Jeter Shakes Off University Study

post from Sliding Into Home: A Yankees Blog on 20 February 2008 10:45:00 PM. © Sliding Into Home: A Yankees Blog

February 21, 2008 -- TAMPA - Derek Jeter arrived at his 16th Yankees New York Yankees spring training yesterday labeled the worst shortstop in the majors by some statistical braniacs over at Penn.
"Maybe it was a computer glitch," the three-time Gold Glove winner said of the report. But Jeter just didn't laugh this one off. He defended himself, saying, "Every [shortstop] doesn't stay in the same spot, everyone doesn't have the same pitching. Everyone doesn't have the same hitters running, it's impossible to do that."
Jeter, 33, pointed out you can get the exact same ground ball off the exact same pitcher and there could be an average runner or there could be Ichiro running. "How can you compute that?" he asked.

That's true Derek, the computers don't know if Ichiro is running down the line. But correct me if I wrong, doesn't Ichiro play again all of the teams?

Here's Gene Michael's take:

"Something like that is a disgrace," the scout said. "It made me ill when I read that article. First of all, what pitching staff was out there? Each team has a different staff. Derek doesn't really have a sinkerball pitching staff whereas other shortstops, you sit behind certain pitchers, you're going to get a lot of ground balls."
"You simply can't do that by those charts, that's a bunch of baloney," Michael added. "It's disgraceful. You have to use a scout's eye to determine range."
What about Jeter's range now in his 13th major league season?
"It's not as good as it was, but it's not bad," Michael said. "You might put some people ahead of him range-wise, but that doesn't mean they are better shortstops. Look how sure-handed he is, look how clutch he is. That makes up for a lot."

Michael's must be sick a lot because there are a ton of articles critical of Jeter's defense. And I can see that Jeter is slow, and that he doesn't get to balls other major league short stops get to, I'm sure Michael, and his "scout's eye" can see that too.

I'm sure "Stick" knows that Jeter has ALWAYS ranked in the middle of the pack or below in range? He's never covered a lot of ground, and he's never had "good" range, which is the issue. If you don't get to as many balls as the next short stop, you don't have as many opportunities to make plays, and consequently you cost your team runs.

You should also remember that "Stick" was GM when they drafted Jeter. He's one of Michael's most prized trophies. Of course he's going to try to discredit anyone or anything - a computer in this case - that puts Jeter down.

I agree with ?Stick? when he says that Jeter is "sure-handed," because he is. But then again that only matters when you get to the ball.

And I guess, if there is such a thing as a ?clutch? defender, that Jeter may be one. Although, I think it?s more like he?s made two or three clutch defensive plays that people will never forget. But whatever, I?ll concede and say he?s a clutch defensive player.

I do think that these intangibles put him a make him a little higher than his stats say he is, which is why I'm not going to say he's the worst defensive short stop in the league, I don?t think he?s that bad. But he's not rated near the bottom of almost every defensive stat and metric available by accident.

And please, before you kill me, I'm not trying to say that Jeter isn't a HOF'er, or one of the greatest Yankees of all-time, because he's both. I feel privileged to have been able to watch his entire career.

I'm also not saying he should switch positions (yet), or be traded, or move to DH, or anything crazy like that. I'm just saying he's not a great defensive short stop.

I hope that Jeter coming into camp lighter than he normally will help him have with his lateral movement, improving his range. Then he can prove all of his critics wrong, including me.

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http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SlidingIntoHome/~3/238702964/jeter-shakes-off-univ
ersity-study.html

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The 100 Greatest Royals of All-Time - #67 Bob
Oliver

post from Royals Review on 20 February 2008 10:41:11 PM. © Royals Review

The 67th Greatest Royal of All-Time is Bob Oliver

Before there was the Curse of Balboni there was the Curse of Bob Oliver

Bob Oliver was a versatile ballplayer and the first power hitter in Royals history. His twenty-seven home runs in 1970 was the franchise record until John Mayberry topped the mark in 1975. His son, Darren, born in Kansas City, also became a major leaguer as a left-handed pitcher.

Oliver was from Shreveport, Louisiana and signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent in 1963. He established himself as a power hitting outfielder with double digit home run totals in five of his six minor league seasons. In December of 1967, he was dealt by the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Minnesota Twins for veteran pitcher Ron Kline. The next season, he set a career high in home runs for AAA Denver with twenty, while hitting .297 for the Twins top affiliate.

Despite that performance, the Twins left the twenty-six year old Oliver unprotected for the 1969 Expansion Draft. The Royals, looking for offense, took Oliver with the nineteenth pick. He made the opening day starting lineup as the team's right-fielder, but got off to a horrid 1-23 start to begin his Royals career. He soon began to heat up, however. On May 2, he went 4-7 in a doubleheader with a home run and four RBI, and on May 4, he went 6-6 with a home run and three RBI. On July 4, he hit the first grand slam in Royals history, off Seattle's Jim Bouton. He had enough athleticism to play all three outfield positions, although he spend most of his time in right field. Oliver ended 1969 with a .254 average, and his thirteen home runs were second on the ballclub.

Oliver provided even more lineup flexibility in 1970 by splitting time between first base and third base. He got off to a great start, hitting .300 in April with a pair of multi-homer games and five home runs in the last week of April. A late September slump lowered his average to .260, but Oliver ended the year with 27 home runs and 99 RBI, both franchise records, and among the top ten in the league. Oliver's more natural position was first base, but interestingly he posted a .698 OPS at first base in 112 games, but a .909 OPS at third base in 46 games.

Oliver spent that winter in Puerto Rico, leading the winter league in home runs and RBI, giving the Royals reason to believe he would be the source of much of their power in 1971. He began the season at first base, but his power had evaporated. By the end of May he was hitting just .247 with only three home runs and a measly .336 slugging percentage. In June, the Royals moved Oliver to right field and used Chuck Harrison and Gail Hopkins at first base. Oliver ended the year with just eight home runs and a .351 slugging percentage.

Oliver looked to bounce back in 1972, and by May he had a .270 average, although his power had not returned. He had just one home run and a .381 slugging percentage. On May 5, the Royals shipped him to California for starting pitcher Tom Murphy. There were rumblings that Oliver was upset at the lack of African-Americans on the team, particularly since the trading of outfielder Pat Kelly. However, in public Oliver had nothing but pleasant things to say about the Royals.

"It's tough to leave a club that you've been with this long. It's been a long association and I've made some good friends. I like Kansas City. My wife likes Kansas City. I'm not really surprised because they've been trying to trade me for two years."

The Angels put Oliver back at first base and he regained his power in Anaheim, hitting nineteen home runs for the Angels that year, including three against his former teammates. He finished in the top ten in RBI with 76, in hits with 154, and in triples with five in the strike-shortened season.

The Angels played Oliver all over the field in 1973, at first base, third base and in right-field. He continued to hit for power, hitting eighteen home runs and eighty-nine RBI. In 1974 Oliver split time between first base and third base, but his power dropped off precipitously, as he hit just eight home runs. Late in the year he was sold to the Baltimore Orioles as part of their push for the pennant.

Oliver began 1975 with the Yankees, but only played in eighteen games due to injury, hitting .138 before being released in July.

"My knees gave up on me. I didn't give up on baseball.."It was hard to just stand up, let alone play the game. It showed up in my performance. Balls get through that you used to easily grab, and you couldn't leg out a ground ball at the plate."

After retiring, Oliver tried to get into coaching, but found it difficult to find work. He instead worked for an oil company, then moved to Sacramento to work for McKesson Health. In 1999, he managed an independent league team in Sacramento. He also runs a Baseball Academy in the Sacramento area.

Today Bob Oliver is retired, enjoying watching his son pitch for the Los Angeles Angels.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.royalsreview.com/story/2008/2/19/91846/0876

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Stottlemyre takes on a healthy challenge (Yahoo!
Sports)

post from MLB News Blog on 20 February 2008 10:13:00 PM. © MLB News Blog

Longtime pitching coach is with the Mariners after two years away from the game and nine battling cancer.Read the full story.

Read The Full Article:
http://mlbnewsblog.com/2008/02/20/stottlemyre-takes-on-a-healthy-challenge-yahoo-
sports/

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Burgos' Bling Burglarized,The 'Real' Dukes Shows
Up

post from
Bronx Liaison on 20 February 2008 10:05:00 PM. ©
Bronx Liaison

Ambiorix Burgos had his chain snatched. How does a pitcher this bad carry around jewelry this expensive?

New York Mets reliever Ambiorix Burgos had $270,000 in jewelry stolen from his hotel room here Tuesday after leaving it in a shaving bag, Port St. Lucie police said.

Most of the bling was recovered last night, according to a police spokesman, but Burgos went to the police station today after the Mets? full-squad workout and discovered four to five pieces worth $20,000-$30,000 were still missing.

The theft happened when Burgos, who made $415,000 with the Mets last season, switched floors of his hotel near the Mets? Tradition Field complex. Cops say Burgos left the bag with the jewelry in his earlier room, and when he went to get it back, it was gone.

Burgos, 23, had a large diamond necklace and an assortment of bracelets, chains, watches and rings in the bag. The Dominican Republic native told The Post today that he stored the jewelry in the bag because the Spring Hill Suites doesn?t have room safes.

Let's get this math straight. Had jewelry worth an estimated $270,000 stolen from him and he made a total of $400,000 last year for the Mets. That mean - using my superlative mathematical skills - Burgos was wearing trinkets worth nearly 3/4ths of his entire paycheck for 2007. Ok . . . to each his own.

Elijah Dukes is a changed man. At least that's what the article says.

Elijah Dukes, the talented but troubled outfielder acquired by the Washington Nationals over the winter, reported to spring training this afternoon and declared himself a changed man.

?I?ve been working on myself a long time,? the 23-year-old said in a press conference at Space Coast Stadium. ?I finally found a breakthrough, and from now on, everybody gets a chance to really see [what] the real Elijah Dukes is like.?

...Dukes has been working extensively with a player adviser hired by the Nationals to mentor and watch over him. General manager Jim Bowden said the adviser, James Williams, has spent nearly every waking moment with Dukes over the last two months, at times even sleeping at the player?s house.

?He kind of comes in and gives me that tough love and shoots it to me straight,? Dukes said. ?We kind of do things together that kind of reflect a kind of father and son type thing. That?s a good feeling to always have.?

Sorry, but I will never get over this radio interview in which Dukes describes the benefits of crack-cocaine. If he has turned his life around, congratulations. Excuse me while I reserve judgment on Mr. Put Up Ya Dukes.

Read The Full Article:
http://bronx-bomberz.blogspot.com/2008/02/funny-but-true-burgos-dukes.html

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Mets not interested in RHP Garcia (PA
SportsTicker)

post from MLB News Blog on 20 February 2008 09:41:04 PM. © MLB News Blog

Righthander Freddy Garcia visited with the New York Mets on Wednesday, but the team expressed they have no interest in the free agent pitcher, according to a published report.Read the full story.

Read The Full Article:
http://mlbnewsblog.com/2008/02/20/mets-not-interested-in-rhp-garcia-pa-sportstick
er/

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Dark and Foggy Night

post from Baseball Musings on 20 February 2008 09:26:00 PM. © Baseball Musings

Hal McCoy is reporting the Cincinnati Reds signed Josh Fogg to a one-year, $1 million contract. Red Reporter doesn't think too much of the deal. For one million, they get a pitcher who is used to a launching pad. Seems...

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http://www.baseballmusings.com/archives/024929.php

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Lets Get Ready to Rumble

post from MLB Fleece Factor on 20 February 2008 09:25:08 PM. © MLB Fleece Factor

Matt Cerrone over at Metsblog has an interesting article in regards to an interview ESPN’s Jayson Stark did with Sports Radio 950 in Philadelphia. According to Stark, the Mets-Phillies rivalry appears to be set to reach new heights, as the “harsh feelings” extend beyond the fan bases. Stark said there were some guys in Philadelphia’s locker room [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://mlbfleecefactor.com/2008/02/20/lets-get-ready-to-rumble/

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BABIP and Such

Today we'll begin our look at the lesser known statistics used to judge players, first up a combination of stats I like to use; balls in play tendencies, batting average on balls in play, and expected batting average on balls in play. Balls in play[...]

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http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/story/2008/2/20/212350/511

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Reds and Josh Fogg Close to Deal

According to Tracy Ringolsby at the Rocky Mountain News, the Cincinnati Reds and right-hander Josh Fogg are on the verge of a 1-year contract, with a base salary of only $1 million. According to Reds GM Wayne Krivsky, “We have not signed anything.” Fogg would slot into the #3 or #4 spot in the rotation.If [...]

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http://mlbfleecefactor.com/2008/02/20/reds-and-josh-fogg-close-to-deal/

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With faith, Hamilton overcomes addictions, gets
another chance (AP)

Among the more than two dozen tattoos on Josh Hamilton’s body are demons without eyes, the significance of which the new Texas Rangers center fielder never understood until he overcame his cocaine and alcohol addictions. “I didn’t realize that no eyes meant no soul. I didn’t know all this at the time,” Hamilton said Wednesday [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://mlbnewsblog.com/2008/02/20/with-faith-hamilton-overcomes-addictions-gets-a
nother-chance-ap/

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