A's, Pads, Phils, Dodgers, Rangers, O's

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Q: What are organizations to have traded or released David Newhan and survived? How soon can we join them?

Not to say it won't, but Newhan's defensive versatility has yet to come in handy, while we've asked him 17 times to do somrthing positive with the bat and gotten all of 3 walks and 2 singles. I know its not much of a fair shake but we unfortunately, 25th men on rosters don't get a lot of time to work things out.

We really need results from our pinch hitters.

[metirish]

I think Newhan just needs that big game winning hit....why the fuck am I defending him....

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

What we need I suppose is an alternative. As EDC remarked last night, he looks awful at the plate and strikes zero fear into the hearts of opponents.

[smg58]

We were saying the same things about Jose Valentin at this point last year. He was hitting .125 on May 3, and looked like he had about 5 AB's left in his career. Now there's no guarantee Newhan will be any good, but you owe him more chances than he's gotten so far.

[metirish]

He's not had a start yet,has he?.....

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Valentin at least had a track record to fall back on, and the skill he may have recovered at that point -- his power -- would be worth waiting for, not to mention the fact that he conceivably could back up at SS and also play the OF in a pinch -- the same set as Newhan only better in the infield, I might point out. For those reasons I was on your side in the valenin debate at this time last year.

Newhan is different. Are we waiting for him to acheive his lifetime 315 OBP and 382 SLG? I'd take his 2004 season over again but that's the only one he hasn't hurt a team.

[Gwreck]

Johnny Dickshot wrote: What we need I suppose is an alternative.

Fernando Tatis?
Ricky Ledee?

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Don't you (and by you, I mean YOU) find Newhan a rather odd selection in an Omar Regime that until now has shown a propensity to make these kinds of pickups based on some identifiable "talent" and not on other, vague intangibles? Cuz I don;t believe Newhan is, among ballplayers at least, a guy you'd call "talented."

So, I'm not necessarily rooting for Newhan's career to end but I guess what I wanna know is that of all the scrubeenos in the world, why him? Why us?

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

JD - "So, I'm not necessarily rooting for Newhan's career to end but I guess what I wanna know is that of all the scrubeenos in the world, why him? Why us?"

Because Lou Collier is likely mowing lawns in the suburbs, dammit.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I think the Collier argument has some merit in that what he brings to the table is the infield/outfield versatility, allowing the Mets to more readily carry a twelfth pitcher and more confidently make substitutions. I guess the other thing is that he's a lefty on a bench that hasn't always had a lefty. But as I pointed out, a lefty whose butt flies out against righties isn't an advantage to anybody.

That's what he's brought to the table, but all he's served is a propensity to walk a little bit. Like Valentin '06, what he's started out as is the guy they send up to pinch-hit when the situtation isn't yet important enough to burn Julio Franco. About this time last year*, Willie looked at Valentin and said, "You know what, I've got to get you going." Maybe Newhan gets a start at second tomorrow against a rookie righthander.

*Sometime around May 12-14, to be exact.

[Frayed Knot]

Willie has said that Easley is going to be his "main guy" during Valentin's absence and that he wanted to get Gotay a start so as not to have him sit around too long upon arrival. No mention has been made, to my knowledge, of Newhan starting any time soon. Clearly he's the 25th guy on the roster (or the 14th position player) so isn't all that important virtually by definition.
I have no problem replacing him if anyone has someone better. Just not sure who that someone might be. Maybe with Milledge & Ben Johnson hurt it could be a more of a strict outfielder.

Speaking of which, remember when the Braves dumped Ryan Langerhans on the A's the other day for some athletic tape to be named later? ... well the A's have already turned him around, over to Washington this time in exchange for OFer Chris Snelling. Snelling has been constantly injured since he was a hot-shot prospect in the Seattle system - at least partly due to his reckless style of play which earned him the title of the Australian Lenny Dykstra - but I still like his upside more than that of Langerhans at this point.

[nymr83]

Edgy, the problem with that comparison, and I'm sure you didn't mean it to be an exact one, is that Valentin had a history (even if it wasn't recent) of production, while Newhan has never shown much of anything.
Also, Franco is about as big a waste as Newhan is, they are both good for nothing but a single and we can't afford to carry 2 guys like that all year.
I don't think there is such a thing as a situation that "isn't yet important enough to burn Julio Franco" when you consider that he's a singles hitter who plays only one position, a position which at least 3 other guys on the roster could handle in an emergency.

I think the problem is that a bench composed of Castro/Chavez/Franco/Newhan/Easley just doesn't have much to it. you need a backup catcher, chavez has shown he is good, easley can hit lefties and plays 2 or 3 infield spots, that leaves either franco or newhan as the guy has to go if you want to have a fearsome hitter (relatively of course) on the bench. and i think we could use one.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Nymr83 wrote: Edgy, the problem with that comparison, and I'm sure you didn't mean it to be an exact one, is that Valentin had a history (even if it wasn't recent) of production, while Newhan has never shown much of anything.

I'm not saying otherwise.

Nymr83 wrote: Also, Franco is about as big a waste as Newhan is, they are both good for nothing but a single and we can't afford to carry 2 guys like that all year.

I am saying otherwise.

Nymr83 wrote: I don't think there is such a thing as a situation that "isn't yet important enough to burn Julio Franco" when you consider that he's a singles hitter who plays only one position, a position which at least 3 other guys on the roster could handle in an emergency.

Of course there is. One is the guy they turn to in RBI spots late in a close game. One isn't. You don't see Franco getting more important situations?

I know I'm supposed to think nobody could be a bigger waste than Franco and nobody could be worse at what he's being asked to do, but it just isn't so.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

I think you should read "isn't yet important enough to burn Julio Franco" as "isn't yet important enough to burn [insert name of guy designated "top pinch-hitter"]. He was talking about the roles Newhan & Franco are playing, not the 2 guys specifically, necessarily.

Getting specific again, if you wish to upgrade Newhan and Franco, be my guest. But if the offense continues to struggle, I think Newhan may be the more pressing issue.

[Gwreck]

Jacque Jones (LH) and Reggie Sanders (RH) are both available for trade.

Both are kinda expensive, but if the Cubs wanted to eat some money, Jones is intriguing (and under contract for '08). Sanders is a free agent but making $5 mil this year. I wouldn't be opposed to either as power-on-the-bench players.

[Guest sharpie]

Jones is coming off of a 27-homer season and would expect to play fulltime. Sanders is a good option -- can run, can hit, can field.

[soupcan]

Gwreck wrote: Sanders is a free agent but making $5 mil this year

$5 mil for a 25th man?

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

I've always liked Sanders. It's a shame he spent so much of his younger years hurt cuz he could always play.

I think if we're loading for bear in the playiffs (as we should) what remains on a guy's salary is the last thing to consider. For him, more of a matter of, are his offensive chops enough to overcome Newhan's versatility? And I think you'd have to answer yes.

[Gwreck]

It's not like we couldn't afford the money. He'd be a nice insurance policy on Alou getting hurt, too. I'd rather give up the cash, too, then lose a good prospect. If the Royals really want him gone, we should jump at the chance to get him.

[Frayed Knot]

The idea behind Jones & Sanders being available is that both are being squeezed out by young call-ups. Felix Pie was called when Soriano got hurt but looks like he's going to stay, and the Royals just called LF prospect Billy Butler.

Anyone taking either now would want their clubs to eat a chunk of the salary although the amount they'd be willing to eat probably goes down as the trade deadline approaches.

[Gwreck]

Plus, on versatility -- I don't see a great need. Reyes and Wright are going to play every day no matter what. As long as we have one player on the team who can play 2B/3B/SS for those very-occasional days off (ie. Easley) we're covered. Julio Franco can even play third if really necessary.

It's May and Newhan hasn't played a defensive inning yet.

[Guest Edgy DC]

="Frayed Knot"]Willie has said that Easley is going to be his "main guy" during Valentin's absence and that he wanted to get Gotay a start so as not to have him sit around too long upon arrival.

Yeah, I saw the quote: "I don't like to see young kids sit around when they first come up," Randolph said. "They're all excited, they want to get in the mix."

Wllie, Gotay had gotten 434 big-league at-bats before this season.

[metirish]

Not sure if Willie thinks of KC as a major league team.

[Gwreck]

metirish wrote: Not sure if Willie thinks of KC as a major league team.

Keith, either. I seem to recall him saying "Welcome to the big leagues, Ruben Gotay!" after the RBI single in yesterday's broadcast.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

It would have been funny if they had saved the ball for him after his single.

[soupcan]

soupcan wrote: $5 mil for a 25th man?

="Johnny Dickshot"]what remains on a guy's salary is the last thing to consider

="Gwreck"]It's not like we couldn't afford the money.

I'm not saying I wouldn't like it or that they shouldn't pay it, I'm just saying that management probably feels (rightly or wrongly) that its probably too much for them to pay for the last guy off the bench.

[DocTee]

FWIW, Sanders has been out-of-action with a pulled hammy and may be heading to the DL.