How would you use Jason Kendall?
by KLSnow on Feb 24, 2009 12:00 PM CST
67 comments
Lately every time I mention Jason Kendall in a post there's conversation about him in the comments. And his name has come up a lot lately. Here are three things we've discussed in the last two weeks:
- In-Between Hops noted a past feud between Kendall and Macha when the two were in Oakland.
- Macha announced he plans to rest Kendall more in 2009.
- He later announced he's planning to control the running game from the bench as well.
Offensively, there's not much debate about Kendall's value. He posted a .651 OPS last season, which isn't that far above replacement level at baseball's weakest offensive position. He's not likely to make any great strides in that category in 2009: the four projections posted on his FanGraphs page have his OPS between .650 and .673 in 2009.
Defensively, however, Kendall had a career year in 2008. He caught 41 of 96 attempted base-stealers, 42.7%. That's the second-highest percentage of his career (43.5 in 1999). In both 2005 and 2007 he was under 20%.
Defense was the exclusive source of Kendall's value in 2008, but it provided a fair amount of value. In their post on 2008 catchers, Beyond the Box Score said Kendall "might just have been the most valuable player to hit like a shlub." They estimated his defensive value at 14 runs, or about 1.4 wins.
Was Kendall's defensive improvement permanent? It's tough to say. There were stories before the 2008 season about how Kendall worked on his footwork and had LASIK surgery prior to the season. One could argue that these changes improved Kendall's defense significantly, but one could also make a case for 2008 being a statistical outlier.
One thing is for sure: Kendall wants to catch every day, and has done it for a long time. 2008 was the ninth season in Kendall's career where he's caught 140 games or more. As noted on his advent calendar page, Kendall has caught more games than all but 12 catchers in baseball history, and could move all the way up to sixth on the all-time list by catching 153 games in 2009.
So, imagine for a minute you're the new manager of the Brewers. How would you use Jason Kendall in 2009? Vote in the poll below.
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Here's a fun game
For 2009, which offensively-challenged player will be most strongly defended by people that focus on his defense? And will either one play above-average defense?
1. Jason Kendall
2. Mike Cameron
by Marty McSuperFly on Feb 24, 2009 12:19 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Kendall
Even if he can’t throw people out, he ‘manages the mound’
by tcyoung on Feb 24, 2009 12:32 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
ha
That’s true. Discussions of Kendall always come back to that, and it can’t be measured, so can’t be disproven.
by Marty McSuperFly on Feb 24, 2009 12:34 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Actually
When he goes to the mound to talk to a struggling pitcher, if you look really close, you can see him sneaking some of the mound dirt back with him. He’s restocking on mound grit, which is of a higher quality than home plate grit that a fat umpire can dust away with a whisk broom.
"I will agree that the attitude [at BCB] is ridiculous and they have done so much to instigate animosity and then block us from responding. Real mature!"
by roguejim on Feb 24, 2009 1:13 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
A question.
On first thought I would argue that Cameron is MUCH less offensively inept than Kendall. I wonder what Kendall’s numbers would have been like without his absurdly hot start last year. It probably wouldn’t be terribly hard to replace his early stats with his regular ones, but I’m too busy renewing my MLB gameday audio to do that. Baseball on radio starts tomorrow! (Here’s hoping Kent isn’t covering too many of the spring training games this year)
by theBrouhaha on Feb 24, 2009 12:27 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
no question
Kendall won’t have the offense of Cameron, but both will have their supporters popping up to say, “but, but, DEFENSE!”
by Marty McSuperFly on Feb 24, 2009 12:33 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
but, but
the only reason people are defending Cameron at all is because other people think all the strikeouts make Cameron a sucky baseball player.
last year, Cam had the fourth highest OPS on the team, not too far behind Hardy for third.
Also, cheese.
by Jeff Sackmann on Feb 24, 2009 12:35 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
OPS is nice
The O part was a little weak, though, behind every starter but Hart, Hall and Kendall. It was even lower than every bench player with at least 75 AB. Assuming his slugging falls off (and I clearly do), Cameron is going to need some defenders.
by Marty McSuperFly on Feb 24, 2009 12:44 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
why do you think his slugging will fall off?
it was almost identical in 04, 05, 06, and 08, despite 06 being in Petco … I’m assuming 07 was partly due to petco, partly a down year. (CHONE agrees with you, incidentally.)
If he’s going to slug 460+, I really don’t care where his OBP ranks. Just like if, say, Rickie decides to put up a .400 OBP, I’m not going to care if doesn’t hit very many balls out of the infield.
Also, cheese.
by Jeff Sackmann on Feb 24, 2009 12:52 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I don't know a ton about ballpark effect
Does it really hammer SLG? It seems to me that the bigger park would allow for more doubles and triples, and so the haircut on SLG would be smaller than other factors. For Cameron, that seems to have been the case, anyway.
It seems unlikely to me that a guy who can’t hit for average, or get on base, can continue to put up good SLG numbers. I should probably look into some numbers to find guys who do manage to pull that off, but I’m kinda lazy.
by Marty McSuperFly on Feb 24, 2009 1:04 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
You have to get a lot of extra bases on doubles and triples
To make up for losing four when a home run turns into a fly out.
He’s not the worst pitcher ever, just the worst good pitcher.
by KLSnow on Feb 24, 2009 1:07 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
How many home runs are lost, though?
A big outfield can give up a handful of singles and doubles to make up for one or two lost home runs per season. Like I said, I don’t know.
by Marty McSuperFly on Feb 24, 2009 1:13 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
one thing at a time there
a relatively low OBP doesn’t mean he “can’t get on base” — his low OBP is almost entirely low-BA based. The average player’s OBP – BA last year was 0.071, while Cam was 0.088. Right in line with his career numbers.
Also, cheese.
by Jeff Sackmann on Feb 24, 2009 1:20 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
It sure does
Just because he doesn’t get on base because he can’t hit, doesn’t mean that his OBP is acceptable.
by Marty McSuperFly on Feb 24, 2009 1:24 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
ok
my point is, you have one complaint, not two.
saying “he has a low BA and he can’t get on base” in this case is like saying, “Ken Griffey can’t run very fast in left field, and he doesn’t run down many fly balls, either.”
Also, cheese.
by Jeff Sackmann on Feb 24, 2009 1:28 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
League average obp is .335-ish, about .430 slg
You think he’s much worse than that? I’d put him below the average of obp and higher on slg. If he’s an average hitter and an average defender in center, he has a lot of value. A pure average CF that plays the whole year is by definition a 2 win player.
I personally think he’s better than league average at defense and slg, and about average in obp.
BCB || Scored three times and detonated an indisputable in four visits to the batting box.
by Jordan M on Feb 24, 2009 3:33 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
That's pretty close to his projections
roughly .330 OBP and .435 SLG. And I think he’s regressing to an average defender. None of that is awful.
Jeff’s right, in that a lot my poor opinion of him is in the Ks. Mainly, that 30% if the time, Cameron is going to generate an out without providing any benefit on the basepaths. And that, for the average OBP, average SLG, below average BA, and average defense, they’re going to pay $10 million this year.
by Marty McSuperFly on Feb 24, 2009 3:50 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
It’s good discussing with you, because it usually boils down to a difference of opinion vs. a difference in evaluation of skills.
If you consider average OBP and average SLG to be an average offensive player, plus average on defense— then you have to give him a bonus for being able to play center field. If he plays totally average + the position bonus, I think he about justifiies his contract— especially because it’s a 1 year commitment. You’re right, he could fall off and barely meet the value or come in below it— but I think he’s more of a 2-3 win player, which is about what $10 mil can get.
Scored three times and detonated an indisputable in four visits to the batting box.
by Jordan M on Feb 24, 2009 5:44 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
It's all in the defense
Mike Cameron’s value usually boils down to whether you think he’s a plus defender or not. Purely from a subjective standpoint, I always flash back to the catch he blew at the end of last season, where it popped out of the webbing of his glove, and yet he wasn’t charged with an error. I think he gets some love from scorekeepers because he’s Mike Cameron, and that his defensive stats benefit from a few fewer errors charged because of his reputation.
From a more objective standpoint, his UZR rating for the last 3 years is wildly inconsistent, going from .5 in 2006, to -9.7 in 2007 and then 17.2 in 2008 (all using UZR/150). I try not to get worked up about money that these guys earn, since it doesn’t affect me in one way or another, but it does irk me that that the 2 highest-paid Brewers are not really better than average (and, of course, Suppan has a case for being below average).
by Marty McSuperFly on Feb 24, 2009 6:11 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
for most defensive stats
errors don’t play a huge part. Nor should they, in cases like the one you mention — either he makes the play or he doesn’t. If he doesn’t, it doesn’t matter whether he’s charged with an error or the guy gets a double.
Now, the errors that should matter are when Gamel corks a throw to first and a routine grounder ends with a run scored and a guy standing on third. But that’s not something that comes up with Cam very often.
Also, cheese.
by Jeff Sackmann on Feb 24, 2009 9:21 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
It's a battle on two fronts
Trying to address the people that use fielding percentage and errors to talk about defense, and then those that use better metrics like UZR. In fpct and errors, the subjectivity of the stat benefits Cameron and every other player with a perceived strength in defense, and of course, makes it a fairly useless measurement.
His UZR numbers for the last 3 years are interesting. It’s hard to believe that Cam’s defense varies that greatly from year to year, so the stat must be measuring something that skews the numbers disproportionately. When I first pulled the numbers, I expected to see a steady decline, but I don’t know what to make of 10 and 20 run swings between seasons.
by Marty McSuperFly on Feb 24, 2009 10:08 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Does this help?
I wrote this a while ago. For Cameron specifically, I wonder if it’s just harder to play defense in Petco. Here’s my quote:
I just want to rephrase my point about samples in defensive stats. I’d consider a year of minor league defensive numbers to be about 200-300 at-bats, and we all know the fluctuations a player can have over that sample. So with Escobar being -13 and +22, it’s probably best to assume he’s about a +10 defender.
Inconsistencies like that tend to cause people to say that defensive stats are terrible and inconsistent. Here’s an analogy showing why that’s just not true.
Corey Hart had an .831 OPS in the first half and a .659 OPS in the second half. First half- about a .350 wOBA, second half, around .290. So if there were less total opportunities for plate appearances in a year, say 300, and Corey had these two wOBAs over two different years, you would see a stat like this:
Hitting runs above average, Corey Hart
Year 1: +5 runs
Year 2: -11 runs
See how that works out? So rather than conclude that the metric isn’t any good, try to get a bigger sample and look at the bigger picture. We’re not going to able to define the exact amount of runs saved or allowed, but we can get a good idea of defensive abilities.
Scored three times and detonated an indisputable in four visits to the batting box.
by Jordan M on Feb 24, 2009 10:16 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
re: petco
UZR is park-adjusted, and while there may be some effects of the park on certain players’ performance, you’d think it would address most issues.
what UZR can’t account for is positioning, and it may be that that’s the petco issue — there are some unique positioning choices that the pads use to try to cover all that ground, but don’t end up covering the usual ‘zones.’
I really don’t know, just throwing some ideas out there.
Also, cheese.
by Jeff Sackmann on Feb 24, 2009 10:20 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I don't think sample size is the problem
At least on FanGraphs, you can see the number of innings played, and Cameron goes 1244, 1329 and 1057. For the two full seasons, that’s a minimum of 400 defensive AB. If your point is that the outstanding 2008 is an aberration caused by sample size, I’m willing to listen :)
Defensive stats are going to be a popular discussion topic this year, given the attention on the Rays defense, and some sort of “Moneyball-type” book coming out. Specifically for the Brewers, I expect to be focused on Cameron and Fielder this year, and I expect plenty of people to continue to ride Rickie. It would be nice to use UZR for an objective evaluation of players, but in order to do that, I need to better understand what skews the number.
Last year, I did some research into JJ Hardy’s defensive numbers, and it wasn’t until I pulled up Pinto’s PMR graphs that I saw why his numbers seemed off. It was pretty clear that JJ played closer to 2nd than most, which caused him to miss more outs on the 3rd base side of his zone, but to make more out of zone plays on the second base side. I was actually looking for evidence that JJ’s range wasn’t as good as advertised, but then realized that the shift was impacting his numbers (mainly RZR).
by Marty McSuperFly on Feb 25, 2009 6:22 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
You know what would be cool?
If SBNation had a home and away signature. I like to put the BCB link in when I’m elsewhere, and then I forget to take it out when I’m here.
Scored three times and detonated an indisputable in four visits to the batting box.
by Jordan M on Feb 24, 2009 5:44 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I don't think we'd mind
seeing the ‘BCB’ link on your signature here. On a comment-heavy thread like this one, it’s an easy way to get back to the main page :).
Also, cheese.
by Jeff Sackmann on Feb 24, 2009 9:21 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
mlb.tv
Have you been able to find the spring training broadcast schedule? They seem to be making it ridiculously hard to find.
by Marty McSuperFly on Feb 24, 2009 12:36 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Nope
Doesn’t seem like MLB is on the ball again. I’m curious if I get free ST again with my Gameday Audio package, yet there is no place to login to check the account. I can buy new service though…
by SgtClueLs on Feb 24, 2009 12:49 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
You get the schedule after subscribing
Doesn’t look like any brewer games in the first week.
by Marty McSuperFly on Feb 24, 2009 1:21 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I can't complain too much about Kendall
For now, who would the Brewers replace him with? The FA catchers on the market for the last two years were worse. They could have ran Damian Miller out there for another year, but he wasn’t going to play 120 games a season at that point. The other option was the one the Tigers did, which was trade some J. Random Prospect for Gerald Laird. Laird is…well, he can back up 3rd? If he’d ever play out a full season without ending up platooned or the backup, we’d know.
Would you rather have Kendall or Varitek? You’d rather not have to choose either.
by morineko on Feb 24, 2009 12:43 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Indeed
I think the question is not whether Kendall should be dumped, but whether he should be venerated for his otherwordly defense and ability to “call a game.” At this point, he should be happy to have a starting job, and not complaining about sitting out some games or leaving the defensive strategy to the manager.
by Marty McSuperFly on Feb 24, 2009 12:47 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
is he complaining?
I’m not reading every word of McCalvy’s articles, so I don’t know. All I know is that Macha has stated some changes and those have been reported.
Also, cheese.
by Jeff Sackmann on Feb 24, 2009 12:55 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I really don't know if I'd call it complaining
But he is not shy about telling reporters that he wants to play every game.
by Marty McSuperFly on Feb 24, 2009 12:59 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
which he isn't good enough to do
Keeping Kendall in the lineup provides two sure outs at the backend of the lineup. As an NL team, you can’t afford that.
I just sit back and root for the taser
by Hyatt on Feb 24, 2009 1:01 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
see, I wouldn't think of that as complaining at all
that’s just what guys say in spring training, esp. guys like Kendall who always have played a lot.
Also, cheese.
by Jeff Sackmann on Feb 24, 2009 1:20 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Rivera/Rottino?
You’d probably gain on offensive production and definitely gain on salary savings. (Kendall is making $5 million this season, so says Cot’s.) I assume you’d lose on “mound management,” though some of that would be saved on grit replacement.
"I will agree that the attitude [at BCB] is ridiculous and they have done so much to instigate animosity and then block us from responding. Real mature!"
by roguejim on Feb 24, 2009 1:19 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
You covered my counterpoint
I truly believe last year was a statistical outlier. When you have a guy that was one of the worst historically the year before, and mediocre the previous 2 years, and he jumps to the top of the league, it either proves that previous year’s values of that stat are not significant, or that the up year was an outlier.
Him being “not far above replacement” is an untrue statement. His bat was below replacement last year. The fact is that he was more worthless than Henry Blanco with the bat. As stated above, you don’t have a DH to work with. He was horrible in late game and high leverage situations. That is not a player I want on my team.
I just sit back and root for the taser
by Hyatt on Feb 24, 2009 1:04 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
I think that Kendall’s caught stealing falls because fewer players try to steal against him.
Kendall was a slightly below average hitter for a catcher.(+.002 OBP, – .066 SLG) Overall he probably hits worse than a replacement level player. Many catchers do.
Give him an offspeed pitch down and in. He will swing and miss.
by cooper82 on Feb 24, 2009 1:15 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Do outliers work that way?
If I’m golfing and I shoot 9 rounds in the 90s and a 113, you’d call the 113 an outlier. Can you blow up an outlier to cover an entire season of throwing out baserunners? I have an easier time dismissing one event than a lot of events, even if you can group those events into one season.
(I really don’t know about outliers at a macro level, but surely someone here does, and is willing to put down his pocket protector to tell me…)
:)
"I will agree that the attitude [at BCB] is ridiculous and they have done so much to instigate animosity and then block us from responding. Real mature!"
by roguejim on Feb 24, 2009 1:25 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Him being "not far above replacement" is an untrue statement. His bat was below replacement last year.
Not quite. Really close, but a .297 wOBA with a lot of playing time is slightly above.
BCB || Scored three times and detonated an indisputable in four visits to the batting box.
by Jordan M on Feb 24, 2009 3:31 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
But his complete lack of extra base ability makes him below replacement
Basically I’m relying on VORP, which basically tells where replacement is and what levels need to be achieved to be above replacement. Kendall was -0.3. He is replacement. But here’s my biggest problem. Replacement is widely defined as “freely available talent.”, or what a guy called up from AAA could reasonably expect to do. We’re paying 5 million for a guy whose bat produces the same level of a league minimum guy.
Now a lot of people have brought up how his defense has brought him value. I think it was a fluke. How often does a guy improve a skill at a measurable 250% at age 34, and maintains that value (Barry Bonds aside). It was his career high in CS. He hasn’t approached a similar level since he was 25. I don’t believe he’s as bad defensively as his ‘07 numbers dictate, but I think we’re in for something more along the lines of a 30 CS%. Which would highly reduce his overall value to replacement level.
And when is it ever a good idea to have a below average player on your contending squad.
I just sit back and root for the taser
by Hyatt on Feb 24, 2009 7:36 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Replacement level isn't the same across positions.
As such, it’d be harder to find a Kendall-level player to catch.
If Kendall hit like he did and played first base, he’d be out of baseball.
He’s not the worst pitcher ever, just the worst good pitcher.
by KLSnow on Feb 24, 2009 7:45 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Or playing for the 2008 Mariners
same thing, I guess
by Marty McSuperFly on Feb 24, 2009 7:46 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I'm pretty sure VORP adjusts for position
and if it doesn’t, it isn’t a viable enough stat to be regarded as highly as it is
I just sit back and root for the taser
by Hyatt on Feb 24, 2009 9:09 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
it does
it’s not bad, but as jihad notes below, it’s a generation behind, as uber-stats go.
Also, cheese.
by Jeff Sackmann on Feb 24, 2009 9:22 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Problem=VORP
There are some quirky things in VORP that are outdated now. I highly recommend using Fangraphs, or I could run through the calculation myself. Replacement is 20 runs below average per 600 plate appearances. Kendall was -17 and got 19 for playing time, making him a +2 RAR hitter.
3 runs means nothing, but that’s where I’m coming from.
If you can find an average to above average defensive catcher with a .330 OBP for free, I’d agree with you— but I don’t think you can.
If all of your players were average or above, you’d probably win the world series every year. Kendall isn’t that far below average— you have to realize that just playing catcher makes him a +10 defender, even if he’s average for catcher. +10 def + 0 hitting= +10 RAR player, or $5 mil in FA value.
Scored three times and detonated an indisputable in four visits to the batting box.
by Jordan M on Feb 24, 2009 8:12 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
interesting
so what happens when you stretch out Mike Rivera’s numbers over 600 PAs?
The question I have to that is SHOULD he have gotten the playing time he did? Should he have gotten those 120 High Leverage PAs where he hit .179/.296/.170. Should he even have been in the game that would be considered Late & Close where he hit .165/.255/.209 in 107 PAs. Hell, he hit .193/.251/.263 after the 6th. Adding 10 runs for position doesn’t make him any less of a choker.
Just a quick list of guys that can get a .330 OBP that can be gotten cheaply:
Josh Bard
Javier Valentin
Matt Traenor
Luke Carlin
Would I want any of those guys as my starter? Hell no. And Jason Kendall should not be taking the bigger half of a catching split.
Just because Kendall got 19 runs for playing time doesn’t mean he should be playing that often. If we had a competent manager last year, he wouldn’t have earned gotten that. It was obvious he was useless after the 6th, and any guy with at least half a managerial brain would have pulled him. There isn’t a big enough difference between Mike Rivera’s defensive shortcomings to outweigh using Kendall’s bat as often as he was used.
So I welcome our Machiatto overlord, and seeing #18 on the field less often.
I just sit back and root for the taser
by Hyatt on Feb 24, 2009 9:07 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I fully agree that he should have been pulled
And I don’t think he’s a great player or anything, but I don’t think he’s an outrage.
I’d get more into adjusting for PT if I had more time. It’s a big concept that it took me a long time to get. Basically, is a guy more valuable as a +5 over 100 PAs or -5 over 600? The -5 guy, because the guy you get to fill on for +5 probably sucked.
Scored three times and detonated an indisputable in four visits to the batting box.
by Jordan M on Feb 24, 2009 9:20 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I'm not saying that he's the outrage
I’m saying for the production he provides, his playing time is the outrage. Are there any starting catchers you wouldn’t rather have than Kendall? The Reds come to mind, but other than that, I can’t think of one.
Oh well, it won’t be an issue once Salome gets up here.
I just sit back and root for the taser
by Hyatt on Feb 24, 2009 9:52 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
One more thing, and then I'm hitting the sack
I just don’t think having a starter that provides the production of a backup is worth having.
I just sit back and root for the taser
by Hyatt on Feb 24, 2009 9:56 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Grit never burns, baby.
"I will agree that the attitude [at BCB] is ridiculous and they have done so much to instigate animosity and then block us from responding. Real mature!"
by roguejim on Feb 24, 2009 2:14 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
GRIT: The breakfast cereal of Champions!
I had no clue this was real. I googled our boy Jason and found these. Laughed so hard, I think I peed a little.
"....si si Peeeeedro"
by trippingandy on Feb 24, 2009 6:16 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I prefer real Grits
I just sit back and root for the taser
by Hyatt on Feb 24, 2009 7:37 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I seem to recall
Kendall’s newfound success behind the plate as being attributed to a former Brewers backup catcher turned Brewers manager. Maybe we need to hire Nedly back as catcher coach.
"I will agree that the attitude [at BCB] is ridiculous and they have done so much to instigate animosity and then block us from responding. Real mature!"
by roguejim on Feb 24, 2009 1:15 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Really, it all depends on how close I think Salome is to being ML ready.
If he’s ML ready, I go to him to start the year, or at least by May. Otherwise, I go with a typical split between Kendall and Rivera.
---
Juuuust a bit outside!!
http://www.rightfieldbleachers.com
by Jack Moore on Feb 24, 2009 1:15 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
The elite base stealers are still going to steal against Kendall. They steal against anybody. What will happen is that borderline base stealers will not be given the opportunity to steal against Kendall and therefore his CS% will go down. In theory.
Give him an offspeed pitch down and in. He will swing and miss.
by cooper82 on Feb 24, 2009 2:12 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Simple
Have Rivera catch for Soup. We’ll need the extra offense those days. Only half kidding
by grant76 on Feb 24, 2009 5:54 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
case closed
i am totally for this
"....si si Peeeeedro"
by trippingandy on Feb 24, 2009 6:11 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
sounds good to me.
September 15: Not a bad little Monday
by molitorfan on Feb 24, 2009 6:46 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Macha suggested Rivera would be someone's personal catcher.
I guess Parra is the most logical pairing to me, because Rivera caught Parra’s perfect game in AAA.
He’s not the worst pitcher ever, just the worst good pitcher.
by KLSnow on Feb 24, 2009 7:00 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
and then if Parra gets hurt
Rivera can go on vacation. For the entire month of July.
Also, cheese.
by Jeff Sackmann on Feb 24, 2009 9:24 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I think Macha wants Rivera to catch with a veteran
so that Kendall can continue to work with the young guys.
by tcyoung on Feb 25, 2009 10:36 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I assumed that the Increase in Kendall's caught stealing was due to teams running in more marginal situations...
But the numbers (only being run on 96 times as opposed to 120 last year) don’t tend to back that up.
Kendall’s poor year in 2007 was based mostly on his Oakland stretch. Kurt Suzuki had poor CS numbers in that stretch as well.
2008 – both Kendall and Suzuki rebound. Without digging deeper, this could be more a function of the Blanton/Haren effect than a change in individual skill sets.
What seems more likely is that the Brewers staff of 2008 was a difficult one to steal off.
by Braun Holio on Feb 24, 2009 7:18 PM CST reply actions 1 recs
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| W | L | PCT | GB | STRK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
St. Louis
|
91 | 71 | .561 | 0 | Lost 6 |
|
Chicago
|
83 | 78 | .515 | 7.5 | Lost 1 |
|
Milwaukee
|
80 | 82 | .493 | 11 | Won 3 |
|
Cincinnati
|
78 | 84 | .481 | 13 | Won 2 |
|
Houston
|
74 | 88 | .456 | 17 | Lost 3 |
|
Pittsburgh
|
62 | 99 | .385 | 28.5 | Lost 2 |
(updated 11.23.2009 at 10:32 PM CST)
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Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports
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