Yardbarker: Brad Wilkerson

Toronto Blue Jays Off Season Report

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 19:11:27 -0500

Season Wrap Up
The 2008 season found the Jays in 4th place behind the Rays, Red Sox and Yankees, but was not without its highlights. The pitching staff, despite injuries toJanssen and Halladay (to begin the year) and McGowan for good parts of the year, were still the best in the MLB with a 3.49 ERA and .19 points better than the next best team (Dodgers). Unfortunately, swapping 3BGlaus for Rolen wasn’t part of those highlights as he struggled in his first year in Toronto.

Holes to Fill
The only holes to fill would be in the rotation if they don’t resign Burnett and at DH, but there are a few position where they could improve. One of those positions would be catcher, there’s a reason the Phillies let RodBarajas go. Although SS McDonald (67 games at SS) is probably an above average fielder, they could use a better bat from the position than someone who hit .210 with 1 HR, 18 RBI and anOBP of .255 and this can be done by Scutaro (56 games at SS) who hit .267 with 7 HR, 60 RBI and an OBP of .341. Also, they did recently purchase the contract of SS Angel Sanchez and optioned him to AAA so he may be a back up and they might try to move McDonald, but that’s just my opinion.

Free Agents

The Blue Jays have 4 players hitting the free agent market this off season. Pitchers A.J. Burnett (31, a type A free agent) and John Parrish (31), RF Brad Wilkerson (31)and C GreggZaun (37). In my opinion, I think that the Yankees have a better chance of signing Burnett or else he wouldn’t have opted out of his contract. If they do not resign Burnett nor replace him with another quality starter, then they might resign Parrish as insurance. They will probably let Wilkerson walk and if I were them, I’d try to bring backZaun if the money’s right. A platoon of Barajas and Zaun wouldn’t be a bad thing given the catching situation in baseball these days.

The Outlook
While I don’t see the Jays surpassing the Red Sox or the Rays, they could possibly catch the Yankees depending on how well the Yankees do rebuilding the team and if the Jays resign Burnett or replace him with someone comparable. I see their pitching staying within the top 5 in baseball, but they need to improve offensively in order to move up in this tough division. Rios regaining his power stroke would be a blessing, but it won’t be enough. They need more production from their infield, too.

As of 12:01am ET, MLB Free Agency Season Arrives. Here's the Complete List

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:09:46 -0500

As of 12:01am ET, clubs may now negotiate with the 171 players that filed for free agency this year. Big revenue making clubs will undoubtedly throw huge sums of cash at the likes of Manny Ramirez, Mark Teixeira, C.C. Sabathia, and Francisco Rodriguez.Clubs with the most players that filed for FA? For the American League, it's Boston with 9. For the National League, it's 11 for the Mets.Here is your complete listing of all those who filed between Thursday, October 30, and Thursday, November 13, pursuant to Article XX B (2) of the Basic Agreement. The last two that filed on Thursday should be familiar: Randy Johnson of the Diamondbacks, and A.J. Burnett of the Blue Jays.AMERICAN LEAGUEBALTIMORE (4) -- Juan Castro, ss; Alex Cintron, ss; Kevin Millar, 1b; Jay Payton, of.BOSTON (9) -- Paul Byrd, rhp; Sean Casey, 1b; Bartolo Colon, rhp; Alex Cora, ss; Mark Kotsay, of; David Ross, c; Curt Schilling, rhp; Mike Timlin, rhp; Jason Varitek, c.CHICAGO (6) -- Orlando Cabrera, ss; Joe Crede, 3b; Ken Griffey Jr., of; Toby Hall, c; Horacio Ramirez, lhp; Juan Uribe, 3b.CLEVELAND (4) -- Brendan Donnelly, rhp; Scott Elarton, rhp; Sal Fasano, c; Juan Rincon, rhp.DETROIT (7) -- Kyle Farnsworth, rhp; Casey Fossum, lhp; Freddy Garcia, rhp; Todd Jones, rhp; Edgar Renteria, ss; Kenny Rogers, lhp; Vance Wilson, c.KANSAS CITY (1) -- Mark Grudzielanek, 2b.LOS ANGELES (6) -- Garret Anderson, of; Jon Garland, rhp; Darren Oliver, lhp; Juan Rivera, of; Francisco Rodriguez, rhp; Mark Teixeira, 1b.MINNESOTA (4) -- Adam Everett, ss; Eddie Guardado, lhp; Nick Punto, ss; Dennys Reyes, lhp.NEW YORK (8) -- Bobby Abreu, of; Jason Giambi, 1b; Chad Moeller, c; Mike Mussina, rhp; Carl Pavano, rhp; Andy Pettitte, lhp; Sidney Ponson, rhp; Ivan Rodriguez, c.OAKLAND (4) -- Emil Brown, of; Alan Embree, lhp; Keith Foulke, rhp; Frank Thomas, dh.SEATTLE (3) -- Willie Bloomquist, of; Miguel Cairo, inf; Raul Ibanez, of.TAMPA BAY (4) -- Rocco Baldelli, dh; Cliff Floyd, dh; Eric Hinske, of; Trever Miller, lhp.TEXAS (4) -- Milton Bradley, dh; Jason Jennings, rhp; Ramon Vazquez, 3b; Jamey Wright, rhp.TORONTO (4) -- A.J. Burnett, rhp; John Parrish, lhp; Brad Wilkerson, of; Gregg Zaun, c.NATIONAL LEAGUEARIZONA (7) -- Tony Clark, 1b; Juan Cruz, rhp; Adam Dunn, of; David Eckstein, ss; Orlando Hudson, 2b; Randy Johnson, lhp; Brandon Lyon, rhp.ATLANTA (8) -- Elmer Dessens, rhp; Tom Glavine, lhp; Mike Hampton, lhp; Jorge Julio, rhp; Greg Norton, of; Will Ohman, lhp; John Smoltz, rhp; Julian Tavarez, rhp.CHICAGO (8) -- Henry Blanco, c; Ryan Dempster, rhp; Jim Edmonds, of; Chad Fox, rhp; Bob Howry, rhp; Jon Lieber, rhp; Daryle Ward, 1b; Kerry Wood, rhp.CINCINNATI (9) -- Jeremy Affeldt, lhp; Paul Bako, c; Josh Fogg, rhp; Jerry Hairston Jr., of; Mike Lincoln, rhp; Kent Mercker, lhp; Corey Patterson, of; Javier Valentin, c; David Weathers, rhp.COLORADO (6) -- Brian Fuentes, lhp; Matt Herges, rhp; Livan Hernandez, rhp; Adam Melhuse, c; Scott Podsednik, of; Glendon Rusch, lhp.FLORIDA (4) -- Luis Gonzalez, of; Mark Hendrickson, lhp; Paul Lo Duca, c; Arthur Rhodes, lhp,HOUSTON (4) -- Brad Ausmus, c; Doug Brocail, rhp; Mark Loretta, 2b; Randy Wolf, lhp.LOS ANGELES (14) -- Joe Beimel, lhp; Gary Bennett, c; Casey Blake, 3b; Rafael Furcal, ss; Nomar Garciaparra, ss; Jason Johnson, rhp; Jeff Kent, 2b; Derek Lowe, rhp; Greg Maddux, rhp; Pablo Ozuna; Chan Ho Park, rhp; Brad Penny, rhp; Manny Ramirez, of; Mark Sweeney, 1b.MILWAUKEE (10) -- Russell Branyan, 3b; Craig Counsell, 3b; Ray Durham, 2b; Eric Gagne, rhp; Gabe Kapler, of; Mike Lamb, 3b; Guillermo Mota, rhp; CC Sabathia, lhp; Ben Sheets, rhp; Brian Shouse, lhp.NEW YORK (11) -- Moises Alou, of; Tony Armas Jr., rhp; Luis Ayala, rhp; Damion Easley, 2b; Orlando Hernandez, rhp; Pedro Martinez, rhp; Ramon Martinez, 2b; Trot Nixon, of; Oliver Perez, lhp; Ricardo Rincon, lhp; Matt Wise, rhp.PHILADELPHIA (4) -- Pat Burrell, of; Tom Gordon, rhp; Jamie Moyer, lhp; Rudy Seanez, rhp.PITTSBURGH (4) -- Chris Gomez, 3b; Jason Michaels, of; Doug Mientkiewicz, 1b; Luis Rivas, ss..ST. LOUIS (8) -- Juan Encarnacion, of; Jason Isringhausen, rhp; Cesar Izturis, ss; Braden Looper, rhp; Felipe Lopez, 2b; Mark Mulder, lhp; Russ Springer, rhp; Ron Villone, lhp.SAN DIEGO (2) -- Trevor Hoffman, rhp; Mark Prior, rhp.SAN FRANCISCO (2) -- Rich Aurilia, 1b; Omar Vizquel, ss.WASHINGTON (2) -- Aaron Boone, 1b; Odalis Perez, lhp. lhpSource: MLBPA Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus, and is available as a freelance writer.Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.Don't forget to register and log in on The Biz of Baseball site to get updates via your in-box, and see information only logged in members can see.

Cheap Alternatives Part Two: First Base

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 01:50:23 -0500

With Jason Giambi's time in pinstripes likely over, the Yankees will be in need of a new first baseman. Although the Yankees would like to go out and throw all of the money that they would like at Mark Teixeira, they are hoping to reduce payroll somewhat and with the biggest need for the Yankees being starting pitching, they are more likely to throw that money at CC Sabathia and co. Here's a look at other first basemen (or possible first basemen) on the free agent market. First Basemen: Casey Blake- Blake has been an above average player year after year. Blake could also play in the outfield, should the Yankees opt to have a platoon including the currently hot Juan Miranda. Joe Crede- Crede is currently a third baseman. Could some extra cash from the Yankees persuade him to make a shift across the infield? Mark Kotsay- Although Kotsay's numbers have dropped since joining the American League, he could possibly platoon with Miranda. Kotsay could also play in the outfield, where is fielding percentage is not atrocious. Eric Hinske- Hinske is an above-average hitter when it comes to power. However, his fielding percentage, like Mark Kotsay, is not great, which is what the Yankees are really after. Hinske is not a starting first baseman, but could platoon at the position, as well as be a utility player. Kevin Millar- Millar somehow managed to hit 20 homeruns desite the fact that he had an average of only .234. His fielding percentage at first base is much better than the other cost-friendly options, but at 37 his numbers would likely start to decline soon, making him yet another DH. Sean Casey- Casey had a strong .322 average in his 69 games in Boston this year. His fielding percentage is not great, but is superior to many other options. He could also platoon at first base. Ramon Vazquez- After having his best year since 2002 with a .290 average, six home runs, and 40 RBIs, Vazquez will likely return to his usual .220 average, two home runs, and 20 RBIs. Although he has a lifetime fielding percentage at first base is 1.000, he has only played three games at the position. Vazquez would not be a good acquisition for the Yankees. Brad Wilkerson- After having many good seasons for Montreal, Washington, and Texas, Wilkerson's numbers seemed to drop off in 2008 after hitting just .220 with four home runs and 28 RBIs. Wilkerson also has a strong .993 lifetime fielding percentage at first base. However, the Yankees are not looking to retain a player based on past performance. Aaron Boone- Despite the fact that Boone gave Yankees' fans one of the greatest moments in postseason history, siging him would completely go against the desired youth movement. Richie Sexson- The Yankees already tried this in the 2008 season. In case you missed it, it did not work one bit.

Weekly Poll: What Player Should the Mariners Go After?

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:10:39 -0500

Every Monday morning SeaTown Sports will have a weekly poll introduced. The poll will run through the week and will be placed on our sidebar so it is easily accessible.

Ken Griffey Jr. CF- I'm hoping the Mariners sign him, he'd be an adequate replacement for Ibanez and he would bring a lot of fans to Safeco....including me

Billy Butler 1B/DH- I'm against the notion of trading for Butler. He is in the bottom tier of DH's. Granted, he's not as bad as Jose Vidro, but still bad overall...

Jason Donald 2B/SS- Yes, Yes, Yes. A trade for Donald would be a great move, a middle infielder would allow for future versatility in what positions Lopez and Betancourt would play in the future...

Joe Crede 3B- I'm hoping the Mariners keep Beltre, but I doubt he'll be in an M's uniform by the end of next season. Crede would be an adequate replacement, he's average at best.

Brad Nelson OF- Too old.

Josh Willingham OF- No. Injured goods = bad. Sounds like Brad Wilkerson all over again!

Jeremy Affeldt RP- These are the kinds of moves the M's need to make. Patching small holes with solid players is what needs to get done, not necessarily signing or trading for an All-Star.

Jason Giambi 1B/DH- Sure he took steroids.. but he's an above-average hitter that would be a HUMONGOUS upgrade from Richie Vidro..

Lyle Overbay 1B- What's the point on taking chances on declining veterans?

Garret Anderson OF- Too old.

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The Breakdown: Contract Riders...

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:51:44 -0500

Now we all know the story of the so called rock 'n' rolla whom has demanded only brown M & M's. And of course that's true. But didja know that ballplayers have their own wacky demands? IT'S TRUE!

Because I typed it in all caps. So shall we look at the facts? Yes. Let's look at the facts.

Catchers
Br... ...

The Mets have a left fielder.....

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:30:12 -0500

Maybe I've been looking at this all wrong, expecting Omar and the Wilpon's to go out spending like drunken sailors to fill every perceived hole on the club. But could it be that this team will significantly improve with basically the same positional roster it started last year with, after all they were the second best offense in the National league. But after two disappointing seasons how could that be ?

Because this team never truly played any stretch of the season as a whole. When Church and Pagan were on fire, Tatis wasn't even with the club and Delgado was hitting .200. By the time Tatis arrived and Delgado got hot the other two were gone. And just forget about Alou who never contributed at all but his numbers for most of the year were replaced by Tatis.

Angel Pagan is an absolutely forgotten man when it comes to discussing the Mets plans for left field next year. The guy didn't dog it, he was injured diving into the stands giving everything he's got for the team. His hottest streak came when his former manager was discounting his production and minimzing his abilities.

You are going to be hard pressed to find a 26 y/o switch hitter with the speed to be a base stealing threat, who has decent range in the outfield and a solid arm, in a trade or from free agency. In fact maybe Angel Pagan is our best bet in Left field and we already have him for three more years.....

Last year in 31 games he hit .275 with a Slg. pct. .374, an OBP .346 and .275 with RISP ( .333 in Mar and Apr). He won a spot on the team in spring training by hitting almost .400 for the entire time at Port St. Lucie.

As a switch hitter most scouts say he looks better from the left side but he says he's more comfortable from the right. This tells me that as he matures as a switch hitter he'll only get better. In fact each year his BA has improved and the same could be said for his Slg. pct. except for the small pool from last year.....

2006- BA .247, Slg. .394 in 77 gms.

2007- BA .264, Slg. .439 in 71 gms.

2008- BA .275, Slg. .374 in 31 gms.

Pagan is a fiery competitor with youthful enthusiam who was considered a good clubhouse presence. He was initially a Met farm hand and it appears that being shuffled back and forth between the Cubs and Mets has given him something to prove. But with a healthy Pagan and Church to go along with Beltran we could have a very good outfield, Tatis could be the power off the bench and Endy the defensive replacement. Add in a versatile guy like Murphy while signing a Willie Bloomquist and you have a stellar positional player roster. They could still explore a Delgado trade with Dunn replacing him at first, as I mentioned yesterday if they find the right deal. If Pagan is in the mix they have a long term youth movement in the outfield with F-Mart on his way either mid-season this year of next.

In fact in Jerry Manuel's small ball, Keep the line moving offense, Pagan might be the best available player. I'm not considering Manny in this discussion, of course he blows away all others offensively what the Mets need to consider with him is the cost and the impact on the clubhouse. The most mentioned player has been Juan Rivera who is a right handed batter, four years older and coming off an year with a .246 BA in only 89 gms. Another is Casey Blake is 35 y/o and only hitting .264 lifetime. Here's a list of the most mentioned left field candidates along with their age and free agency type......

Bobby Abreu-(35) Type A
Garrett Anderson- (37) Type B
Casey Blake-(35) Type B
Milton Bradley- (31) Type A
Emil Brown-(34)
Pat Burrell-(32) Type A
Ken Griffey Jr.-(39) Type B
Raul Ibanez-(37) Type A
Gabe Kapler-(33)
Kevin Mench-(31)
Corey Patterson-(29)
Jay Payton-(36)
Juan Rivera-(30)
Brad Wilkerson-(32)

Taking a look at the 2009 Free Agent Market..

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 20:34:49 -0500

Here is the complete list from MLBTRADERUMORS.COM :

Catchers
Brad Ausmus (40)
Paul Bako (37)
Rod Barajas (33) - $2.5MM club option for '09 with a $0.5MM buyout
Josh Bard (31)
Michael Barrett (32)
Henry Blanco (37) - $3MM mutual option for '09 with a $0.3MM buyout
Johnny Estrada (33)
Toby Hall (33) - $2.25MM club option for '09 with a $0.15MM buyout
Jason LaRue (35)
Paul Lo Duca (37)
Miguel Olivo (30) - $2.7MM mutual option for '09 with a $0.1MM buyout
Ivan Rodriguez (37)
David Ross (32)
Javier Valentin (33)
Jason Varitek (37)
Gregg Zaun (38)
First basemen
Rich Aurilia (37)
Hank Blalock (28) - $6.2MM club option for '09 with a $0.25MM buyout
Sean Casey (34)
Tony Clark (37)
Carlos Delgado (37) - $12MM club option for '09 with a $4MM buyout
Nomar Garciaparra (35)
Jason Giambi (38) - $22MM club option for '09 with a $5MM buyout
Eric Hinske (31)
Doug Mientkiewicz (35)
Kevin Millar (37)
Richie Sexson (34)
Mark Teixeira (29)
Daryle Ward (34)
Second basemen
Willie Bloomquist (31)
Jamey Carroll (35) - $2.5MM club option for '09 with a $0.15MM buyout
Craig Counsell (38)
Ray Durham (37)
Damion Easley (39)
David Eckstein (34)
Mark Ellis (32)
Mark Grudzielanek (39)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (33)
Orlando Hudson (31)
Tadahito Iguchi (34)
Jeff Kent (41)
Felipe Lopez (29)
Mark Loretta (37)
Nick Punto (31)
Shortstops
Willie Bloomquist (31)
Orlando Cabrera (34)
Alex Cintron (30)
Alex Cora (33)
Craig Counsell (38)
David Eckstein (34)
Adam Everett (32)
Rafael Furcal (31)
Nomar Garciaparra (35)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (33)
Cesar Izturis (29)
Felipe Lopez (29)
Edgar Renteria (33)
Juan Uribe (30)
Ramon Vazquez (32)
Omar Vizquel (42) - $5.2MM club option for '09 with a $0.3MM buyout
Third basemen
Rich Aurilia (37)
Casey Blake (35)
Hank Blalock (28) - $6.2MM club option for '09 with a $0.25MM buyout
Willie Bloomquist (31)
Aaron Boone (36)
Russell Branyan (33)
Craig Counsell (38)
Joe Crede (31)
Nomar Garciaparra (35)
Mark Loretta (37)
Fernando Tatis (34)
Ramon Vazquez (32)
Left fielders
Moises Alou (42)
Garret Anderson (37) - $14MM club option for '09 with a $3MM buyout
Milton Bradley (31)
Emil Brown (34)
Pat Burrell (32)
Carl Crawford (27) - $8.25MM club option for '09 with a $2.5MM buyout
Adam Dunn (29)
Cliff Floyd (36) - $2.75MM club option for '09 with a $0.25MM buyout
Luis Gonzalez (41)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (33)
Raul Ibanez (37)
Gabe Kapler (33)
Kevin Mench (31)
Jason Michaels (33) - $2.6MM club option for '09
Craig Monroe (32)
Greg Norton (36)
Jay Payton (36)
Wily Mo Pena (27) - $5MM club option or $2MM player option for '09
Manny Ramirez (37)
Juan Rivera (30)
Fernando Tatis (34)
Center fielders
Rocco Baldelli (27)
Willie Bloomquist (31)
Mike Cameron (36) - $10MM club option for '09 with a $750K buyout
Jim Edmonds (39)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (33)
Gabe Kapler (33)
Mark Kotsay (33)
Corey Patterson (29)
Scott Podsednik (33)
Right fielders
Bobby Abreu (35)
Casey Blake (35)
Cliff Floyd (36) - $2.75MM club option for '09 with a $0.25MM buyout
Brian Giles (38) - $9MM club option for '09 with a $3MM buyout
Ken Griffey Jr. (39) - $16.5MM club option for '09 with a $4MM buyout
Vladimir Guerrero (33) - $15MM club option for '09 with a $3MM buyout
Gabe Kapler (33)
Jason Michaels (33) - $2.6MM club option for '09
Fernando Tatis (34)
Brad Wilkerson (32)
DHs
Milton Bradley (31)
Pat Burrell (32)
Adam Dunn (29)
Cliff Floyd (36) - $2.75MM club option for '09 with a $0.25MM buyout
Jason Giambi (38) - $22MM club option for '09 with $5MM buyout
Vladimir Guerrero (33) - $15MM club option for '09 with a $3MM buyout
Raul Ibanez (37)
Manny Ramirez (37)
Juan Rivera (30)
Mike Sweeney (35)
Frank Thomas (41)
Jose Vidro (34)
Starting pitchers
Kris Benson (33)
A.J. Burnett (32) - can opt out after '08 season
Paul Byrd (38)
Roger Clemens (46)
Matt Clement (33)
Bartolo Colon (36)
Ryan Dempster (32)
Shawn Estes (36)
Josh Fogg (32)
Freddy Garcia (33)
Jon Garland (29)
Tom Glavine (43)
Mike Hampton (36)
Mark Hendrickson (35)
Livan Hernandez (34)
Orlando Hernandez (43)
Jason Jennings (30)
Randy Johnson (45)
John Lackey (30) - $9MM club option for '09 with a $0.5MM buyout
Jon Lieber (39)
Braden Looper (34)
Rodrigo Lopez (33) - club option for '09
Derek Lowe (36)
Greg Maddux (43)
Pedro Martinez (37)
Sergio Mitre (28)
Jamie Moyer (46)
Mark Mulder (31) - $11MM club option for '09 with a $1.5MM buyout
Mike Mussina (40)
Carl Pavano (33) - $13MM club option for '09 with a $1.95MM buyout
Brad Penny (31) - $8.75MM club option for '09 with a $2MM buyout
Odalis Perez (32)
Oliver Perez (27)
Andy Pettitte (37)
Sidney Ponson (32)
Mark Prior (27)
Kenny Rogers (44)
Glendon Rusch (34)
C.C. Sabathia (28)
Curt Schilling (42)
Ben Sheets (30)
John Smoltz (42)
Tim Wakefield (42) - perpetual $4MM club option
Kip Wells (32)
Randy Wolf (32)
Closers
Brian Fuentes (33)
Eric Gagne (33)
Eddie Guardado (38)
Trevor Hoffman (41)
Jason Isringhausen (36)
Brandon Lyon (29)
Francisco Rodriguez (27)
Salomon Torres (37) - $3.75MM club option for '09 with a $0.3MM buyout
Kerry Wood (32)
Middle relievers
Jeremy Affeldt (30)
Luis Ayala (31)
Joe Beimel (32)
Joe Borowski (38)
Doug Brocail (42)
Shawn Chacon (31)
Juan Cruz (30)
Alan Embree (39) - $3MM club option for '09
Scott Eyre (37)
Kyle Farnsworth (33)
Casey Fossum (31)
Keith Foulke (35)
Tom Gordon (41) - $4.5MM club option for '09 with a $1MM buyout
LaTroy Hawkins (36)
Mark Hendrickson (35)
Matt Herges (39)
Bob Howry (35)
Jon Lieber (39)
Jason Johnson (35)
Damaso Marte (34) - $6MM club option for '09 with a $0.25MM buyout
Trever Miller (36) - $2MM club option for '09 with a $0.4MM buyout
Guillermo Mota (35)
Will Ohman (31)
Darren Oliver (38)
Chan Ho Park (36)
Horacio Ramirez (29)
Al Reyes (38)
Dennys Reyes (32)
Arthur Rhodes (39)
Juan Rincon (30)
Glendon Rusch (34)
Rudy Seanez (40)
Brian Shouse (40)
Russ Springer (40)
Mike Timlin (43)
Ron Villone (39)
David Weathers (39)
Kip Wells (32)
Matt Wise (33)
Jamey Wright (34)

Thanks to Tim Dierkes for Compiling this list...

Failure: The 2008 Mariners' Opening Day Lineup

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:31:11 -0500

Now that the season is over (not that it hasn't been for the past 2 months), it's appropriate to start looking forward to the 2009 MLB season for the Seattle Mariners.

For the first part of the season recap, we'll take a look at the opening day lineup along with analysis on the Opening day starters and their offensive and defensive performances this season.

Opening Day Roster: (2008 AVG/OBP/SLG)

CF-Ichiro (.310/.360/.385)

2B-Jose Lopez (.297/.322/.443)

LF-Raul Ibanez (.297/.362/.485)

~~1B-Richie Sexson (.218/.315/.381)~~ FAIL

3B-Adrian Beltre (.266/.327/.457)

~~RF-Brad Wilkerson (.232/.348/.304) ~~What a Joke~~~~

~~DH-Jose Vidro (.234/.274/.338) ~~FAIL~~~~

~~C-Kenji Johjima (.223/.272/.322) The epitome of underachieving~~

~~SS-Yuniesky Betancourt (.274/.293/.382) BAD DEFENSE~~

Analysis:
When looking at this opening day lineup it's hard to believe that some thought it would be able to compete for a playoff position (including me)..There was really no established power going into this season, along with that, everyone was mediocre going into this season except for the first three hitters.

Ichiro's move to right field in the middle of the season was the right move. Jeremy Reed playing center field is much more valuable to the Mariner outfield defense. Along with Reed's defense at center, Ichiro back at right field is the perfect home for his cannonball arm.

Jose Lopez at first base? Not a good long-term solution. Offense is hard to find at 2nd base. Although his defense is suspect, Jose Lopez is one of the best offensive 2nd baseman in the American League. Moving him to 1st base moves the Mariners' 1st base position below or at average in the American League.

Raul Ibanez is likely gone after this season. He improved his numbers from last year, but his defense at left field killed this team. Richie Sexson's comeback attempt failed miserably. Once he started making contact, he lost all meaning of the word power. The whole reason he came to Seattle was to bring punch to the lineup, not to be a semi-threat against left-handed pitching.

Adrian Beltre is being praised all around by the sabermetric community for being underrated. I agree with them, his defense and his bat (unlucky) have been a valuable asset to this baseball team.

Can you believe Brad Wilkerson was our starting right fielder? That is simply unbelievable. He's terrible. I don't want to go on a rant about Jose Vidro. All I got to say is he will go down as one the worst Mariners of all-time. He provided no power at all at the DH position, and couldn't even hit for average.

Kenji Johjima had a tough season this year, he's been receiving a lot of criticism from fans for being signed to big bucks but not performing up to par. Finally, Yuniesky Betancourt. Yuni's defense reached an all-time low this year, he had a down year offensively.

What it all boils down to is that there were only four players this year from the opening day roster that performed up to their expectations. Even with that, Ichiro had a "down" year, Jose Lopez' defense hurt this team at the 2nd base position, Raul Ibanez was one of the worst defenders in the American League, and Adrian Beltre had one of the most unluckiest seasons ever (considering his offensive production).

Everyone else just plain sucked.

Who do you think was worst? Jose Vidro or Richie Sexson?

Coming Soon: Recapping the 2008 Offensive Depth Chart...

Photo Source [Flickr]

Giambi to Jays?

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 21:52:57 -0500

Several days ago, ex-Jay and current Jays broadcaster Rance Mulliniks said that Jason Giambi might be willing to sign with the Jays as the permanent DH and speculated that it might cost the Jays around 12-15 million dollars a season over a course of a 2-4 year contract. Giambi, who will be 38 by next season, is hitting .251 with 30 Home Runs and 92 RBI's. A signing like this would likely prove costly considering Giambi's age and declining production(his OBP has gone from a .440 in 2003 to a .377 in 2008 and his average has hit .270 once in the last 6 seasons). A cheaper option for the Jays may be to re-sign current back up outfielder Brad Wilkerson or re-sign current pinch hitter/spot starter Kevin Mench to an incentive laden deal with a base salary of around 750K. Both Mench and Wilkerson have shown they have Home Run pop in the past(Wilkerson has hit 20+ Homers 3 times in his career while Mench has done it twice before) but neither has been able to make quality or consistent contact over the last few seasons. Another cheap option would be to sign current Free Agent Richie Sexson to a 1 year incentive laden deal and have Jays hitting coach Gene Tenace work with him on his swing. One other option would be to use a rotating tendem between Left Field and DH using Adam Lind and Travis Snider.

Posted by Will M.

Giambi to Jays?

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 09:32:02 -0500

Posted by Will M.

Athletics lose again - need to find answers soon

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:59:33 -0500

Something has gotta' give, right? The A's can't remain as icy cold as they have since the end of the All Star break could they? When they've gotten stellar performances from their pitching, they've still managed to be outscored by the opposing team. When they've gotten some hitting, the opposition seems to have outpitched the A's pitchers. On a day when the Oakland Athletics ace, Justin Duchscherer, was pitching, you'd expect the latter wouldn't be the case in a loss, but on Thursday night it was....

Seven unlucky for hapless A's: Eric Chavez gone for season

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 22:27:00 -0500

Monday was not a good day for the A's. Sitting on a six game losing streak and unable to find a way since the All Star break to put a few wins together, they found out that their singular franchise player, Eric Chavez, will need season ending...

Bradley Debate Deepens As Rangers Knock Off Nationals, 5-3

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:04:04 -0500

The Texas Rangers' heartening road series victory in Washington, D.C. is underscored by the increasingly troubling absence of outfielder Milton Bradley, whose strained left quadriceps muscle continues to raise questions regarding his long-term future in Texas.

Any More Moves for the M's?

Thu, 01 May 2008 21:07:50 -0500

A look at what to expect from Jeff Clement and Wlad Balentien, how difficult it would be to get Richie Sexson out of the lineup, and trade options for the Mariners.

Rangers Top Royals In 11-9 Slugfest

Thu, 01 May 2008 17:49:45 -0500

The amazing Josh Hamilton; why the Texas Rangers' hiring of Dale Petroskey throws up red warning flags; Joaquin Benoit falls on hard times.