7-21 from: - link - There is no question that Wagner has had a phenomenal career. He has never had an ERA above 3.00 during a full season in the major leagues. Since 1997, his season-high FIP has been 3.09 in 2007 (a year in which he had a 2.88 tERA and 2.63 ERA), which is his only season with a FIP over 3.00 since his rookie year. Simply put, Billy Wagner has been one of the best closers/pitchers in baseball since he came to the major leagues, and has simply dominated...
Wagner has had an amazing career. Somehow, the success of the Atlanta Braves this year, as well as his performance in a couple of innings in the playoffs in October, could be the tipping point in his Hall of Fame candidacy. Now there’s a reason why the process, and not the concept, is so messed up.
7-21 from: - link - The recent heat has balanced with the early frost to make Milledge’s overall numbers appear league average. A league average bat that doesn’t play defense too well nor run the bases isn’t overly valuable. As such, Milledge’s value really comes down to whether you believe his bat can play up or not. The expectation from those who believe in his tools is that this is the come up. The expectation for those who do not believe in his tools is that this is a front. In the end, ultimately Milledge’s bat is fit to play the part of the Sword of Veracity; thus illuminating the truth to all who seek it.
7-21 from: - link - I've been on a height kick lately. I got to thinking about Warren Newson awhile back, which got me to thinking about other short players. Our own David Gassko did a study a few years ago showing that size does matter. This may help explain why people trip all over themselves in praise of a guy like Francoeur. He's big, he's strong, he's a terrific athlete, and he looks like he should be a great baseball player. You know, like Cory Snyder or Joe Borchard. (One of these years, when I'm scraping the bottom of the idea barrel, I'll have to assemble an "All-Star" team of tall guys who weren't very good.) Anyway, Francoeur's main problem is that he can't hit. Even in 2006, when he knocked 29 homers, his OPS+ was 87. First off, that's hard to do. Second, unless your name is Tony Batista, you're probably not going make a living that way. One of Francoeur's biggest issues (aside from having a surname that I've already spelled three different ways before fixing—yeah, I know; copy-and-paste) is his complete inability to discern balls from strikes. This year, however, he drew as many walks in his first eight games as he did in the first two months of 2009, so there was a glimmer of hope. I am happy to report that the glimmer is now gone and order has been restored:
7-12 from: - link - Lucas Duda has been oneof the bigger surprises in the Mets system so far this season. He started the year on a tear in Binghamton before a right hamstring strain in May landed him on the DL for about a month. It was no coincidence that the team lost nine games straight immediatelely after. Upon returning he was understandably rusty but the offense-starved Bisons (drained by promotions and injuries) needed support so he was promoted anyway. What he's done since is nothing short of amazing: In 24 games in Buffalo alone Duda has already knocked nine home runs, approaching his career high of 11 in '08. At one point he rode an incredible five-game homer streak, only the fifth Bison to do so in their 125-yr history.
This power surge is a welcome surprise for Duda who even back to his days at USC has been regarded as a lumbering lefty with a nice penchant for contact but not enough power for a first baseman/corner outfielder. What's more, even his K:BB ratio has improved tremendously this season. There is some negative here as he is still exhibiting some pretty heavy platoon splits (.177 BAA vs. lefties) but suddenly Duda has gone from nice organizational filler to a definite major league piece, even if that is just a platoon player.
7-12 from: - link - TRDMB’s 2nd Annual Mets First Half Report Card - Rod Barajas - B: Came back to Earth with a rather loud thud after the Bench-ian start, but still remains an improvement over recent years behind the plate…cannot overlook what he and Blanco’s reputations with pitchers have been when now viewing the years being enjoyed by Pelf, Niese, Dickey, Dessens, and others.
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