: How concerned are you with the strikeout rate and lack of power? Is he now destined for mediocrity or do you still believe in his perennial (spl?) all-star potential?
Josh Hamilton: JH recently admitted that years of abuse has wreaked havoc on his immune system thus it takes him longer to recover from various illnesses than most people. Knowing this (and assuming he stays clean) do you think he will be able to carve out a decent career or will he out of baseball in 3/4/5 years?
Thanks for the input!
List your comparables
by scstrato on Jun 29, 2007 2:05 PM EDT
on Minor League Ball
I play in a 20 team strat-o-matic league (replay) and I project to have the first two picks in the rookie draft next year. Our rookie list is comprised of all first year players (first year of MLB experience). I'm targeting the obvious with the first pick (A Gordon) and I'd like a rock solid pitcher with the second pick, someone to anchor my rotation. Thus I'm targeting Hughes or Gallardo. I have the BP comparables, but i'm interested in YOUR ideas on comparable pitchers for the two. Who do you think each pitcher will most likely resemble (style, stats, injury history, MLB value, etc...) over the next 5 years? I know this is hard, but please ignore fantasy value.
Thanks for your help!
Boycott! Wanna join?
by scstrato on Jan 26, 2007 10:04 PM EST
on Minor League Ball
I'm sure we've all wanted to "vent" our frustrations over the recent information regarding MLB granting exclusivity over out of market games to DirectTV. So, thanks to John D. at CNNSI, we can now easily direct our frustrations to the appropriate parties...(see page 2)
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/john_donovan/01/26/directv.feedback/index.html
In addition to making sure as many people find this information as possible, I am curious as to how many of you are upset enough to join a boycott (hence the poll)?
Here are the choices:
(a). Yes, I would join a boycott of MLB. I would refuse to purchase MLB.TV, EI from DirectTV, obstain from attending games and would not watch any locally televised games on tv.
(b). No, I would not join. I simply MUST have my MLB fix.
I plan on printing the poll results and including any comments in my written complaint to the "powers that be", so please vote and comment at will.
Dustin McGowan
by scstrato on Nov 9, 2006 5:46 PM EST
on Minor League Ball
I took this excerpt from an article by the Jays beat writer. How many of you think the Jays actually gave McGowan a fair chance to prove himself this year?
"McGowan wants to start and Toronto has given him plenty of chances to prove himself."
Off topic ... Gold Glove travesties?
by scstrato on Nov 3, 2006 6:31 PM EST
on Minor League Ball
In know this is a site for prospects, but we have a TON of very knowledgeable baseball folks in this forum and I would love some opinions on the Gold Glove awards. Specifically, what is the problem with the voting process (see lists below)?
My complaints:
- DON'T tell me offense plays a role in this award ... or you WILL feel my wrath. hehehe
NL
C: Brad Ausmus, HOU
1B: Albert Pujols, STL
2B: Orlando Hudson, ARI
3B: Scott Rolen, STL
SS: Omar Vizquel, SF
OF: Carlos Beltran, NYM
OF: Mike Cameron, SD
OF: Andruw Jones, ATL
P: Greg Maddux, LAD
AL
C: Ivan Rodriguez, DET
1B: Mark Teixeira, TEX
2B: Mark Grudzielanek, KC
3B: Eric Chavez, OAK
SS: Derek Jeter, NYY
OF: Torii Hunter, MIN
OF: Ichiro Suzuki, SEA
OF: Vernon Wells, TOR
P: Kenny Rogers, DET
How about a mid-season ROY award discussion?
by scstrato on Jul 3, 2006 10:33 PM EDT
on Minor League Ball
With Six rookie pitchers dealing tonight, it got me to thinking about who the leading ROY candidates are. So, I'd like to make this a two part(er).
- If the season ended today, who is your choice for the ROYs?
- Your prediction for actual ROY at years end?
As for year end ROYs, I don't see Liriano giving up his hold on the AL award (barring injury or total Twin melt down) but I believe Fielder will ultimately over take Uggla in the NL.
What are your thoughts?
Angel Guzman???
by scstrato on Jun 29, 2006 2:26 PM EDT
on Minor League Ball
I am not looking to jump on the "Bash Dusty" bandwagon for how he handles pitchers, but is he really keeping Angel Guzman in the big leagues to be his "long man" and pitch once in a while? Have you ever heard of a team calling up one of their best prospects (arguably) and leave him on the shelf for 11/12 days at a time? Granted I know he can throw side/bullpen sessions to keep fresh, but that's not game experience. Why is he in the Major's sitting in the bullpen instead of in the minors starting every 5 days? Do the Cubbies not see AG as a starting prospect any longer?
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