Monday, June 27, 2005
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READER QUESTIONS
READER QUESTIONS
I have be getting a few dozen emails a day with questions and I am going to take the rest of the day and respond to them and then post them in this space. If you would like to send off a question or two to be answered (around 3:00 VST, roughly Pacific Standard Time) send it to ElephantsinOakland@Gmail.com .
Please let me know if it is 'okay' to use your wording and initials, otherwise I'll paraphrase as needed.
Questions from JUNE 17 - 26. If I didn't get to yours in this quippy post, I'll do this again in a few days.
QUESTION: Why isn't there more content/stuff here and why don't you go 'pro' (advertise)?
ANSWER: I don't advertise on this blog, and therefore I have to make a living with a day job. And the job is taxing, physically and emotionally. Elephants in Oakland is driven by content and mostly that content comes from my brain to your lap(top). Most blogs work like that and should work like that. This blog is mostly my opinion. Whether you agree or disagree is your opinion. And I value both.
A blog is a web log. Blogs are a tool to constantly update information on the internet without having to constantly reformat or generate new pages to view.
The reason that content is sometimes lacking is that I am either working on it, working or I am at a game.
I know, odd for somebody who has a blog to go to games, isn't it?
I am an A's fan, but I also have a reasonable ability (and responsibility) to think on my own. And that sometimes irritates people as I kill their buzz. Yes, it's great when the A's win! Not so great when they use five relief pitchers and lose the next two games because their relief pitchers were used improperly. I'm an A's fan and that means every move by the front office, every throw over to 1st base to hold a runner, every speck of pine tar on a bat has meaning - yesterday, today and most importantly for tomorrow.
Blogs are not about getting paid, once you get paid, it's really no longer a blog, is it? It's a website with ads. Or an ad with very little content. Blogs are about content and opinion and point of view. They are not about soliciting wares and services under the guise of baseball information. That's what spam and junk mail are for. There are too many blogs and internet sites out there that have very little content, no information and a whole lot of ads, and empty space.
I get a number of requests for link exchanges and stats concerning my blog and how much money I can make with advertising. There are also a few emails suggesting that all I need to do is add a few key words here and there to boost my 'hits' and software applications to further boost 'hits' with phantom readers.
Once you make the decision to make money off of something, the outlook changes. I don't take or make a damn dime off of this blog. I have only added the comments section as I was inundated with Email and was falling behind. Once the comments overwhelm the content, then it's not a blog, is it? It's a message board. And the A's have a message board at MLB.com and at ESPN.com and other places.
I also don't want to resort to taking information from readers to have to 'sign up' or 'log in'. That information is always sold to 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th parties.
This is a blog. Yes, I do have plans to go from blog to more of a 'site', but the blog portion will always be there in some form.
Too often blogs, baseball blogs and others, get all worked up over the 'Look at Me' part of having a place on the internet and are more worried about 'hits'. That's not how it's done, (it's on-base percentage and to a larger point), it's all about content.
QUESTION: Are the A's going to make the playoffs?
ANSWER: Yes. In 2005? No. They squandered April and May and lost a lot of games they should have won. Further, Ken Macha misused the bullpen on several occasions and set up losses the next day because of his decision-making. Could the A's make the playoffs, though? Sure, you'd have to see Anaheim and Texas play below .500 for the rest of the season for that to happen. Unless a massive flu virus hits or the Angels lose their entire outfield, that just is not going to happen.
QUESTION: You're so negative and don't even want the A's to win. Why do you even bother wasting your time with writing all of your crap?
ANSWER: Just to bug you personally.
I'll combine the first question with this 'question'; if the A's aren't going to make the playoffs, what is the point of watching games, going to games and writing about it?
Because this is a bump in the road. Because you are an A's fan, because I am an A's fan. That is the reason to watch.
The problem I have watching the A's in 2005 is not that they lost so often, early, it was how they were losing and the excuses and subsequent media reports that came from those losses.
I don't even mind low scoring games on the A's end as long as A's hitters work the count and force the opposing pitching staff to earn their outs. As long as the A's offense is honest in its efforts, I'm fine.
The fact is, the A's have a lousy tradition of being nonchalant in the 1st half of the season and as last year proved, the division can come down to the last weekend of the season.
QUESTION: What's wrong with the A's pitching staff? You always seem to pop a fuse when talking about it.
ANSWER: The pitching staff, Ken Macha's ridiculous use of the bullpen aside, is coming along nicely. It just took a lot of screaming from the A's front office to have Curt Young get personally involved in his job duties. Visits to the pitching mound might only be cosmetic in approach, but there is a psychological blip that can be attributed as well.
I haven't really been a big fan of some of the A's training staff approaches to keeping the pitchers healthy and ready, but that might be a post for another time.
I have a tirade of issues with the use of the bullpen, the two most important I'll discuss here. Ken Macha has never learned how to use the A's bullpen in an efficient or effective manner. Part of that stems from his inability to put together a lineup 1-9 that scores enough runs to give him room to err. The other problem stems from leaving in a starting pitcher too long. I am not referring to pitch counts. I am referring to effectiveness and how many times through the order a starting pitcher progresses through (good rule of thumb, you don't want a starter to face an opposing batter more than 3 times in a single game) the opposition's batting order.
You've heard the old relief pitcher's standard "minimize the damage"? That's hard for A's relief pitchers to do when Ken Macha decided it is better to let the bomb explode and then try to diffuse it.
Example: A's trail 3-1 in a ball game with one out in the 6th inning. The Starting pitcher has a pitch count above 90 and is about to face the opposition's batting order for the 4th time. The general rule to follow would be to let the starter go unless a runner gets on base, then, absolutely, positively, going to the bullpen if a runner gets to 2nd base. No questions asked. Just do it. Pull the trigger.
Remember, this is not the National League. There are no substitutions to consider.
Too often the A's allow two or more runners on base and suddenly the score goes from the A's trailing by two to trailing by three, four, or more and putting the game out of reach.
It's better to pull a starter too soon, rather than too late.
QUESTION: Why don't you like Player X?
ANSWER: I addressed this a few weeks ago in something called 'THE HATE'. I don't hate any of the A's players. In fact, more than some of the A's blogs or fan sites I have defended a lot of the more human and personal issues that track the modern player.
On the other hand, this is professional baseball and personal issues aside, the production has to be there on the field.
I have a quick tree that I go through with any player as far when they deserve to be criticized or ostracized:
- Production. Is the player is productive at, or above expected norms? Has that player's lack of production become a trend?
- Cost. How much is the player's production, or lack thereof, costing the A's in the amount of dollars? Has that become an unacceptable cost?
- Replacement. Are the players in the A's minor league system out performing, or could they out perform the same player at this time?
- Overall. Is the player's place on the 25 man roster counterproductive to the A's end goal, i.e. winning as many of the scheduled 162 games as possible?
If you get more than one 'YES' going doing that short list, then it should be obvious that a change is needed.
QUESTION: Why do you talk about the A's minor league players so much?
ANSWER: To be an A's fan is not to be a fan of one or two of the players who wear an Oakland A's uniform. It is to be a fan of the Oakland Athletics Baseball Club as an organization from top to bottom. To the product the organization puts out in Oakland to the players assembled in Arizona for the Rookie League and the players in the Latin American program.
Not just the players on the field, but the players in the front office, the scouting department and the coaching staffs.
It's not a passing fancy. It's a deep rooted cause and effect relationship.
The Oakland A's team is essentially pushed along by what is behind it; the minor league system.
And some of these guys are criminally underpaid, overworked and genuinely scared of the day somebody walks up to them and tells them to clean out their locker - dream is over, they can't make it as a professional baseball player. Everything their life was to that point is gone in a grunted statement.
How's that for tragedy?
QUESTION: How can you call yourself an A's fan when all you do is criticize the team?
ANSWER: Don't sell me short, I don't criticize the team. I criticize the entire organization.
Being an A's fan is not turning over objective thought and critical reason to a form of illogical blind brand loyalty the way some define patriotism in the United States.
Being an A's fan means calling out Billy Beane on poor decisions, it means screaming at Ken Macha when he keeps allowing his base runners to get caught stealing, it means calling Robert Baun on the A's post game shows and asking him to allow fans to vent rather than try and paint a pretty picture of the A's outlook.
It helps if you have some data or a qualified opinion to back up your reasoning; but it's also okay just to say, "you know, I don't like the way Player X approaches his at-bats, I wish the A's would get rid of him". Now, would I write that? No, I tend to overload you with statistical information when I suggest there is a problem.
If we were all blind loyalists to the A's, hell or high-water, Tony LaRussa might still be the manager, Jeff Newman would be catching and Shooty Babbitt would be hitting leadoff.
Yeesh? That's about right.
QUESTION: Will the A's trade Barry Zito?
ANSWER: I could just as easily mention Player X or list every one of the A's controlled players in this question.
Here's my answer; Yes and No.
You have to remember that Billy Beane once traded himself to Boston...and wriggled out of it.
If the offer is there, lopsided in his favor, Billy Beane will make the deal.
And as with all things that accompany Billy Beane I like to use a quote uttered by Will Carroll (and others) many times, "Billy Beane didn't just get stupid over night..."
When you look at a deal by Billy Beane, you really have to have a wide-angle lens and a lot of time on your hand. It takes years sometimes for all the facts to come into range to weigh certain trades and moves. To wit...
QUESTION: Why did the A's trade Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson?
ANSWER: Because.
The easiest answer is; because.
I stated it a number of times, you could look at it as a cost cutting measure and the A's came out great. They shed a lot of dough. You could look at it as a risk management move (injuries) and the A's came out great. They were able to put cheap replacement parts on the 25 Man Roster; it's cheaper to have a AAA pitcher rehabbing an injury than it is for a pitcher making $7 Million a season, isn't it?
If you want to look at it as the number of wins and losses, you really can't make that argument. Losing Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder does not hurt the A's in the Win/Loss column as much as people like Ray Ratto seem to think.
While the Hudson trade 'looks' worse than the Mulder trade, it certainly doesn't have the instant data available. Danny Haren and Daric Barton are going to be key assets for the A's for years to come. And they are cheap. Mark Mulder was no longer cheap and about to break down. Tim Hudson has broken down. And neither pitcher has been scoring a lot of runs for their new team and the A's problem the last three seasons has been; chorus, please - SCORING RUNS.
As far as return on Danny Meyer and Charles Thomas and Juan Cruz. Time will tell.
QUESTION: Will the Angels and Rangers tail off?
ANSWER: I don't trust any pitching staff in Arlington between July and September. The Rangers can score at will on offense, but just not as quickly as their pitching staff will give up runs.
And as long as the Angels are healthy, they will win 88-91 games. The key to the Angels winning the AL West will be their staring pitching. If that holds up, their offense will score them enough runs to win the AL West.
QUESTION: Why do you hate the media so much?
ANSWER: They are, pathetic, spineless, toadies who are willing to toe not one, but two company lines in order to do their 'jobs'. They offer no new baseball knowledge or information and they simply suck at their jobs. You can count on one hand the number of decent baseball analysts working in traditional media outlets - and not one of them is an A's beat writer.
Point of fact, the A's beat writers are so bad that Michael Lewis went out and wrote a (fragmented) book on the A's approach to baseball that a legion of beat writers, columnists and experts could never get across.
It seems one of the prerequisites for being an A's beat writer or columnist is to have limited knowledge of sports, particularly baseball, and be willing to write, almost verbatim whatever comes out of the A's organization's representative's mouth.
Which is what you should think of when you read interviews and quotes; is this new information or is the writer just acting as the mouthpiece for whatever Billy Beane and the A's want to be heard? How many interviews have you read with Billy Beane or David Forst that you scratch your head and wonder...'didn't I read this back in 1998?' Change some of the player names and it gets very Twilight Zone'ish.
More often than not, you're reading exactly what the A's want you to read and the mouthpiece just happens to have access to the audio content first hand. That's not reporting, that's not writing, that's just recording.
QUESTION: What is the reason for the A's winning lately?
ANSWER: Playing teams worse than them and having other teams swinging early in the count. Scoring a few runs doesn't hurt. Honestly, the A's have won a few series and that is great. It's tremendous. But, that's what they are supposed to do. When they start sweeping series and dominating lesser teams, then I'll be impressed. Here's the breakdown of the A's opponents in June:CURRENT RECORDS
AL W L PCT HOME ROAD Tampa Bay 26 50 .342 18-21 8-29 Seattle 33 41 .446 19-20 14-21 NL W L PCT HOME ROAD Washington 44 31 .587 26-10 18-21 Atlanta 41 34 .547 24-12 17-22 Philadelphia 39 37 .513 23-16 16-21 NY Mets 37 38 .493 22-15 15-23 San Francisco 30 44 .405 17-22 13-22 RECORD BY GAME
DATE TEAM RESULT A's OPP Wed. 1 Tampa Bay W 11-2 20-32 19-35 Thu. 2 Toronto W 5-3 21-32 28-26 Fri. 3 Toronto L 6-2 21-33 29-26 Sat. 4 Toronto W 5-2 22-33 29-27 Sun. 5 Toronto W 12-4 23-33 29-28 Tue. 7 at Washington L 2-1 23-34 32-26 Wed. 8 at Washington L 7-2 23-35 33-26 Thu. 9 at Washington L 4-3 23-36 34-26 Fri. 10 at Atlanta W 6-4 24-36 31-29 Sat. 11 at Atlanta L 5-3 24-37 32-29 Sun. 12 at Atlanta W 11-5 25-37 32-30 Tue. 14 NY Mets W 5-0 26-37 32-32 Wed. 15 NY Mets W 3-2 27-37 32-33 Thu. 16 NY Mets L 9-6 27-38 33-33 Fri. 17 Philadelphia L 6-1 27-39 38-30 Sat. 18 Philadelphia W 2-1 28-39 38-31 Sun. 19 Philadelphia W 5-2 29-39 38-32 Mon. 20 at Seattle W 6-2 30-39 31-37 Tue. 21 at Seattle W 4-2 31-39 31-38 Wed. 22 at Seattle L 5-4 31-40 32-38 Thu. 23 at Seattle W 5-0 32-40 32-39 Fri. 24 San Francisco W 4-3 33-40 30-42 Sat. 25 San Francisco W 6-3 34-40 30-43 Sun. 26 San Francisco W 16-0 35-40 30-44
In short, the A's caught two average teams at a good time, got pummeled by a pretty good team and beat some bad teams.
That's not a reason to feel better about the next 88 games or the last 74. It is a reason to breath a little easier, though, and that is note worthy.
QUESTION: Why the spelling errors and late updates?
ANSWER: I have a day job that takes roughly 60 hours out of my week. I have been trying to utilize some of the new tools we are integrating at work, such as the 'Talk and Type' and the remote document publishing. Often, I don't get a chance to review anything for 90 minutes to five hours after it has been posted. So, it's a struggle.
Often, I'll start a post, then save it to work on something, and it gets pushed aside.
So, yes, I could do with some time management skill development.
posted by ZACHARY D MANPRIN at 6:00 AM
The Forum is open and available to all - registration is required to post, but not to read.
Thanks for the science.
Here are my three biggest qustions;
- When are the A's going to trade Keith Ginter
- When are the A's going to bring up Andre Ethier
- Can the A's unload Scott Hatteberg
# posted by
: 27 June, 2005 16:45
Just wanted to say thanks for the unabashed commentary. EiO is always one of my first stops on the illicit internet surfing at work that I shouldn't be doing.
No questions, just want to say keep it up, Zachary. Have a good one.
# posted by
While I don't always agree with you I nearly always learn something. I really appreciate this blog. Thanks!
# posted by
Then it becomes a matter of watching 'good' baseball versus 'bad' baseball.
The A's are still playing more bad baseball than good baseball, but they are winning some games here and there.
# posted by
ZACHARY D MANPRIN : 27 June, 2005 17:27
i love the blog but i hate the font, i wish it was something more readable like tahoma or trebuchet. PS your macha meter has a red X next to the number
# posted by
Dig the blog. Great info!
Could you change the color of the font of the read-links to a darker shade of yellow? I get the green and gold design, but it just comes off as white.
Keep posting!
# posted by
"When are the A's going to trade Keith Ginter?"
When some GM decides that a mediocre-gloved middle infielder sporting a .171/.262/.295 line is worth the $1.2M Ginter is going to make over the next year and a half.
"When are the A's going to bring up Andre Ethier?"
Probably not this year, and certainly not before he spends some time in Sacramento. He has an outside shot of making the A's bench in 2006, although I'd say either a midseason callup or not making the team until the rosters expand in September is more likely.
"Can the A's unload Scott Hatteberg?"
Yeah. They don't want to though. They like his approach at the plate, he's not THAT expensive at $2.5M, and unless Daric Barton accelerates the hell out of his progression, there's not really a ton of major-league ready hitters in the A's organization.
# posted by
Have you and Blez ever worked together or talked about working together in any capasity with your blogs?
# posted by
Because some teams have a monopoly on non-hitting infielders like Neifi Perez and Deivi Cruz.
Aaron Boone isn't hitting, either and he has a job. Those also who have jobs; Joe Crede, David Bell, Corey Koskie, Geoff Blum, Dave Hansen, Luis Rivas, Kaz Matsui, Damon Easley, Orlando Hudson, Robinson Cano...all pretty paltry on the statistic front.
I think the reference was moving Ethier to Sacramento, and that will be soon. Sacramento has to move an Outfielder first.
Keith Ginter is expensive at less than $1 million for the next year and a half, but Scott Hatteberg is not at $1.25 Million over the rest of the 2005 season?
The A's have a number of major league ready hitters in their minor league system. Matt Watson, Jack Cust, Mike Rouse, Shawn Garrett, Brant Colamarino, Charles Thomas, Jason Perry, Brian Stavisky, Jeremy Brown, Omar Quintanilla, Andre Ethier, Vasili Spanos, Daric Barton, Danny Putnam, Dustin Majewski...
# posted by
Any problems with the blog might have something to do with your browser.
MS Internet Explorer is right out.
Use Firefox or Netscape.
# posted by
Why would someone who hasn't updated their blog in two months try to answer questions on another blog?
If Blez is the guy who runs Athletics Nation, I hope that there is no future plans to work together.
PLEASE Zach, tell us you aren't going to appear over there!
# posted by
Please, don't force me to censor the comments area.
Keep it above the fray and no trashing of other sites.
I don't want to moderate the public area. It's hard enough having to choke on Ray Ratto and Mark Kreidler.
# posted by
I don't like the comments section either. But when there are a few sitting there people end up going there in curiosity.
I guess that would result in extra 'hits' on some sites. So would multi-page views would increase ad revenue.
Zach made some good points about running a website beyond just the baseball aspect.
It is all about content.
I think it's funny.
I'd love to see a knock out drag out on A's trivia.
But, then again, I think professional wrestling is a sport.
Zach, just keep writing. We need the TRUTH, not what the other websites or media keep shoving down our throats.
# posted by
there's enough room for everybody in this dumptruck of discovery they call the ole' innernet.
dig both sites, thanks for all the great work you do.
# posted by
there's enough room for everybody in this dumptruck of discovery they call the ole' innernet.
dig both sites, thanks for all the great work you do.
# posted by
I pulled an ad. So you might see a deleted post.
Another scourge of the comments section.
# posted by
"the way some define patriotism in the United States."
Snarky, I like it...
Anyways, I like the quality of the analysis on this blog. In the span of a few short weeks this blog has become one of my "check every day" blogs.
And for all those who slam AN I'd like to remind you that AN is not just a blog. It's a fan community that also happens to be an A's blog.
It's a great plae to read exclusive Billy Beane interviews and to get in touch with my fellow fan, but I come here for the better analysis.
awesome blog zach...i try to read it everyday. its insightful, informative and-at times-even humorous (although the humor is probably a byproduct of that 60 hr work wk).
don't change a thing, good work.
# posted by
the new font is awesome!! much easier to read, bit dissapointed there wasnt a write up about our 16-0 swatting of the Gnats!! One of the best baseball moments in my life as an A's fan!
# posted by
Fun Fact: The 2005 Athletics are
1-11 in one-run games on the road.
Yah, 1-11.
Close games on the road- exactly the types of games where proper use of the bullpen and bench by a manager who isn't brain-dead has a real impact on the outcome.
# posted by
"when they start sweeping series and dominating lesser teams"
isn't that what they just did? yet you aren't officially impressed?
# posted by
Thanks for the effort Zach. I prefer this to the damned chron sporting green now. I learned a lot about bb.
Hey... a quick Q. How can you tell if a pitcher has good stuff. Everyone raves about Harden; I cant tell the difference. I could tell dotel had some up/down/sideways movement on his fastball but it seems like he sucks????
a million Qs.......
thanks again
dc-- you're much better than any advertising driven site/... newspapers included!!!
# posted by
I wish Billy Beane agreed with us.
Billy Beane said Macha's performance as manager last year was "masterful."
That was the word he used.
If Howe/Macha were/are just Billy Beane puppets...then Billy Beane isn't a very good manager.
# posted by
"Keith Ginter is expensive at less than $1 million for the next year and a half, but Scott Hatteberg is not at $1.25 Million over the rest of the 2005 season?"
$316K is expensive for a guy with a .262 OBP. $2.5M is not expensive for a guy with a .357 OBP (4th among A's hitters).
"The A's have a number of major league ready hitters in their minor league system. Matt Watson, Jack Cust, Mike Rouse, Shawn Garrett, Brant Colamarino, Charles Thomas, Jason Perry, Brian Stavisky, Jeremy Brown, Omar Quintanilla, Andre Ethier, Vasili Spanos, Daric Barton, Danny Putnam, Dustin Majewski... "
You've got 9 guys at Double-A or lower, two guys who failed to hit the Mendoza line in their major-league stints this year, two guys without a single major league AB, and Jack Cust.
How many of those guys do you think, in 2006, will be a better hitter than Scott Hatteberg?
# posted by
Zack - do you be drinking that beer in the parking lot or getting drunk at the game? My boys man we be getting crunk in the parking lot boyeeee!!
# posted by
It's not that Scott Hatteberg is worthless.
It's that Scott Hatteberg plays a power position (1B) and hits in the cleanup spot (of course this is Macha's fault, not Hatteberg's), yet has no power. Sure, it's great that he can clog up the bases...but wouldn't you rather see white shoes touching home plate?
Dan Johnson would have already acclimated himself to big-league pitching and would be putting up power numbers that would dwarf Hatteberg's...if the organization could have just gotten over their weird Hatteberg man-crush.
# posted by
Anon -
I'm a recovering alcoholic.
Haven't had a drink since July 3, 1991.
Sure, I just graduated high school by then, but I drank my way through my junior and senior years...except during football season.
Then I was REALLY drunk.
# posted by
"$316K is expensive for a guy with a .262 OBP. $2.5M is not expensive for a guy with a .357 OBP (4th among A's hitters)."
That's about the league minimum and the small sample size doesn't help your case. Is Ginter as bad as his 2005 stats? No, lack of playing time and a terrible job by the A's coaching staff are to blame. Hatteberg can be top amongst A's hitters with his OBP and it still wouldn't matter - it's not enough. Ginter was signed to be a bit player, Hatteberg was signed to produce and he hasn't produced numbers in line with his price tag - and never will.
"You've got 9 guys at Double-A or lower, two guys who failed to hit the Mendoza line in their major-league stints this year, two guys without a single major league AB, and Jack Cust."
Mendoza line? You're dragging in batting average? And again, SMALL SAMPLE size. Charles Thomas and Matt Watson were both victims of circumstances beyond their control. Even Dan Johnson struggled for two weeks WITH regular playing time before he got going. Maybe you don't know much about the A's organization, but the best players, even the most advanced hitters, aren't always in AAA.
"How many of those guys do you think, in 2006, will be a better hitter than Scott Hatteberg?"
Most of them. Because they will still be in the A's system and Hatteberg will either be a pinch hitter in the NL or looking for a coaching job.
All of those players have more power, agility and speed than Hatteberg. Give them two weeks in the big leagues and regular playing time and they woul dall produce more than Hatteberg.
Daric Barton is a better 1st baseman after two months than hatteberg after 2 1/2 seasons. And if you asked them to, they'd all be willing to take a walk here and there and take a first strike.
Try the opposite, could Hatteberg put up similar numbers in the minor leagues as some of these players? It's harder to drop down than you realize.
# posted by
"That's about the league minimum and the small sample size doesn't help your case."
It is the league minimum, and the fact that he's played himself out of the lineup does help my case that Ginter is nearly untradeable. Ginter's hitting has been below replacement-level. Some team might take a flyer on Ginter were he still around league minimum. For a mil-plus, who wants him?
"Mendoza line? You're dragging in batting average?"
Because there isn't a cutesy nickname for terrible OBP or OPS yet. If there was, it's pretty likely that Thomas' and Watson's outings would fail to make that line.
"Charles Thomas and Matt Watson were both victims of circumstances beyond their control."
Poor hitting is out of their control? How many horrible plate appearances did Thomas need? After 30 PA, a little over half of what Thomas had, Dan Johnson had a .367 OBP. Sending Thomas to AAA was clearly needed. Watson I'll give you, although it seems to me that the A's organization doesn't have a whole lot of faith in him. Fair or not, it's up to the hitter to overcome that.
"Maybe you don't know much about the A's organization, but the best players, even the most advanced hitters, aren't always in AAA."
When's the last time the A's brought a player to the big club from somewhere other than Sacramento? I think one of Ramon Castro's pinch-runner stints last year might have brought him from Midland, but I don't think anyone would describe him as one of the A's most advanced hitters.
Now if you want to say River Cat X will never get a cup of coffee in the Coliseum while Rock Hound Y or Port Z is a bonafide prospect that's another story, but it's pretty rare that the road to Oakland doesn't run through Sacramento.
"Most of them. Because they will still be in the A's system and Hatteberg will either be a pinch hitter in the NL or looking for a coaching job.
All of those players have more power, agility and speed than Hatteberg."
You rag on me for referencing batting average and you're gonna talk about tools?
"Give them two weeks in the big leagues and regular playing time and they would all produce more than Hatteberg."
So what's your theory here? That the A's organization (and all the other organizations not peppering Billy Beane with trade proposals) has absolutely no clue that there's this gold mine of major-league ready hitters just sitting around in Sacramento, Midland and Stockton?
# posted by
Enjoy your site. Much more informative this year than last. Agree that a true fan has a desire for info about the total team. I favor the minor leaguers that are being developed so have to research more to get the info I desire. Seems the blogs I liked last year have dropped in standings this year and you have moved up the charts into their slot. So your information and efforts are appreciated, particularly on a daily basis. Just to let you know
# posted by
That's ridiculous, absolutely asinine. Ginter was never in the line-up to play himself out of it...
$700,000 is not much to ask for a back up infielder and right-handed hitter off the bench who can club some HR and get on base.
Jairo Garcia, last year.
You aren't arguing with stats and the A's value tools more than you know. What is your definition of tools?
There's a 25-man roster a 40 man, but the list of players that are 'major league ready' expands to about 50-60 players.
# posted by
Hmmm...not that you should not post on other blogs comments sections BUT don't you have your own blog that has not been updated since April. A little peculiar.
# posted by
"That's ridiculous, absolutely asinine. Ginter was never in the line-up to play himself out of it..."
A running tally of the PA of the three middle infielders from the start of the season until the end of May:
Ginter:
4/10: 18
4/17: 27
4/24: 30
4/30: 38
5/07: 48
5/14: 63
5/21: 84
5/28: 93
Ellis:
4/10: 11
4/17: 28
4/24: 47
4/30: 57
5/07: 73
5/14: 83
5/21: 97
5/28: 115
Scutaro:
4/10: 19
4/17: 34
4/24: 61
4/30: 81
5/07: 100
5/14: 122
5/21: 138
5/28: 160
Ginter had only 2 less plate appearances from May 1 to May 28 than Ellis did. The differences was that by the end of May, Ellis had a .701 OPS while Ginter's was .571.
Your assertion to the contrary is incorrect. Ginter did play himself out of the lineup.
"$700,000 is not much to ask for a back up infielder and right-handed hitter off the bench who can club some HR and get on base."
Agreed. But Ginter's been getting on-base at a .262 clip this year, so that doesn't describe him very well.
"Jairo Garcia, last year."
Was called up from Sacramento. He spent almost no time there, but he went there before Oakland. And one might infer a causal relationship between his lack of time at AAA and the difficulty he had in his brief stint in Oakland.
"You aren't arguing with stats and the A's value tools more than you know."
The only statistical argument you've made is that my arguments are all invalid due to small sample size. Generally in support of players whose sample size is small because they hit so poorly that they can't stay on the 25-man roster, let alone in the starting lineup.
You've called a player whose OBP has trended downward throughout his career to the point that he's got a .262 OBP this year as someone "who can get on base".
Anon: The Blogger site hasn't been updated since April.
That's because the blog moved to another site in April.
Which is noted in the very first sentence on the Blogger site.
Which you apparently didn't read.
Did you have anything else to add? (And since this is Zach's comment section, please direct any comments about my blog to me via email or my own comment section. I doubt he wants such on his site)
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