Frayed Knot

Fortunately for us and Duda, Mike Cameron no longer patrols CF for the Brews as he catches that one standing up. Jerry Hairston is an ersatz CFer.

Washiington has Morse and a still-under contract Adam LaRoche at 1B - not to mention the specter of the Werth contract hanging over their heads for the next half-dozen years. I don't see it. My first reaction to this question was to say 'Burger King' but then I remembered that Prince is a vegetarian.

Hey I got a good idea, let's continue to walk Jerry Hairston if front of their sluggers!!

Pagan - 1.6 Tejada - 1.2 Thole - 0.5 Pridie - 0.6 Byrdak - 0.3 Igarashi - 0.2

You know it's not a good game when Craig Counsell is on base three times. I think those three make it around five for him since the AS break.

Ashie62 wrote: With this Mets lineup and pitching matchup pray for rain. Postponing it isn't going to make things better.

Edgy DC wrote: More or less. We never broke through against him, but the walks upped his pitch count, and Roeneke is as crazy as the rest of them, so he pulled his man after 108 pitches and we got through to the pen. What bailed us out in that game was a perfect 7th from Beato, a perfect 8th from Izzy, and a perfect 9th from Frankie Haven't had too many of those lately. And speaking of Frankie, I've barely followed him since his departure although I do know the Brews have been mindful of a calf soreness as the result of him legging out an infield single a week ago today. It was only his 2nd AB in the majors (his first coming earlier this year before the trade) so he's now a career .500 hitter. He's only pitched once since (the very next day) so not since last Saturday has he seen any action. As for his role (looking it up) he's pitched 14 times since the deal and has finished exactly one game (NO VEST FOR YOU!!). All of his other appearances have come in the 8th inning for one inning each time except for a single 1/3 of an inning outing (the one where he got the hit). So to this point it's 14 games; 13.1 IP, 3 ER on 11 hits, 5 BBs & 18 Ks for a record of 3 Wins - 0 Losses - 0 Saves, plus a handful of (who gives a shit) Holds

Yeah, whenever I hear about diseases that are increasing my first thought is that it's probably the definition of the disease that's doing the growing.

Didn't waste any time putting him to work did they? I half figured they were going to 'unveil' him at CF tonight now that the team is home and the media in tow before sending him off but this is probably the better idea. Also, with no HS team, the American Legion season he's been playing (or some such equivalent) has been going on mostly since the draft as opposed to many of the just-signed HS players who have been sitting out for the last two months at this point, so no reason not to keep the momentum going for the final three weeks or so of the minor league season. I see also from that box score that Mr. Hu has fallen all the way to the GCL to work out whatever problems he's been having. Could be just an injury rehab except that he's got nearly 50 ABs at that level.

John Sickels jumps on the Satin bandwagon (ummm, if there actually is one) by naming him his Prospect of the Day Excerpts: - What do you call a guy with a career minor league line of .309/.399/.473, including .347/.410/.453 in Triple-A? According to many scouts, you would call him "not a prospect." You won't find his name on many prospect lists, at least pre-season ones, but New York Mets farmhand Josh Satin is ripping up Triple-A and has little left to prove in the minors. - So why haven't scouts given Satin his due? There are several reasons. He's a 6-2, 200 pound right-handed hitter, 26 years old, so he doesn't have classic age projection. His physical tools are nothing special, average to below average. He lacks speed. His body looks like a third baseman's, but he's spent the majority of his time at second base. He does have some experience at third base, but his arm is limited for the position and he lacks the range for shortstop. At second base, he avoids mistakes and doesn't make many errors, but his range is mediocre at best. The Mets have groomed him as a utility player, and he's seen playing time at second, third, and first base this year. He's not great anywhere, but versatility is an asset in itself. - Satin's offensive numbers are quite good, obviously. He's hit at every level, has doubles power with occasional home run pop, and controls the strike zone well. There are a lot of moving parts in his swing which turns some scouts off, but minor league pitchers have been unable to exploit this or find consistent holes in his approach. He's considered highly intelligent and works hard at his game. - Satin has nothing left to prove in the minors and I'd love to see what he'd do with 500 major league at-bats. I'm not sure how he will get them, but he deserves a look as a bench player at least.

Gee - 3.5 Acosta - 0.4 Parnell - 0.6 Wright - 3.5 Pagan - 1.2 Harris - 0.8

Niese - 1.0 Tejada - 2.0 Paulino - 0..5

An interesting study would be guys who were higly rated by pre-draft mavens, then slipped down, and comparing them to players drafted at their "appropriate" levels. The problem with that is that there's never a consensus for where a guy is "supposed to" go. Players rise and/or fall for all kinds of reasons, perceived money demands is just one of them. What I find most telling is to get a look at the area around where you're picking and examine those. I think it tends to give a better picture than just looking at the one slot because you get a better sample size and you're not subject to as much variability. So here is ten years of drafts through 2007 from picks 11 thru 15 in each year. Of the 50 I count 18 who never reached the majors although six of them are from recent drafts who still have a decent shot at it. (not sure what to make of the fact that most of the failures were early on and fewer recently). Approximately 15 (depending on your definition) are or were full-time players and starters with the rest falling somewhere in between. 1998 11 - Josh McKinley (HS) SS, Expos -- Never reached Majors, Out of baseball since 2004 * 12 - Adam Everett (Coll) SS, Red Sox -- Full-timer for four seasons, part-timer since 13 - J.M. Gold (HS) RHP, Brewers -- Never reached majors (topped out in A+ ball). Done by 2003 * 14 - Jeff Weaver (Coll) RHP, Tigers -- 104-119 over 11 ML seasons. Doesn�t appear to be playing this season 15 - Clint Johnson (Coll) LHP, Pirates -- Never reached majors. Played 11 seasons of minor league and independant ball 1999 11 - Ryan Christianson (HS) C, Mariners -- Never reached majors. Done since 2007 * 12 - Brett Myers (HS) RHP, Phillies -- Active in 10th ML season 13 - Mike Paradis (Coll) RHP, Orioles -- Never reached majors, done sinice 2004 14 - Ty Howlington (HS) LHP, Reds -- Never reached majors, done since 2005 15 - Jason Stumm (HS) RHP, White Sox -- Never reached majors, done since 2005 2000 11 - Dave Krynzel (HS) OF, Angels -- 48 ML ABs. Played in minors through 2009 12 - Joe Borchard (Coll) OF, White Sox -- Played in parts of 6 ML seasons and in minors thru 2010 13 - Shaun Boyd (HS) OF, Cards -- Never reached majors, done since 2009 14 - Beau Hale (Coll) RHP, Orioles -- Never reached majors, done since 2007 * 15 - Chase Utley (Coll) 2B, Phillies 2001 11 - Kenny Baugh (Coll) RHP, Tigers -- Never reached majors, done since 2009 12 - Mike Jones (HS) RHP, Brewers -- Never reached majors, still in Brewer system in 2010 * 13 - Casey Kotchman (HS) 1B, Angels -- Currently having the best of his 8 ML seasons 14 - Jake Bautreau (Coll) 3B, Padres -- Never reached majors, done since 2008 15 - Gabe Gross (Coll) OF, Blue Jays -- Apparently retired after 7 mostly part-time ML seasons 2002 11 - Jeremy Hermida (HS) OF, Marlins -- Struggling to hang on now in his 7th ML season (3 as a full-timer) 12 - Joe Saunders (Coll) LHP, Angels -- 65-48 over 7 ML seasons * 13 - Khalil Greene (Coll) SS Padres -- #2 RoY in 2004. Last played in 2009 14 - Russ Adams (Coll) SS, Blue Jays -- Currently toiling in Buffalo. Last played in ML in 2009 * 15 - Scott Kazmir (HS) LHP, Mets 2003 11 - Michael Aubrey (Coll) 1B, Indians -- 135 ML ABs. Currently in AAA 12 - Lastings Milledge (HS) OF, Mets -- 1,500 ML ABs over parts of 6 ML seasons. Currently in AAA * 13 - Aaron Hill (Coll) SS, Blue Jays -- 1-time AS in his 7th ML season 14 - Ryan Wagner (Coll) RHP, Reds -- Made majors almost immediately. Relieved over 5 ML seasons. Hasn�t played since 2009 15 - Brian Anderson (Coll) OF, White Sox -- Played in parts of 5 ML seasons. In minors as of 2010 2004 * 11 - Neil Walker (HS) C, Pirates -- In 2nd full ML season * 12 - Jered Weaver (Coll) RHP, Angels -- 2 AS + Top-5 CY 13 - Bill Bray (Coll) LHP, Expos -- In 5th ML season as a reliever * 14 - Billy Butler (HS) 3B, Royals -- Full-time 1B/DH in 5th ML season * 15 - Stephen Drew (Coll) SS, DBacks -- Currently in 6th ML season 2005 * 11 - Andrew McCutchen (HS) OF, Pirates -- AS in 3rd ML season * 12 - Jay Bruce (HS) OF, Reds -- AS in 4th ML season 13 - Brandon Snyder (HS) C, Orioles -- 33 ML ABs over 2 seasons, currently in AAA 14 - Trevor Crowe (Coll) OF, Indians -- Parts of 2 ML seasons. Apparently not playing this year (injury?) 15 - Lance Broadway (Coll) RHP, White Sox -- Pieces of 3 ML seasons. Was in AAA in 2010 2006 11 - Max Scherzer (Coll) RHP, DBacks -- 4th ML season 12 - Kasey Kiker (HS) LHP, Rangers -- Has not reached the majors, Currently In High-A ball 13 - Tyler Colvin (Coll) OF, Cubs -- Part-timer in 3rd ML season 14 - Travis Snider (HS) OF, Blue Jays -- Part-timer in 4th ML season 15 - Chris Marrero (HS) OF, Nationals -- Hasn�t reached majors, currently in AAA 2007 11 - Phillipe Aumont (HS) RHP, Mariners -- Hasn�t reached majors, currently in AAA 12 - Matt Dominguez (HS) 3B, Marlins -- Hasn�t reached majors, currently in AAA 13 - Beau Mills (Coll) 1B, Indians -- Hasn�t reached majors, currently in AAA * 14 - Jason Heyward (HS) OF, Braves -- #2 RoY in 2010 15 - Devin Mesoraco (HS) C, Reds -- Hasn�t reached majors, currently in AAA

I didn't make it through the intro.

Edgy DC wrote: The question, I think, is what kind of tool Craig Carton is. The kind that pretends to be the ultimate authority on all things jock-ish the moment he gets hired by an all-sports station. btw, 601 last night.

They shoot horses, don't they?

attgig wrote: kevin mulvey dfa'ed by dbax. Break it to Val gently.

The thing about Thome is that I suspect there are very few of those within baseball (fans, writers, contemporaries, etc.) who DON'T think of him as HoF material. Where the question comes in is from those only sort of conversant in baseball (the mainstream national sports media and others who just drop in and out) for whom Thome isn't famous enough, flashy enough, controversial enough, big city enough, or October hero-ish enough to qualify.

And since then he's 0 for his last 16

The thinking on Pelfrey is that seeing as how he only pitched four innings in his last start before going out cuz of the liner off his elbow and that his next start will be pushed back a day due to Thursday's off-day that an inning of throwing was in order. That he never got in the full inning on account of getting smacked around is a whole 'nother problem. Terry made some reference after the game when asked about 'altered' pitching roles, something along the lines of 'your role is to get the guys out you're facing today', something neither Beato or Pelfrey did very well.

If everything breaks well for the Nats they going to have a very nice core in a year or two. - first they not only get the top overall pick two years running but do so in years where there's a clear-cut #1 choice - then in this year they picked 6th but got the pre-season overall favorite (Anthony Rendon who most touts claimed they'd take over Harper) who fell due to some injury concerns - and their 3rd round pick (Matt Purke) was considered top 5 material but also had injury concerns plus was a sophmore eligible player who wasn't expected to sign. No guarantees of course and it cost them a ton of cash to sign all those guys but that's two pitchers and two hitters three of which (all but Purke) might rate a top-5 pick even if one were to combine the last half-dozen drafts.

Odds we finish this one before the Yanqui game? Two hours in and they just finished the 4th inning in KC.

Vic Sage wrote: i remember that, years ago (feels like a century), both I and FKnot did some research (independent of each other) on 1st round draft picks and what % of them made it (1) for a cup of coffee, (2) as short-career starters or career reserves, (3) as starters with solid careers, (4) as all-stars, or (5) not at all. i wish i remembered our conclusions, but i think there was a surprisingly small % of types 3 and 4, which bolstered my position as president of TiTTS. all these years later, i still think Batmags' overall point, albeit overstated, is sound in that getting excited about particular draft picks in baseball isn't a particularly useful expenditure of time and energy for fans, seeing how few of them ultimately make a significant impact on your team. Its a hard lesson to learn sometimes. i call it the "Leary Lesson". Some of that was probably from a BA 'study' which tracked about 10 years of draft picks and assigned them into various categories. And, yes, the odds of a player becoming a star a lot smaller than one failing to make the majors entirely and considerably smaller than most fans think. On the other hand, the odds on 1st round picks eventually contributing is a lot higher than those in later rounds and in the top half of round 1 it becomes higher still. Plus the control you get from young players who do make it makes it one of the most cost effective ways of finding good players even as the price of these picks continues to rise. The other thing that increases your odds of striking gold is to identify those players who you suspect could be top draft picks later on and go "over slot" to buy them out of potential scholarships. That is one thing recent NYM regimes have not been doing but which this front office seems to have embraced. It's also, you know, like fun to see players grow up in your system and eventually find the big club. Those who advocate not signing this FA or trading for that one because they're already penciling Nimmo into the starting lineup for 2013 or 2014 or whenever deserve whatever disappointment they get, but getting a guy like that under contract is certainly better than not having him.

MFS62 wrote: metsguyinmichigan wrote: Mike and Mike on ESPN today, in a rare pause from football minute, suggested that, hey maybe we should have been paying closer attention to this Thome guy! Golic has mentioned often that he roots for the Indians, where Thome was a star. And he usually pays attention to guys his size. I'm surprised he hadn't been paying more attention to him. Gee, Mike, he's big enough to be a football player. Later Golic plays the part of a quasi-Indians fan on that show in a kind of Drew Carey-esque 'Yeah, I'm from Cleveland' schtick but, in reality, he admits to not being much of a sports fan growing up, something not all that uncommon with future athletes more interested in participating than spectating. Don't even think he was much of a Browns fan despite being from a big football family in northern Ohio and certainly wasn't living and dying with the Indians of the '70s & '80s. By the time Thome was playing there Golic's football career was winding down and his post-retirement broadcasting stuff starting to take off - but on the east coast, not in Ohio. IOW, his Cleveland roots aren't going to give him anything more than just passing knowledge about Thome which is about the same as his level of knowledge in most things baseball.

batmagadanleadoff wrote: It's good that the Mets signed Nimmo but I didn't get worked up over last night's 11th hour drama. As a Mets fan, I hope for a future where Nimmo is elected to MLB's Hall of Fame -- a NY Met cap engraved on his plaque. But if Nimmo ever gets into a major league game, even if for just one defensive play, he'll have accomplished more than most overall 13th picks: because most overall 13th picks never ever get out of the minor leagues. And then there's the likes of Aaron Hill, Casey Kotchman, Paul Konerko, Manny Ramirez, Bill Spiers, Gary Templeton, Frank Tanana, & Gary Nolan from the 13th slot in the draft.