USSM/LL Event Recap
So, that went well.
Section 331 has already written her recap, and I know that there will be one up on Proball NW in the not too distant future, so feel free to read those to get the perspective of a few folks in the audience.
From my spot on stage, I thought the afternoon was a lot of fun. We spent the first hour making a lot of jokes before Jack, Tony, Mac, and Jeff Kingston arrived and took the stage. We then spent about two hours bouncing questions off of them, ranging from Cliff Lee (they think he’s good) to Brandon League (Blengino is apparently super super high on him) to what they would like us to understand (players are people).
They talked about acquiring Milton Bradley as a conclusion of reward outweighing risk, and had some interesting comments about how they don’t see Wak as Houdini, insinuating that they’re not expecting Bradley to be an angel here. They understand the volatility, but they’re willing to take a shot on it working in a smaller, more friendly environment than Chicago, pointing to his success in San Diego and Texas.
They talked about planning the off-season planning, dismissing a notion of “going for it” in lieu of “rebuilding”, choosing rather to make moves that improved the team. They talked about Dustin Ackley (they’re encouraged by the early reviews at second base), they talked about Chone Figgins (he was the guy that everyone in the front office wanted), and they talked about wanting to do a couple more things before the season starts.
They were great. They did a good job of answering the questions that they wanted to answer while inserting humor into the questions they didn’t want to answer. The standing ovation at the end was louder than at the beginning.
For those who came out, thanks for making the trip. We’ll do it again, I’m sure.
You guys made this event awesome, thanks for all the hard work in putting everything together!
And also… I never realized how funny Jack can be.
Awesome event guys! Thanks a million for planning it.
A lot of fun. Thanks guys.
I’m thinking of copying the front row guy and getting a Zduriencik jersey.
The format of having the questions asked before the meeting worked REALLY well. It was more smooth, everyone could hear, etc. The venue was awesome, too; my butt didn’t fall asleep like it did in the library, and it wasn’t cold like in the room in SafeCo – or maybe that’s just me.
The friend I was with asked me why these are never done AT SafeCo, and I didn’t have an answer. It’s a good question, though – wouldn’t it be easier to arrange something at the field?
Thanks again, good fun!
It was my first USS Mariner event, and it was absolutely a ton of fun!.
This was the first event that I’ve been to, and it was awesome. Thanks guys for putting this together. It was really a blast.
I’d rather sit in a comfortable room like yesterday than in the seats at Safeco in January. Granted, yesterday was a beautiful day and it would’ve been comfortable sitting outside — could even have had the roof open! — but what are the odds of that coinciding with an event you’re planning right after the new year? On the other hand, at the rate this thing is growing (along with enthusiasm for the team) there may be no other place big enough to hold it in a year or two.
And yeah, I agree the format worked well (the ninja-switching interlocutors was a little odd but wasn’t a problem beyond surprising Jack et al).
So let me also add my big thankyou for doing this. I realize you guys get at least as much enjoyment out of this as we do, but you have to do the non-trivial work of setting the thing up, and the results were really excellent.
Are you bald? Because I think it will get you an actual hug from Zduriencik only if you are. But I’m not bald and I’m thinking of getting one too.
Hey, remember that “Ichiro impersonator” guy in the stands last year? How cool would it be if we had an entire section of Jack impersonators? The Zduriencik Army.
Edit: hey, editing is back! Cool! (I assume the exploits have been plugged?)
I’m curious to find out from Dave/DMZ their opinions/reaction to the growth of these events? Just in the last few years how the events have grown and we’ve become a legitimate crowd that the front office listens/talks to. Pretty dang cool.
Thanks again for putting the event together.
Although I was expecting they’d dodge all questions about individual players, that wasn’t the case. And my impression was that beyond the positive comments you’d expect, they really ARE enthused about the future prospects of Ackley at second.
Anyone else sense that?
joser; you do have a point about the comfort of the seats – but I would think there would be a press room or some other area there that would be convenient to use. Just a thought. I’ll go wherever, though, no matter.
You guys did an awesome job putting this event together. Lots of fun…thanks so much!
Great job guys. The insights into the philosophy and personalities of the front office were terrific. That the 4 of them took the time to participate in an event like this is a testament to the quality of what you’re doing.
Thanks and keep up the good work!
Man wish I could have gone! For those who didn’t go can you give us some insight on players they are looking at?
I’m hoping there will be a more detailed recap?
Great event, guys. Lot’s of fun and laughs. Blengino is a hoot!
When he was referring to Chone with the team, was I the only one who caught Jack saying “…Figgins at second or third”? Made me wonder about Jose and where he will play.
That seats 500+ people? I don’t know all the nooks and crannies of Safeco, but I didn’t think there was something like that hiding there. In the lead-up to this somebody did suggest the WaMu Theater at Qwest, which is about the only thing I can think of in the area. But I could be wrong.
Unfortunately, the details you most want to hear are the ones that are strictly off the record, and if they weren’t the FO guys wouldn’t be forthcoming about them in the first place. It’s a frustrating Catch 22, but that’s how it works, alas.
That said, they certainly offered some insights that wouldn’t be considered controversial or “newsworthy” but that would still be worth repeating, like Jack’s insistence that he was not “cleaning out” the farm system and he had a lot of respect for all the scouting that led the previous regime to make those draft picks. (And he was certainly sorry to see those guys go…but, hey: Cliff Lee!)
A couple were at Safeco Field. I’m not sure why you’re assuming they weren’t.
My first time, and it was great! Great job, guys, organizing and running it! Even though the atmosphere was informal, it was very professionally run. And a lot more humor than I was anticipating, too.
Anyone else notice how in control Jack was over who would answer what question? If he didn’t answer a question himself, the other guys seemed to always wait for him to direct them to answer it; they wouldn’t just jump in themselves.
I don’t know that that means anything, just something I was stuck by.
Well, he is the boss, and they clearly respect him and don’t want to speak out of turn at a public event. This is the Front Office That Doesn’t Leak, don’t forget. The Library event last year, where it was the underlings without Jack, was a lot more free-wheeling. They also wandered off into funny stories a bit more last year, though some of that may just have been they had less to talk about so early in the new regime (other than the Putz trade). That was one aspect I kind of missed from last year, though with The Boss in the room you’re less likely to do that, and maybe it was also the absence of Carmine who seemed to have the best anecdotes.
It’s not that I’m “assuming they weren’t”, it’s perhaps that I’m wondering why they’re not every time. It seems that it would save you the hassle of booking through a third party.
I know people want details, and I don’t want to cross the line into getting too specific about what was said, but I don’t think I’m doing that if I just mention (and expand upon) a couple of things that stuck out or surprised me (and let the Mods be the judge):
Jack apparently knew Kotchman when the latter was still in highschool and Jack was still involved in scouting in the area Kotchman grew up. Clearly he thinks he knows exactly what he’s getting and it’s a lot more than you’d guess just from looking at Kotchman’s accumulated stats so far.
When Dave raised the issue of Jose Lopez as the (obvious) weak link of the infield defense, Jack went around the diamond noting the superior D of Kotchman, Wilson, and Figgins… but (as Banton noted above) he mentioned the latter at either 3rd or 2nd. Now, we know Jack loves positional flexibility, so he’s probably just thinking “Figgins has awesome UZR no matter what position he’s playing” — and in terms of Wak juggling players because of pinch-hitting or injuries — and I wouldn’t read anything more into it than that; but it did kind of raise my eyebrows since it came up in the context of Lopez. It has been widely reported that the team was looking to trade Lopez, afterall, though Jack took pains to point out that a lot of teams would love to have a 25 HR second basemen (and you can interpret that a couple of ways, too). But with Ackley apparently looking very good(!) in his transition to 2B (Jack mentioned he’s going down to AZ later this week and that’s one of the things he’s going to be seeing with his own eyes), any other solution at 2B would have to be a stopgap at best. So I have to conclude that Figgins is, as the team has said, first and foremost a 3B and will remain that (other than the occasional shuffling when bench guys come in for late innings or to give someone a rest) unless they get a killer offer for Lopez or a 3B on a one year deal falls into Jack’s lap. In other words: no news.
Speaking of which, just go around the infield again, repeating those names in your head. The only guy left who was on the team at the end of 2008 is Lopez. (And for that matter, the only guy left in the outfield from that season is Ichiro). This is just a completely different team from ’08. Nevertheless, and despite all the farm guys who have been traded this season, Jack did make the point that he had no agenda with regards to the previous regime and he certainly wasn’t trying to empty the farm system and bring in “his” players: all the players he inherited are now “his” players, and he had a lot of respect for all the work that went into scouting and drafting those guys. He didn’t like losing the guys they traded away, but he was pretty happy with the guys they got back. (Cliff Lee: pause for applause).
Several times Jack made the point that in trades what matters is how the players involved are valued by the other GM. The other 28 teams might grumble about what they could’ve offered for Cliff Lee, for example, but it doesn’t matter that they think their parts are “worth more” if Seattle has the parts that Ruben Amarao wants. So while we do our context-neutral calculus of WAR values and see things not adding up, that may not align at all with the POV of a GM in the very specific context of building his team for this season and beyond. Which is why a trade can be a win for both sides, and why Jack really, really knows what he’s doing.
Speaking of which, I’m a lot more comfortable with the Morrow/League trade than I was last week. I hadn’t really thought this through until Jack mentioned it, but consider seven innings of Felix, followed by an inning of League (and the best pitch in baseball), followed by Aardsma, all backed by the best defense (now outfield and infield) in baseball. Now repeat, but with Cliff Lee instead of Felix. It’s not quite prime-years Randy Johnson dominance, but it could be just as much fun to watch (and just as frustrating for the other team). And we get that two days out of every five.
The most interesting thing about the event for me was the discussion of the Morrow-League trade.
They made it very clear that this was a trade FOR League not a trade to “see what we can get for Morrow.”
Jack mentioned that many in the FO did NOT want to give up Morrow, but they felt League was too special to pass up.
Tony B was apparently drooling over the prospect of acquiring League with his “best pitch in baseball.”
I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss the idea of Figgins at second and Lopez at third. Figgins is the prototypical second baseman and kind of an oddity at third.
The main criticism of Lopez’ defense is his range. He has a strong arm. Lopez made it to the majors as a shortstop and usually shortstops get moved to second if their arm is questionable and third if their range is questionable. Furthermore, Lopez could afford to bulk up a bit at third, whereas you probably wouldn’t want that at second.
Was there any questions/standing ovations about Guttierez’s extension?
Not sure how to reply but #IwearMsHats yes, there was a quick “thank you” and applause if i remember correctly.
I’ve been to a number of these, including when Bavasi was around and we went to the game in Tacoma, the old events with pizza, etc.
And this was by far the most entertaining, smooth running, and enjoyable. Perhaps it’s due to the awesomeness of the FO, but you guys are getting real good at this.
As has been said before, the format for asking questions was perfect. We only have a limited amount of time with the big guy, so it’s important to have good Q’s.
Thanks again for everything, and for putting this on. I feel lucky to be an M’s fan right now.
I want to echo what others have said, that yesterday was very fun but also insightful to see how these guys (esp. Jack) think about what they do. I don’t know how many other FO’s do this sort of thing with their fanbase but we should be very thankful for the FO to accept the USSM invitation.
And thanks to all the USSM guys for your efforts to organize this and changing venues in midstream. No doubt you can see that the legion of followers enjoys what you do. Kudos, guys!
No question, yes ovation. Another ovation for “Carlos Silva doesn’t play for us anymore.”
There was a “you had to be there” anecdote about Griffey, his son Trey and Ichiro that had us rolling in the aisles.
To me, the most interesting thing was listening to Jack describe how they reach decisions. He is looking for the opinions of people with different inputs, all of whose opinions he respects. This is no echo chamber, no false reaching for consensus. So if this were Fremulon Insurance, you’d still like working there, but these guys get to work in baseball under those conditions as well. Yes, I’m jealous (and I like my job).
Thanks to Derek and Dave and the LL guys for putting together a great event, and thanks to the ticket company and the people at Benaroya for running such a smooth event. They even had people standing around to let us (about 97% men by my visual count) use one of the women’s restrooms at the break, while reserving the closer women’s restroom for women.
Yeah, mention of the Guti deal got a warm round of applause. And that one wasn’t prompted, unlike the “Carlos Silva is no longer on the team” one…
You mean, more than he has already?
That all may be true, but AFAIK there hasn’t been so much as a whisper of giving Lopez any reps at 3B. The Bavasi regime did try him out at 1B for a few games, but he’d need serious offseason practice to transition to 3B and I haven’t heard anything about that, so presumably he’s not making such a move this year. And 2011 is a club option year for him, so if the Ackley experiment works out (and he seems ready otherwise), it may be some other team that gets to try Lopez out at the hot corner (though 25 HR is a lot less impressive attached to a 3B than a 2B). In the meantime, he at least is cheap for the value he provides even in spite of his range and OBP.
(I like Jose and he’s had a terrible run of luck in his personal life, so I really hope he finds a way to have a long and productive career. But I’d rather see someone better playing 2B for the Ms.)
Wow, I didn’t notice that (but then I didn’t get up at the break), but yeah the Benaroya people were right on top of everything with the lights and ushering the aisles, etc; that’s a top-notch venue crew.
It was a real sausage-fest as far as the audience went no doubt, but when you intersect internet nerdery and sports you end up with a pretty good proxy for something on the Y chromosome, I’m afraid. This isn’t Yoga or Antiques Roadshow.
I tried to verbally thank the ushers on a couple of occasions, they were great. I thought the venue was great. The sound was quite good, and even some of the bloggers that tend to mumble could be understood by the audience, although Jack had to ask for a repeat of a question at least once. I know public speaking isn’t a primary skill trait for a blogger/baseball stathead, but my only suggestion would be to try to speak clearly and keep your hand from in front of your mouth (hard to do when you are thinking of a question to ask or the answer).
My DW was quite pleased to find that the line for the women’s room was very short (she expected it, this was the second event she’s been to and so knew the percentages).
This was one of the more interesting items, to me. Earlier, Jack described how he gets input from everyone before they make a deal, but that sometimes a point that one person makes just outweighs everything and sticks in his mind. It sounded like with League it was Tony’s point about League’s splitter being the pitch that was missed most often (35% of the time) in all of baseball.
Also, I am even more confident know that this team gets it. They know that starting pitchers are more valuable than relievers. So when they make a deal like Morrow for League, they had good reasons.
Darn. I wish I was able to go this event. Sounds like it was very informative and interesting. Thanks joser for giving some brief “details”. I’m definitely going to the next one and I’ll bring the wife to help offset the sausage factor.
Zduriencik is a Rock Star.
At the end of the day the phrases that this administration operates by include respect, openness to all input and valuing all opinions, getting good people, both on the field, the dugout and in the office, respect and at the end of the day.
Perhaps the best thing to me though is that with all the input and potential for analysis paralysis, it is very clear that there is one guy making the final decisions and Jack is very comfortable making them and bearing all responsibility for the consequences without second guessing himself or his staff.
It’s interesting to compare this with the recap (and comments) from last year — more for where we were then vs where we are now than for any specifics of the two events. (I show up in the comments there thinking aloud that “.500 is a stretch but something to shoot for in ‘09, and I’d be ecstatic if they reached it.”)
A full year of The Zduriencik Experience makes for quite a change in Weltanschauung.
It does remind me though of how goddamned funny Carmen Fusco was (for four solid hours, despite being on the verge of passing a couple of kidney stones). I’d love to have an event with just him and maybe Tony Blengino — after the trade deadline or the draft, perhaps?
Man, I’m extremely jealous of all you lucky folks able to go. Stuck in Flagstaff (Arizona) here. At least I’ll be able to see a bunch of spring training games
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On that note, does anyone know if Felix/Lee/Ackley will be playing in any/many of the spring training games? Sorry if this is a stupid question, I’m pretty new to the training scene!
Stuck in Albuquerque but thanks to all for the comments. Its awesome to hear even the smallest bits from the event. I’m ready for spring training and the last couple games that will be here in Albuquerque.
@ Section 331 I attended one of the events at Safeco. It wasn’t actually in the stadium area. There’s a bunch of conference and meeting rooms and we used one of those. The problem is the floor is flat, so the people in the back can’t see and hear as well. In an auditorium like the Recital Hall or Library, everyone can see and hear better. On the field or in the stands might be problematic.
I didn’t get to hear Carmen, but I definitely would like to hear more from Tony. The little stat snippet on Hot Stove with Shannon is good but not enough.
Yeah, the Safeco ones have really lacked for acoustics, but man did the M’s treat everyone well the last time we were there. The event people were just great.
Free food was pretty generous of them, too. The one disadvantage at Benaroya was the (quite reasonable) rule against food and drink in the auditorium.
That’s one deep voice you’ve got there, Derek. And it was great to see both you and Dave having such a good time. Jeff looked a little somber, but for the most part, all the moderators looked quite happy.
Thank you USSM and LL folks!
I’m totally digging the fact that this city loves this team so much that they’re willing to pay 17 bucks for a ticket to watch M’s management talk! It’s not even a game being played, it’s BEE-YOU-TEE-FULL!!!
Great comedy, wasn’t expecting that. When’s the next one?
Congratulations on a great gathering and also on the USSM announcement.
I thought the event hit the most important stuff, which isn’t easy with all that this team has done.
What I heard that I really liked (and is in-line with other comments so far):
1. The FO wanted Brandon League and has confidence in him.
2. Bringing in League was part of a desire to ensure the bullpen held onto every Felix & Cliff Lee start/lead.
3. Dustin Ackley is showing good early signs at 2B.
4. Jack is all about respecting other teams and their actions, mainly because he never assumes he knows more than them.
5. The team’s FO didn’t give away anything it shouldn’t have yesterday (despite being asked) and Jack tossed the audience a few tidbits that were insightful and new, which is a generous thing to do with the advanced fanbase.
I wish we had heard some about Gutierrez’s greatness (thanks to LL for the contract shout-out, which led to the applause) and some of JackZ’s opinion on whether the team’s pitching and defense model provides any head-to-head advantage in a tight division.
It was a really great event, and hopefully the authors enjoyed it as much as everyone else.
For those of you wondering why Dave pulled out his phone, looked at it, and rolled his eyes early on, that’s my fault. Hehehehehe.
That was great. It was my first time and I look forward to doing it again. I’m sure it’s not easy putting it all together and I really appreaciate the effort.
On that note, does anyone know if Felix/Lee/Ackley will be playing in any/many of the spring training games?
Yes, yes, and yes. Pretty much everyone among the top 60 guys in the org plays in spring training games. Early in spring training, they might run two starters back-to-back, say Felix for two innings then RRS for two innings. But toward the end of spring, teams set their rotation so you’ll see each starting pitcher go 5 or 6 innings. It’s pretty easy to figure out which pitchers are going which days.
As someone targeted for AA (I’m guessing), Ackley probably won’t get many reps with the big league team after the first part of spring.
Joser-
I did think that Z went out of his way to speak to the concept of “flexibility”, and that may have been the context in which he talked about Figgins at 2B.
The two things that struck me the most on my ride home on the ferry:
Jack is one cool customer. He does not rattle, and I can see that this is a trait with his manager. No matter what the question, he thought before he spoke, and gave a balanced answer. I really like that. He obviously wanted to make sure that he was not dissing a player that was brought up, and he was careful to not blurt out some inside information, but the WAY that he did these things was quite interesting to watch. It is not surprising that he is a great wheeler-dealer. I would not want to play poker with him.
The other thing that struck me is the fact that, at the end of the day, he makes the decision. Input is valued, and he looks for information, but it is his call, and he does not shy away from taking responsibility.
He spoke well of all the players, past and present, regardless of how the question was phrased. We may not make it to the WS this year,but we have probably the classiest GM in baseball.
Was that you calling Zduriencik too?
Is “at the end of the day” a new meme? Cause I notice everyone is saying it now. And, certainly, it’s a favorite saying of Jay Z.
I listened and watched it all and I said Whoa! Now that was fun.
It did seem that Jack was a bit more relaxed when he just walked downstairs in his shirt sleeves, rather than sitting on a stage, staring at 500.
FWIW, sec331 was at the last Safeco meet, so she does know what it was like there. Me, I loved the free popcorn, but it was harder to see and hear. I think about the only place you could put over 400 is on or near the field, and then the sound would suck.
In answer to an implication that was brought up high in this thread, there weren’t any ‘secret’ comments not reported here about potential free agents, potential trade targets, or any players at all on other teams that I can think of. All references were to Mariner personnel.
I don’t know how many A/B split squad games they’re scheduled for, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he were given a lot of starts at 2B in those, possibly working with the MLB starters, to give him more of a look at second with the top brass watching. That’s just speculation. It was clear the top brass does want to see him at second with their own eyes, and hasn’t yet, in game situations.
Was that you calling Zduriencik too?
Right, Jeff has Zduriencik on speed-dial.
You noticed he didn’t answer it?
@joser
Zduriencik Buzz Cut Night?
I was hoping for Dave Sims Hat Night last August, but alas, it was not to be.
RE tweet:
if you don’t think that the event was worth 17 dollars, you have no business calling yourself a Mariners fan :/
I would absolutely attend a Dave Sims Hat Night
I have hijacked the official USSM twitter feed to request this of the M’s.
[event rules]
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In fairness to Dave, he spent a good deal of time mocking himself for doing this, mentioning how Salk has been on his case everytime he’s on their show.
But will he give you a hug too?
Having my jersey made was very expensive, but worth it. I wanted to show my support in case there was anyone from the front office that might show up. I naively thought that nobody would be there — that they might be ironing out the details on a contract extension or in the middle of making a huge trade that nobody anywhere would see coming…
Anyways, great event Dave. It was my first time and I look forward to attending more. Thanks again to everyone involved.
Okay, I’m not going to delete it [but I am]
One last thought. It was a good idea to include some really open ended questions (like, what one thing do you wish we all knew?) but it might also be good to try to encourage more stories. Although, with their boss sitting there maybe they wouldn’t want to start telling stories about each other, I don’t know. But maybe they could tell about things that happened on their former teams. The Q&A format can get a little constraining to the panel.
Is this where the first 20,000 fans each receive a different hat from Dave Sims personal collection?
As a reminder, we ask those who attended to be respectful of the nature of the event in retelling what was discussed. Overall impressions (Jack is confident in his staff and thinks they had a good year) and general themes (the front office really went after Figgins) are okay, reciting details of a specific comment is a bridge too far for an off-the-record event.
And it is Jack’s birthday today.
I’d have sung happy birthday if I’d known.
ok, I’d have sung along with 503 others if I’d known.
You can’t reasonably expect a crowd of 500 to keep information confidential. The FO knows this and considers this when deciding which information to share.
However, it does serve a purpose for USSM/LL in that people will be more likely to attend an event in the future if they want to be privy to this “inside information”. I just wouldn’t worry about “endangering” future events. I think you’re quite safe.
I thought the event was great. Gathering questions before hand and organizing loosely into themes worked well. Some suggestions on how to improve the event:
+ Keep it about the same size, I think 1,000 might stifle the conversation. Benaroya Hall was very nice.
+ Angle the panel table slightly so they can see the podium.
+ Consider having the questioner sit at the table with the panel. Both parties will be able to see and hear each other better.
+ Re-introduce yourself when switching questioners or have the outgoing blogger at least announce the change.
+ Consider stage monitors so you can hear each other on stage.
+ Start the panel with an open ended question that allows each panelist a chance to introduce themselves or make an opening comment.
+ The blogger panel to start with was the funniest warm up act I’ve seen in quite some time.
Thanks for the info! I’m currently planning to see a bunch of games late March; I’ll have to make sure to catch at least one Felix/Lee combo deal
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Thank you for a great event! I was somewhat disappointed no one wanted to stick around. I would have enjoyed a recap from the bloggers’ POV. But it was certainly a lot of fun.
I love hearing Jack Z and the rest, but I also think it would be awesome to have a slightly more informal discussion with Tony B that would delve more deeply into the nerdy side of things. Maybe an event with him and Shannon Drayer? Z is great but he is understandably constrained by his role and the need to be politically correct.
You can’t reasonably expect a crowd of 500 to keep information confidential. The FO knows this and considers this when deciding which information to share.
This is the last comment on this topic – period.
The rules are the rules. You don’t have to like them. You don’t have to think they serve a purpose. You just have to follow them.
That’s it.
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[this isn't open for debate, stop talking about it]
Thanks for the info! I’m currently planning to see a bunch of games late March; I’ll have to make sure to catch at least one Felix/Lee combo deal
By late March you probably won’t see a Felix/Lee combo as they will be going 6-7 innings and the M’s will be setting up their rotation for the start of the season. You’ll probably see Felix and a couple of minor league pitchers. The same for Lee.
Sorry, I didn’t mean to keep talking about it. It’s just every time I posted/refreshed the content had changed.
Okay. It’s a nasty wet Monday morning in Seattle and people are grumpy. Let’s move on to happier thoughts, like an 11-man pitching staff (even if it’s probably still just a pipe dream).
Thanks, Mike. Down here in San Diego it’s 70 and sunny. I’ll have to check the weather before I post next time.
What would you do with that extra roster spot, assuming an 11-man pitching staff? It does seem like there are a lot of good veteran hitters looking for a place to play.
Thanks again for the event guys. The story Jack told about Junior and Ichiro made my week.
Also – Happy birthday, Jack! (a dedicated thread is deserved, imo)
How about a Ryan Garko type. With Huff sighing in SF would the Giants no longer have interest in him. He can play 1B, RH DH and some OF.
That’s the guy I’ve been thinking about for awhile now. The question is, how comfortable would the M’s be with him playing the OF? He is kind of a big guy and doesn’t have much experience in the OF. As a hitter though, I think he’s perfect.
It would depend on the situation and the ballpark. With a large ballpark such as Safeco he probably wouldn’t get out there but maybe a smaller park, with Guiterrez in CF you might be able to risk him a few games out there. If its a close game in the later innings you still have Langerhans coming off the bench for defense.
Whether it’s Garko or somebody else, that’s probably a good way to think about a possible 5th bench player. Righthanded role player with some power, basically. As it stands, the bench is Griffey, Hannahan, backup catcher, and 4th outfielder (currently Langerhans), so none of them offers that. It’s why Bill Hall was on the roster, because the 7-man bullpen puts more of a premium on versatility. Assuming Saunders starts the year in Tacoma, that’s what we should expect the last position player to be anyway, but it would have to be somebody who’s a real outfielder.
On GB’s blog, we were talking about this yesterday. Fernando Tatis was mentioned and everyone seemed to like that idea. I mentioned Marcus Thames as a better defensive option (hard to believe, I know) than Jonny Gomes. I do think a RH power bat off the bench would be great to have.
C’mon, msb, you could’ve sung it solo. You know, breathlessly, Marilyn Monroe style:
“Happy Birthday, Mister, General Manager…”
Thanks to Dave and Derek for putting it together. It was my first chance to go to one of these, and I really enjoyed it.
I wouldn’t think his defense would fit the mold of the rest of the players acquired so far. He’s good for 15ish homeruns and a league-average OBP but his UZR seems pretty terrible overall. There’s got to be better 1 – 1.5 WAR players around.
He’s been very effective against LHs in his career. That’s the role he’d have for the M’s.
Thanks so much for organizing the event. It’s the third one I have been to and they seem to be getting even better.
It helps that Dave, DMZ and Jack are really funny as well as knowledgeable.