2nd base - 2006

[metirish]

] FORT MYERS - Tony Graffanino started at second base for the Red Sox in their Grapefruit League opener against the Minnesota Twins last night, but chances are the veteran infielder will be getting a new start this spring. Graffanino, who is third on the Sox depth chart behind Mark Loretta and Alex Cora, was told by general manager Theo Epstein earlier in camp the team will attempt to trade him if it appears his playing time will be limited and a better opportunity arises. He was 0-for-3 in the Sox� 6-3 loss at Hammond Stadium. More than a dozen teams were represented by scouts at last night�s game, including the New York Mets, who are on the lookout for an established second baseman following Bret Boone�s sudden retirement Wednesday. �We�ve talked to Tony already, and we�re going to make sure he plays enough,� Sox manager Terry Francona said. �It�s kind of a win-win situation if he plays well, and he�s a good player. He could be with us, he could potentially be with somebody else. I think we all acknowledge that. I certainly don�t want him sitting. I wouldn�t do that to him.�

http://redsox.bostonherald.com/redSox/view.bg?articleid=128843

[Elster88]

]We�ve talked to Tony already, and we�re going to make sure he plays enough,� Sox manager Terry Francona said. �It�s kind of a win-win situation if he plays well, and he�s a good player. He could be with us, he could potentially be with somebody else. I think we all acknowledge that. I certainly don�t want him sitting. I wouldn�t do that to him.�

Careful Tito. You wouldn't want your fans thinking you're putting the needs of an aging player ahead of the needs of the team.

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

I'd certainly hope not.

BTW, who's Tito? That's Francona's dad's name--are people calling him Tito too?

[Elster88]

I thought they were. Could be wrong.

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

No, you're right. It's actually listed as a nickname on BBREF.com. (His dad, John Patsy Francona, is just listed as Tito, like that was his real name.)

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

He's lucky the "Patsy" thing didn't catch on.

[Frayed Knot]

Isn't Tito just one of those all-purpose ethnic (Spanish? ... Italian?) nicknames meaning something along the lines of 'kid' or 'sonny-boy'?

BB-Ref, like 'The Baseball Encyclopedia' before it, lists players by the name they're best known by. I never heard the father referred to as anything but Tito hence its use as the main heading. And while I've heard the son called Tito (moreso recently then during his playing days) it's not the first thing that comes to mind ergo it's listed as a nickname

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

I never heard it while Terry was a player.

And I don't keep up with his career much anymore. Is he still in baseball these days?

[Guest sharpie]

The difference between Tony Graffanino and Chris Woodward isn't great enough to go out and get Tony G.

[MFS62]

I just had a flashback. I recall a conversation between Mel Allen and Red Barber about the Tino vs Patsy name for the dad.

Later

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

From Newsday

]Matsui upstaged BY DAVID LENNON STAFF CORRESPONDENT March 5, 2006 PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - If not for the $8 million the Mets owe Kaz Matsui, the second-base job already might belong to Anderson Hernandez. Even though Hernandez started at shortstop in yesterday's 5-4 win over the Nationals, he's still overshadowing Matsui, who played across from him at second. Hernandez, batting leadoff, went 3-for-4, scored three runs and had a stolen base. In the first three games, he's 5-for-7 and has scored every time he's been on base. The knock against Hernandez in his brief call-up at the end of last season was that he looked overmatched at the plate, as his 1-for-18 performance would indicate. But Hernandez shined in the Dominican winter league, and he appears comfortable now, if not confident. "I think I'm ready," Hernandez said. "When they called me up last year, I learned a lot from that. When I played in the Dominican, I learned more there. I got more patient at the plate. I didn't swing at everything." It's Matsui who has looked more like a rookie so far. He went 0-for-2 yesterday and is hitless in nine at-bats with two strikeouts. Perhaps the only thing holding back Hernandez is that his natural position is shortstop, and the 23-year-old concedes he's still getting a feel for the switch to second base.

[Guest KC]

Someone's knockin' at the door
Somebody's ringin' the bell
Someone's knockin' at the door
Somebody's rinigin' the bell
Do me a favour
Open the door and let 'em in

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

It's hard to say which is more ridiculous -- 18 plate appearances last season "proving" a guy can't hit, or 4 yesterday "proving" he can.

There's an awful lot of spring training left.

[smg58]

I never figured out exactly who it was that gave up on Hernandez. At worst, Hernandez gave the impression that he might benefit from more seasoning. But yes, it's way too early to say whether yesterday's good hiting performance was indicative of anything.

[Elster88]

Tim Spehr once hit over .400 for an entire spring.

[Elster88]

Johnny Dickshot wrote: It's hard to say which is more ridiculous -- 18 plate appearances last season "proving" a guy can't hit, or 4 yesterday "proving" he can. There's an awful lot of spring training left.

This is correct.

[Guest Edgy DC]

smg58 wrote: I never figured out exactly who it was that gave up on Hernandez.

I think it was the Tigers.

[metirish]

Hernandez came in the Vance Wilson trade IIRC.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Did I miss something when I was ill? Has Bret Boone gone home?

Maybe I should read back in this thread.

Player	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	AVG	OPS
CLambin	1	1	0	1	1	0	0	2	2	0	0	0	0	1.000	2.000	1.000	3.000
JKeppinger	2	5	1	2	1	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	.400	.600	.400	1.000
AHernandez	6	15	4	5	0	0	0	0	5	0	1	1	1	.375	.333	.333	.708
KMatsui	4	14	1	2	0	1	0	2	4	0	2	0	0	.143	.286	.143	.429

[metirish]

Yeah he retired last week, he cried and all, said he had lost the passion.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Oops, guess so.

[seawolf17]

"Passion," of course, roidheadspeak for "roids."

[MFS62]

Edgy, how can AH have a higher OBP than BA if he has no walks? Do HBP count? They aren't shown.

LAter

[Guest Edgy DC]

Not shown, but, yes, he's been plunked.

[metirish]

keppinger is pissed and I don't blame him.....

] Keppinger Keeps Hitting, but Support Is Still Missing E-Mail This Printer-Friendly Reprints Save Article By PAT BORZI Published: March 13, 2006 FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., March 12 � As he looked out onto the field at Fort Lauderdale Stadium on Sunday morning, Mets second baseman Jeff Keppinger maintained a tight grin, as if forcibly preventing his mouth from saying something it should not. Not far away, Kazuo Matsui, the current and presumably inevitable starting second baseman, stretched on the grass. Even though Matsui has not done much this spring � he is hitting .143, with three errors � Manager Willie Randolph said Saturday that Matsui would play the most at second in the final three weeks of camp, and that he had "somewhat of an upper hand" in the competition with Keppinger and Anderson Hernandez. Hernandez would continue to mainly play shortstop until Jos� Reyes returned from the World Baseball Classic, Randolph said. And though Randolph did not declare the competition over, he added this: "Keppinger really wasn't in the mix. Keppinger was kind of a long shot, and he's still kind of a long shot, but he's there." That hardly sounds promising for Keppinger, 25, a prolific minor league hitter who missed much of last season with a fractured left tibia. Keppinger seems to understand that Matsui is the incumbent, that the Mets have a big financial investment in him, and that the job is Matsui's to lose unless the Mets trade him � which may yet happen. What left Keppinger simmering and choosing his words carefully Sunday morning, however, was that he said he had not heard Randolph's assessment of his chances from Randolph. "I had a friend who was watching a telecast, and they put Willie on the headphones during the game, and he pretty much said the same thing," Keppinger said. "Whatever. I don't know. They don't really say much to me. When they put me in to play, I play. When they send me, I go. "It's not a surprise. I figured that would be kind of the way it would go. That's all right. I get in there, I do what I can, and hopefully somebody takes notice." The Mets took notice in 2004, acquiring Keppinger from Pittsburgh in the Kris Benson trade. Keppinger has hit better than .300 in every minor league season except his first, and .284 in a brief stint with the Mets in 2004. Last June 15, he was batting .337 for Class AAA Norfolk and leading the International League with 86 hits when Charlotte's Felix Martinez jammed his cleats into Keppinger's leg on a slide into second, ending Keppinger's season. The timing was awful. Six days later, Matsui went on the disabled list with a bruised left knee. On Sunday, Keppinger was 1 for 3 with a double after replacing an ill Chris Woodward at third base in a 3-2, 10-inning loss to the Orioles. That put his spring average at .316. Still, he cannot seem to make any headway. While still with the Pirates, Keppinger said he once asked a coach why his minor league hitting did not impress people. "He said when it came down to it, I'm not a scout's guy," he said. Right now, he does not appear to be Randolph's, either.

[DocTee]

Talk about getting a raw deal-- Kepp deserves a shot-- if not here, then somewhere.

[Frayed Knot]

It's probably going to be somewhere else.
The batting avg looks nice and all but he doens't hit for much power, doesn't walk alot, and I don't think they're too thrilled with his overall defense.

Willie's opinion aside, I don't think I've ever read a view on Kepp that doesn't tag him as a utility type player at best. And now at this point he's probably been passed by Hernandez on the pecking order.

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

Frayed Knot wrote: The batting avg looks nice and all but he doens't hit for much power, doesn't walk alot, and I don't think they're too thrilled with his overall defense.

Almost identical offensive stats to Matsui's. How thrilled are you with HIS defense?

Another face-saving, ass-covering, money-wasting, veteran-protecting move. Good job.

[Guest heep]

If I were Kepp I would be pissed by Randolph's comments.

Willie did not do the right thing here. You don't tell a player that he is a long shot through newspapers. I think a manger should respect his players a little more than that.

That sucks.

[Guest KC]

BS pointed this link out in another thread related to this thread ...

http://theeddiekranepoolsociety.blogspot.com/2006/03/willie-randolph-threading-on-some.html