2nd base - 2006

[Guest rpackrat]

I like Castillo, but I don't think he's a good fit for the Twins. They're already overloaded with infielders with no power. Their outfielders don't have a ton of power either. While a high OBP is always nice, the Twinkies really need a couple fo guys who can hit the ball over the fence.

[Guest Rotblatt]

]I like Castillo, but I don't think he's a good fit for the Twins. They're already overloaded with infielders with no power. Their outfielders don't have a ton of power either. While a high OBP is always nice, the Twinkies really need a couple fo guys who can hit the ball over the fence.

Well, I hear you. They had absolutely zero power last year. However, IMO, most of that was due to an uncharacteristically bad year by Stewart & a suprising lack of power from Morneau & Mauer.

I really think Mauer's golden and will continue to improve and would be shocked if Morneau didn't as well. It looks like he mostly got really unlucky (.254 BABIP after posting ~.300 in the minors and .275 in the bigs the year before).

Kubel also looks like the real deal, although he might not be ready at the start of the year.

Meanwhile, they were 10th in the AL in OBP last year, and the only returning Twin who posted better than .340 is Mauer. Even WE had 3 guys with better OBP than that, and we sucked at getting on base last year. Castillo can definitely help in that department,.

And, of course, Castillo's an excellent defender, which will help . . .

[Elster88]

Speaking of Castillo, et al, I'm guessing that the NL wildcard comes out of the east this year.

[nymr83]

Elster88 wrote: Speaking of Castillo, et al, I'm guessing that the NL wildcard comes out of the east this year.

wouldn't be suprising since NY, PHI, and ATL now have a punching-bag Marlins team similiar to what the AL East has in Tampa

[Guest abogdan]

Gammons was reporting on ESPN last night that the Mets will sign Grudz on Thursday to avoid giving up a draft pick.

[Valadius]

Seriously??? Wow. If so, could we hurry up and move Matsui?

[seawolf17]

Why would a team take Matsui off our hands when Omar would rather give up a prospect or eight?

[Elster88]

I doubt Matsui is going anywhere. No one wants his contract. The MATSUI SUCKS!!!! crowd would do well to realize this.

[metirish]

I'd like to see Kaz as the opening day 2nd baseman, he's become something of a sympathetic figure in my opinion, at least to me anyway.

[Centerfield]

Grudzialanek is another guy who, like LoDuca, posts a decent BA but doesn't walk and doesn't hit for power. Given that signing him would mean both paying him and eating Matsui's contract, I'd just as soon run Kaz out there and see what he's got.

[MFS62]

Over the weekend I heard this comment on the radio (forget whether it was Jody MacDonald or Ed Coleman):

(I paraphrase)
If Matsui has any defensive strength, it is going to his left. And with Delgado at first, they will need a second baseman who can help cover the 1B/2B hole. Reyes has enough range to cover balls hit up the middle.

If that is true, could be they will give Matsui another chance. (or if it was Eddie C, he's singing the house tune in case the Mets can't get anyone better/ move Matsui).

Later

[Guest rpackrat]

I'm cool with Grudz if it's just a one year deal (this will be his age 36 season). Gridz and Lo Duca batting 7-8 is really not bad.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Mostly old perspective on Kazuo Matsui, but it references some new perspective.

[nymr83]

]Grudzialanek is another guy who, like LoDuca, posts a decent BA but doesn't walk and doesn't hit for power. Given that signing him would mean both paying him and eating Matsui's contract, I'd just as soon run Kaz out there and see what he's got.

his OBPs the last 3 years in order: .366, .347, .334(career is .330)

any of those numbers would be acceptable (the average of the 3 is .349...a number i'd love to have)

you're right that he lacks power and he is old. if it's a 1-year deal i'd jump to unload Matsui, but otherwise he's not enough of an upgrade to bother

[Guest Edgy DC]

The piece is speckled with some curious inconsistencies. He calls Matsui an unmitigated bust, then seeks to lists the various mitigating data. He makes insupportable pro-fan statements like, "As much as Mets fans have disliked certain players in the past, the waves of displeasure have always been held back due to a player's ability to own up to their mistakes, to ask for forgiveness and to proclaim their readiness to go back out there and do better next time."

Still liked him scratching beneath the surface.

[nymr83]

that is a pretty weird statement about the fans.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Indeed. Meanwhilst, the Hochster talks to Keppinger.

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

"I grant, I'm not one of those little speedy guys who can run all around the field and who can make stupid plays"

We're kind of set, Jeff, with players who can make stupid plays.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

I can't believe he blew his opportunity to provide us with much-needed Wifey Watch material. What kinda journalist is Hoch growing up to be?

[Guest OlerudOwned]

http://metsdaily.com/news.asp?ItemID=234&rcid=71&pcid=5&cid=71

Anderson Hernandez is Dominican Winter ROTY

[Guest Edgy DC]

Yeah, it's really come down to the Mets having four secondbaseman ripening at once. Among Kazuo Matsui plus the four , they should be able to find some production there without doing anything drastic.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Whatever else he's guilty of, I love watching Matsui drive the ball to the gaps. They're really gorgeous hits.

Check out: triple 9/14

http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/team/player_media.jsp?player_id=430565

[Guest Edgy DC]

Back on the 19th, I linked to a Matsui essay over at MetsGeek. I then proceeded to get in an a stupid cockfight with some boobirds (and a guy --- "fire willie" was his name -- who says he isn't a boobird but spoke as their champ). Blog responses are not the best outlet for a back-and-forth exchange.

It turns out that Andrew, before writing that essay, went and did some good digging at this board, and started a fine conversation, despite all the links leading you elsewhere.

[Elster88]

Johnny Dickshot wrote: Whatever else he's guilty of, I love watching Matsui drive the ball to the gaps. They're really gorgeous hits. Check out: triple 9/14 http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/team/player_media.jsp?player_id=430565

I can never get the mlb.com clips to play.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

That's the problem with Mets Geek. I think it's a good idea and well done, but ... how to put this ... the contributing readership really isn't up to the standards of the staff. I don;t know how often I've been moved to comment only to be turned off by the rotten flavor of the discussion.

The "Westbaystars" character on that other site has to be among the most famous posters in the history of Internet baseball discussion. Great stuff.

[Guest Edgy DC]

There's a lot of info there that I hadn't gotten before about Matsui's health problems being foreshadowed in his last years in Japan. How many of us knew his manager had done some DH-stashing of KazMat?

[Elster88]

Edgy DC wrote: Back on the 19th, I linked to a Matsui essay over at MetsGeek. I then proceeded to get in an a stupid cockfight with some boobirds (and a guy --- "fire willie" was his name -- who says he isn't a boobird but spoke as their champ).

What was the thread title?

[Guest Edgy DC]

Page seven of this thread.

Edgy DC wrote: Mostly old perspective on Kazuo Matsui, but it references some new perspective.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

I just read the discussion -- "A funny thing happened on the way to Shea"

Edge gets into it with some of the louder guys, and does a great job despite it being a tough argument to win by definition == equating booing with dehumanization is met with... dehumanization.

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

I guess it all depends on your own feelings, J.D., about Kaz, about booing, about Edgy, about argumentation--personally, I felt that Edgy was getting his ass kicked six ways from Sunday, and making himself sound like a peevish sanctimonious self-congratulatory idiot in the process. I was very glad this "Fire Willie" character was catching-- and dishing out--all that stuff instead of me.

Edgy could use most of the same rhetorical devices in the negative side of a "Resolved: Water is Wet" debate, but water won't be any drier as a result, though his antagonists will feel abused and patronized, which may be the goal he's shooting for in the first place.