Joe Dillon vs. Richie Sexson

by badgermaniac on Jul 11, 2008 12:38 PM CDT Comment 18 comments

One of my worries about the Brewers is their bench, particularly their lack of pop. There are times in a game where you really need to have the threat of a the HR in order to get back in a game quickly. Hall/Branyan provide that punch, but that is really it.

Dillon, Counsell, Gwynn, Kapler, Iribarren, etc. have not really offered that threat.

Now, Counsell and Kapler have that value as the first sub off the bench (while I think Kapler is WAY WAY WAY over his head, you can't argue with his production) and Hall/Branyan are in a platoon of course.

Gwynn and Iribarren are in the minors leaving Dillon as the most replaceable guy. In my book, he offers more or less the same type of skill set as Kapler and Counsell, and it would nice to have that extra oomph off of the bench.

For the most part, Dillon isn't really needed on defense (esp. with Hall not starting every day and available to play second or short in a pinch), so getting Richie wouldn't really impact that.

Sexson not only would provide a lot more pop, but he could also spot Prince against really tough lefties every so often. Sexson's splits against LHP are great (..344/.423/.623), at least this year.

Ideally, I would like a lefty thumper to balance things out, but I would be ok with Sexson in the absence of that.

(I don't know what Sexson would cost or what his contract status is, but if he can be had cheaply JUST for this year, I think it is a move that makes sense.)

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I would assume Sexson is like other released players

Anyone signing him would pay him the pro-rated minimum for the rest of the year and the Mariners are still on the hook for the rest of his salary.

Obscure baseball records and more at my blog, Recondite Baseball.

by TheJay on Jul 11, 2008 12:46 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Salary

If he isn’t going to cost much, I don’t think the Brewers have a whole lot to lose. The guy still crushes LHP.

However a couple things I think you would need to consider:

1. How will Sexon adjust to getting a few ABs per week? He has primarily been an everyday player the last 8 years, the tranisition to a few spot ABs from playing full time isn’t always smooth (see Hall, Bill).

2. Chemistry. I know, I know, this would be impossible to tell and I’m not arguing that Dillon deserves a spot on the team because he friends with Prince. However I do think it is something to look at. Would Sexson be content to be a guy who playes every once in a while or is he trying to impress other teams for a 2009 contract? What happens when he comes in to pitch hit and strikes out a couple times in big situations and the fans turn on him?

I’m not really sure what my point is, Sexon is a better option vs. LHP than Dillon, and possibly Kapler. I just think there is a little more than numbers that Melvin needs to think about if he is going to go after Sexon.

by Supertramp on Jul 11, 2008 2:57 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

It also wouldn't hurt to have a real backup for Fielder

Though honestly I don’t know how much that helps.

Visit my baseball blog ...or else!

by dixieflatline on Jul 11, 2008 2:59 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

And clearly...

I have no idea how to spell Richie SexSons name. My bad.

by Supertramp on Jul 11, 2008 2:59 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Solution: demote Dillon, keep his bats

He's extremely quick and good.

by battlekow on Jul 11, 2008 3:01 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

FWIW...

the Seattle management has claimed that part of the reason for releasing Sexson was that they felt he wouldn’t take his demotion to part-time player well. Whether that’s just a bit of CYA or they really felt he wouldn’t perform well off the bench is anyone’s guess.

by Zeyes on Jul 11, 2008 6:58 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Kapler

I understand sample size and everything, but at what point do we think maybe this guy’s for real? It seems like he’s good for a couple of hits every time he starts.

Steve
http://nohuddleoffense.blogspot.com

by stigmo on Jul 11, 2008 1:56 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

That would literally make him a .400 hitter

He's extremely quick and good.

by battlekow on Jul 11, 2008 2:13 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Kapler

As a Brewer fan, I am not complaining, but if you look at what he is doing, it is so dramatically out of line with his established level of play going back 3-4 years, that I really don’t know what to make of him.

Breaking down his numbers even further…

1. His walk rate is down.
2. His strikeout rate is up.
3. His BABIP is up, and that is just a matter of him being lucky to this point.
4. The big thing is the question mark. He has not had an isolated power index of greater than .120 since 2001, and this year, he is over .200. His HR/FB rate is twice his career norm. Did he get stronger? Steroids? Just getting lucky? It is pretty bizarre.

All I can say is that is just has to be small sample size (140 at bats).

by badgermaniac on Jul 11, 2008 2:17 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Whoops

4 should read: The big thing is the power question.

by badgermaniac on Jul 11, 2008 2:18 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

His BABIP is .342, and his eBABIP is .300 even

Discuss: better to trade Kapler now or hope he lucks into being a Type B free agent and nets the Brewers a comp pick?

He's extremely quick and good.

by battlekow on Jul 11, 2008 2:39 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Don't Type A and Type B free agent numbers take two years into account?

Since Kapler didn’t play last year, he’d already be at a disadvantage for counting stats.

Obscure baseball records and more at my blog, Recondite Baseball.

by TheJay on Jul 11, 2008 3:30 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, I'm not sure how that would be handled for a player who was inactive two years prior

He's extremely quick and good.

by battlekow on Jul 11, 2008 3:35 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Unnecessary

Sexson doesn’t have it anymore, his numbers have been plummeting the past few years. He’s not going to bring any ‘pop’ to the lineup: over the past two seasons (686 AB) he has a sub .400 SLG%. We already have a decent bench in this department. Even when he’s not rampaging like he was earlier, Branyan is a better hitter than Sexson has become.

And I don’t care if he’s facing Warren Spahn, Fielder shouldn’t be platooned.

"My thing is that you guys eat meat all day and you can't hit a ball. That's my thing." - P. Fielder

by SRB on Jul 11, 2008 3:36 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Rebuttal

1. Nobody said platoon Fielder. It might be nice to give him a day off every month or so and not have to play Mike Rivera at first.

2. Sexson very well may be done. However, he did hit 21 homers and while he was under .400 last year, it WAS at .399 (and he was hurt).

FWIW, Joe Dillon is at .328 this year (after his flukey year last year).

My point is that I don’t think Dillon has any value. Sexson MIGHT.

I would be willing to take a look.

by badgermaniac on Jul 11, 2008 3:54 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sexson does hit HR

But do we really need another HR hitter? Dillon hasn’t been hitting very well this season, but he has the added bonus of being able to slot into nearly any position as needed (with decent defense). Plus, his average is down this year, but he still has a higher OPS than Sexson has shown in years, and Dillon’s OPS last season (admittedly small sample size) is higher than Sexson has ever reached.

Personally, I would rather have a more versatile (cheaper?) guy on the bench like Dillon, who can maybe get on base more for our other homerun hitters. I see your point though, and I agree that it would at least be worth taking a look into.

"My thing is that you guys eat meat all day and you can't hit a ball. That's my thing." - P. Fielder

by SRB on Jul 11, 2008 4:18 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm gonna

mocked severely if the Brewers pick up Sexson.

Lordz Of Vengeance....If I'm not drunk, I'm at work.

by Dikembe Meiztombo on Jul 11, 2008 6:18 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

But

the team could finally do the Sexson beer night promotion

Lordz Of Vengeance....If I'm not drunk, I'm at work.

by Dikembe Meiztombo on Jul 11, 2008 6:19 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs

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