The 2010 MLB Season Thread

[EagleFan]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

Holy crap, Valverde's stuff is ridiculous. Can't think of many splitters I've ever seen that dive like that.

That looked unhittable.

[kingfc22]

Finally.

[Bad-example]

Originally Posted by EagleFan

Has that no talent "actor" received more air time during this freaking all-star game than during any of those garbage star trek shows?

Avery Brooks was at the all-star game?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Nice play by Byrd right there, obviously, but the thing I liked was the way he appeared to take it easy just a second before whirling to make the throw, as though he were looking to deke Ortiz just a little bit.

Even if he wasn't, it looked cool.

[bhlloy]

And as if we needed another reason to remind us why having an exhibition game decide home field advantage in the WS is a retarded idea... let's have a guy baserunning in the ninth who can barely run because the alternative is to put the best hitter in the game in to pinch run.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by Atocep

Fans tend to greatly overrate prospects. If you're in the Rangers position and have a decent farm system then trading for a player that greatly increases your chances of not only getting to the playoffs, but actually doing something when you get there is a no-brainer.

Smoak may turn into a great player in the future, but the jury is still definitely out on him. He's nowhere close to a sure thing. Cliff Lee is one of the 5 best pitchers in baseball and we're talking about a team that hasn't made it to the postseason since '99.

I've had a decent history on talent evaluations I dont think Im just a "fan" however you do have a decent point.

As Ive mentioned I feel Lee wont be successful in Texas and I dont think Texas is very good therefore as a person with an unbias opinion I think the Rangers dropped the ball on this one. We will see in 5 years if I was right or wrong.

Texas has basically been the same team for the past 10 years. They hit great but they cant pitch which is a lot to do with the park they play in. Id be very surpised if Lee has under a 4.00 ERA and wins more games than he loses with Texas.

A flyball pitcher is Texas is a no-no.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by HiFiRevival

ERA and Wins are a pretty poor way to judge a SP. Lee is a top 5-10 pitcher without question. He's already proven beyond doubt to be able to perform in hitters parks in playoff situations. He's a flyball pitcher yet he doesn't give up HR's anywhere he goes.

The Rangers are 4th in the AL in K%, 4th in OBP, 4th in SLG, and 4th in SB. That's a big improvement in plate discipline from a team that added Vlad. They also played a chunk of the season without Kinsler and still managed to get where they are.

None of that changes with this trade and they add an ace to a pitching staff that was already pretty good. They're now in position to legitimately compete with the AL East squads. They are going to make the playoffs. Colby Lewis and CJ Wilson aren't good enough yet to be the #1/2 SPs for a playoff rotation.

We can talk after the season is complete.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by HiFiRevival

ERA and Wins are a pretty poor way to judge a SP. Lee is a top 5-10 pitcher without question. He's already proven beyond doubt to be able to perform in hitters parks in playoff situations. He's a flyball pitcher yet he doesn't give up HR's anywhere he goes.

The Rangers are 4th in the AL in K%, 4th in OBP, 4th in SLG, and 4th in SB. That's a big improvement in plate discipline from a team that added Vlad. They also played a chunk of the season without Kinsler and still managed to get where they are.

None of that changes with this trade and they add an ace to a pitching staff that was already pretty good. They're now in position to legitimately compete with the AL East squads. They are going to make the playoffs. Colby Lewis and CJ Wilson aren't good enough yet to be the #1/2 SPs for a playoff rotation.

While I agree with most everything you say here, I wouldn't hand the Rangers a playoff spot yet. The wildcard looks to be very competitive, the Rangers tend to do poorly in the second half, and the Angels tend to be very good in the second half.

That said, as a daily observer of the Angels, this is the most flawed Angels team I have watched since 2003, and this might be the best Rangers teams I have seen since the Juan Gone-Pudge teams of the late 90s.

But history and my fan bias compel to point out it's only 4.5 games in the middle of July.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

While I agree with most everything you say here, I wouldn't hand the Rangers a playoff spot yet. The wildcard looks to be very competitive, the Rangers tend to do poorly in the second half, and the Angels tend to be very good in the second half.

That said, as a daily observer of the Angels, this is the most flawed Angels team I have watched since 2003, and this might be the best Rangers teams I have seen since the Juan Gone-Pudge teams of the late 90s.

But history and my fan bias compel to point out it's only 4.5 games in the middle of July.

I agree here. The Rangers always depend on outhitting teams at home. They always seem to fuck it up in some way. I know I will get ripped for saying this but it is almost as if it doesnt matter who pitches there as they always get pounded. I like the Angels more than I like Texas even with Lee. Rangers will start folding on the road like they always do.

[ISiddiqui]

They are depending so much on outhitting teams at home that the team's ERA+ is 111 (which, btw, happens to be the 2nd best in the American League at the moment) while the team's OPS+ is 103 .

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

Any stat you come up with Lee will underachieve in Texas.

He doesn't need to be a top 5-10 Fantasy SP with a sub 3.50 ERA. He needs to be better (and almost as importantly, pitch longer to save their bullpen which is quite good) than whatever 5th starter the Rangers are running out. Considering that's included Omar Beltre, Dustin Nippert, Matt Harrison, Tommy Hunter and a Rich Harden that's collapsed, I think he can succeed. Especially since half the games will be outside Texas in the same AL ballparks he did well enough in the last couple times. If anything, it made a lot less sense for the Yankees to trade Montero for him since they'll probably be signing him in 4 months anyways.

btw, when did Cliff Lee become a Fly Ball pitcher again? He was early in his career, but since he turned that corner in 2008 (by adding fastball speed and throwing a cutter more), he's been 1.31/1.13/1.00 in GB/FB ratio.

[stevew]

I can't believe Michael Bourn was on the all star team.

[rowech]

Originally Posted by HiFiRevival

ERA and Wins are a pretty poor way to judge a SP. Lee is a top 5-10 pitcher without question. He's already proven beyond doubt to be able to perform in hitters parks in playoff situations. He's a flyball pitcher yet he doesn't give up HR's anywhere he goes.

The Rangers are 4th in the AL in K%, 4th in OBP, 4th in SLG, and 4th in SB. That's a big improvement in plate discipline from a team that added Vlad. They also played a chunk of the season without Kinsler and still managed to get where they are.

None of that changes with this trade and they add an ace to a pitching staff that was already pretty good. They're now in position to legitimately compete with the AL East squads. They are going to make the playoffs. Colby Lewis and CJ Wilson aren't good enough yet to be the #1/2 SPs for a playoff rotation.

ERA is not "a pretty poor way to measure a pitcher" It's not the best but you get a heck of a lot of value out of it.

[RedKingGold]

Originally Posted by stevew

I can't believe Michael Bourn was on the all star team.

I was wondering how the All-Star game became the "Ed Wade Show" after seeing, Bourn, Scott Rolen and Marlon Bryd play last night.

[rowech]

Originally Posted by RedKingGold

I was wondering how the All-Star game became the "Ed Wade Show" after seeing, Bourn, Scott Rolen and Marlon Bryd play last night.

Rolen's EASILY an all-star this year.

[Crapshoot]

Atlanta Braves get shortstop Alex Gonzalez from Toronto Blue Jays - ESPN

The Braves are crazy. Escobar may a head case, but is light years better than Alex Gonzales, and they sold very very short.

[Logan]

Troy Glaus looked like he wanted to kill Escobar after his pussy/poor throw to 1st almost ended up with Glaus' wrist snapping in half.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by RedKingGold

I was wondering how the All-Star game became the "Ed Wade Show" after seeing, Bourn, Scott Rolen and Marlon Bryd play last night.

Ed Wade likes guys that get a lot of at bats.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Crapshoot

Atlanta Braves get shortstop Alex Gonzalez from Toronto Blue Jays - ESPN

The Braves are crazy. Escobar may a head case, but is light years better than Alex Gonzales, and they sold very very short.

This seems very much like getting rid of a problem, moreso than an attempt to improve anything very much. The real issue I see with Gonzalez is his K/BB ratio and .OBP, which is actually one point lower than the now-reviled in Atlanta Nate McLouth.

edit to add: There's a certain logic to this I suppose, Escobar isn't hitting enough to justify having him high in the order (7th most of the year) and Gonzalez power is better suited for that spot ... IF both players continue hitting the way they have this season to date.

[sterlingice]

I remember Reyes used to be a pretty highly rated prospect but I guess the bloom has come off that rose, too

SI

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

I remember Reyes used to be a pretty highly rated prospect but I guess the bloom has come off that rose, too

Yeah, his pitching kind of killed that bloom.

He's alternately been called Oh-No Reyes or Blo-Blo Reyes for a while now.

[ISiddiqui]

Seems like a wierd deal for the Braves most because Escobar has been playing below his career numbers and Gonzalez has been playing well above his. It seems like there is a very good possibility for a return to the mean for both players in the 2nd half.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Seems like a wierd deal for the Braves most because Escobar has been playing below his career numbers and Gonzalez has been playing well above his. It seems like there is a very good possibility for a return to the mean for both players in the 2nd half.

I'd say it's a pretty typical Braves deal, it's been clear for a long time that he & Cox don't get along very well, and I can't imagine he's a good clubhouse fit on a team with so many veterans. His go-party-the-second-the-game-is-over habits have been noted a few times in the past.

edit to add: So trading him would be par for the course, square pegs don't usually last nearly as long as he has here.

[larrymcg421]

Meh. Gonzales is in line with his numbers from last year and from 2007. 2008 appears to be an abrerration. And considering the Braves lineup is filled with high OBP guys, then trading some of that OBP for some power seems like a good gamble, especially if it gets rid of someone who is a problem in the clubhouse.

[ISiddiqui]

You realize that 2007 was Gonzales's career year, right? A 99 OPS+ isn't all that wonderful. And he's 33, so it's not like he's hitting his prime or anything.

[TroyF]

OK, I can't take it anymore. I just saw yet another interview where some blabbermouth was saying Steinbrenner was just misunderstood. He was a WONDERFUL human and blah, blah, blah.

Look, I don't fault George for wanting to win. I don't fault him for spending the dollars he did. All of those things are good traits. I'm sure he did a lot of wonderful charitable things as well.

But this is also the same guy who hired a mobster to dig up dirt on Dave Winfield. Has everyone forgotten this? He tried to frame one of his own players so he wouldn't have to give money to the players charity.

Steinbrenner went through team employees worse than he did managers. In many ways, he was a colossal douche bag.

I'm sorry he's dead. I understand he did good things for people. I'm just sick of seeing the 24hr. St. George - a - thon.

Sorry, just needed a place to vent.

[rowech]

Steinbrenner and Bobby Knight go hand-in-hand for me. They're great in so many ways but that greatness comes with baggage and flaws.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by TroyF

OK, I can't take it anymore. I just saw yet another interview where some blabbermouth was saying Steinbrenner was just misunderstood. He was a WONDERFUL human and blah, blah, blah.

Look, I don't fault George for wanting to win. I don't fault him for spending the dollars he did. All of those things are good traits. I'm sure he did a lot of wonderful charitable things as well.

But this is also the same guy who hired a mobster to dig up dirt on Dave Winfield. Has everyone forgotten this? He tried to frame one of his own players so he wouldn't have to give money to the players charity.

Steinbrenner went through team employees worse than he did managers. In many ways, he was a colossal douche bag.

I'm sorry he's dead. I understand he did good things for people. I'm just sick of seeing the 24hr. St. George - a - thon.

Sorry, just needed a place to vent.

Apparently the All-Star Game got its lowest rating in the history of the event.

I wonder if the media's necrophiliac knob-slobbering is connected somehow?

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

Apparently the All-Star Game got its lowest rating in the history of the event.

I wonder if the media's necrophiliac knob-slobbering is connected somehow?

It was probably because Joey Votto got in.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

It was probably because Joey Votto got in.

It's gotta be hard being the best player in Ohio now. I can't wait until they put Votto on the side of a building.

[Ksyrup]

Cool story (with video) about a 30-year old minor league All-Star getting the news he got called up during the AAA all-star game.

Memorable callup to Bucs for emotional Kratz

30-year-old catcher learns of promotion at Triple-A All-Star Game


Wednesday's Triple-A All-Star Game gave catcher Erik Kratz a Major League surprise -- and a memory for a lifetime.

Kratz, who has toiled in the Minor Leagues for nine seasons, was representing the Pittsburgh Pirates' affiliate in his second straight Triple-A All-Star Game in Allentown, Pa., when a magical phone call came. At the age of 30, he had finally made it to the big leagues.

Kratz, who was 0-for-1 in the game, was in the dugout, slated to play one more inning. That's when his manager at Indianapolis and coach in the game, Frank Kemblas, approached him.

"First of all, I didn't want to come out of the game," Kratz told MLB Network's Mitch Williams from the dugout shortly after receiving the news. "I was like, 'Well, I've got one more inning, maybe one more at-bat ... see if I can get a hold of one or something."

Kemblas, in classic baseball prankster form, posed a simple question.

"He was like, 'You only had one more inning anyways,'" Kratz said. "'Would you rather go to the big leagues or go back into the game?'"

Was it a difficult reply for Kratz?

"Not a tough answer," the catcher said with a smile and a trembling voice. "No, it's not."

Kratz, who grew up in Telford, Pa., about 45 minutes from Allentown, and was playing in front of family and friends, had trouble describing his feelings in the wake of this monumental achievement.

"I don't know what to say," he said. "It means the world to me and my family."

Kratz quickly became overcome with emotion during the interview and began tearing up. Williams wisely cut the talk short, urging Kratz to go into the stands and spring the news on his wife, Sarah.

It's been a long and dramatic journey for Kratz, who was one of the Pirates' final cuts of Spring Training this year, losing the backup catcher job to Jason Jaramillo with a few days left in camp in Lakeland, Fla. -- mostly because Jaramillo was on the 40-man roster and Kratz was a non-roster invitee.

But the Pirates on Monday optioned Jaramillo -- who was hitting .164 in 24 games for the Pirates this year -- to Indianapolis, clearing the way for Kratz to realize his lifelong goal.

"I love playing baseball," Kratz told MLB.com during Spring Training. "It's a generic, corny answer, but I really do. And that's what kept me going."

When he said "kept me going," he was referring to hardships that blue-chip big leaguers never experience.

Kratz recalled at least three times that he considered quitting baseball, he described a full season (2004) in which he was never really hurt but had several injuries attached to his name. He also was talking about the offseason construction job he works to support Sarah and their two children.

"You sit there and you put all the work in and sometimes you question why," Kratz told MLB.com in March.

"You put the work in and at the end of the day, if you don't measure up or you fall short of where you want to get to, you've put in what you could. That's where I was in my career. That was pretty much all that was pushing me."

Kratz, a Pennsylvania native, was originally selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 29th round of the 2002 First-Year Player Draft after setting the Division III record for career doubles while starring at Eastern Mennonite University in Virginia. Prior to 2009, he had played more than 83 games in a season only once, in 2005.

But Kratz was needed when Indianapolis needed him as its primary catcher last season once Robinzon Diaz took Ryan Doumit's spot on Pittsburgh's 25-man Major League roster for the first half of the season. By the end of the year, Kratz had a career-high 93 games and 319 at-bats and hit .273 with 41 extra-base hits and 43 RBIs. He earned mid-season and postseason International League All-Star honors plus last year's Triple-A All-Star Game MVP award.

This year, he was batting .296 with nine homers and 37 RBIs in 56 games for Indianapolis.

"You always respect the guys that play hard year in and year out, and sometimes all it takes is an opportunity," Pirates general manager Neal Huntington told MLB.com during Spring Training.

"With a guy like Erik, he goes about it the right way. He runs the pitching staff. He receives well. And he can run into a ball and hit it into the seats. Those guys are all valuable."
Now Kratz will get his chance to show his value at the highest level of baseball -- the show he's been working toward for close to a decade.

http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/ne...=.jsp&c_id=pit

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by HiFiRevival

NL 3B:

WAR -
Wright 4.1
Zimmerman 3.7
Rolen 2.9

VORP -
Wright 38.1
Zimmerman 29.1
Rolen 26.2

OPS -
Wright .924
Zimmerman .909
Rolen .909

Rolen is 5th in UZR. (Zimmerman 1, Wright 4).

If only 2 3B made it in the NL then it was Wright and Zimmerman that were the clear 1-2 with Rolen behind them.

sigh.

[stevew]

the day after the all star break should be primarily day games. And teams who opened the season on the road should be at home. This 7 games today stuff is dumb.

[JPhillips]

Whatever fertility drugs Voltron was on must have worked. First start back from Tommy John:

6 innings
3 hits
1 run
2 BBs
9 K

He'll be a heck of an addition if he can come back at 2008 form.

[rowech]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Whatever fertility drugs Voltron was on must have worked. First start back from Tommy John:

6 innings
3 hits
1 run
2 BBs
9 K

He'll be a heck of an addition if he can come back at 2008 form.

He looked really good once he settled down. What an acquisition and they didn't even have to give anything up!

[Scoobz0202]

Cliff Lee who?

[JS19]

Originally Posted by JS19

KRod, most overrated, and perhaps overpaid, CL in the game.

+1

Also, whoever is umpiring behind the plate in the Mets/Giants game... he's horrible... and as I say this, WTF just happened? Huff hits a ball 2 feet in front of him, clearly hits the dirt, home plate ump calls him out as Blanco throws to first. This douchebag 3B ump says no deal, play goes on.

EDIT: To clarify, besides of a bunch of bad calls behind the plate, he also called the guy out at home for the winning run, he was clearly safe.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Phil Cuzzi. Single handedly cost the game for the Giants. He was screwing the Mets equally, but it's really, really tough to lose a game on a blown call at the plate in the bottom of the ninth.

[stevew]

Agreed that the Giants got screwed badly. We were watching that game and I just couldn't believe he was called out there. Every time they would run a replay, I'd be like....did he get the bag, did the tag hit the guy.

It really wasn't close at all, he was obviously safe.

Anyways, Sanchez is a hackmaster....all it would have taken there is a flyball to win the game and he swung at some shit and grounded into the fielders choice.

[stevew]

dola-
it was clearly blown save afternoon, as we had just finished watching Jenks fucking blow the game.

And the inside the park homer in the indians game was pretty crazy. Dunno if the gate door is supposed to be locked, but the play was way too dangerous. Then again, the Tigers guy should have known his range better and waited for the ball to hit the wall.

[Ksyrup]

Great Posnanski blog post about the Royals leading the league in hitting:

Diary of a Losing team: Batting Champs

Posted: July 19th, 2010 | Filed under: Baseball | 3 Comments »


You may or may not know this but the Kansas City Royals lead all of baseball in hitting. Anyway, that’s how the expression goes. When you lead the league in batting average, people will say you lead the league in hitting. It doesn’t make much sense, really, since the goal of hitting — the offensive goal in baseball — is certainly not to get more hits per at-bat than other teams. But “leading the league in hitting” is what people have called it since the dawn of time.

The Royals are hitting .281 as a team, which is three points better than the Texas Rangers, and it’s 22 points better than the major league average of .259. A couple of guys in the lineup — David DeJesus (.320) and Billy Butler (.317) — are among the Top 10 in hitting and others like Scott Podsednik (.302) and Mike Aviles (.300) are right around .300.

So … with all that … why is it that the Royals are a pretty lousy offensive baseball team?

Well, they are well below average. They are 10th in the American League in runs scored and going backward. The last month or so they are averaging about three and a half runs per game. Toronto, the Royals opponent for three games starting today, is hitting 38 points worse than the Royals. The Blue Jays have scored more runs.

The easiest and most obvious answer here is that batting average is a bad way to judge a team’s offensive production. And it is. After all, you don’t have to be a statistical wizard to look at the Royals numbers and understand why they aren’t scoring runs. Sure, they’re leading the league in batting average and are second in hits … but they are dead last in walks, which blunts the advantage. Dead last … so, even with all those hits, the Royals are still only in the middle of the pack when it comes to getting on-base. They are seventh in the league in on-base percentage.

The Royals also don’t hit with power — the Royals are 12th in the league with only 62 home runs as a team (and they have hit only 21 homers in their last 42 games). They are ninth in slugging percentage. So — mediocre on-base percentage with below average power, yeah, you’re not going to score many runs. You can top that off with the fact that the Royals are also once again a dreadful base-running team — according to the Bill James base-running system they are -35 bases, worst in the American League, and they have been caught 33 of the 88 times they have tried to steal a base,* which means they’re just giving away outs.

*They are being caught stealing 37.5% of the time, much higher than the league average of 27.6%. I think even the most aggressive of baseball people would admit that when you’re getting caught about four out of 10 times, it’s past time to quit trying to steal bases.

But I think there’s something else going on here beyond the numbers. It seems to me the Royals have a motivation problem. I think the problem is not that the Royals lead the league in hitting — it is that they seem to WANT to lead the league in hitting, like it is their goal. And that would be a real problem.

I think back to the Dick Vermeil Kansas City Chiefs of the early 2000s. Vermeil loved offense. He lived for offense. He was the coach of the original “Greatest Show On Turf” St. Louis Rams who bludgeoned teams with their preposterous speed and fast break attack — and it seemed like Vermeil’s main goal was to recreate that in Kansas City. And, to a surprising degree, he was successful. His Chiefs, after many years of offensive stagnation, scored a bajillion points, amassed a bajillion yards, set a bajillion team records.

The one thing they didn’t do, however, was win. They only made the playoffs once in the Vermeil years, and they were outscored by Peyton Manning in that playoff game. The main problem (some would say the only problem) was a historically awful defense that Vermeil and his coaches did not know how to fix. Now, this is not exactly like the Royals situation because scoring a lot of points (unlike getting a lot of hits) IS a viable strategy for winning football games. The similarity comes from the last couple of years of the Vermeil era when the team missed the playoffs but he would give us daily updates of the offense’s success. It just seemed like the Chiefs main focus was not so much on winning games but, instead, on having a great offense.

That seems like the Royals to me … like they are more interested in having a good batting average than in having a good offense.

What makes me say this? Well, there are a few things. One has been the Kila Conundrum. For years now, Kila Ka’aihue has been one of the more interesting and argued about prospects in baseball. The reason: He walks. A lot. That’s his most obvious skill. He has walked 100 times each of the last two minor league seasons, and he walked 97 times as a 21-year-old. He is closing in on 700 minor league walks.

Different people see those walks in different ways. Some think Kila’s plate discipline make him an outstanding prospect … especially because he’s a big guy (6-foot-3, 233 pounds) who has shown some signs of big-time power (he hit 37 homers in 124 minor league games in 2008). The feeling — and I’m in this camp — is that his great pitch recognition would translate really well to the big leagues … a younger Travis Hafner comes to mind.

Others, though, think that Kila is TOO patient, TOO passive, not aggressive enough, and that lack of aggression combined with a slowish bat does not project as an every day first baseman (especially because his glove seems quite a bit below average).

I don’t know who is right and who is wrong — but I do know this: The Royals refuse to give Ka’aihue a chance. They SAY he’s part of their future (and say it, and say it), but he’s 26 years old and absolutely nothing they DO suggests they really feel that way. In 2008, Kila hit .314/.456/.628 with those 37 home runs — one of the great minor league seasons in Royals history — and the Royals went out and got Mike Jacobs to play first base instead. A depressed Ka’aihue went back to the minors, struggled (though he walked 100 times), and he did not get a single big league at-bat in 2009.

Then, Ka’aihue had a great spring training this year (.347/.448/.673 with four homers) and was sent back down. He crushed the ball down in Omaha and finally got a call up — at which point he was given all of four major league at-bats before getting sent back down again. Four at-bats. He is now hitting .304/.459/.570 in Omaha.

The Royals will tell you that they simply don’t have a spot in the lineup for him — Billy Butler already plays first base and the Royals are paying Jose Guillen a lot of money to be the team’s DH. But my point here is not the Royals’ roster management but their judgment. My point here is that the Royals simply do not value Ka’aihue’s talent for getting on base, certainly not enough to find out what they have. They see those walks as more of a negative than a positive. They do not value his talents.

You know whose talents the Royals value? Scott Podsednik. He has been the Royals left-fielder and leadoff hitter all year. HIS OPS+ is 98, one of only two American League left fielders with a sub-100 OPS+. He has been caught stealing 11 times. He has only three homers all year and he has struck out almost twice as often as he has walked (54 strikeouts, 29 walks). His UZR and the John Dewan plus/minus both suggest he’s been well below average defensively in left.

But … well, as mentioned, he’s hitting .300. Meanwhile, down in Omaha, one-time Royals savior and newly minted left fielder Alex Gordon is hitting .320/.447/.577, has 13 homers in 66 games, has played well enough defensively that everyone seems to feel he would be fine in the big leagues … and even though he’s 26, and (you would hope) a part of this team’s future, and he cannot get the call up.

Then, there’s Jason Kendall. Oh. Jason Kendall. There is a Royals theme that has never quite become clear to me until Jason Kendall. Through all the years that I have followed the Kansas City Royals, they have had a knack for finding veterans who seem to intimidate everyone in the organization. Jason Kendall, at age 36, is on pace to start 155 games at catcher this year. I’m going to repeat that in italic letters just so you will know I’m not joking:

Jason Kendall, at age 36, is on pace to start 155 games at catcher this year.

As far as I can tell, the last player to catch more than 150 games in a season was Benito Santiago in 1991. The last to start 155 games at catcher? That would be Randy Hundley in 1968.

Now, this says two things. One, it says that Kendall really is a marvel of fitness and stubbornness … to physically be able to play that much and to mentally want to play that much is both remarkable and admirable. How can you not admire a 36-year-old man playing for a team going nowhere who refuses to come out of the lineup? It is inspiring in a way.

Two, though: What could the Royals possibly be thinking? Jason Kendall has an 80 OPS+. He has now gone 354 plate appearances without hitting a home run OR a triple … and if he can keep that up he will be in rarified air.

Most plate appearances in a season without a triple or home run (live ball era):
1. Frank Taveras, 598, 1980.
2. Jo-Jo Morrissey, 568, 1933.
3. Woody Williams, 534, 1945
4. Mike Tresh, 532, 1945
5. Ron Hunt, 531, 1972
Jason Kendall, 638, 2010 (projected)

Kendall’s on-base percentage is a barely league average .334 and yet he is now hitting second in the lineup. He has made nine errors and is barely throwing out a quarter of the stolen base attempts and the Royals pitching staff ERA is 13th in the league, which may not be his fault but he isn’t helping. And still he plays every … single … day. So what is it that Jason Kendall offers this team?

1. That much acclaimed “Veteran leadership.”
2. A tolerable looking .271 batting average.

The other day, on the Royals television broadcast, I heard my friends Ryan Lefebvre and Frank White say that, hey, in a tough season it’s a nice thing to be able to say that at least Kansas City leads the league in hitting. I understand and appreciate the point, but I disagree. I think leading a good batting average is empty if you don’t back it up with it up with other skills (such as taking walks, hitting with power, not giving away outs). I think batting average can be a very selfish stat. I think leading the league in hitting, if you allow it, will cover up a harsh reality*.

*The Royals — and maybe all bad teams are like this — have an amazing knack of closing their eyes to reality. For instance, they had a 50-game stretch this year where they won 27 and lost 23, a nice stretch that coincided with the hiring of new manager Ned Yost which seemed to give it added weight.

The trouble is … winning 27 of 50, while nice, doesn’t mean a whole lot in the larger picture. In 2007, the Royals had a 28-22 stretch … and lost 93 games. In 2002, the Royals had a 50-game stretch where they played .500 ball … and they lost 100 games. Bad teams still have stretches where they play moderately good baseball. Even the putrid 2005 Royals had a 52-game stretch where they went 25-27.

But the Royals took that 50-game stretch as a sign that this team is emerging … even leading Yost to say the Royals can contend this year. I understand that you are always looking to build on success — and you have to BELIEVE that you are contenders even if you aren’t — but it does seem that the Royals have a long history of declaring victory based on very shaky and minimal evidence. They have now lost six in a row and are trying to hold off the fifth place Indians.

The Royals’ future has some real promise — they have numerous promising players in the minor leagues who can, over the next two or three years, change the face of this franchise. I think Yost has energized this team … and I think his history of working with young players makes him a good candidate to become the Royals full-time manager.

But it seems to me that to get to the future, they have to leave behind the past. They need to get a lot younger. They need to walk more, hit with more power, give away fewer outs, and worry a whole lot less about their batting averages.

[Scoobz0202]

The Toronto Sun has an article on Scott Rolen. Happy as hell to have him as a Red, and as a mentor to Joey Votto.

hxxp://www.torontosun.com/sports/baseball/2010/07/18/14752831.html

CINCINNATI -- You won't find stats in this baseball story.

It's a story about a man, his dogs and his life off the field helping others.

A scout said that the key play of the all-star game for the National League six days ago was Scott Rolen going first to third on a single to centre.

How does that feeling, safe after a head-first slide, compare to what Rolen has done off the field?

"I'd be embarrassed to try to even compare," Rolen said Sunday morning in the Cincinnati Reds clubhouse at Great American Ball Park. He had Sunday off because of a stomach flu.

Rolen, the ex-Blue Jays third baseman, has a 180-acre camp in Bloomington, Ind. -- Camp Emma Lou -- funded by the Enis Furley Foundation for children and their families (enisfurley.com).

It is not specific to children attacked by one cruel disease.

"It's for the kid walking home from school, head down, kicking stones," Rolen said. "He may be healthy, but maybe mom is sick, or his father. It's for kids who have spent too much time in the hospital."

The Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis makes the recommendations.

Four cabins have been built, along with a man-made lake. There are paddle boats, a petting zoo, a lodge with a fireplace, two horses, a Little League diamond, a soccer field and a tree house. And they're not finished.

"My brother, Todd, and I came up with the idea of building a camp for children and their families for a week," Rolen said. "To have fun, have a blast. Let's play. "

That's what they do.

* * *

In his second full season with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1998, Rolen made hospital visits with the rest of the players. They'd hand out bags of goodies from the Phillies containing caps, wrist bands and baseballs as the TV cameras purred.

"I didn't think generosity should go with publicity," said Rolen, who decided a better approach for future visitis would be without TV crews.

So, the next year Rico Brogna, Kevin Sefcik and Rolen visited the terminal cancer ward at Temple University.

"They were tough kids. We'd walk in with our Phillies jerseys, it was like we were wearing capes," Rolen said in the best description of how a child's eyes see a major leaguer. "That's how special the uniform is to a child. I'm sure if we went in street clothes, it wouldn't have been the same."

The five-minute visit made everyone happy for a short time.

"Kids, parents, brothers and sisters in the room were all laughing," he recounted. "The child was not ill. Physically yes, but emotionally no. There was hope in those rooms."

Rolen phoned his brother Todd, a high school teacher in Louisville, with the suggestion of starting a kids foundation.

"I was wearing red pinstripes and red shoes to work every night. What adult does that?" Rolen asked. "Why not start a circus? We'll put on clown costumes and wear big red noses."

As Rolen admitted, "our idea needed a little work."

Days turned into months, months into years. the circus idea was discussed but nothing happened.

* * *

Rolen was at home in Bradenton, Fla., on Sept. 10, 2001. His parents drove him to the Tampa airport the next morning so he could re-join the Phillies for a game in Atlanta.

The departures board soon read: 'Cancelled, cancelled, cancelled.' His parents heard on the radio of the attack on the World Trade Centre and headed to the airport.

At the time, the Phillies-Braves series was still scheduled, so his parents drove him to Atlanta.

"We'd heard a report that the CNN tower might be attacked, so we stayed outside of the city," Rolen said.

When the series was scrapped, his parents drove him to Cincinnati where the Phillies were supposed to play the Reds. Then, that series was postponed, as well.

Rolen phoned his brother in mid-September and, in December, Todd resigned as a teacher to work on the foundation.

* * *

Now that the Rolens were moving, the foundation needed a name. The third baseman decided on Enis Furley the name of his golden retriever/pointer mix, "the best dog ever."

Rolen acquired the dog for free and estimates he spent $40,000 US in vet bills. Enis had epileptic seizures, some times 13 a day, and pancreatis.

"The vet told us to put him down when he was four months old," Rolen said. "I said no chance. All he wanted to do was play ball all day."

When Rolen was home, he'd toss. Enis would fetch. Enis even appeared in a Phillies TV add fetching a ball at Veterans Stadium.

"My brother phoned after fund-raising," Rolen laughed. "Todd said: 'You know, we might have a better chance if it was the Scott Rolen Foundation, rather than having someone ask me how to spell Enis.

"I told him that naming it after Enis was in the spirit of the whole thing."

Enis died last September at age 13 at Camp Emma Lou.

The camp is named after Emma Lou after Rolen's 12-year-old black lab.

* * *

Rolen invited seven-year-old Tyler Frenzel of Carmel, Ind., to Busch Stadium to be on the field for batting practice after the youngster had been diagnosed with leukemia. Tyler had a few good months, then a bad turn, so Rolen went for a visit.

"We're playing a video game, he made me be myself while he was Randy Johnson, who threw this pitch with flames coming off the ball," Rolen recalled. "He struck me out three times on nine pitches. Tyler, like everyone else, knew I can't hit a fastball."

In 2004, Tyler, who was terminal, was invited to the Enis gala fund-raiser.

"We introduced him as our annual hero and he comes to get his award," said Rolen.

Tyler accepted the honour and then presented Rolen with a $1,000 cheque made out to the Enis Furley Foundation.

"What do you say to that?" Rolen asked.

The questioner could not answer because a) he didn't have an answer, and b) he couldn't speak.

"Tyler sold T-shirts that read 'No Limits' to raise money," Rolen said. "He said he wanted it to go towards building a tree house at the camp."

A couple of months later, Tyler was on the field before at an Indianapolis Colts game for the ceremonial coin flip and told Peyton Manning "Scott Rolen is building me a tree house."

Manning phoned Rolen and together they staged an auction on the syndicated Bob And Tom morning show.

"We now have a $150,000 tree house in our woods," Rolen said. "All because of Tyler."

From Tyler's contribution, roughly $700,000 has been raised, with Rolen paying salaries of sister Kristie, brother Todd and accountant Cory Luebbehusen.

Rolen's wife, Nicki, was eight months pregnant when Tyler died in 2004. Soon after, Raine Tyler, now age five, arrived. Finn Edward, the Rolens second child, is two.

* * *

Rolen has never been your normal ball player.

"This game we play, it isn't real," Rolen said. "The game has given me great value in my personal life. It's like I always tell Joey Votto. There's no karma in baseball: Bad guys can do well in this game. You can be happy in this game and not be happy in life.

"Would you rather be 4-for-4 with, two home runs and knock in six and be divorced? Or would you rather go home to your family?"

Rolen is 13 days away from his first anniversary with the Reds. He had asked former Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi to deal him to the Midwest (Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers or the Reds) last year and on July 4 weekend, Ricciardi approached him at Yankee Stadium saying that the Reds had interest.

The Jays acquired third baseman Edwin Encarnacion, plus minor leaguers Zach Stewart and Josh Roenicke for Rolen on July 31.

"I enjoyed Toronto, fans, teammates, trainer George Poulis," said Rolen, who paid for a skybox for his parents, Linda and Ed, to watch games at the Rogers Centre. The Jays didn't make him pay for the final two months.

He rented an Oakville condo for his parents, who will see more than 100 games this season.

The Reds gave Rolen a two-year, $13-million contract extenstion this spring.

The good work of Enis Furley will continue.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Great Posnanski blog post about the Royals leading the league in hitting:

Right up until he avoids pointing out that there's not a better option sitting behind Kendall right now. Brayan Pena is a likable guy but he's not a regular or even semi-regular guy. Neither do the stats look like there's one at Omaha either, where the starter is hitting .217.

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Right up until he avoids pointing out that there's not a better option sitting behind Kendall right now. Brayan Pena is a likable guy but he's not a regular or even semi-regular guy. Neither do the stats look like there's one at Omaha either, where the starter is hitting .217.

And how does that prevent KC from trading for a catcher?

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Right up until he avoids pointing out that there's not a better option sitting behind Kendall right now. Brayan Pena is a likable guy but he's not a regular or even semi-regular guy. Neither do the stats look like there's one at Omaha either, where the starter is hitting .217.

Uh...no. The point is - why the fuck would you sign the guy to be your starting catcher to begin with? Kendall is well below replacement level, so even occasionally resting him with a below-average to mediocre AAA catcher would be, at worst, equal to what they are trotting out there every day.

The entire point is the organization has no clue about constructing a roster or what matters in fielding a winning team. If they were half-competent, management wouldn't have even allowed Kendall to be in the conversation, let alone forced their managers to play him every day.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Uh...no. The point is - why the fuck would you sign the guy to be your starting catcher to begin with? Kendall is well below replacement level, so even occasionally resting him with a below-average to mediocre AAA catcher would be, at worst, equal to what they are trotting out there every day.

Except that it wouldn't be the same, it'd be worse. Check out the two guys getting the playing time most of the year in AAA, they make Kendall look downright spiffy. It does look as those they might have a guy ready by next year (Manuel Pina) but that's now, not later.

Should Brayan Pena get one start a week? Yeah, probably so, if only from a physical & mental wear and tear standpoint.