Ichiro is now hitting .332/.378/.411. If you were to comprise a list of major league centerfielders who you’d rather have right now, it would probably read something like this:
Jim Edmonds
Carlos Beltran
Andruw Jones
Vernon Wells
Steve Finley
Considering contract status, you might take the significantly cheaper Juan Pierre too. So, Ichiro would be something like the 6th or 7th best player at his position in the game were he playing center field. In right field, he’s closer to 10th or 11th, an amazing distance behind the likes of Vladimir Guerrero, Bobby Abreu, Sammy Sosa, Miguel Cabrera, Brian Giles, and Magglio Ordonez. Move Ichiro to center field. Finding a corner outfielder who can hit isn’t that hard. They already have a center fielder who can hit. He just happens to be playing right.
Overheard at the bar, 5/26
“Oh, Edgar, we got him from the Yankees. We traded them Ken Phelps.”
Plus, we’ve already got Spiezio, and that guy is clutch. Clutch, I tell you. No, don’t give me stats, I’m not interested in listening to hearing your stathead attacks on the sparkplug of this offense.
The News Tribune suggests the M’s should go hard after Mets 3B prospect David Wright. I’m probably Wright’s biggest supporter. I wrote a column comparing him to Scott Rolen last summer, projecting him as one of the most likely prospects to take The Leap this year. He’s lived up to it and more, hitting .348/.465/.618 in Double-A as a 21-year-old. Right now, David Wright is one of the two or three best prospects in the minors.
Therein lies the rub; the Mets aren’t trading him. They won’t give him to KC for Beltran and they won’t give him to us for Garcia. He’s their Miguel Cabrera, and if they are in the race in the fall, expect him to be given a shot to handle the third base job in the middle of a pennant chase.
It’s a heck of a dream, but it isn’t going to happen.
And the stupidity continues. The Mariners have decided to move Clint Nageotte to the bullpen in Tacoma in preparation for his arrival in Seattle as a middle reliever.
I’m tempted to launch into a long rant about how devaluing young players isn’t intelligent, how the M’s bullpen doesn’t need as much help as the rotation, how Nageotte isn’t ready anyways, and the team is simply pigeonholing two of their best arms as relievers simply because they throw hard. But, you know what, you guys already know all this. The M’s have worn me down to the point where I feel like we’re not even making an impact. Their runaway freight train of stupidity is gaining steam, and as long as the ridiculously incompetent remain in charge, this team doesn’t have a prayer. Moving Clint Nageotte to the bullpen is a minor thing, but its the continuance of evidence that shows that the people in charge of player personnel don’t have the first clue how to run an effective baseball team.
Bill Bavasi deserves to lose his job. Roger Jongewaard should be forcibly retired. Lee Pelekoudas should be terminated. Frank Mattox needs to go away. The front office needs a complete and total overhaul. The groupthink in the administration of this baseball team is perpetual stupidity, and this team doesn’t have a prayer until it changes. Hiring Paul DePodesta into this organization wouldn’t have mattered, because its a culture of pride and arrogance that needs to be weeded out. Get rid of all of them. Every last one.
Dave Henderson, in the 12th inning, with Winn at first, Ichiro hitting, and nobody out.
I can hear the fans back in Seattle now saying “why aren’t they bunting”? Well, Ichiro isn’t going to hit into a double play, and thats why you bunt, is to avoid the double play.
First off, I can’t imagine anyone was sitting at home asking why Ichiro wasn’t bunting. We’ve all seen enough pointless bunts to last us a lifetime. And, second, staying out of the double play is NOT why you bunt. I mean, seriously, does he actually believe that?
Hey, look, Ichiro with an infield single, showing again why bunting is ridiculously stupid. And with runners at first and second and nobody out, I guarantee we’re about to see one.
New GM Watch
May 25th edition
a brief comparison of GMs in their freshman year at the helm of their teams
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Dan O’Brien, Reds, 26-18, .591 [last year .426]
Paul DePodesta, Dodgers, 23-19, .548 [last year .525]
Bill Bavasi, Mariners, 15-28, .349 [last year .574]
You know, something’s been bugging me… Olerud should have been out when he was “locked in the video room”. When it’s your turn to bat, you have to bat. Sure, it’s a courtesy or whatever, but it’s in 6.03 of the rules. What’s supposed to happen is that it’s Olerud’s turn, Olerud’s not there, the ump tells the pitcher to go, and every pitch is a strike. Threee pitches and Olerud is out.
Now, it didn’t matter– Olerud got out anyway, but what if that had been the difference in the game? Detroit would have had a perfectly legitimate protest to the league, and (though this would never happen, because they’re lazy) MLB could have upheld it and forfeited the game.
In fact… if they’d played by the rules and Olerud struck out, they might not have gotten him and Aurilia out in time to start the next inning, and then what happens?
It appears that the new blogger is anti www addresses, so for those of you out there who are having issues accessing the blog (and, theoretically, are unable to read this post-what am I doing?), reset your bookmarks to either ussmariner.com or ussmariner.blogspot.com, and forget the www.
Also, Peter White and I are one-upping Derek on his eastside get togethers to watch the M’s. We’re taking eastside literally, and we’ll be hanging out somewhere in the Washington D.C area on Saturday, watching the Red Sox and the remains of the M’s roster do battle. If you’re interested in joining us, email me or Peter and we’ll hook you up with the details. East coast, represent!
I like the “young, but experienced” bit too. Of course, we should realize that the team probably defines young as “under 35” so that’s not so much a contradictory set of requirements.
Rekindle hope for 2004… there isn’t a player in baseball that could single-handedly return this team to contention for this year. Can’t happen.