This sudden boom of
catching talent seems to coincide with many teams and analysts trying to put a
value to catching defense and most finding the value is quite a bit less than
had been thought. Sure, there are some butchers with the glove, but the highest
lost value in most seasons is 10 runs or one win. So a player like Napoli is
going to cost you a few runs behind the plate, but spending a majority of his
time there still makes him a better team asset than at first base or DH. So
teams are willing to slide even poor defenders behind the plate to see their
offense carry a poor glove. Dave Cameron did a look at this value when
reviewing where to put Montero. Even his theoretical worst catcher makes sense
behind the plate over the DH spot. That's not to say someone like David Ortiz
should have been playing catcher all these years, but perhaps the Red Sox
should not view Ryan Lavarnway as a future DH just to keep Jarrod
Saltalamacchia behind the plate. http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/the-new-golden-age-of-catching/
Jackie Robinson was
born on this date in 1919. He was an African-American athlete, business
executive, and civil rights leader. Born to a family of sharecroppers in Cairo,
Georgia, Jack Roosevelt Robinson attended Pasadena Junior College and UCLA. In
1941 Robinson left college to join the United States Army and he received an
honorable discharge in 1944 with the rank of first lieutenant. The following
year, Robinson began his professional baseball career with the Kansas City
Monarchs of the Negro Leagues. That same
year, Robinson signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers. After one season, he was
called up to Brooklyn, starting at first base on April 15, 1947. Breaking
baseball's color barrier was a serious challenge, and Robinson met fierce
racial resistance from many players on opposing teams and the Dodgers, and from
fans. Some rival players threw pitches at his head, spat on him when he slid
into a base and more. With the support of Brooklyn owner Branch Rickey and the
encouragement of some teammates, the determined Robinson survived these attacks
and helped the Dodgers win the National League pennant. http://www.aaregistry.org/historic_events/view/baseballs-jackie-robinson-chosen-one
Bill
Nicholson - Nicholson is as close to a "fluke King"
as exists, but the effects of the war helped out the guy known as
"Swish." Cubs fans might be the only ones that really remember
Nicholson, but he was a dominant force during the war years (and a bit before.)
He led the league twice -- in both 1943 and '44 -- in homers and RBI. He was
more a peak player than a long term great, but he's an interesting footnote in
baseball royalty. - Total WAR: 25.2 - AVG/OBP/SLG: .278/.375/.478 http://cnnsi.com/2012/writers/will_carroll/01/30/king.of.baseball/index.html
Mat Latos –
Albert went over Latos’s trade to the Reds when it went down. There he said, “When you think Padres
pitching, you assume they get huge bumps from Petco – not exactly the case for
Latos. While he has a slightly better K:BB rate at home during the course of
his career, his slash lines are virtually identical: .229/.287/.348 at home
versus .224/.286/.351 on the road.
Bingo-bango!” I added the
bingo-bango. To add to that, Latos was
facing the Giants and Dodgers a heck of a lot.
They’re, how do I say, terrible.
Yes, that’s how I say it. Home or
away. He’ll be a bit less the pitcher he
was, but he’ll also have an actual offense and could be a sleeper to get 20
wins. I know, I know, I don’t count on
wins either. Just putting it out there
in the ether, no relation to Andre. 2012
Projections: 16-10/3.50/1.20/200 http://razzball.com/top-20-starters-for-2012-fantasy-baseball/
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