Post by: pravata on September 15, 2006, 11:40:09 am
Buyer beware: Lee has hit only eight homers for the Rangers since the All-Star break and some Texas officials reportedly believe it's because he's badly out of shape.
The Link
Anybody watched this guy lately?
Post by: mihoba on September 15, 2006, 11:54:40 am
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Lee has hit only eight homers for the Rangers since the All-Star break and some Texas officials reportedly believe it's because he's badly out of shape.
That must also be the reason he has hit for 50 points higher in batting average with the Rangers, too.
Post by: David in Jackson on September 15, 2006, 03:06:43 pm
The Link
Post by: S.P. Rodriguez on September 15, 2006, 03:30:28 pm
Post by: pravata on September 15, 2006, 03:36:22 pm
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The first thing that jumps out at me is that he hits lhp and rhp almost equally well.
"hezzt?" "hissza?" "heeeets?" wha-tha-whonow?
Post by: S.P. Rodriguez on September 15, 2006, 03:40:36 pm
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The first thing that jumps out at me is that he hits lhp and rhp almost equally well.
"hezzt?" "hissza?" "heeeets?" wha-tha-whonow?
Yeah, imagine having a player a manager can keep in the lineup every day! Can you think of any team with hitters like that? I bet they are hard to come by.
Post by: ValpoCory on September 15, 2006, 07:35:14 pm
Post by: mihoba on September 18, 2006, 09:54:33 am
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The fact that he batted .545 with a 2.006 OPS at MMPUS this year might help him.
Most of the damage was home runs against Astacio, Buchholz, and Lidge on April 17th and 18th. The Brewers lost both games.
I still rather have Soriano, given the choice.
Post by: CDastros on September 18, 2006, 10:30:03 am
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The fact that he batted .545 with a 2.006 OPS at MMPUS this year might help him.
Most of the damage was home runs against Astacio, Buchholz, and Lidge on April 17th and 18th. The Brewers lost both games.
I still rather have Soriano, given the choice.
Carlos Lee over his carreer has done a better job hitting with runners in scoring position than Soriano. Beggers cant be chosers so if I were the Astros, I would offer a fat contract to both, and whoever is the first to sign will get the contract.
Post by: toddthebod on September 18, 2006, 10:48:20 am
I think that Luke Scott deserves a chance to start every day next season. I think that the same can be said for Wily Taveras. So that's two outfield spots. And I wouldn't mind seeing the Astros give the third spot in the outfield to either Hunter Pence or Josh Anderson before the Astros go and spend a bizzilion dollars on a free agent, locking out those players. And if the Astros didn't want to start one of their two AA outfielders next season, I wouldn't mind seeing Berkman back in the outfield and giving the 1st base job to J.R. House who will hit.
The Astros need a thirdbaseman and a secondbaseman who can hit. The problem is that Biggio is going to take up a lot of at bats next season at second (so you aren't going to spend free agent money there) and there aren't really any top notch free agent thirdbasemen this year.
I think that next season is a transition season for the Astros. If I were the team, I would not spend any real money on free agents, including Clemens, Pettitte or Huff. I would see if there are a couple of quality starters middle relievers out of Hirsch/Patton/Albers/Nieve/Buchholtz/Astacio/Rodriguez and look to spend money in 2008.
Post by: mihoba on September 18, 2006, 11:01:44 am
Would Pettitte sign for a reduced amount for a couple more years? I still like Gil Meche, otherwise give the young guys a shot.
Post by: Greg D on September 18, 2006, 11:14:20 am
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And I wouldn't mind seeing the Astros give the third spot in the outfield to either Hunter Pence or Josh Anderson before the Astros go and spend a bizzilion dollars on a free agent, locking out those players.
Josh Anderson???? You pullin' my leg, right? At best he's a 4th OF.
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And if the Astros didn't want to start one of their two AA outfielders next season, I wouldn't mind seeing Berkman back in the outfield and giving the 1st base job to J.R. House who will hit.
Re-sign Lamb and use both he and House in a 1B platoon. I'd still sign Lee, though. Use Scott as a trading chip. If Pence is ready at mid-season next year, you could bring him up and move Berkman back to first.
Quote:
I think that next season is a transition season for the Astros. If I were the team, I would not spend any real money on free agents, including Clemens, Pettitte or Huff. I would see if there are a couple of quality starters middle relievers out of Hirsch/Patton/Albers/Nieve/Buchholtz/Astacio/Rodriguez and look to spend money in 2008.
The only question about his, though, is who's likely to be available in 2008 that's an appreciable upgrade over Lee & Soriano.
Post by: WulawHorn on September 18, 2006, 11:22:58 am
Post by: pravata on September 18, 2006, 11:23:41 am
Why don't the Astros take a break for the next two or three years and rebuild the team and the farm system?
You might be OK with not seeing the Astros in the playoffs, but Astros owner Drayton McLane would not. ... He's a win-now type of owner, and the Astros are not in rebuilding mode as much as they're focused on re-tooling.
The Link
I believe she is correct. As much advice as the Astros are likely to get about next years roster, (let the kids play, they must resign Biggio, etc) or even next years marketing, (remove signs, reduce decibels, elect a demicraaattt!) they're as likely to field a bunch of rookies as they are to get rid of that Rainforest Cafe monkey scaring 2 year olds behind the Crawford Boxes.
Post by: S.P. Rodriguez on September 18, 2006, 11:24:08 am
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The only problem that I have with getting Carlos Lee is that it seems to me that the outfield isn't the Astros biggest problem from an offensive standpoint.
I think that Luke Scott deserves a chance to start every day next season. I think that the same can be said for Wily Taveras. So that's two outfield spots. And I wouldn't mind seeing the Astros give the third spot in the outfield to either Hunter Pence or Josh Anderson before the Astros go and spend a bizzilion dollars on a free agent, locking out those players. And if the Astros didn't want to start one of their two AA outfielders next season, I wouldn't mind seeing Berkman back in the outfield and giving the 1st base job to J.R. House who will hit.
The Astros need a thirdbaseman and a secondbaseman who can hit. The problem is that Biggio is going to take up a lot of at bats next season at second (so you aren't going to spend free agent money there) and there aren't really any top notch free agent thirdbasemen this year.
I think that next season is a transition season for the Astros. If I were the team, I would not spend any real money on free agents, including Clemens, Pettitte or Huff. I would see if there are a couple of quality starters middle relievers out of Hirsch/Patton/Albers/Nieve/Buchholtz/Astacio/Rodriguez and look to spend money in 2008.
The only problem with your theory is McLane is vocally opposed to it. If I read your statements correctly, you are referring to a "rebuilding" year(s). McLane wants to be back in contention ASAP.
Also, I simply cannot agree with some of your statements. Scott does deserve a shot in ST next year but keep in mind, he's 28 and finally hitting in the majors. He hasn't been seen by enough pitchers to establish a book on him, so don't expect him to continue hitting in the high .300's.
I don't share your view of Willy. This was a wash year, in my opinion. He didn't regress but I'm hard pressed to see where he developed. RF needs help, ASAP. If that means Berkman, so be it. I think the only reason that didn't work this year is that Berkman's leg is still gimpy. And last, if Anderson or Pence were ready, do you think Houston would be holding them back? They may get a shot in ST but references to Pence is beginning to raise him to the level of "Mud 'n Blood Messiah" levels. The guy is in AA. That's a long way from the majors.
A platoon of Lamb and House at 1B sounds reasonable to me. Maybe even a rotation of Lamb, Huff (and yes, I'd sign him if he can be had for a reasonable amount), and House between 1b and 3b. Huff should never ever set foot in RF again.
I completely agree with going after Carlos Lee. The man flat out hits. He's a LF and defense is not going to be a factor in that decision. If Scott can play CF, he may have a shot but it looks like he may be getting squeezed out. If not, he's trade bait. For that matter, I'd dangle several players around the league and see what I could get.
Lidge (No, I don't think he's broken but he is damanged goods. If the market stinks, hold onto him.)
Ensberg
Taveras
Scott
If Houston can get a good pitcher for 3 players out of that group and sign Lee in the offseason, I think the team will be better off. And while I think Lane has exhausted his opportunities, he does look like a pretty good PH/4th OF type.
In theory, this is my lineup:
Biggio/Burke
Scott
Berkman
Lee
Huff/House/Lamb
Huff/House/Lamb
Everett
Ausmus
And should Carlos Guillen want to reconnect with the club that traded him, I'd consider it and shop Everett. You are losing alot on defense, as you would with any replacement for Everett at SS. However, I think Everett's potential at the plate is established. He's not going to give you much offensively. Meanwhile, this team is in dire need of a top of the order hitter and Guillen would fill in nicely there.
If anyone who's watched Guillen can offer an opinion, I'd love to hear it. I've only seen a few games but he seems solid, if unspectacular, defensively.
Now back to reality...
Post by: toddthebod on September 18, 2006, 11:24:29 am
Does Scott have trade value that is greater than his potential value as a starting outfielder for the Astros?
I wouldn't sign Pettitte or Clemens next season. Which means that I don't think that the Astros have the starting pitching to win next year. In light of that fact, I wouldn't spend the money on free agents.
I have not analyzed who might be available in 2008.
Post by: mihoba on September 18, 2006, 11:27:22 am
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Adam Dunn? Is he available (it seems about right service time wise) and is he an upgrade (maybe though I'm not absolutely sure about that).
After watching Dunn closly this year in the games he played against the Astros, my opinion of him has dropped. He is ungodly slow, on the bases and in left field. And age will not help. No thanks.
Post by: Froback on September 18, 2006, 11:31:34 am
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The only question about his, though, is who's likely to be available in 2008 that's an appreciable upgrade over Lee & Soriano.
Quick list, judge for yourself the chances to land said person...
Vernon Wells
Ichiro Suzuki
Mark Teixeira
Jermaine Dye
Tad Iguchi
Mike Cameron
Dunn (if team option of $13 Mil is not picked up)
Post by: pravata on September 18, 2006, 11:35:55 am
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... I don't share your view of Willy. This was a wash year, in my opinion. He didn't regress but I'm hard pressed to see where he developed. ...And should Carlos Guillen want to reconnect with the club that traded him, I'd consider it and shop Everett. You are losing alot on defense, ...
Taveras is playing spectacular defense lately. An improvement not only from last season but from earlier this season as well. As for a hitting shortstop, it wouldn't be a disaster in itself, but they'd need someone other than Huff at 3rd. His range at 3d is only slightly better than his range in right. Everett at short covers a lot of holes.
Post by: Bench on September 18, 2006, 11:37:47 am
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The only question about his, though, is who's likely to be available in 2008 that's an appreciable upgrade over Lee & Soriano.
Quick list, judge for yourself the chances to land said person...
Vernon Wells
Ichiro Suzuki
Mark Teixeira
Jermaine Dye
Tad Iguchi
Mike Cameron
Dunn (if team option of $13 Mil is not picked up)
Vernon Wells - Better than most of the people you mention.
Ichiro - Snowball's chance in hell
Teixeira - Highly doubt he's going anyway
Dye - I bet the White Sox lock him up this winter
Iguchi - I can't even hazard a guess
Cameron - There's always a chance to sign this guy
Dunn - My hunch is he'll be traded next year, so yeah, there's a chance.
Edited to add: All that, of course, was based on little more than me standing up and seeing what was left on my chair.
Post by: Bench on September 18, 2006, 11:41:38 am
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... I don't share your view of Willy. This was a wash year, in my opinion. He didn't regress but I'm hard pressed to see where he developed. ...And should Carlos Guillen want to reconnect with the club that traded him, I'd consider it and shop Everett. You are losing alot on defense, ...
Taveras is playing spectacular defense lately. An improvement not only from last season but from earlier this season as well. As for a hitting shortstop, it wouldn't be a disaster in itself, but they'd need someone other than Huff at 3rd. His range at 3d is only slightly better than his range in right. Everett at short covers a lot of holes.
Taveras' defense has been tremendous, especially after he was benched. Also, I think he's improved over the course of the season offensively. He sprays the ball around a lot better than he did last year. However, while I think he has progressed, I don't think he progressed as much as I had hoped he would. But I still wouldn't call it a wash.
Post by: mihoba on September 18, 2006, 11:42:41 am
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Taveras is playing spectacular defense lately. An improvement not only from last season but from earlier this season as well. As for a hitting shortstop, it wouldn't be a disaster in itself, but they'd need someone other than Huff at 3rd. His range at 3d is only slightly better than his range in right. Everett at short covers a lot of holes.
Taveras in CF, Everett at SS, Ausmus at C definitely has the up the middle D covered.
I have to admit Lee appears to be a perfect fit, if the Astros can indeed sign him.
Post by: S.P. Rodriguez on September 18, 2006, 11:47:07 am
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... I don't share your view of Willy. This was a wash year, in my opinion. He didn't regress but I'm hard pressed to see where he developed. ...And should Carlos Guillen want to reconnect with the club that traded him, I'd consider it and shop Everett. You are losing alot on defense, ...
Taveras is playing spectacular defense lately. An improvement not only from last season but from earlier this season as well. As for a hitting shortstop, it wouldn't be a disaster in itself, but they'd need someone other than Huff at 3rd. His range at 3d is only slightly better than his range in right. Everett at short covers a lot of holes.
Taveras' defense has improved dramatically. However, I'm still thinking about what got him benched. Are you ready to gamble which way he's going to go? Glad it's not my job to make that decision.
You had to go and throw out the 3B defense, didn't you? OK Fine. I didn't consider that impact. Sheesh. This is why I'm not in the top 3%. Thankfully, it's not my job to figure it all out. I think we can see where that would go, and it took all 5 minutes for someone to point it out. I'm back to shutting up...
Post by: pravata on September 18, 2006, 11:51:01 am
Quote:Quote:Quote:
... I don't share your view of Willy. This was a wash year, in my opinion. He didn't regress but I'm hard pressed to see where he developed. ...And should Carlos Guillen want to reconnect with the club that traded him, I'd consider it and shop Everett. You are losing alot on defense, ...
Taveras is playing spectacular defense lately. An improvement not only from last season but from earlier this season as well. As for a hitting shortstop, it wouldn't be a disaster in itself, but they'd need someone other than Huff at 3rd. His range at 3d is only slightly better than his range in right. Everett at short covers a lot of holes.
Taveras' defense has improved dramatically. However, I'm still thinking about what got him benched. Are you ready to gamble which way he's going to go? Glad it's not my job to make that decision.
You had to go and throw out the 3B defense, didn't you? OK Fine. I didn't consider that impact. Sheesh. This is why I'm not in the top 3%. Thankfully, it's not my job to figure it all out. I think we can see where that would go, and it took all 5 minutes for someone to point it out. I'm back to shutting up...
It's like one of little tile games, where you move them around until you get the numbers in order. Moving one affects how you can move the other. With Everett in the middle, you can make a lot of hand waving motions about some other positions. As for Taveras, yes.
Post by: pravata on September 18, 2006, 11:54:00 am
Quote:Quote:
Taveras is playing spectacular defense lately. An improvement not only from last season but from earlier this season as well. As for a hitting shortstop, it wouldn't be a disaster in itself, but they'd need someone other than Huff at 3rd. His range at 3d is only slightly better than his range in right. Everett at short covers a lot of holes.
Taveras in CF, Everett at SS, Ausmus at C definitely has the up the middle D covered.
I have to admit Lee appears to be a perfect fit, if the Astros can indeed sign him.
I agree. And he's on Mclane's radar in a big way. However, he's not the swiftest fielder. I've heard. Put him in right and prepare to judge those who boo his fielding, much like those who booed Huff on Sunday, harshly. He's Aubrey Huff, all of a sudden he's going to get speedy?
Post by: Arky Vaughan on September 18, 2006, 11:56:01 am
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Carlos Lee over his carreer has done a better job hitting with runners in scoring position than Soriano.
So is this any ability or an occurence?
Post by: mihoba on September 18, 2006, 11:58:13 am
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I agree. And he's on Mclane's radar in a big way. However, he's not the swiftest fielder. I've heard. Put him in right and prepare to judge those who boo his fielding, much like those who booed Huff on Sunday, harshly. He's Aubrey Huff, all of a sudden he's going to get speedy?
Huff and range should never be used in the same sentence, unless you are refering to Jenn Air.
Lee has to play left, IMO. Wonder if Soriano could play third...hmmmm.
Post by: austro on September 18, 2006, 12:31:08 pm
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Lee has to play left, IMO. Wonder if Soriano could play third...hmmmm.
Pretend, for a moment, that Soriano doesn't have a steel glove at second base. If you already believe that Biggio is going to platoon at second next year, couldn't Soriano be the other half of that platoon, and play the outfield when Biggio plays second? Or does that much flopping around guarantee that he'll be awful at both positions? Is Soriano's defense at second so bad that it's not worth thinking about anyway?
Post by: CDastros on September 18, 2006, 01:00:45 pm
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Carlos Lee over his carreer has done a better job hitting with runners in scoring position than Soriano.
So is this any ability or an occurence?
Lee has hit .297 with RISP over his carrer while Soriano has hit .254. We all know how much of a problem the Astros have hitting with RISP. That is why I like Lee a little better. Bottom line either bat will help this team a lot. Plus Soriano does things that Lee cant like speed and steals.
Post by: Arky Vaughan on September 18, 2006, 01:34:22 pm
Quote:
Lee has hit .297 with RISP over his carrer while Soriano has hit .254. We all know how much of a problem the Astros have hitting with RISP. That is why I like Lee a little better. Bottom line either bat will help this team a lot. Plus Soriano does things that Lee cant like speed and steals.
This does not answer the question. The question is whether he hits better with runners in scoring position because he has a specific ability to do so, or because that's when he happened to get his hits.
Post by: austro on September 18, 2006, 01:52:56 pm
Quote:
This does not answer the question. The question is whether he hits better with runners in scoring position because he has a specific ability to do so, or because that's when he happened to get his hits.
I'm not exactly sure how one would go about answering that question. His career average ('99-'05) is .284 (1121 for 3946), which isn't wildly different from his RISP average (.297). That makes me inclined to think that he probably hits just about the same whether there are people on or not. He probably doesn't have some special ability to hit better when people are on, but he doesn't get worse, either.
Soriano, on the other hand, has an average over the same period of .280 (912 for 3255). Soriano's difference of .026 is both greater than Lee's and in the wrong direction. This makes me suspect that Soriano changes something in his approach when runners are on. Maybe he starts swinging for the fences? I don't know.
Post by: JaneDoe on September 18, 2006, 01:56:34 pm
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Lee has to play left, IMO. Wonder if Soriano could play third...hmmmm.
Pretend, for a moment, that Soriano doesn't have a steel glove at second base. If you already believe that Biggio is going to platoon at second next year, couldn't Soriano be the other half of that platoon, and play the outfield when Biggio plays second? Or does that much flopping around guarantee that he'll be awful at both positions? Is Soriano's defense at second so bad that it's not worth thinking about anyway?
Next second you'll "pretend" to put Soriano at 2nd and Biggio (or is it Bagwell) at 3rd. ugh.
Post by: austro on September 18, 2006, 02:09:38 pm
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Next second you'll "pretend" to put Soriano at 2nd and Biggio (or is it Bagwell) at 3rd. ugh.
No, I'm trying to figure out if a 2008 with Soriano at second base makes sense. It may not because his defense is so bad. But if it does, you have to figure out something to do with him next year.
Besides, everybody knows that you'd have to use both Bagwell and Biggio to get the ball all the way from 3rd to 1st.
Post by: mihoba on September 18, 2006, 02:33:32 pm
Quote:
No, I'm trying to figure out if a 2008 with Soriano at second base makes sense. It may not because his defense is so bad. But if it does, you have to figure out something to do with him next year.
Did you forget about Biggio's prot?g? Burke?
Post by: CDastros on September 18, 2006, 02:39:57 pm
Quote:Quote:
Lee has hit .297 with RISP over his carrer while Soriano has hit .254. We all know how much of a problem the Astros have hitting with RISP. That is why I like Lee a little better. Bottom line either bat will help this team a lot. Plus Soriano does things that Lee cant like speed and steals.
This does not answer the question. The question is whether he hits better with runners in scoring position because he has a specific ability to do so, or because that's when he happened to get his hits.
Based on Austro's post it looks like that's when he happened to get his hits is the answer. He is not in the same mold as Berkman and Pujols who seem to have an ability to kick it up a notch when runners are in scoring position. If Lee is hitting .280 for the year, then he will probably hit close to the same with RISP. While if Soriano is hitting .280 for the year, then he will probably hit 30 to 40 points lower with RISP.
Post by: austro on September 18, 2006, 02:46:48 pm
Quote:
Did you forget about Biggio's prot?g? Burke?
No, but I'm not assuming he's got the job sewn up either. With Soriano at 2nd, you might be able to use Burke as part of a deal to swing a trade for a position for which there isn't a decent free agent or prospect.
Again, this is assuming that the Astros can stomach Soriano's defense at 2nd, which may not be the case. I'm not convinced that he's even the kind of person they want on the team; his pouting about positions early this season seems like a big warning sign.
Post by: pravata on September 18, 2006, 03:21:29 pm
The Texas Rangers have become increasingly skeptical about the benefit of keeping outfielder Carlos Lee, acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers on July 28.
Lee socked two homers in a rout of Detroit on Wednesday. Before that, he had only four homers in 174 at-bats with the Rangers. And his defense in left has been poor, to say the least.
The Rangers believe Lee, at about 275 pounds, is badly out of shape. He was thrown out twice on the bases Tuesday night, lumbering into easy outs at second base and the plate.
Club officials believe Lee's lack of conditioning has contributed to a second-half brownout for the second consecutive season. He had 20 homers and 73 RBI, with a .563 slugging percentage, at the all-star break. Since then, he had eight homers and 32 RBI, with a .502 slugging percentage, entering the weekend.
It will be interesting to see if Lee gets a deal in free agency as lucrative as the one he turned down from the Brewers before the trade - four years for nearly $50 million. He is believed to be seeking a five-year deal for at least $65 million.
The Rangers think Lee is best-suited for designated hitter duties, a role unlikely to get the financial commitment he is seeking.
The Link
Post by: mihoba on September 18, 2006, 03:38:56 pm
Post by: pravata on September 18, 2006, 03:42:05 pm
Quote:
Here's a pic from yesterday.
Oh, he's flabby... That's ok, maybe they'll talk down his price.
Post by: mihoba on September 18, 2006, 03:44:45 pm
Post by: Arky Vaughan on September 18, 2006, 04:44:26 pm
Quote:
Based on Austro's post it looks like that's when he happened to get his hits is the answer. He is not in the same mold as Berkman and Pujols who seem to have an ability to kick it up a notch when runners are in scoring position. If Lee is hitting .280 for the year, then he will probably hit close to the same with RISP. While if Soriano is hitting .280 for the year, then he will probably hit 30 to 40 points lower with RISP.
Why don't they use their ability to kick it up a notch all the time? Or can it only be used in certain situations?
Post by: Froback on September 18, 2006, 05:26:48 pm
The real thing that you might look for is from a pitching perspective, does the pitcher panic and turn to mush just because they have someone in scoring position, thus making everyone bat better against them cause they become more errattic.
For batters it can be a similar thing, do they press more, thus swinging at more "bad" pitches because they are over anxious to drive in that run, that they are afraid to "waste" their chances. Or they could be the opposite of the spectrum and go too timid waiting for the perfect pitch not wanting to screw it up. Either extreme is bad, and while there are some hitters who simply hit better in the in those situations, typically it will be those who have a normally "good batting eye" thus Berkman is very good at this.
So the fact that Lee bats the same (relatively) with men on as his does any other time, then we can probably conclude he is just very consistent (which is still good to have) but is not particularly selective anytime (re-enforced by his average walk totals).
So I think he is a good hitter, who is at best a LF, at worst a DH type. Given the lack of good hitters on this team (from an RBI perspective) he would be a good addition. This does potentially block Pence, but then Scott is 28 and just now breaking in to the majors. He could either be a late-bloomer, or this is his career year and it is all down hill from here. Having Pence in your back-pocket is a nice thing to have to test that out at the start of next year.
So I expect Lee to be the #1 FA target this offseason, the real question then becomes, who else will they go after? Don't count on Soriano though he wants more lime-light than Houston can provide. Look for him to end up in NY, LA or Chicago. With Chicago being a last option, IMO.
Post by: bubba on September 18, 2006, 07:32:16 pm
You mean like Bradge Lidge?
Post by: Arky Vaughan on September 18, 2006, 08:58:44 pm
Year All RISPI thought the league as a whole would hit better with RISP, but I was wrong.
----------------
2006 .264 .265
2005 .262 .261
2004 .263 .256
2003 .261 .261
2002 .259 .259
Post by: JackAstro on September 19, 2006, 01:50:12 pm
Post by: HPFRic on September 20, 2006, 04:36:26 pm
Quote:
Club officials believe Lee's lack of conditioning has contributed to a second-half brownout for the second consecutive season. He had 20 homers and 73 RBI, with a .563 slugging percentage, at the all-star break. Since then, he had eight homers and 32 RBI, with a .502 slugging percentage, entering the weekend.
i think playing july and august in an outdoor park built for left-handed hitters is at least a small part of the reason for his (slight) decline.
the oppressive north texas heat has long been a reason bandied about when discussing ranger second-half collapses. having lived there for 10 years, I know IT CAN BE a factor.
Post by: homer on September 20, 2006, 05:14:03 pm
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Club officials believe Lee's lack of conditioning has contributed to a second-half brownout for the second consecutive season. He had 20 homers and 73 RBI, with a .563 slugging percentage, at the all-star break. Since then, he had eight homers and 32 RBI, with a .502 slugging percentage, entering the weekend.
i think playing july and august in an outdoor park built for left-handed hitters is at least a small part of the reason for his (slight) decline.
the oppressive north texas heat has long been a reason bandied about when discussing ranger second-half collapses. having lived there for 10 years, I know IT CAN BE a factor.
maybe the heat has caused his talent to diminish.
Post by: Phil_in_CS on September 20, 2006, 05:33:00 pm
Quote:Quote:Quote:
Club officials believe Lee's lack of conditioning has contributed to a second-half brownout for the second consecutive season. He had 20 homers and 73 RBI, with a .563 slugging percentage, at the all-star break. Since then, he had eight homers and 32 RBI, with a .502 slugging percentage, entering the weekend.
i think playing july and august in an outdoor park built for left-handed hitters is at least a small part of the reason for his (slight) decline.
the oppressive north texas heat has long been a reason bandied about when discussing ranger second-half collapses. having lived there for 10 years, I know IT CAN BE a factor.
maybe the heat has caused his talent to diminish.
or he's not trusting his stuff
Post by: WulawHorn on September 20, 2006, 07:19:33 pm
he's white so that's why the Astros would be interested (chaneling JDJO and Lopez) he's not genetically bred for the heat (channeling Dusty Baker here) so that explains it, right?
Oh- he's latino- screw that then, the Astros aren't interested.
Post by: Russ99 on September 21, 2006, 04:30:20 pm
I'd kill to see him an Astro, and I'm sure he'd do well in Houston. The only thing bad about "El Caballo" is that his fielding is suspect. I'd also like to see him sign with the Astros since those dunce sCrub fans are drooling about him and Zito, as if either are remotely possible with those penny-pinchers at Wrigley.
As for the other White Sox players on your list:
Dye: The Sox have a ridiculously cheap option on him for '07, but I'm sure they'll offer a multi-year soon, unless one of their outfield prospects busts out early next season.
Iguchi - 1 year left on his contract - but I think the Sox might move him to get someone faster (like Figgins)
Would any of you guys like to see Podsednik in the Mud 'n' Blood next year? I know he's a serious Astro killah, and has had an off season (see his pattern) but there's rumblings out of Chi-town he could be gone either as a no-arb FA or in a deal for a middle reliever (Wheeler?)
And hey, no ripping - my favorite AL team sucks right now and will miss the playoffs too.
Post by: austro on September 21, 2006, 04:38:42 pm
Quote:
Would any of you guys like to see Podsednik in the Mud 'n' Blood next year? I know he's a serious Astro killah, and has had an off season (see his pattern) but there's rumblings out of Chi-town he could be gone either as a no-arb FA or in a deal for a middle reliever (Wheeler?)
Wheeler is far more valuable to the Astros than Podsednik (even last year's version) would be. The WhiteSox would have to throw in something much more interesting before they'd get a whiff of Wheeler.
Post by: JimR on September 21, 2006, 05:03:39 pm
yeah, you're a big Astros fan.
Post by: MusicMan on September 21, 2006, 05:31:06 pm
Quote:
Would any of you guys like to see Podsednik in the Mud 'n' Blood next year? I know he's a serious Astro killah, and has had an off season (see his pattern) but there's rumblings out of Chi-town he could be gone either as a no-arb FA or in a deal for a middle reliever (Wheeler?)
If the ChiSox want Wheeler, then they can start with Joe Crede.
Post by: HPFRic on September 21, 2006, 05:53:33 pm
Quote:
Would any of you guys like to see Podsednik in the Mud 'n' Blood next year?
podsednick sucks. i'm convinced his exists only so fat hacks like john kruk can get all moist, gargle with their balls and then make stupid statements like, "he plays the game the way it was meant to be played." shut up.
Post by: Gizzmonic on September 21, 2006, 05:54:47 pm
Quote:
Would any of you guys like to see Podsednik in the Mud 'n' Blood next year? I know he's a serious Astro killah, and has had an off season (see his pattern) but there's rumblings out of Chi-town he could be gone either as a no-arb FA or in a deal for a middle reliever (Wheeler?)
And hey, no ripping - my favorite AL team sucks right now and will miss the playoffs too.
Scott Podsednik is a left fielder that throws and hits like a girl. He'll also be 31 when the season starts.
Post by: Ty in Tampa on September 21, 2006, 06:22:56 pm
Quote:
And hey, no ripping - my favorite AL team sucks right now and will miss the playoffs too.
Boo-muddahfuckin-hoo.
Post by: littlevisigoth on September 21, 2006, 06:26:18 pm
And certainly Wheeler is the LAST guy we should be looking to deal out of our bullpen.
Post by: Russ99 on September 22, 2006, 11:56:26 am
Quote:
Didn't Podsednik play CF for the Brewers? Maybe I'm mistaken. He's no appreciable upgrade over Willy, if at all (not by $ standards), and he certainly wouldn't do much for us in a corner OF position that couldn't be accomplished by a Chris Burke. And I actually like Podsednik (well, I did until the WS last year).
And certainly Wheeler is the LAST guy we should be looking to deal out of our bullpen.
I agree - Wheeler been the Astros best reliever and should stay and he's probably too much to give up for Podsednik, I was just wondering what the Sox might want in a deal to shore up their most obvious weakness.
Other options: Qualls would be giving way too much for a risk/reward type player and Springer's too old. Podsesnik played exclusively LF for the Sox, is 31 and had a bad season (still 35 sb), but he has a history of good season- bad season - good season in his career.
He's also fairly similar to Lee as a fielder in left (better range, worse arm), but I agree the Astros need a power hitter there a lot more than a speed guy. I was just throwing the idea out there.
Post by: Arky Vaughan on September 22, 2006, 11:59:56 am
Quote:
Scott Podsednik is a left fielder that throws and hits like a girl. He'll also be 31 when the season starts.
Porsednik was flavor-of-the-month back in 2003, which means people will be throwing his name out as a possibility until about six years after he's retired. Just like how in 2011 people will still be saying the Astros should get Carlos Lee.
Post by: Arky Vaughan on September 22, 2006, 12:05:58 pm
Quote:
Podsesnik played exclusively LF for the Sox, is 31 and had a bad season (still 35 sb), but he has a history of good season- bad season - good season in his career.
I think it would be very unwise for a team to acquire a player on the basis that he's good one season, then bad the next. In any event, in Podsednik's four full seasons, here's what he's done:
2003 -- .314/.379/.443
2004 -- .244/.313/.364
2005 -- .290/.351/.349
2006 -- .261/.333/.355
That doesn't look like good-bad. It looks like 2003 good, 2004, 2005 and 2006 not so good. Why would the Astros give up anything of value for a corner outfielder with an OBP and slugging percentage in the mid .300s?