Reason to sign him: Provides right-handed pop, evidenced by 25 homers and 71 RBI in 422 at-bats last season. He's a Canadian -- something that could be a positive for the Blue Jays.I'm pretty sure that Mr. Koskie hit all 25 of those home runs left handed. |W|P|110183113888828848|W|P|In Depth Analysis from CBS|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com
| Eastern Conference | |
| Atlantic Division | 17 Games under .500 |
| Central Division | 2 Games under .500 |
| Southeast Division | 4 Games under .500 |
| Western Conference | |
| Northwest Division | 18 Games over .500 |
| Pacific Division | 9 Games over .500 |
| Southwest Division | 4 Games under .500 |
Butch|W|P|On the NFL thoughts -- Love # 7 back in the old days there was a guy for the Pack that played halfback, kicked the ball and any thing else they needed. Only bad thing he did was gamble a little, (but paid the price for that) Do you know who he was? ha ha "T" wolves better start picking it up. Ok, last time I say this, ball players must NEVER leave the field of play no matter what! SBG|W|P|That would be Paul Hornung. Butch|W|P|that was too easy! buy you a pop next time we are together (see pays to know your sports haha)With more than 300 players who weigh more than 300 pounds, the NFL doesn't need a salary cap. It needs a weight cap. (And some slimming pinstripes wouldn't hurt, either.) How would a weight cap work? You couldn't just place a maximum on the entire roster's weight, because teams would simply circumvent that rule by signing five or so vegan marathoners. Instead, the league should declare that a team can never have more than 2,800 pounds on the field at one time. The rule wouldn't be difficult to enforce -- just bring in those big truck scales the highway departments use, and place one on each sideline. And it wouldn't take any additional time, either. During a possession change, timeout or commercial break, officials could have the respective offense and defense go over to the sideline and jump on the scales. If it's over the 2,800-pound limit, the team gets nailed for a 10-yard penalty and has to substitute lighter players. Sure, a weight-cap sounds goofy. But it really isn't when you think about it. The players would be smaller, which means they'd be quicker. Offenses and defenses would be more efficient, because leaner, quicker lines can move the ball and defend better than their sluggish counterparts. The Broncos, after all, currently have the lightest offense in the AFC, but are fourth in the conference in yards per game. The Bills, meanwhile, have the heaviest offense in the AFC, and are next-to-last in yards per game. More importantly, players would be healthier and sustain fewer injuries. And there would be all sorts of entertaining new strategies. Teams would sign skinny guys just to get under the cap. Or maybe they could bring in their special South Beach Diet packages for short-yardage situations: seven 300-plus-pound linemen and four sub-150-pound defensive backs.I think that the league should institute a maximum weight for players AND an average weight requirement for the team. I also think that the league should limit rosters to 40 players and eliminate headsets in the quarterback's helmets. Think this is crazy? At one time, the rosters were 40 players. At one time, quarterbacks didn't have headsets. At one time the league was about players making plays, not about situational substitutions, fat guys mucking up the running game, and technology usurping onfield creativity. I'd be a little more interested in the "no huddle" if I knew that the offensive coordinator wasn't talking to the quarterback. Bring back that league -- the league of the 1960s and 1970s -- and maybe I'll be a little more interested. |W|P|110131898382782750|W|P|ESPN Broaches Idea of Weight Cap in NFL|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com
|W|P|SOme of us are lucky enough to watch a Pro Football league that has most of the features you're asking for. The CFL - not sure if you can get it where you're living, but if you can, you should definitely give it a watch next season.NBA games are played for the fans, and for the fans only. It has nothing to do with the players. I cannot imagine a scenario that would come up that would cause a player to go into the stands and attack the fans. NBA Commissioner David Stern was just too nice, and the penalties he handed out � a season long suspension for Ron Artest and long-term suspensions for Stephen Jackson and Jermaine O�Neal, among others � were inappropriately lenient.Bill is known to use hyperbole on occasion to make a point. In this case, he's calling for termination some of the players involved. That's a little harsh, but there is no doubting that this incident raises a lot of questions about the relationship between athletes and fans. Stick and Ball Guy has been thinking about this relationship for some time. More to come later.|W|P|110122354295961580|W|P|Bill Walton on the Detroit Melee and its Aftermath|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com
Butch|W|P|I was appalled by the actions of the players! A day ago I saw a player (who had nothing to do with the thing) say that the fans are invited into his house to watch him play! INVITED INTO HIS HOUSE??????? I thought that the fans PAID to get into a place that they more then likely PAID for. These overpaid a**holes should get a real job so they can feed there familes. I am sick of all the chest pounding and displays when they score a TD or make a basket or get a hit, THAT IS WHAT THEY ARE PAID TO DO! I think that the fans should forget about the pros and go to a college game or a minor league game and have a good time. Let the pros make some more bad rap cd's-- that is what the world really needs. SBG|W|P|Dad --This is in no way to defend the action of those players, but those "fans" were completely out of control. Since when does paying for a ticket to a game give you the right to act like a lunatic? These "fans" were rioting. It was a bad deal all the way around.
I once went to a baseball game in Kansas City and a fan threw a liquor bottle at Jose Canseco. Yeah, Jose was a jerk, blah, blah, blah, but that guy could have really hurt him. I also went to a game in Wrigley where a fan dumped a full beer on Barry Bonds as he was against the wall in left field to make a catch of a ball in play! People who go to games and act like that are just as culpable, if not more so, than the players. Most players do not react to that hooliganism.
Butch|W|P|S&BG -- I wasn't sticking up for those few drunks in the stands, of course they are just as much to blame, however those fans should be kicked out of the building as any drunk is kicked out of a building if they are raising hell,no matter WHAT the players should NEVER leave the floor and go into the stands!!! Your talk about someone getting hurt, what chance does a out of shape fan (man, woman, child, it appears that the players didn't get a shit who they hit) against a muscle bound wild man! Look at the damage done to the NBA by a couple of thugs! And what is Artest doing??? Going to talk shows and promoting his dumb CD! And now some NFL players are wearing his jersey durning practise in support of him. Really am sick of the whole thing, think I will only watch womens' beach volleyball! ha| STICK AND BALL GUY'S 2004 TWINS ANALYZER | ||||
Michael Cuddyer 6'2" 222 Lbs. Age: 25 R/R UT |
| |||
| AVE: .263 | OBP: .339 | SLG: .440 | GPA: .263 | |
| G: 115 | AB: 339 | HR: 12 | RBI: 45 | |
Offense
Michael Cuddyer is a decent offensive player. Let's get that out there right away. He hit 12 home runs in 339 at bats (a much better rate than Lew Ford). He slugged about the same as Ford overall, despite his much lower batting average. His OPS of .779 isn't Oh-My-God-Wonderful, but it's a helluva lot better than, say, Luis Rivas'. His OBP is a little better than average (and .009 better than Torii Hunter). No question, Mike can hold his own. And he's still only had 571 at bats at the major league level.
Mike's biggest problem is that he strikes out a whole lot (74 times in those 339 at bats). I've seen times when he seems pretty clueless out there. Even so, his numbers have improved and he's still only 25 years old. Mike's a big upgrade offensively at 2B from Rivas, no question.
Defense
Mike's not a great defensive player, but I think he'll be adequate. If he does play second base, I think he can be passable. Considering that Rivas has pretty lousy range, I don't particularly shudder when I think of Cuddyer playing second. Did I mention that he's a better hitter than Rivas?
Salary
Serfdom.
Durability
Cuddyer has had some injury problems. He had a neck problem in 2004 and was hurt a fair amount in 2003. I don't think he's got any major problems, but he's not Cal Ripken, Jr., either. Some injury risk here.
Intangibles
What can you say about Cuddyer except that he needs to play. He's a big strong kid with punch. He's still only 25 years old. I like his punch, he hits right handers respectably (.245/.317/.421 last year). I think that if he gets 500 to 600 plate appearances, he will have better numbers. He's got to play. He's got to play every day. He's got to play second base every day.
Projection
SBG predicts that Michael Cuddyer will again be a part time player. 2005 will bring about more frustration for Twins fans (and Cuddyer) when he does not crack the every day lineup. This seems ludicrous, I suppose. How could he not play 2nd or 3rd? I think he should play second, but part of me says he won't. Man, I'd like to be proven wrong here.
|W|P|110082617494773993|W|P|2004 Twins -- Michael Cuddyer|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com| Position | Player | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| 1 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 38387 | 17440 | 5660 |
| 2 | Karl Malone | 36928 | 14968 | 5248 |
| 3 | Wilt Chamberlain | 31419 | 23924 | 4643 |
| 4 | Oscar Robertson | 26710 | 7804 | 9887 |
| 5 | John Havlicek | 26395 | 8007 | 6114 |
| 6 | Charles Barkley | 23757 | 12546 | 4215 |
| 7 | Elgin Baylor | 23149 | 11463 | 3650 |
| 8 | Larry Bird | 21791 | 8974 | 5695 |
| 9 | Jack Sikma | 17287 | 10816 | 3488 |
| 10 | Bill Russell | 14522 | 21620 | 4100 |
| 11 | Kevin Garnett | 14037 | 7604 | 3106 |
| Position | Player | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| 1 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 38387 | 17440 | 5660 |
| 2 | Wilt Chamberlain | 31419 | 23924 | 4643 |
| 3 | Oscar Robertson | 26710 | 7804 | 9887 |
| 4 | John Havlicek | 26395 | 8007 | 6114 |
| 5 | Larry Bird | 21791 | 8974 | 5695 |
| 6 | John Stockton | 19711 | 4051 | 15806 |
| 7 | Magic Johnson | 17707 | 6559 | 10141 |
| 8 | Marc Jackson | 12489 | 4963 | 10334 |
I don't think that Buster is reading my little web page. If he did, he'd have read this about Sammy Sosa back in September when assessing whether he'd get to 700 home runs:By last summer, however, Sosa's average had plummeted to .253, the third consecutive season of decline in his batting average. Pitchers no longer fear Sosa with runners on base; in fact, they can't wait to throw to him, because the potential for a rally-killing strikeout is enormous, and as Sosa remained entrenched far away from home plate, they spun breaking balls low and away repeatedly.
And Sosa swung and missed, repeatedly, reverting to the undisciplined style that plagued him as a young player. He had 133 whiffs in 478 at-bats, and his walks dropped to 56 -- or less than half of what he had in 2001. His batting average with runners in scoring position was .228, with 36 strikeouts in 125 at-bats. Twenty-three of his 35 homers came with the bases empty.
Barry Bonds has remained a great hitter into his 40s, in large part because of his plate discipline and his command of the strike zone. Even if Bonds' power had eroded in recent years, his walks and his batting average would have still remained high; he's always been a disciplined hitter. Sosa is not, never has been, and his problems at the plate will only grow more acute as he gets older.
See, it's pretty obvious that Sammy is in decline. Even Olney sees it. Fact is, the Cubs are dying to get rid of him. I, for one, would be very happy to see him leave the Northsiders. With his huge contract, he seems untradeable. Never fear, here come the Mets to take him off the Cubs' hands. If they actually trade for Sosa, it'll be the dumbest thing they've done since they traded for Mo Vaughn. |W|P|110082664955625837|W|P|Hey Folks, It's Not Rocket Science|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.comIn 2001, Sammy had his third year of sixty plus homers, only to be overshadowed by Bonds' 73. Think about it. Sosa hit 60 three times and not once did he lead the league in homers in those years. The next year, he dropped off by 15 home runs, to 49. In 2003, another drop, to 40. And now, in 2004, Sosa is "off the radar" at just 29 with three weeks to go. What has caused this drop? Well, for one thing, Sammy has always been a free swinger. And when I say free swinger, I mean F-R-E-E-S-W-I-N-G-E-R. As of right now, Sosa has 2091 career strikeouts, second only to Reggie Jackson. Look at his strikeout numbers since 1995.
Year
At Bat SO SO/AB
1995
564
134
.237
1996
498
134
.269
1997
642
174
.271
1998
643
171
.266
1999
625
171
.274
2000
604
168
.278
2001
577
153
.265
2002
556
144
.259
2003
517
143
.277
2004
397
114
.287
Wow. He's struck out a ton. You might say, so what, so what! He's hit a ton of home runs, too! True enough. But, this isn't about hitting 450 or 500 or even 550 home runs. He's done that. This is about getting to the mountain. This is about hitting a ton of home runs when you are old. As Sammy's bat speed diminishes, his lack of discipline is going to continue to hurt him. The fact is, you can pitch to him now. He can be gotten out.
|W|P|Holy Sh**!Olney is talking about walks and plate discipline equating to being more productive!?!?
I'll still bet Olney would have changed his tune if Sosa would have got 15 more RBI's to finish with 100 instead of 85... oh the humanity! Then he would have been the 'run-producer' that the Mets need. Is Olney reading some the things people are writing on the net, or even worse, *gasp* Moneyball? It's a pretty good read considering it was written by a pompus GM about himself... right Buster?
Andy in Alaska
SBG|W|P|That is pretty delicious, isn't it.If you are a regular reader or semi-regular reader of this site, you probably know that I held a contest to predict the 25-man Twins Roster for 2005. The winner of the contest will receive two tickets to a Twins game of their choice in 2005.* I had eight brave souls submit entries. Each of you should have gotten an e-mail indicating what number contestant you were. If you are unsure, e-mail me and I'll send you your number.
A while back, I published my own entries along with my thoughts on these players. Since then we've had a little movement and I thought I'd publish the results so far.
If you don't remember the rules, go back and read them. The maximum possible score is 325. I have listed the names of every player who showed up in at least one entry. I also have a column right after their name. If it has a zero after the name, that means I have determined that this player will not be on the 25-man roster to start 2005. So far, I have ruled out only three players, Jason Kubel (who's hurt), Omar Vizquel, who signed with San Francisco, and Cristian Guzman, who signed a ridiculous contract with the Washington (maybe) No-Names. I could have disqualified Jose Offerman, too, but hey, maybe next time.
The contestants are sorted left to right from lowest to highest scores. You'll note that contestant number 2 has quite a low number. That's because he listed Lew Ford twice, giving him both 23 and 20 points. As ultimate arbiter, Stick and Ball Guy did not throw out his entry (that would be no fun) but did not assign anyone on his list 20 points. This ruling is completely consistent with the rules, and if you have a question, go back and read them.
Shout Outs
Part of what I would like to do with this site is make it more interactive. I can write blah, blah, blah every day. But, I do like to hear from you. I appreciate the effort people made to enter the contest. I'll also give a shout out to everyone who has commented, including:
- Butch (SBG's Dad). Hey Dad, did you know that Roger Maris was from North Dakota?
- The 7th Angel, who has his own blog and comments every once in a while here.
- MillerMan, one of my old buddies. Caught a few fish with MillerMan up in Canada. Good times.
- Also, a big, huge, ENORMOUS shout out to my uncle, no not Big Henk, who also deserves a shout, but Big Henk's little brother KF. KF isn't much older than me -- less than five years -- and he, my brother and I played a lot of a modified game of baseball that we called "bunt" out on the farm when we were all much younger. We had lots of fun. KF claims to have taught me how to play the game of baseball. Hey, I sucked, so it must be his fault! Just kidding. Hey KF, hope all is well.
- And to Big Henk, I'm thinking that Eddie Griffin might be all right. It's a good thing that they don't need him to start, but he's showing some signs. More on the T-Wolves later.
- Also a shout out to Andy, who's got his own blog and linked to me.
- A shout out to The Mayor. No, not Fred Hoiberg, but my brother. Waaaaaaaaasssssup!
- A shout out to Seth Stohs. Nice work on the page. SBG reads religiously when Seth Speaks even if he doesn't always agree.
If you are not on the Shout Out list, never fear. SBG will put you there next time.
Now, the contest results to date:
Players | Contestants | |||||||||
2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 7 | SBG | 4 | ||
| Hunter | 1 | 13 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 21 |
| Morneau | 1 | 24 | 25 | 23 | 22 | 18 | 25 | 22 | 25 | 19 |
| Santana | 1 | 25 | 21 | 24 | 19 | 23 | 18 | 24 | 19 | 25 |
| Ford | 1 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 20 |
| Nathan | 1 | 22 | 18 | 18 | 21 | 25 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 23 |
| Stewart | 1 | 19 | 12 | 17 | 24 | 17 | 23 | 20 | 15 | 22 |
| Rincon | 1 | 11 | 17 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 20 | 24 |
| Cuddyer | 1 | 14 | 24 | 22 | 16 | 16 | 21 | 18 | 22 | 6 |
| Silva | 1 | 15 | 19 | 21 | 18 | 21 | 16 | 15 | 18 | 12 |
| Blanco | 1 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 17 | 15 | 20 | 17 | 17 | 16 |
| Crain | 1 | 17 | 16 | 12 | 11 | 20 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 9 |
| Balfour | 1 | 21 | 15 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 5 | 7 |
| Lohse | 1 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 5 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 7 | 13 |
| Mauer | 1 | 16 | 0 | 16 | 13 | 4 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 17 |
| Kubel | 0 | 18 | 20 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Punto | 1 | 0 | 11 | 13 | 8 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 16 | 2 |
| Mays | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 14 | 5 | 11 | 12 | 8 | 15 |
| Radke | 1 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 15 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 0 |
| Koskie | 1 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 18 |
| Romero | 1 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 8 |
| Lecroy | 1 | 9 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 10 | 9 | 5 |
| Durbin | 1 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 12 | 10 |
| Tiffee | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Restovich | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Rivas | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Bartlett | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| Jones | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 4 |
| Guzman | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Roa | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| Mulholland | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ojeda | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Reese | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Vizquel | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Ryan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Offerman | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Larkin | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Points | 280 | 305 | 307 | 312 | 314 | 318 | 320 | 322 | 325 | |
*See disclaimer in original post. Stick and Ball Guy disqualified himself.
|W|P|110082470764338123|W|P|Contest Status|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com Andrew|W|P|Thanks for the shout out. I haven't been by in awhile or I would have said something earlier. Either way, it's appreciated. |W|P|Stick-Yep... pretty much all tech support now seems to be outsourced to India. When those commericials came on truimphing Dell's award winning customer service I also laughed, then did that little wimper/sigh. I'm sure they know what they're talking about, but I need to be able to understand them.
One of my favorite 'Florida voting' jokes was this...
On the first day of 'early' voting Florida is reporting major problems with their computer systems. Not to worry though voting officials called tech support and now Florida's 21 electoral votes are in the capable hands of Kumar.
-alskntwnsfn or Andy Wink from http://twins.mostvaluablenetwork.com
SBG|W|P|How does the song go? "The Waiting is the Hardest Part." I was on hold for 20 minutes until I got a voice. I had to provide all kinds of information to prove it was me. Then the guy says -- I'm sorry your computer requires you to talk to a different expert.I said, "Wait a second. I have been waiting for 20 minutes and I called the number in my manual! I want to talk to you!" Response: "Oh no sir, you will not have to call back, I will transfer you." So, he transfers me... and I have to wait another 15 minutes. The guy has me pull out the RAM and some expansion board and then he says, it's the power supply. Duh!
Then he says he needs to call me back at my number... what for I don't know. I've already repeated to him all kinds of information to him that I had told the first guy to verify who I was. So I hang up, and he never calls me back. I am hoping that a part will show up, but hey, who knows! Award winning customer service, indeed.
Butch|W|P|I was wondering why you hadn't made a comment on Guzmans' new team. Will be waiting to hear it. |W|P|I like the Kobe watch. He's gone from promotional star to insult to the game. Glad that he was revealed for who he really is. It's easy to assume sports stars have great characters as well. One of my favorite football players was Darrell Green. There's a real role model. And his rundown of Tony Dorsett in '93 is still amazing. SBG|W|P|Twenty years as a quality d-back in the NFL is a rare thing indeed.It's back! The Stick and Ball Guy's post mortem analysis of the 2004 Twins. In this installment, S&BG looks at the bright new star of the Twins, Lew Ford.
| STICK AND BALL GUY'S 2004 TWINS ANALYZER | ||||
Lew Ford 6'0" 195 Lbs. Age: 28 R/R OF |
| |||
| AVE: .299 | OBP: .381 | SLG: .446 | GPA: .283 | |
| G: 154 | AB: 569 | HR: 15 | RBI: 72 | |
Offense Amazingly, Lew Ford started the season in the minors. When Torii Hunter pulled his hamstring in the first week of the season, the Twins called up Lew Ford to be a short term replacement. Ford started to hit immediately and never saw the minors again. Lew became a fan favorite, both for his supposedly quirky personality, as well as for his ability to play the game. When Ford got a hit or made a play, the Twins fans acknowledged it with a chant of Lewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!
Unlike a lot of Twins, Lew showed some patience at the plate. His 67 walks led the team. In addition, Lew struck out just 75 times in 569 at bats. Lew had a nice OPS of .827, good for third (behind Justin Morneau and Corey Koskie) on the Twins for players over 250 at bats. His .381 OBP led the team. While he hit just 15 home runs (and just 2 of those came after July 28th), Ford also hit 31 doubles and 4 triples. Ford also hit nearly identical against righties and lefties. I that is another indicator that he did a nice job identifying and swinging at strikes.
Ford was extremely successful successful as a base stealer, swiping 20 bases while being caught just 2 times
Ford had a very nice season offensively forthe Twins. I don't think he really has as much talent as some of the other Twins. For example, he's clearly not as talented as Li'l Harmon or Torii Hunter. But he seems to have a much better idea of the strike zone. It's his patience and batting eye, I think that enabled Ford to be as successful as he was. Perhaps that is talent, perhaps it is a developed skill. However you wish to look at it, Ford has it, and it's rare on this team.
Defense
Lew Ford can hit. Lew Ford can also play defense. Ford is fast -- he can cut balls off. Ford can throw and he can catch the ball. When the Twins had Ford in the outfield along with Hunter and Jacque Jones, they had perhaps the best defensive outfield in the American League. The Twins gave up the lowest number of doubles in the American League, despite playing in a park with a very large left field. I think that a big reason for that is the great outfield defense that the Twins have, and a big part of that was Ford. He cut off balls, he hustled, he got to line drives. In short, he was superb.
Durability
Ford played in 154 games this year, even though he wasn't on the team to start the season. He missed just five games after being called up and never two in a row. Ford seems to be quite durable.
Salary Situation
Ford is still a serf. The Twins can pay him next to nothing in 2005.
Intangibles
Even though I really like Ford, and I love his approach at the plate, I worry a little bit about him future performance. Even though Ford was effectively a rookie, he's not a spring chicken. At 28, he's at the age that most players are in their primes. Very few players break in at his age and go on to long and successful careers. Ford tailed off in the second half, hitting .272/.404/.391/.795 in August and .276/.345/.347/.692 in September. These numbers aren't absolutely terrible, they do show that Ford was not driving the ball with power. Tom Kelly has said that you can't really judge a player until he's had 1000 at bats in the majors. Ford's got 642. This next season, I believe, will tell a lot. I like Ford, but I'm not as confident that he will continue to have the type of success that he had this year. I am hopeful that he will be able to continue his patience at the plate. He's got a lot of other tools to be successful.
Prediction
I think that Ford will experience a drop off in 2005. I don't think he will have a disastrous season, because he is able to put the ball into play. However, I am not confident that he will have a season in 2005 as successful as his 2004 campaign.
|W|P|110022701514066503|W|P|2004 Twins -- Lew Ford|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com| STICK AND BALL GUY'S 2004 TWINS ANALYZER | ||||
Torii Hunter 6'2" 211 Lbs. Age: 29 R/R CF |
| |||
| AVE: .271 | OBP: .330 | SLG: .475 | GPA: .267 | |
| G: 138 | AB: 520 | HR: 23 | RBI: 81 | |
Offense
For the first half of 2002, Torii Hunter looked for all the world like a superstar having a breakout season. At the All-Star Break, Hunter had 20 home runs, and was hitting .306/.347/.564/.911. And then, in the infamous tied All-Star game,
he made the play of the night, robbing Barry Bonds of a home run with a spectacular catch, made all the better when Ichiro gave up on the ball. Yes, sir, Torii was the next Kirby Puckett and maybe even better. In the second half of that year, Torii's numbers slipped, but he'd been making seemingly steady progress. The second half of that year was certainly the exception and not the rule. Torii hit .289/.334/.524/.859 with a GPA of .281 in 2002.
Then came 2003 and a new long term contract. The Twins Geek, for one, was questioning why the Twins would give Hunter a long term deal at this point, when free agency was still several years away. I'm sure that the Twins wished in 2003 that they could have voided that contract. Hunter suffered through a dismal 2003 campaign at the plate (compared to 2002), hitting .250/.312/.451/.762. His GPA plunged to .253. In addition, Hunter could no longer steal bases. After swiping 23 in 31 attempts in 2002 (a marginally acceptable rate of 74%), Hunter was just 6 of 13 in 2003, which is flat awful. Twins fans began to realize that it was the first half of 2002 and not the second half that was the anamoly. That realization made this Twins fan feel a little discouraged about Hunter's long term prospects at the plate.
Given the backdrop of the 2003 season, 2004 was one of much relief for Twins fans. Torii Hunter returned to a semblance of his 2002 self, tacking on 18 and 26 points onto his on-base percentage and slugging percentage, respectively. In addition, Hunter stole 21 bases in 28 tries, almost the same rate as in 2002. He also clubbed 23 dingers, reaching the 20 home run mark for the fourth straight year, the first Twin to do so since Kent Hrbek hit 20 home runs every year from 1984-91.
I have come to believe that offensively, Hunter is much better than the guy we saw struggle through much of 2003. However, I now believe that we are seeing the real Torii Hunter. Like so many players on the Twins roster, Hunter does not get on base enough. Even though he improved his OBP, he was below the league average of .333. For a star player, this is clearly not enough. Even in 2002, his OBP was just .334. Hunter simply swings at too many bad pitches. He's not Jacque Jones, but he's no Bonds, either. One thing strikes me about Hunter, too. It seems to me that Hunter swings and misses at a lot of pitches in the strike zone, too. I am not sure, and I'll watch this more closely next year, but perhaps his swing is too long, or maybe he's just getting fooled a lot. If you have any feedback on that regard, let me know.
Interestingly, Hunter struggled against left handers. He hit just .255/.299/.465/.764 against left handers this year. That is particularly troublesome when you think about the other hitters in the lineup Koskie, Morneau, Jones(!), Mauer who are all left handed. Looking further, these numbers seem to be anamoly, as he hit left handers much better in previous years. (By the way, if Jones could hit left handers like that, we'd be dancing in the streets.) Torii had a very nice year against right handed pitchers, and he actually hit better on the road. For whatever reason, Hunter had problems at home in both 2003 and 2004 (he hit a Rivasesque .217/.283/.401/.684 at home in 2003). Perhaps he has been pressing in front of the home crowd with his big contract.
On one hand, it seems that Hunter's disappointing numbers at home and against left handers would point to possible improvement in 2005. On the other hand, it's really hard to say that he's going to improve dramatically. I think Torii will have a similar year at the plate in 2005. At 29 years of age, he's just about at his prime right now. Dramatic improvement is unlikely.
As a baserunner, Hunter took a lot of chances, most of which paid off. In July and August, Hunter stole 15 bases, getting caught only once. Almost all of those bases were stolen off of the pitcher. Hunter repeatedly guessed right and broke before the pitcher released the pitch. This type of baserunning tactic can work occasionally, but not forever. I thought that outside of his aggressiveness stealing bases, Hunter showed dramatic improvement running the bases this year. In years past, my impression was that Hunter was a poor baserunner who got thrown out way too much. This year, I thought that he was much improved -- still aggressive, but not foolish.
Defense
he made the play of the night, robbing Barry Bonds of a home run with a spectacular catch, made all the better when Ichiro gave up on the ball. Yes, sir, Torii was the next Kirby Puckett and maybe even better. In the second half of that year, Torii's numbers slipped, but he'd been making seemingly steady progress. The second half of that year was certainly the exception and not the rule. Torii hit .289/.334/.524/.859 with a GPA of .281 in 2002.
Then came 2003 and a new long term contract. The Twins Geek, for one, was questioning why the Twins would give Hunter a long term deal at this point, when free agency was still several years away. I'm sure that the Twins wished in 2003 that they could have voided that contract. Hunter suffered through a dismal 2003 campaign at the plate (compared to 2002), hitting .250/.312/.451/.762. His GPA plunged to .253. In addition, Hunter could no longer steal bases. After swiping 23 in 31 attempts in 2002 (a marginally acceptable rate of 74%), Hunter was just 6 of 13 in 2003, which is flat awful. Twins fans began to realize that it was the first half of 2002 and not the second half that was the anamoly. That realization made this Twins fan feel a little discouraged about Hunter's long term prospects at the plate.
Given the backdrop of the 2003 season, 2004 was one of much relief for Twins fans. Torii Hunter returned to a semblance of his 2002 self, tacking on 18 and 26 points onto his on-base percentage and slugging percentage, respectively. In addition, Hunter stole 21 bases in 28 tries, almost the same rate as in 2002. He also clubbed 23 dingers, reaching the 20 home run mark for the fourth straight year, the first Twin to do so since Kent Hrbek hit 20 home runs every year from 1984-91.
I have come to believe that offensively, Hunter is much better than the guy we saw struggle through much of 2003. However, I now believe that we are seeing the real Torii Hunter. Like so many players on the Twins roster, Hunter does not get on base enough. Even though he improved his OBP, he was below the league average of .333. For a star player, this is clearly not enough. Even in 2002, his OBP was just .334. Hunter simply swings at too many bad pitches. He's not Jacque Jones, but he's no Bonds, either. One thing strikes me about Hunter, too. It seems to me that Hunter swings and misses at a lot of pitches in the strike zone, too. I am not sure, and I'll watch this more closely next year, but perhaps his swing is too long, or maybe he's just getting fooled a lot. If you have any feedback on that regard, let me know.
Interestingly, Hunter struggled against left handers. He hit just .255/.299/.465/.764 against left handers this year. That is particularly troublesome when you think about the other hitters in the lineup Koskie, Morneau, Jones(!), Mauer who are all left handed. Looking further, these numbers seem to be anamoly, as he hit left handers much better in previous years. (By the way, if Jones could hit left handers like that, we'd be dancing in the streets.) Torii had a very nice year against right handed pitchers, and he actually hit better on the road. For whatever reason, Hunter had problems at home in both 2003 and 2004 (he hit a Rivasesque .217/.283/.401/.684 at home in 2003). Perhaps he has been pressing in front of the home crowd with his big contract.
On one hand, it seems that Hunter's disappointing numbers at home and against left handers would point to possible improvement in 2005. On the other hand, it's really hard to say that he's going to improve dramatically. I think Torii will have a similar year at the plate in 2005. At 29 years of age, he's just about at his prime right now. Dramatic improvement is unlikely.
As a baserunner, Hunter took a lot of chances, most of which paid off. In July and August, Hunter stole 15 bases, getting caught only once. Almost all of those bases were stolen off of the pitcher. Hunter repeatedly guessed right and broke before the pitcher released the pitch. This type of baserunning tactic can work occasionally, but not forever. I thought that outside of his aggressiveness stealing bases, Hunter showed dramatic improvement running the bases this year. In years past, my impression was that Hunter was a poor baserunner who got thrown out way too much. This year, I thought that he was much improved -- still aggressive, but not foolish.
DefenseTorii won his fourth Gold Glove this year. While that award has lost some of its luster this year (hello Derek Jeter), I think that very few people will argue that Torii doesn't deserve it. (To be fair, other people have gotten GGs in the past who didn't deserve them. But, I am biased against Captain October and I admit it. I had to take the shot.) Defensive metrics are unreliable, especially, I think with regard to outfielders. (Andruw Jones was dead last in the majors among Centerfielders in Zone Rating.) But here's my subjective opinion. Torii gets to balls. Torii makes difficult catches. Torii's got a good arm. Even though he leaves a little to be desired at the plate, he's an extremely solid asset in the outfield.
Durability
Torii had a hamstring problem at the beginning of the season that caused him to miss 15 games (and lead to the call up of Lew Ford). He suffered some bumps and bruises during the season, but generally played everyday for the rest of the season until the Twins had the division locked up. Prior to this year, he's averaged about 150 games a season as a regular. He seems to be generally pretty durable.
Salary Situation
Hunter made $6,500,000 million this year and is due for a raise in the third year of a 4 year, $32 million contract. His contract number is a little high for a Minnesota player, but is certainly not outrageous. Let's put it this way. If the Twins wanted to trade Torii Hunter, I think there'd be plenty of interest around the league.
Intangibles
It was my feeling that after the Twins traded their defensive replacement at first base, Torii Hunter appeared to emerge, at least publicly, as a leader on this team. I have absolutely no way of knowing what kind of person Hunter really is, but he appears to be a likeable, hardworking guy. He looks great in his uniform (I'll never work for Billy Beane with comments like that), and he plays hard. I think Torii probably let the pressure of his contract get to him in 2003, but I also think that he's let go of some of that. I like Hunter on the Twins, even with his limitations, and I'd be very disappointed if he wasn't part of the 2005 Twins.
Prediction
I think we'll see a similar year in 2005 as we did in 2004. Hunter will play a lot of games. He'll be great in the field, and I think he'll be a little better at the plate. If some of the young guys on the team have good years, I think that the pressure that he feels will further subside. I think he'll be a positive part of the team, just like he was in 2004. He's not a superstar, he is who he is -- a slightly above average hitter and a superb defensive player. I hope he's working on developing a better command of the strike zone and shortening his swing.
|W|P|109918004070199640|W|P|2004 Twins -- Torii Hunter|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com |W|P|or how about the time someone i know slipped on the pavement in front of Krause's house going "deep" for a football and hurting his knee!!! Ha! Ha! SBG|W|P|I suppose this is the Stick and Ball Guy's brother adding his $0.02.Johan Santana of the Minnesota Twins was a unanimous pick for the American League Cy Young Award on Thursday, rewarded for a stellar second half that helped his team win its third straight division title.
ESPN analyst Jon Kruk said there is only one statistic that should matter in the voting.
"I'm just always under the impression that the guy with the most wins is the best pitcher," said Kruk, who does not have a vote and admitted being biased toward his former Philadelphia Phillies teammate. "People at ESPN are into numbers and they say, 'Well, Santana's ERA is better and Schilling had more run support.' " Boston averaged seven runs in Schilling's starts; Minnesota averaged five runs in Santana's starts. "I understand that," Kruk said. "But what's the big thing for a pitcher? Win 20 games, right? You never hear, 'I want to win the ERA title.' They want to win."
...
"One game's huge," Kruk said.
By Fatso's logic, Carlos Silva (14 wins) is far and away a better pitcher than Brad Radke (11 wins). And Kenny Rogers (18 wins) is much, much better than Randy Johnson (16 wins).
Stick and Ball Guy reports, you decide.
|W|P|110020538640050747|W|P|Sweet|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com Butch|W|P|At last something has gone right in the last week and a half!! Santana had a GREAT year and deserved to be the American League Cy Young winner!! It truely is SWEET! Glad that you are back S&B Guy! And Kobe is getting what he deserves too!Kobe Bryant had 20 points on 4-for-19 shooting for the Lakers, who shot 37 percent. "It was a tough night for us as a unit," Bryant said. "I can go off solo and get 50 or 60 points on these guys, but that doesn't mean we're going to win."Who does this ass think he is? The rest of the team shot 42.1%, not great, but he shot 21 percent. He shot 21% for the game and his quote is "I can go off solo and get 50 or 60 points." Kobe, you DID go off solo. You drove off the best center in the NBA and a coach who has won nine championships. You are shooting 37.7% for the season. Later in the AP story, we get this.
Bryant's misses included three airballs in the third quarter when he hit only one of eight shots. He sat out the fourth quarter.We are now seeing what Kobe is like without a huge group of people around him. He's a selfish gunner. He thinks he's the best ever. Hogwash. He's not even Allen Iverson. He's not even Gary Payton. Update: Mr. Bryant told the LA Times after the game that he has plantar fasciitis. The LA Times, whose sportswriters may be slightly deferential to Bryant reported this, but did not report that his "I could have scored 50 or 60" comment. He's not expected to miss any games. At the risk of sounding like a conspiracy theorist, I will say that the timing of this announcement is, shall we say, interesting. |W|P|110018617992568660|W|P|I Just Can't Pass this Up|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com
