Kenshin Kawakami
I really haven’t the foggiest idea. He apparently looked good yesterday, but (a) it’s spring training, and (b) I didn’t actually see it and am relying upon secondhand reports of dubious value. According to Wikipedia, he throws a 90 MPH fastball, a curveball, and a cutter, and he apparently has good control. Keith Law, I think, says that his fastball is straight and that major league hitters will tee off on it, though it seems to me that while Japanese hitters probably aren’t as good as major leaguers, they also probably aren’t totally stupid.
His stats are apparently good, but you could put everything I know about Japanese baseball on the back of a Kaz Ishii baseball card. He won the MVP and the equivalent of the Cy Young in 2004. He won 17 games that year, which is apparently a typical league-leading total (their schedule’s about 140 games) and again in 2006. Last year, he was used in a six-man rotation, for some reason.
My best guess is that he’ll put up an ERA about 4.50. That’s just a guess. If he does that, he’ll probably be considered a disappointment, but if he’s only the third or fourth starter, if Lowe and Vasquez pitch like they should, that will be enough to help the team.
Reply to Cliff from the last thread: I don’t see the piece you’re talking about on Hardball Times. I do see that Clay Davenport did a Kawakami translation a month ago on BPro. His numbers are probably better than mine, but we both get basically the same conclusion: this guy is pretty good, probably above average. I think a 4.50 ERA might be too conservative. He looks to me like a solid #3 starter in the #4 slot.
Cliff, can you link to the piece you saw?
February 28th, 2009 at 2:45 pmNice write up–but we still need a nickname (not Kamikaze).
Kendo Kawakami….Kendo “Way of the sword’ is a specific type of Japanese sword fighting technique….
February 28th, 2009 at 2:49 pmI still like “Jet Ski”, but that’s just me.
February 28th, 2009 at 3:07 pmHow about we wait until he pitches a game before we give him a nickname?
February 28th, 2009 at 3:15 pmChief:
Pff, you and your “logic”.
February 28th, 2009 at 3:55 pmWhat’s wrong with “Kamikaze”?
February 28th, 2009 at 4:04 pmNonrecap:
Boxscore: Atlanta vs. Toronto – February 28, 2009 | MLB.com: News
Schafer led off and scored three runs. He, KJ, and Escobar all had two hits. Lowe gave up five hits in two innings! The Braves won, which is meaningless. Francoeur did not play, as before the game he was kidnapped by ogres, and Chipper and McCann had to take the day off to rescue him.
February 28th, 2009 at 4:42 pmHopefully Mr “Kohkami” (which is how his name sounds like when pronounced by a Japanese) will live up to his reputation as a control pitcher to avoid acting like a human tee off. His fastball isn’t anything special but if he can leave it off the hot zone, he should be good.
February 28th, 2009 at 4:48 pmAAR,
It may have been a link from a link. That may be the one. As I roam I will look.
February 28th, 2009 at 4:53 pmNot that I’m rooting for a long-term injury or anything:
http://tinyurl.com/adkl2x
Why is it uncool to call him “Kamikaze”? Think about it.
February 28th, 2009 at 5:46 pmI’m going to guess that in Mac’s recap the made-up part is Schafer leading off and scoring three runs. He’s one guy! How can he lead off the game by scoring three runs!!
Also, WHY did we send our two best players to rescue Francoeur. I blame Bobby for not employing our resources properly. This is the fantastical battle equivalent of situational bunting with a power hitter on a hot streak. You obviously send a Gunderson after Jeff. If we get a couple of 60-day DLs from Ogre related injuries it’s not going to boad well for the start of the season.
February 28th, 2009 at 5:48 pmAs an aside, I’d like to nominate Terry Forster for the all-time Brave to send into battle ogres. Dispositional suited to come in to a tense situation and likely to frighten ogres.
February 28th, 2009 at 5:52 pmLots of WWII Navy Vets in my family, not a fan of Kamikaze.
February 28th, 2009 at 6:31 pmYou Bama people OK? Saw there were some twisters down there today.
February 28th, 2009 at 7:00 pmSouth of here. Rained a whole lot, though — about five inches.
February 28th, 2009 at 7:13 pmThere was a tornado a few miles from here, but I don’t know how serious the damage was.
I’m sticking with “kami” for now.
February 28th, 2009 at 10:04 pm#5 + #10–Oldtimer got it right–lots of US servicemen were killed by Kamikazes…
Let me give you another reason as well–it is suicide–not exactly what I would want to associate with a starting pitcher–though the Braves have certainly had some whose pitching certainly merited the description.
In contrast, ‘Kendo’ requires skill and craft–the things which I normally associate with a starting pithcer….
February 28th, 2009 at 11:22 pmWe could just let Berman decide. heh heh.
March 1st, 2009 at 12:01 ambeen a rough two days here in Bham. Tons of rain and a few twisters. Now we’re ready for some snow tomorrow and ready to be back in the 70’s next weekend. I hate AL weather
March 1st, 2009 at 12:17 amTo me, calling Kawakami “Kamikazi” would be like calling Jacoby Ellsbury “Scalpinator”. Or at least it would be if “Ellsbury” sounded like “Scalpinator”.
But hopefully you get my point…
Anyway, I’m a fan a Jet Ski, myself.
March 1st, 2009 at 1:18 am@8:
Wat?
Japanese say “Kawakami.” There’s no mystery to it.
March 1st, 2009 at 2:39 amin true baseball tradition, we should Americanize his name and just call him Kenny.
March 1st, 2009 at 8:03 amBobby, I’m sure, will call him Kenny. Hope KK doesn’t start watching South Park and think Cox is insulting him.
March 1st, 2009 at 8:19 am@10, Better for the Braves:
A season-ending injury for Johan Santana
or
A season-ending injury for Jeff Francoeur?
March 1st, 2009 at 8:50 amThat was cold.
Anybody know where I could find a list of all right-handed hitters?
Thanks.
March 1st, 2009 at 9:11 amJohan will appear in, at most, 35 games this year.
Francoeur will appear in, most, 162.
You do the math.
March 1st, 2009 at 9:28 amMLBTR has it that Bowden resigns… with possibly the best quote:
“I have become a distraction. Unless you are Manny Ramirez, there is no place for distraction in baseball.”
March 1st, 2009 at 10:49 amJohan having an MRI in NY tomorrow, Im not pulling for this, but its sounding like a TJ approaching. Brandon Webb also complaining about right forearm tightness, better call Mike Hampton
March 1st, 2009 at 11:57 amWell, there goes the worst GM in baseball. Who takes his place on that list now?
March 1st, 2009 at 12:05 pmTowers
March 1st, 2009 at 12:09 pmYeah, I think Towers, Colletti, and Sabean are bunched pretty close at the bottom, as I’ve written.
March 1st, 2009 at 12:10 pmyou have to question some of the moves Moore has made in KC also, but Id say Sabean tops the list
March 1st, 2009 at 12:20 pmWell, if Johan goes down, so does my fantasy team. But I guess it’s worth it to destroy the Mets.
March 1st, 2009 at 12:20 pmLovin’ the snow!
March 1st, 2009 at 12:35 pmThe concern about Santana is really too bad. I hope he ends up pitching this season because I love seeing him, even playing for the Mets.
March 1st, 2009 at 12:40 pmBowden continutes to amaze….
March 1st, 2009 at 12:41 pmSeems like we’re trying to force a nickname on Kawikami. Maybe, a better one will present itself once he pitches a couple of times.
On the other hand, if we have to choose now, I am leaning towards Kendo.
March 1st, 2009 at 12:56 pmcsg,
why do you think it’s that serious?
March 1st, 2009 at 1:11 pmAndruw Jones in spring training: 1-9 with an infield single and eight strikeouts.
March 1st, 2009 at 1:55 pmhankonnly, Im just looking at the innings he’s thrown and how everyone is talking about how his velocity has dropped 3-5 mph over the past year or so. It seems like all signs are pointing towards it
March 1st, 2009 at 2:03 pm#39–Sad–but not entirely surprising….I think that we would all like to see Andruw get his act together–but after hearing the interview that he did in Atlanta, I suspect that it will be a long road….
March 1st, 2009 at 2:04 pmHey, Moylan pitched today? Is this his first time back? I thought he was certain to miss some time.
March 1st, 2009 at 2:25 pmI hold out hope that Andruw is either just pressing or shaking the rust off. But I really think he’s done.
March 1st, 2009 at 2:49 pmThat’s some really thick rust — like bottom of the ocean thousand-year-old rust.
March 1st, 2009 at 3:27 pmAnybody know how the infield single happened? AJ hit a 5-foot dribbler and the third-string catcher ran to back-up first?
March 1st, 2009 at 3:29 pmThis just in: Ridgway sucks.
March 1st, 2009 at 3:37 pmOh, and speaking of has-been ex-Braves:
Giles, 2B 3 AB 2 R 2 H 1 RBI 0 BB 0 SO 1 LOB
Where did that come from?
March 1st, 2009 at 3:43 pmNon-recap:
Boxscore: Philadelphia vs. Atlanta – March 1, 2009 | MLB.com: News
Braves lose, I don’t care. Jeff Ridgway, LOOGY candidate, gave up four runs, the Phillies’ margin of irrelevant victory. Josh Anderson had two hits including a triple. McCann homered. Francoeur was 0-2 before leaving the game with a bout of St. Vitus’ Dance. Moylan pitched, which surprises me; I can’t believe he’d be ready to pitch less than a year after Tommy John surgery, but if he’s willing to try, Bobby’s willing to overwork him.
March 1st, 2009 at 4:09 pmPeanut doesn’t like clogging the bases.
http://tinyurl.com/ajm6lk
March 1st, 2009 at 4:16 pmThe Gnats were putting up a fight for awhile in the ex-braves battle, but this is the TKO
March 1st, 2009 at 4:17 pmWas that really a guy who covers baseball professional proposing that we bat Kelly Johnson 8th and Garret Anderson 3rd?!
Seriously, how much crack do you have to smoke before that becomes anything but retarded?
March 1st, 2009 at 4:25 pmJeez, are the Royals going to bring back Leibrandt next? They could legitimately have an all ex-Braves rotation after Greinke:
Davies
HoRam
Cruz
Chen
Not to mention the lefty/righty bullpen combo of Mahay and Farnsworth. Shame all these guys (well, except Mahay) suck.
UPDATE: Oh, and Colon and Villarreal among the NRIs. Dayton, you need help.
March 1st, 2009 at 4:40 pmIt must be the Peter Principle in action. Dayton was great for us. Maybe, he is just not GM material.
March 1st, 2009 at 5:01 pmCruz doesn’t suck
March 1st, 2009 at 5:07 pmMac, he had two singles. Big whoop.
March 1st, 2009 at 5:40 pm#48
Francoeur’s a raver? Who knew?
March 1st, 2009 at 5:51 pmFrancoeur has not struck out yet this Spring and has walked twice. That’s something.
Of course, it’s only 10 ABs / 12 PAs and the pitchers are just warming up.
March 1st, 2009 at 5:56 pmFWIW, Santana’s not getting an MRI. Says he’s fine.
March 1st, 2009 at 7:20 pmhttp://tinyurl.com/bwk2an
Yeah, yeah Santana says he feels absolutely no pain. Just like Mike Gonzalez said in May 2007.
March 1st, 2009 at 7:35 pmI am sure Bobby will call Kawakami as “Kammy”.
We will wait, but I am sure there is something wrong with Santana.
March 1st, 2009 at 8:39 pmI just checked our schedule for the first time. There seems to be an error.
According to what I saw we finish against the Nats, not the Astros. That can’t be right.
March 1st, 2009 at 8:45 pm#61 – that’s the best news I have heard in a long while. For once, we will not end the season facing the Astros.
March 1st, 2009 at 8:59 pmDayton Moore has an almost impossible job to do in Kansas City. I’m not sure I can knock the guy who acquired Jairo Cuevas at least two times this season (three if you count re-signing him two days after non-tendering.)
To be fair, he got Horacio Ramirez for nothing, and HoRam gave them some pretty decent outings last year in middle relief. Enough so that they were actually able to trade him to the White Sox for a low-to-mid-level prospect.
Kyle Davies actually put up some decent numbers last year, too. 9-7 with a 4.06 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP is about as good as Royals fans have seen in a while from anyone not named Grienke.
March 1st, 2009 at 9:12 pmIf you are talking about the worst GM in baseball, I can’t imagine how Brian Sebean not be the one.
March 1st, 2009 at 9:20 pm#61 – that’s the best news I have heard in a long while. For once, we will not end the season facing the Astros.
Now hold up there. The Braves have had their season ended against the Astros for five straight seasons; two of which came in the playoffs. That could still happen again.
March 1st, 2009 at 9:27 pmTo be fair, they didn’t end our season. Really, our season was destined to end when we were mathematically eliminated. It’s not like the loss or win against the Astros to finish the regular season had any bearing on the destination of our team. Just sayin…
March 1st, 2009 at 9:29 pm#65 – Well, I considered that, but I don’t think the Astros are good enough to reach the playoff this year.
#66 – we know that, but I still hated the fact that we had to end the regular season at Houston for the past two seasons.
March 1st, 2009 at 9:35 pmOkay, for now he is Kenshin “No Nickname” Kawakami.
March 1st, 2009 at 9:45 pm“I focus on hitting the ball hard and low, and if it goes out for a home run, it’s a mistake. A good mistake. If I try to hit home runs, my swing gets long.” – Freddie Freeman
Take a f—ing lesson, Frenchy.
March 1st, 2009 at 10:27 pm#69 – that’s too hard for little Frenchy to understand.
I like Freeman more and more!
March 1st, 2009 at 10:49 pmPossible Nicknames:
-Hari Cari
March 1st, 2009 at 11:02 pm-Monthra
-Short Round (from Indiana Jones)
-Shredder (from Ninja Turtles)
#68–Fair enough–at least its not kamikaze….I also think that Parish makes a good point: lets give him at least a few starts before we decide which nickname is the most apposite…..
March 1st, 2009 at 11:10 pmLet’s just hope we don’t end up call him “BP.”
March 1st, 2009 at 11:15 pm@71- I always thought Shredder looked like a badass in the movie, so that nickname flys with me.
March 1st, 2009 at 11:16 pmKami is not bad actually – I think it is a minor deity, like a forest spirit or something in Japanese animist tradition. Hi Stepehen – made it in one piece, but I am going to hit the jet lag HARD in about 6 hours I think.
March 1st, 2009 at 11:19 pmYeah, we really should wait. We’re not sure if we’re going to love him or hate him or what yet. Maybe if we’re split, the people who like him can call him one thing, and the ones that don’t can call him something else.
March 1st, 2009 at 11:19 pm…must….update….handle…..
March 1st, 2009 at 11:19 pmIn Kawakami’s name, the kami just means “upper.” As in, the upper part of the river.
March 1st, 2009 at 11:32 pmI like Shredder too! It works if he is good or bad. Plus, liek you said Mike, he did look bad ass in that movie!
March 1st, 2009 at 11:36 pmTwo words: The Dragon
March 1st, 2009 at 11:45 pmIt’s gonna get weird. Two dragons…
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:09 amYou are a very convincing dragon.
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:21 amLOL. It’s snowing in Raleigh again. This is awesome.
March 2nd, 2009 at 3:37 amSpike–Welcome to the UAE…its not exactly snowing…though its a bit cooler than the last few days….Between Bowden and Esmailyn Gonzalez the Nats are finally interesting…..
March 2nd, 2009 at 3:54 amI’m about to go quit my job. Wish Glavine would do the same.
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:24 amugh that was the best post of all time and it got deleted by the spam filter…
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:25 amSnowing like mad in NYC. I would not call it awesome.
March 2nd, 2009 at 10:02 amWe had some quite heavy snowfall here in Atlanta yesterday (well, I was in Gwinnett at the time but I think it was pretty universal to the metro area). Came down for 3-4 hours too, luckily it was just warm enough that little of it stuck and most melted (and dried) before night-temps hit.
edit: and I’m suspense to see what Dix’s best comment ever was.
March 2nd, 2009 at 10:14 amI just quit my job. Wish Glavine would do the same.
March 2nd, 2009 at 10:53 amDix, good for you!?
Here is a SI report about the Braves:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/joe_lemire/03/01/braves.postcard/index.html
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:20 pm81 — Ha!
88 — Dix… good luck? I just had a phone interview this morning. Ugh. Not a big fan of those.
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:26 pmBTW: I think the Braves are the team tonight on MLB Networks 30 Teams in 30 Days… or is it tomorrow (late last night I was looking through the DirecTV schedule and I’m not sure how far head of things I got).
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:31 pmIt’s good I’ve got the next job lined up. First time I’ve ever left a job for anything other than to go to school.
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:33 pmSo, you’re just pretending all those sexual harassment charges at each of your employment stops didn’t happen, then?
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:46 pmFrom the SI story:
“In Chicago, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen publicly criticized [Javier Vazquez] as not being good in big games. Vazquez declined to talk about Guillen when asked on Thursday.”
Attention, Smoltzie…
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:56 pmInteresting interview here:
March 2nd, 2009 at 1:06 pmhttp://www.squawkingbaseball.com/?p=573 with the Braves arbitration guy, and a bit of talk on Jeffy.
Come on Stu, now you’re just making stuff up. Female impersonators can’t get charged with harassment.
March 2nd, 2009 at 1:42 pmCharles P–Thanks for the interview–it provides just one more reason why the Bobby should not have given Frenchy so many innings…..
March 2nd, 2009 at 1:43 pmWow, the Dow is just taking a large steaming crap in every 401K’s oatmeal today isn’t it?
March 2nd, 2009 at 1:50 pm52 Week range is 6,952.06 – 13,191.50 and it’s down around 6800 right now. Glad I’m a long way from retirement.
#89, “He(Francoeur)’s the biggest power threat on the roster”
Hmmmmm.
As for the Santana injury, I remember similar stories about Moylan and Soriano last spring, “Oh, their arm is a little sore, but it’s Spring Training and they’ll work out the kinks soon”
March 2nd, 2009 at 1:57 pmMarch 2nd, 2009 at 2:10 pm
The Olympics don’t have pitch counts, do they?
March 2nd, 2009 at 2:17 pm95 – So the arb guy didn’t say Frenchy was lucky to stay out of the hearing?
March 2nd, 2009 at 2:40 pmStu, the sexual harassment happened, no denying that, but I just changed my name and went back to school to get a degree with my new name on it and I was back in business.
March 2nd, 2009 at 3:59 pmChipper Jones: The Most Overrated Player in Baseball
March 2nd, 2009 at 4:06 pm#105
Yes, he’s a bitter Mets fan.
Of course, every time Larry Wayne gets an AB vs. the Mets with the game on the line, Flushing fans are cleaning the poop out of their pants. He ain’t overrated then.
March 2nd, 2009 at 4:24 pmPart of the “problem” of the Internet is the lack of review. Exhibit A — link at 105. Of course, he’s a bitter Mets fan.
March 2nd, 2009 at 4:27 pmSomeone who has Jose Reyes on their favorite team calling a player on another team–much less someone like Chipper Jones–overrated is pure comedy.
Moron.
Chipper had something like a 999999999 OBP last year
March 2nd, 2009 at 4:28 pmIf there’s one thing that you can count on in this crazy world, it’s that being a moron never goes out of style.
March 2nd, 2009 at 4:45 pmCan that guy really think he’s making a good argument? Chipper was 2nd in OPS to Albert Pujols last year, and led the league the year before… in his age 36 and 35 seasons.
March 2nd, 2009 at 4:56 pmPrime example of cherry picking stats to fail to make your point.
March 2nd, 2009 at 5:20 pmBowman:
March 2nd, 2009 at 5:22 pm“The Braves were able to reach agreements with each of their non-arbitration-eligible players this year. The past two years, they had been forced to assign Jeff Francoeur’s salary by unilaterally renewing his contract.”
Someone explain to me why we don’t just unilaterally renew every pre-arb player’s contract. It’s our right. Is Jair Jurrjens really more likely to give us a millions-of-dollars discount on a long-term deal in 2013 if we give him an extra $100K in 2009?
March 2nd, 2009 at 5:29 pm1. They could hold out.
March 2nd, 2009 at 5:31 pm2. The MLBPA would start calling for the return of arbitration after two years of service at the next CBA negotiation.
3. It would be mean.
Charles, that was a good article, thanks.
March 2nd, 2009 at 6:04 pmNo reason not to try to come to an amicable arrangement with a player and make him feel wanted when the cost is pretty trivial. It’s good business to talk it over with them rather than just dictate their contract.
March 2nd, 2009 at 6:08 pm#105 – seriously, the guy is using RBI’s and runs scored to compare Chipper and Wright. Avg, OBP, OPS, and SLG mean nothing to him
March 2nd, 2009 at 6:17 pmIn fairness, because he’s on the field more, Wright has been producing more Runs Created than Chipper the past several years, even though Chipper’s RC/G is much higher. There is definitely an argument to be made that as awesome as Chipper is, his health issues keep him out of the first tier of baseball awesomeness. This guy just didn’t make it.
March 2nd, 2009 at 6:26 pmI’d like to see how Chipper plus the worst third baseman replacing him for the games he misses compares with Wright.
I think only Andruw replacing him last year would have led to a worse line than Wright.
March 2nd, 2009 at 7:54 pmATL 3B
.345/.431/.530 100R 24HR 97RBI 15/17 SB
NYM 3B
.302/.390/.531 128R 33HR 124RBI 29/36 SB
March 2nd, 2009 at 8:30 pmTom Sturdivant–the Snake–is dead:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/03/sports/baseball/03sturdivant.html?_r=1&ref=obituaries
He is the answer to a trivia question–who pitched the game before Don Larsen’s 1956 Perfect Game….
March 3rd, 2009 at 2:58 amTo make the case that Wright is better than Chipper, sounds like that guy is trying to use the same argument that Gadfly used to claim Frenchy was any good.
March 3rd, 2009 at 3:06 amHere’s a preview of the NL East rotations with a poll for voting.
Link: http://pabaseball.blogspot.com/2009/03/nl-east-rotations.html
Give it a plug if you like it, thanks.
March 3rd, 2009 at 6:57 amBraves on MLB Channel 30 Clubs in 30 DAys today, 8AM,10AM..
March 3rd, 2009 at 7:51 amRe@124
Saw that show last evening. Two of celebrity guest panel (Mitch “Wild Thing” Williams and ex-GM John Hart) pick the Braves to finish second, Joe Magrane picks them third.
Highlights: Hazel Mae finds a way to ask Jeffy, “Why did you suck at baseball last year?”
Jeffy: “I had a good start, got in a slump. Couldn’t adjust, swung at everything. Relaxed in the last month and just played ball.” Honest.
The show loves our pitching, hates our outfield. You won’t learn anything new, but it’s good to see some of the kids. “How can you miss with a name like Gorkys Hernandez?” Magrane asked.
March 3rd, 2009 at 8:07 am@ 105 – Classic, relying on counting stats and denying that games played (or presumably PAs/ABs) are critical to understanding counting stats. The guy’s a moron.
March 3rd, 2009 at 10:12 amSaw the Braves installment of “30 Clubs in 30 Days.” Nice to junk out for an hour on the Bravos, even if it wasn’t a whole lotta new stuff.
I like MLB Network’s approach to these things. The on-air people don’t really pull any punches & they can squeeze in plenty of content in 60 minutes.
Also, love the segment with “The Batting Stance Guy.”
March 3rd, 2009 at 10:49 amhttp://www.battingstanceguy.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyd6CZEV6Sg
March 3rd, 2009 at 11:56 amHanson’s going again today, but it is against Panama, so I don’t know if it will tell us anything.
March 3rd, 2009 at 12:23 pm@128 – I think Jeff was just pressing there.
March 3rd, 2009 at 12:25 pmThat may be the best youtube ever… I think Mac should use JUST that one on the game threads this year. Same clip, every game.
March 3rd, 2009 at 12:36 pm@128
Awesome.
March 3rd, 2009 at 12:41 pmDoes this commercial for the Foundation for a Better Life remind anyone else of a certain Braves’ outfielder?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgke9hoVOZA
March 3rd, 2009 at 1:52 pmTeam USA vs Yanks on MLB Network right now. w/2 outs Jeter knocked in two, Chipper followed with a single, and David Wright grounded out. Interesting rooting for Jeter against the Yanks.
March 3rd, 2009 at 1:57 pm#133
Or a certain rightfielder or former CF, yes.
Gee, I feel optimistic now.
March 3rd, 2009 at 2:02 pm#128–Its going to be a great year….
March 3rd, 2009 at 2:11 pmWow,
My wife has just offered to by me a round trip ticket to Orlando on March 20 to see the Braves play in spring training. Unless she is planning on having an affair, this seems too good to be true. I think I will take her up on it!
March 3rd, 2009 at 2:11 pmTommy Hanson line 3/3
3IP, 3K, 1BB, 2H, 1R, 0ER
3 ground ball outs
March 3rd, 2009 at 2:28 pm3 fly ball outs
You wife sends you to Spring Training; my girlfriend sends me to the drugstore.
March 3rd, 2009 at 2:28 pmProbably going to the US/Phils game Thursday. Pretty jacked up about seeing some good baseball. Baseball season baby! WOOO!
March 3rd, 2009 at 2:41 pmMarc,
You’re not really going to fall for that are you?
An affair may be the least of your worries. Does she have access to your bank accounts?
March 3rd, 2009 at 2:42 pmMarc, in the future, your wife will ask you to do her a favor, and there will be no way that you can possibly turn her down. Even still, I’d say that’s a pretty good tradeoff.
By the way, Bruce Chen today: 1 2/3 IP, 4 hits, 4 runs, 2 BB, 1 K. At least some things never change.
March 3rd, 2009 at 2:45 pm@122: Wow, that’s a stretch. This guy’s argument is all about counting the 25-50 games that Chipper has missed each year over the last few seasons against him. I never discounted the importance of games played, plate appearances, or RBI opportunities.
More importantly, I never made a relative judgment, and was using RP to measure positive success. My case was that Francoeur’s 2007 season was a productive one, not that it was more or less productive than anyone else’s season. (When challenged I used other people’s numbers to put Frenchy’s in clearer context, but that is different than what this guy is doing.) As I said before, high RP or RBI numbers when considered against relative opportunities carries some significance. Considering average to above average RP or RBI numbers while ignoring opportunities is just idiotic.
This guy clearly reached a conclusion and then tortured numbers to fit. David Wright is a hell of a player, he’s probably better than Chipper at this point given his youth, and if he continues his torrid pace for another dozen years he may even surpass Chipper’s career accomplishments, MAY. It isn’t a stretch to compare the two, and most ratings I’m familiar with put Wright ahead of Chipper based on health reasons if nothing else (ESPN has Wright at $27 and Chipper at $15!) This makes it even more insane to try and make the case that Chipper is somehow overrated by saying he doesn’t match up to a guy who is rated so much higher.
March 3rd, 2009 at 2:46 pmWell I guess we could have done without the Kawakami signing but at that time we didnt have Lowe … I might have waited and saved that 6 or 7 million or whatever he got .. seeing how Hanson looks ready and Glavine will probably hold down 5th spot .. then we have Reyes,Campillo and Morton n the waiting if injury … anyway we can trade Kawakami ??? Probaby not .. would like dto have had that extra $$$ for a better option in LF spot .. we still need a heavy hitter in there .. at least we have some depth in pitching that we might be able to use as trade bait come trade deadline. Thoughts ?????
March 3rd, 2009 at 2:52 pmThis just in … on March 19th Mike Hampton pulls hamstring … recovers on May 5th and pulls an Oblique muscle .. I know these dates have not happened yet but I have a sneaking feeling I am right !!!!
March 3rd, 2009 at 2:57 pmHanson struck out the side in the first. So, no K’s after that?
March 3rd, 2009 at 2:58 pm#137…………good luck. for me, going to whorelando for any reason sounds only slighly better than a weekend in jail. i’d be checking the schedule and try to catch the Braves somewhere(anywhere) else.
March 3rd, 2009 at 3:04 pmI actually think Samurai Ken’s probably worth it. Considering the ravaging our rotation’s taken the last couple years, it’s better that we have at least one part of our team looking reasonably solid.
March 3rd, 2009 at 3:07 pmGadfly – I probably wasn’t being fair to you, but you did talk a lot about RC in the context of horrible rate stats.
March 3rd, 2009 at 3:07 pmJust got done looking at the Team USA roster. Any guesses who the old man on the club is??
Hint: his birthday is 4/24/1972
March 3rd, 2009 at 3:12 pmMore on Hanson’s outing from Carroll Rogers on the AJC blog:
Hanson gave up one unearned run in three innings on two singles and a walk. He struck out three. He threw 53 pitches, 37 for strikes. that third inning he threw 24 pitches, 14 for strikes. So he wasn’t quite as pinpoint. So yeah, I think I’ll go ask him: what the heck happened in the third inning? Ha….That’ll be it for him.
In the first two innings, Hanson threw 29 pitches, 23 for strikes.
Meanwhile, the Mets are losing 13-0. I don’t care how meaningless these games are. That’s good, clean fun.
March 3rd, 2009 at 3:25 pmAlex,
You are correct. I can no longer turn down any request at any time the rest of my life.
Hankonly,
My wife has all the money anyway so it doesn’t make any difference.
Barry,
Orlando isn’t my favorite place but after the winter we have had in D.C., I’m ready for some warm weather. But I was surprised that those tickets aren’t cheap. I used to complain about the NFL charging full price for pre-season games but I guess baseball (or at least the Braves) do the same.
Re: Chipper. I think it’s fair to factor in games missed in considering a player’s worth. After all, no matter how good the player is, it’s not worth much if he isn’t on the field. On the other hand, it’s not like Chipper is playing fifty games a year. Mickey Mantle won the MVP one year playing in 123 games and George Brett played in 117 games the year he hit .390. The guy couldn’t seem to decide whether the reason Chipper was overrated was because he wasn’t any good (obviously ludicrous) or didn’t play enough. And it’s sort of odd to say that he is overrated by Braves fans; obviously this guy doesn’t read the AJC blogs.
March 3rd, 2009 at 3:34 pmYou guys don’t like Disney World? I loved it even before I had kids.
Disney World = A people trap run by a mouse.
March 3rd, 2009 at 3:37 pmThe boxscore says that Matt Young is now playing left field, which is odd because he retired in 1998… Oh, a different Matt Young, who appears to be the new Gregor Blanco.
March 3rd, 2009 at 3:39 pmHeyward just went deep.
March 3rd, 2009 at 3:39 pmI dunno about the big team, but the Gwinnett Braves are going to kick serious ass.
March 3rd, 2009 at 3:45 pmMarc – It it a legit point that Chipper loses value because he has not stayed healthy, but it’s not the crux of the article.
The guy says Chipper is not good any more, just a contact hitter and a statue in the field.
Braves win!
Panama sucks!
Give us back the canal.
March 3rd, 2009 at 4:01 pmIrrelecap is up.
March 3rd, 2009 at 4:08 pmParish,
Well, I think he veers back and forth because he is trying to legitimize a ludicrous argument. He can’t really say Chipper sucks, even though he does say that in places. In one of the comments, he says Chipper is a “borderline everyday player” which is absurd.
March 3rd, 2009 at 4:48 pm