- Congrats to Mark Buehrle. I love no-hitters. Ever since I was a kid, I was fascinated by Don Larsen, Johnny Vandermeer, Sandy Koufax, Nolan Ryan and the entire culture of no-nos. It's funny to me that Buehrle throws up the no-no the year after he goes for $33 in my league.
- Casey Blake has been stealing a lot of AB from Andy Marte at 3B for the Indians. I don't think Marte is finished, but it does tell me that the Indians aren't going to give Marte a clean shot, and the crowded OF/CO situation there is going to hurt young guys like Marte and Ryan Garko who should be getting more of an opportunity.
- The buzz on the blogosphere (check out the fan pages over at Minor League Ball.com) is that Alex Gordon isn't ready yet and should probably get sent back down. The Hank Blalock comparisons are already starting.Rotoworld disagrees, but the fan sites (like Camden Chat) who have seen Gordon play all indicate that he's not ready yet. How this will affect the already dynamic PT situation in KC remains to be seen, but I doubt that Teahen would move back to 3B. German would be the most likely PT winner in the short term in the event Gordon is sent down. Everything I'm hearing says he should be.
- Brett Myers has been bumped from the rotation in Philly in favor of Jon Lieber. Myers is going to set up Tom Gordon. This is a terrible move that further illustrates what a bad winter Gillick had. Getting Garcia was OK, but getting Eaton was overkill, especially if you're going to move a far superior starter to the pen for him. For fantasy purposes, pick up Lieber if he's out there in your league. He'll put up league average numbers, but that offense should get him some wins. Keep Myers; this experiment will end sooner than later.
- Howie Kendrick went on the DL today with a broken finger. Erick Aybar should get the lion's share of the AB. Rotoworld thinks that once Chone Figgins comes back that Macier Izturis will move to 2B, but I think Aybar is a strong prospect in his own right and could keep the job (temporarily) with a strong showing. If he's available in your league, worth a strong bid this week.
- Josh Hamilton now has 4 HR in 25 AB. Great Rule V pick up by the Reds.
- Alex Rodriguez hit his 9th HR tonight. Yankees fans are inane for not recognizing that poor pitching signings are why the Yankees haven't won the World Series, not A-Rod. A-Rod's one of those players my kid will be asking about in 30 years and she'll be star-struck when I tell her that I saw him play.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Just some random thoughts for a Wednesday, as I continue to kick the tires on the blog and decide if this will be a regular feature or not.
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3 comments:
One more: It looks like Hamilton is moving Freel to 3B, at least occasionally, which takes ABs away from Edwin Encarnacion.
Rob and Rany note that the Royals could gain a guaranteed full additional year of Gordon's services by sending him down for just a few weeks. Such a move would delay the free agent clock just enough.
I both agree and disagree with Mike about Brett Myers. Being down in Philadelphia with Mike, but with a longer term feel for this team, I agree that this is a horrible move. I agree that it smells of desperation. I agree that it may not be a long term move.
Nonetheless, it is a move that is designed for the future. I seriously believe that Gordon will be traded at some point in time this year and Myers will be the closer not just now but in the future. Madsen flopped and now the Phils are stuck.
Gillick has made a lot of mistakes so far - not firing Charlie Manual does keep the heat on Charlie and off of Gillick. Look for this to change if the Phils continue to tanks.
Toz, I'm not sure when you wrote this. You're either a genius or you read the same article in the Inquirer that I did.
The biggest problem with this theory is Gordon is going to be next to impossible to move due to his age and his contract. I know that $12.5 million isn't a lot for a reliever in this market, but Gordon is 39 years old. Perhaps more importantly, this is a slap in the face to Gillick, who took a lot of heat for bringing Gordon in in the first place. If they just give up on Gordon and get little in return, the Phillies are going to look horrible.
I also don't see how moving a quality starter to the bullpen makes sense. It's one thing if you have a starter with an injury history or a starter who fails the second and third time through the line-up. Myers fits neither of those profiles. I don't see how the Phillies are stuck at closer. Gordon did a good job last year and he'll probably do well again this year. The Phillies aren't "stuck" unless they choose to be stuck, which seems to be what they are doing by panicking and sticking Myers in the pen.
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