Comments on: What We Learned In Week Ten

By: Steve B

Steve B — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:43:28 +0000

I think it had more to do with his lack of focus on the field.

1) over-running 2nd base and getting picked off, how many times?
2) doubled off 1st after running on a fly ball out with only 1 out, after joking around with 1b Kevin Millar
3) sliding into 2nd on a hit-and-run base hit after not watching where the ball was going, thus failing to get to 3rd
4) failing to make a tag at 2nd on a cannon throw from Rivera in LF, he just stood there while the runner slid in and knocked him over
5) the last straw, joking around with the catcher and ump as he came up to hit as the last out in that 11-1 pasting the Rays gave us. I mean, did he even care we were getting slaughtered?

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that we’re 4-0 since he left, and after being a big Howie fan last year, I now hope he’s traded. Although I doubt he has much value left.

By: NadavT

NadavT — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:13:34 +0000

Seeing as Joe Maddon is the manager of the AL team this year, I’m pretty sure Zobrist will end up on the roster one way or another.

By: Christo P. Ney

Christo P. Ney — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:32:18 +0000

I get your point, Joe. Players should be allowed to ride out cold streaks in the majors if they have the track record Kendrick has.

But it was more than just the pretty slashes. He was starting to do strange crap, letting his slump at the plate affect his play in the field and on the basepaths.

Again, two weeks down and come back up. If his psyche can’t take that, there’s bigger problems afoot.

His slashy-type numbers since July of last year are around .253/.297/.354 and that’s including July of 2008, his only really good month. That’s at the bottom of the heap among qualified second basemen during that stretch. Yes, wrist injury. The year before it has the hammy. But a serious regression over a significant enough time was starting to emerge.

Gold Glove might be stretching it as well. He’s fine. League average last year, has definitely showed improvement over the last three years, off to a good start this year but meh.

I REALLY like Howie. But he has issues.

By: judy

judy — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:10:11 +0000

Who’s insanity would it be, though, if Zobrist doesn’t make the AST? The guy who’s managing the AL AST, the guy who got to pick which Rays would be on the ballot, or the guy who didn’t make Zobrist one of his starting position players in the first place?

By: Joe R

Joe R — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:49:32 +0000

and of course he’s not on the All Star ballot.

Fan voting kicks ass, eh?

Oh well, if he’s not at the game, it’s bordering on insanity.

By: Joe R

Joe R — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:48:08 +0000

Moneyball flashback: Remember how Billy Beane referred to Tejada has “hacks-at-everything”, and that it was a tendency of (almost) all Dominican hitters?

I just think it’s silly to let him keep a bad habit if you won’t let him ride out the inevitable cold streak in the majors. If I ran an MLB organization, I would want loads of instructors AA and lower to try to teach stuff like plate discipline. Then if it doesn’t stick and I have what I have with a guy, so be it. If a guy’s going to be a career .290/.325/.390 type w/ a good glove, it’s obviously not great, but it’s far from useless, too (unless he’s a 1B).

By: Christo P. Ney

Christo P. Ney — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 22:35:48 +0000

Well…three times. The other two were late-inning replacement moves but I get your point.

By: CH

CH — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 22:28:11 +0000

+100

They’ve mismanaged Wood’s career. I’m not an Angels fan and I don’t think Wood will ever hit above .250 in the bigs, but they’ve let Izturis hit 3rd FIVE times this year. Any lineup poor enough to hit Izturis 3rd has no excuse for leaving Wood in the minors.

By: Christo P. Ney

Christo P. Ney — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 22:20:59 +0000

Kendrick’s Latin?

News to me.

Are you talking about Kendrick?

By: Jason T

Jason T — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:56:35 +0000

That’s why I’ve heard the phrase, ‘You can’t walk off the island’ when commenting about some players from the Caribbean. Of course, a good many Latin players seem to be signed in their teens. There’s no excuse for organizations to continue to allow poor plate discipline.

My uncle, who was a part-time scout for the M’s some years ago and now runs his own hitting school mentioned to me that minor league coaches aren’t allowed to mess with a prospects swing. Most organizations only allow the roving minor league hitting instuctor to do that. By the time guys get to AA or so, they’re pretty set in their ways. It’s too bad really.