FR Baseball thread: How's your team doing, and what's your take on the World Baseball Classic?

one man's opinion....

[ken5050]

Good morning, fellow FReeper baseball FANatics...It's been a while since we've all caught up..( and there were a few things going on...college bowl games, the NFL payoffs, and a SCOTUS nominee hearting..Getting close to "pitchers and catchers" reporting...( February 16th) So I thought I'd run a thread to get your take on how your particular team's done in the off season, and also to find out what you think of the upcoming World BaseBall Classic..

[wordsofearnest]

I always thought his name was Craig. Brooks Robinson would be my all time third baseman even though Rolen grew up 20 miles from me.

[Hegewisch Dupa]

Garland had career year - but hopefully it was just a 'breakout' year. Buehrle did not have a career year, nor did Hernandez, or Garcia. The second half of Contreas' season was pretty un-reproducible though.....

And the skinny kid awaits his chance.....

[JohnnyZ]

Overbay is better than you might think....

I think he's a little bit below Corey Koskie with similarly good fielding but at a less-skilled and typically higher-offense position. Similar to Sean Casey, if you average the excellent Casey years and the mediocre/poor Casey years, or Kevin Millar ca. 2003-2004, but with better fielding.

[Cyclopean Squid]

Treasury department to let Cuba into the World Baseball Classic:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/worldclassic2006/news/story?id=2299485

Great news! Now let's get some defections! Maybe another Jose Contreras (doubt it, but who knows?).

[MikefromOhio]

You simply do not put someone with Rolen's arm, range, and quickness at shortstop.

that's a laugh. By your requirements, Ozzie Smith/Omar Vizquel and Derek Jeter would have been a 3rd basemen instead of the best SS ever and the other two are right with the Wizard.... Give me a break.

WHY would you put a 3rd baseman at Short? Because he's SLOW? LOL right. You need mobility to be a shortstop. Just ask Derek Jeter.

Cal was too good at 3rd to be left there when you have a gaping hole at shortstop to be filled. He was already a gold glove 3rd basement before he moved on to become a gold glove Shortstop.

Rolen is a great player, but he's no where NEAR the best 3rd baseman ever. He needs to get healthy and play some more before that even comes close.

[MikefromOhio]

Koskie has nothing left in the tank. He gets hurt too easily.

Why do I say this?

He's burned me the last 2 years in fantasy baseball.

Who did I pick up?

Lyle Overbay both times.

[MikefromOhio]

They are going to have to wait, next year is Ohio State's year. And after next year you will be breaking in a redshirt freshman/sophomore as a QB. Not a way to sustain sucess but that's why college football is cyclical....

[MikefromOhio]

And Rolen has been playing it at a younger age with fewer miles on the wheels, if you know what I mean.

By the time Ripken moved back to 3rd base, he already had the streak at 2600 games or so and had a bad back.

Ripken was a gold glove-caliber 3rd baseman at 22 yrs old in 1983.

[JohnnyZ]

He's burned me the last 2 years in fantasy baseball.

Burn me once, shame on Corey .... Okay, so he only played 118 games in 2004 -- but in those games he cranked 25 hr for an .837 OPS.

And speaking of getting hurt ... there's the Jays new $10M/yr third baseman, Troy Glaus.

[JohnnyZ]

By your requirements, Ozzie Smith/Omar Vizquel and Derek Jeter would have been a 3rd basemen

Jeter should definitely play 3rd on the Yankees. He's no ARod with the glove.

[MikefromOhio]

And speaking of getting hurt ... there's the Jays new $10M/yr third baseman, Troy Glaus.

Which is who we should be comparing Koskie too. But Overbay is an upgrade over whoever they had at 1st last year. I used Koskie and Overbay as my corner infielder the last 2 years.

[MikefromOhio]

He's no ARod with the glove.

would you put Arod back at short then?

[JohnnyZ]

absolutely, best SS there ever was, and one of the best defensively today.

[MikefromOhio]

offensively, sure...actually without a doubt the best SS ever on offense.

defensively?

I think he was a notch below Vizquel and Ozzie Smith....

[JohnnyZ]

Yeah, that's what I meant -> one of the best defensively of his contemporaries, the best offensively ever = best ever.

Want a hot fantasy baseball tip? Dave Bush of the Milwaukee Brewers. Reminds me of Papelbon a bit. College closer, converted to starter and blew threw the Jays' system, got no run support in two years in the majors but posted decent ERA and very good K-BB numbers. Only 26 years old, he's going to a pitcher's park in the NL this year, after the Brewers stole he and LHP Zach Jackson from the BJs for Overbay.

http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/B/david-bush.shtml

The NL Central's a tough place to play but the Brewers could be very good this year. Yes, the Brewers.

[MikefromOhio]

I know.

If you look at the NL Central, it's been a case of Houston and St. Louis and everyone else...

the cubs aren't improved.

The Reds still really suck.

The Cards may have taken a step back on their pitching..

Who knows what the Astros are going to bring...

Milwaukee will make some noise. I don't think they will take the division though.

[MikefromOhio]

I would list who I am keeping in my keeper league this year, but I can't find it at the moment :(

[MikefromOhio]

Ha...I found it :)

Castillo
Mulder
Silva
Cauano
Ryan
Ordonez, Magglio
Wells, Vernon
Francouer
Derrek Lee
Konerko


That is who I am keeping. I can only keep 10 players off of last year's squad. I am going to use Derrek Lee as trade bait to get another pick on draft day.

[MikefromOhio]

Here's a question for you....

I have Luis Castillo and Brian Roberts.

I can only really keep one. Which would you do? Right now I am leaning towards Castillo, but Roberts had a great year last year.....

[BluesDuke]

"Scott Rolen (possibly the best third baseman ever to play the game)"

????

Lose credibility right there....

Forgive him, for he hath lost momentary recall of Mike Schmidt (with George Brett as Schmidt's near-enough equal).

Rolen could have become the best third baseman ever to have played the game, and he might yet shake out close enough to that status if his health cooperates and he sustains his established, full-power performance level. At this writing, Rolen per 162 games has averaged 205 runs produced (three fewer than Mike Schmidt), a .375 on-base percentage (five points under Schmidt), a .515 slugging percentage (twelve points under Schmidt), a defencive range factor 56 points above his league's average (Schmidt finished +55) with a fielding percentage 13 points above his league (Schmidt finished +6), and forty doubles (+23 to Schmidt), thirty home runs (-7 to Schmidt), and 111 runs batted in (+4 to Schmidt). (Rolen, by the way, has only four fewer Gold Gloves than Schmidt racked up.)

Rolen may well be the best third baseman of his time even if he never quite reaches assent as the best third baseman of all time. Rolen's major handicap: Schmidt's statistics are considerably stronger when you factor that Schmidt's prime came in an era where it was more difficult to hit than it has been since he retired. Rolen also doesn't look that good when you compare his placements in league leadership in the important offencive categories---but then, there are not that many, period (never mind at third base) who look as good as Schmidt looked when all was said and done. And God only knows how long it took even his own home fans to see and appreciate that they had Mike Schmidt.

(Come to think of it: How many players do you know not named Babe Ruth---and not hitting in hugely offence-friendly eras, or playing so physically demanding a field position at all, never mind at far-above-league-average levels---ever led their league in home runs eight times? Willie Mays never did it; neither did Henry Aaron; neither did Mickey Mantle; not even Barry Bonds has done it yet. Mays and Mantle did it four times each; so did Aaron; believe it or not, Bonds has done it only twice. The man Schmidt overthrew as the best third baseman in the business, Eddie Mathews, only did it twice, and he had Henry Aaron as a teammate in one of those years. Mike Schmidt led the National League in home runs eight times in his career, and he did it in an era that wasn't as friendly to power hitting as was Ruth's, as was Mays and Aaron and Mantle's in their first decade of play, as was Bonds's and Rolen's era. He also led his league in runs batted in and walks four times each; he led his league in on-base percentage three times and slugging five times; he led his league in OPS five times, he led his league in runs created five times . . . and he also won ten Gold Gloves, nine consecutively. On second thought, maybe Scott Rolen wouldn't quite reach into Schmidt's stratosphere even if he stays healthy and at his incumbent production level for the next seven or eight years. And maybe Mike Schmidt is the most underappreciated baseball player of his and several generations.)