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[McNei1y]

So Desmond now officially has the lowest OPS among qualified NL position players. He is clearly going to be a huge part of our future going forward.

I really hope our FO gives Lombardozzi/Antonelli a chance... really soon. The guy just can't hit mlb stuff right now.

 

[Sharp]

At least he's a good defender like Alex Gonzalez, right?

We can always make believe!

 

[darkside31337]

.230 OBP. Bautista's is almost double that. Good lord.

Jeff Mathis - .483 OPS
Mike Napoli - .979 OPS

Justice is served with the Rangers going to win the division. No team that plays Vernon Wells + Jeff Mathis everyday really deserves to make the playoffs.

 

[eznark]

Greinke finally living up to expectations. Brewers pitching over the last couple weeks has been insanely good.

First time since 1972 that a team has won 5 games in a row scoring fewer than 3 runs in each game. All came at home. Someone needs to start getting on those scoreboard lights so the Brewers can get more runs!

 

[Doytch]

Abercrombie and Fitch paying The Situation not to wear its clothes would be like Rawlings paying Edwin Encarnacion not to wear its glove.

.

 

[darkside31337]

Mike Jacobs, the formet Met and current Rockies minor leaguer, got suspended for 50 games for testing positive for HGH (which is only detectable by a blood test).

Not surprised. Considering the nature that is testing for HGH he either had the worst timing ever or somebody ratted him out. Hoping it's the latter.

 

[Sanjuro]

Nice. Ryan Lavarnway getting the call up apparently. Hopefully this injury bug is only for this month.

 

[cuevas. PhD.]

Mike Jacobs, the formet Met and current Rockies minor leaguer, got suspended for 50 games for testing positive for HGH (which is only detectable by a blood test).

Not surprised. Considering the nature that is testing for HGH he either had the worst timing ever or somebody ratted him out. Hoping it's the latter.

Probably blood, not like it affects anyone in the majors since they can't be tested.

 

[darkside31337]

Probably blood, not like it affects anyone in the majors since they can't be tested.

I seriously doubt blood testing will ever happen in MLB, but this incident, on top of the NFL adopting an HGH testing policy, does cause a little wrinkle against the unions argument that blood testing is completely pointless and unreliable.

 

[Mr. Enigma]

The Rockies immediately released Jacobs after he was suspended. :lol

It'll probably be added to the next collective bargaining agreement. The Union got slammed pretty hard by Congress for shitting on drug testing as long as they did, so I doubt they'l risk the backlash of saying no to HGH testing.

 

[darkside31337]

Royals announce two-year contract extension for Jeff Francoeur.

I know Moore is going to take a lot of crap, but it's a really good move by the Royals as long as it's not outlandish in terms of salary.

 

[eznark]

Royals announce two-year contract extension for Jeff Francoeur.

I know Moore is going to take a lot of crap, but it's a really good move by the Royals as long as it's not outlandish in terms of salary.

It's certainly a move. Not sure I see why it's so great. Cabrera is the better player and if they think Cain is anything worthwhile (which they seemed to at the time, gotta sell the fans!) move Melky to right and bring up Cain.

 

[darkside31337]

He has a 2.3 WAR on the season. He's been pretty good.

For 2 years / 7-8 million which I'm assuming is the range (if it's above this then yeah its bad) it's a good move.

Honestly I have no idea if they tried to resign Melky or not, or if he wanted to even resign as it'd make more sense to test the market as he could beat that. But just for Francoeur's value alone it's a decent enough move. Hardly a laugher of a move.

 

[Mr. Enigma]

I remember laughing when they gave Francoeur a press conference to announce his signing...

 

[eznark]

Ya, I don't think it's a laugher but it's his first even acceptable season in 4 years. I haven't look at the upcoming outfield market but was it really so bad that he was guaranteed a multi-year deal in free agency?

Seems like a "look, we're doing stuff!" move to appease fans.

 

[darkside31337]

Via MLBTR - Right fielders
Bobby Abreu (38) - $9MM club option with a $1MM buyout; vests with 433 PAs in 2011
Lance Berkman (36)
Willie Bloomquist (34) - $1.1MM mutual option with a $150K buyout
Milton Bradley (34)
Michael Cuddyer (33)
David DeJesus (32)
J.D. Drew (36)
Jeff Francoeur (28) - $3MM mutual option
Kosuke Fukudome (35)
Willie Harris (34)
Brad Hawpe (33)
Jeremy Hermida (28)
Joe Inglett (34)
Austin Kearns (32)
Jason Kubel (29)
Ryan Ludwick (33)
Xavier Nady (33)
Magglio Ordonez (38)
Cody Ross (31)
Nick Swisher (31) - $10.25MM club option with a $1MM buyout
Josh Willingham (33)

Only guys with a higher WAR on the season are Berkman and Cuddyer. And I imagine both guys will probably do a lot better than what Frenchy got. Most of these guys on the list can't play RF, can't hit or don't even have a job anymore.

 

[yankeehater]

My god that is a terrible list.

 

[eznark]

Only guys with a higher WAR on the season are Berkman and Cuddyer.

So you think Francouer has it figured out now? He'll now be a somewhat productive player? I'm personally skeptical.

Again, there is nothing wrong with the deal, I just don't see anything praiseworthy either. If he is making $4-5m next year, that's 10.5% of their total payroll (assuming they operate on this seasons number or slightly more).

It's tough to try and fix the Royals though, so I don't know. Not like you can get a starting pitcher for that kind of money.

 

[Duane Cunningham]

Royals fans aren't as familiar with the Frenchy of old that everybody hates. He's been great since he's been here, and everybody likes him. Nobody wants to lose Melky, either, though. But we want to lose Alex Gordon even less than either of those two. I think we're pretty happy with the outfield right now and want to keep it intact. If Cain got called up as a backup outfielder instead of Mitch Meier, great.

To be honest, every single position player is pretty beloved right now. That's a huge switch from last year. And they're all good, too (Moustakas is still getting settled in, though).

The bullpen is in good shape, too. We just need some starting pitching, and this team is ready to become relevant again.

 

[darkside31337]

http://mlb.sbnation.com/2011/8/17/2367508/kansas-city-royals-jeff-francoeur-melky-cabrera

Jeff Sullivan piece, great as usual.

I don't know if Frenchy has figured it out or not. I just find it silly that people are laughing at this deal when they completely missed on Frenchy being good this season. The notion that he can play at a relatively high level for the next 2 seasons isn't that far-fetched, because he's already doing that this season.

 

[eznark]

http://mlb.sbnation.com/2011/8/17/2367508/kansas-city-royals-jeff-francoeur-melky-cabrera

Jeff Sullivan piece, great as usual.

I don't know if Frenchy has figured it out or not. I just find it silly that people are laughing at this deal when they completely missed on Frenchy being good this season. The notion that he can play at a relatively high level for the next 2 seasons isn't that far-fetched, because he's already doing that this season.

Going on your WAR number, he's the 8th best RF in the AL. Let's not get out of control in our praise here.

I didn't realize people were laughing at it. First I had seen it was your post.

 

[Windu]

Craig Kimbrel currently leads the braves pitching staff in fWAR (2.8). lol.

 

[Ronabo]

I've decided since the Reds pretty much gave up at the trade deadline I'm gonna root for the Brewers. Even though nothing would've helped much.

(ノಠ益&#3232ノ彡┻━┻


Hey guys. Remember when the Pirates were in first place? LOL

 

[eznark]

Craig Kimbrel currently leads the braves pitching staff in fWAR (2.8). lol.

Don't know if you caught MLBN last night, but Plesac ranked his best bullpens. Braves at 1 Brewers at 2

We gooooood

 

[ToxicAdam]

Royals fans aren't as familiar with the Frenchy of old that everybody hates. He's been great since he's been here, and everybody likes him. Nobody wants to lose Melky, either, though. But we want to lose Alex Gordon even less than either of those two. I think we're pretty happy with the outfield right now and want to keep it intact. If Cain got called up as a backup outfielder instead of Mitch Meier, great.

To be honest, every single position player is pretty beloved right now. That's a huge switch from last year. And they're all good, too (Moustakas is still getting settled in, though).
.

Personally, I think the Royals made a big mistake not flipping those guys for prospects.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Topps' All-Star Rookies Vs. Donruss' Rated Rookies: Which company was better at predicting eventual success?

I researched this data in chronological order. At first, it looked as though Donruss was going to win by a considerable margin ... and then 1991 came.

The 1991 Donruss set was issued in two different series: one with a blue border, and one with a green border. Rather than issue the usual 15 or so Rated Rookies, Donruss awarded 35 of these suckers. Sure, Donruss managed to include rookies Tino Martinez, Mo Vaughn, Moises Alou, Ray Lankford, and Chuck Knoblauch.

But they dramatically diluted their product by assigning RR status to an ocean of nobodies, such as Paul Marak, Scott Chiamparino, Steve Chitren, Terry Bross, Kevin Morton ... half the list looked to me like a roster of made-up names.

Worst of all, and by "worst of all" I mean the worst thing about this entire body of research: despite going crazy with issuing Rated Rookies, Frank Thomas didn't get one. Topps also failed to ever issue Thomas ASR or Future Star status.

 

[Square Triangle]

Personally, I think the Royals made a big mistake not flipping those guys for prospects.

Agreed.

 

[cuevas. PhD.]

Fuck the white sox

 

[darkside31337]

I take back everything nice I said about the Frenchy deal.

It's 2 years 13.5 million.

It's better than the Adam Laroche contract last offseason but still pretty crazy since its Jeff Francoeur.

 

[Lambtron]

If Frenchy gets 2/$13.5, that pretty much guarantees Cuddyer is going to get over 3/$30 from the Twins. God I hope not.

 

[eznark]

I take back everything nice I said about the Frenchy deal.

It's 2 years 13.5 million.

It's better than the Adam Laroche contract last offseason but still pretty crazy since its Jeff Francoeur.

Bad.

Speaking of bad, Estrada v. Kershaw....oh well, can't win em all.

 

[jman2050]

Melky and Francoeur are exactly the type of guys the Royals should have traded away before their inevitable falls off the cliff.

Keeping them is not going to fix that team.

 

[eznark]

The mediocre-at-best return they would have gotten for half a year of either of those guys isn't going to fix the team either.

 

[Rafa=FedKilla]

Can Estrada throw a change up for a strike?

 

[Windu]

Francoeur’s Extension That Never Was

Back in 2007, Brian McCann and Jeff Francoeur were supposedly offered nearly identical contracts. Francoeur declined, and rumors say he wanted double what was offered. McCann accepted, and has made every All-Star game since (he made one before then too).

Going with the notion that the contracts were more-or-less identical, Francoeur would have been offered a 6 year, $26.8 million contract, with a club option for 12 million in 2013. There was a chance that the contract ended up being too team friendly for Francouer’s liking, but as we saw there was also a good chance that the contract would have ended up an albatross. Francouer thought he was being undervalued, and the Braves’ front office was wise to play hard ball with Jeff and not back down to his demands.

Francoeur signed an extension today with the Royals worth $13.5 million. We all have our reasons to dislike Francoeur, being the statements about OBP, the previously mentioned decline of a solid offer, or the poor attitude he showed when he was sent to the minors, but this is a fair deal for a player of his caliber. He earned five million a year ago with the Mets and Rangers, so $6.75 per year is nothing outlandish.

Over the past five years, and now that he is guaranteed $13.5m over the next two, Francoeur will have earned $25.25m. Compared to McCann’s $38.80m, that is $13.55m less. It is quite ironic that the deal Francoeur signed through 2013 needed to be twice as much as what he agreed to in order to match McCann’s total over that seven year period. He once wanted double what McCann accepted, now he needed double what he agreed to just to match the offer he would have received.

While most athletes maintain a necessary level of confidence and slight arrogance, there is a lesson in this story that says turning down guaranteed money over several years is a risk that many should not take. Thankfully for the Braves, the risk taken by Francoeur saved them millions of dollars and millions of headaches.

http://capitolavenueclub.com/?p=4784

edit: although I would prefer chipper hitting second, I dont think fredi could have made a better lineup. /cheer. Now to watch them get shutout by lincecum.

 

[Rafa=FedKilla]

brewers announcers are dumb, said CC should've won the Cy Young last year because he had more wins then King Felix.

 

[sf2fanatic]

That was some good nachos they showed at the dodgers/brewers game....

 

[verbum]

Francoeur’s Extension That Never Was


edit: although I would prefer chipper hitting second, I dont think fredi could have made a better lineup. /cheer. Now to watch them get shutout by lincecum.

"The extension that never was" makes Lowe's deal look downright reasonable and Mclouth's not too, too bad.

 

[eznark]

Oh well, could feel this one coming. I'll take 19-3 over the last 22!!

 

[sf2fanatic]

The shadows spooked him...We take them hits

 

[Lambtron]

So, uh, a programming note. Mauer will be playing right field tonight because there's basically no one else available to play. How many homers will fly over his head?

 

[darkside31337]

So, uh, a programming note. Mauer will be playing right field tonight because there's basically no one else available to play. How many homers will fly over his head?

More than he will hit this entire season. So probably 2.

 

[Celsior]

Just saw the Homerun call from yesterday's game. Really, how do you mess up a replay.

 

[cuevas. PhD.]

Wtf Mauer? What are they doing over there?

 

[Lambtron]

Wtf Mauer? What are they doing over there?

Bill Smith is horrible at running a baseball team. Span has been having post-concussion symptoms for a few days, but hasn't been on the DL. Cuddyer has a neck issue, hasn't played in days, but hasn't been on the DL. Tolbert sprained his wrist, but he's not on the DL. Kubel had to leave the team to attend to a family matter, so he's not available tonight. They called up Luke Hughes from Rochester, but he had a "travel issue" and won't be to Minneapolis in time for the game. If he'd made it, he would play 2nd and Plouffe would be in right.

So they're playing the Yankees, with Sabathia pitching, with literally no bench. And Mauer in right field, which he's only played a couple of times ever.

For Christ's sake, when players are hurt, put them on the fucking disabled list. It's not like the Twins are winning shit this year anyway.

 

[darkside31337]

Really hoping that game goes 16 innings tonight just for the absurdity of it.

 

[Lambtron]

Really hoping that game goes 16 innings tonight just for the absurdity of it.

I believe Gardenhire has said before that if there needs to be a pinch runner, he'll use Slowey. He has a hard on for pinch runners, so I'm expecting Slowey to have to come to bat in a crucial late game situation, after he pinch runs him for Thome (with two outs and Thome at first base).

 

[clemenx]

Twins took the "Comedy Central" division thing at heart this year.

 

[The Frankman]

I need to see this Home Run replay thing you people are talking about...

 

[sf2fanatic]

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=18148531&topic_id=&c_id=mlb&tcid=vpp_copy_18148531&v=3

here it is


hopefully its correct