BlogsFree Travis Denker! No, seriously. Just take him.
by Grant
on Oct 13, 2008 12:54 AM PDT
Here are the top 15 second basemen in the majors (ranked by VORP) and the batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage lines they put up when they were 22:
Chase Utley - A+ - .257/.312/.422
Ian Kinsler - A/AA - .345/.413/.573
Brian Roberts - Rk/A+ - .302/.407/.406
Dan Uggla - A/A+ - .214/.301/.307
Mark DeRosa - A+ - .269/.318/.387
Placido Polanco - AAA - .280/.324/.378
Jose Lopez - Maj. - .282/.319/.405
Kelly Johnson - AA - .282/.348/.468
Orlando Hudson - A+/AA - .272/.342/.388
Mike Fontenot - A+ - .264/.323/.364
Kazuo Matsui - Japan - .311/.370/.442
Alexei Ramirez - Cuba - ?
Felipe Lopez - AAA - .318/.416/.457
Clint Barmes - A/A+ - .256/.311/.355
Travis Denker - A/AA/AAA - .257/.357/.418
This isn't to suggest that Denker is the next Kelly Johnson, Chase Utley, or Dan Uggla; it's an attempt to prove that Denker wouldn't have been out of place with the 22-year-old versions of Johnson, Utley, or Uggla. Only one player up there was light years ahead of where Denker was this season (Ian Kinsler). Using simple AVG/OBP/SLG lines that aren't park-adjusted might be overly simplistic, but it'll do in a pinch. Even when Denker's horrific start in AA is included in his cumulative 2008 stats, it's clear that he had a pretty nice year for his age and level.
Just looking at the numbers isn't going to tell the whole story, of course. Denker was never a favorite of the scouting community. He's 5' 9", and his defense is probably below-average. So it's plausible that in a roster crunch -- a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't, mess of a Rule 5 preparation -- the scouting should trump the stats. Fair enough. But the Giants aren't faced with a roster crunch. After Friday's bloodletting, there are 33 players on the 40-man roster. When Omar Vizquel and Rich Aurilia file for free agency, there will be nine open spots. The sudden desperation for additional roster spots might make sense if the Giants needed to protect several players in the Rule 5 draft...except that isn't the case. The Giants will protect Henry Sosa for sure. Maybe Jesse English will be protected. Justin Hedrick is another possibility, and if we really want to stretch it, Eddy Martinez-Esteve could still have some believers in the front office. That's about it. Other than Sosa, I'd rather have Denker than anyone who might be eligible for the Rule 5, and it isn't even close.
So it isn't a Rule 5 thing. Maybe, then, the Giants are anticipating going on a free agent spending spree. Maybe they're going to sign five, six, or seven free agents, and when C.C. Sabathia, Adam Dunn, Mark Teixeira, Francisco Rodriguez, and Barry Bonds are added to the roster, someone would have had to go anyways. Maybe the Giants have targeted several players that other teams will have to expose in the Rule 5 draft. Fine. Then wait until you have to make a move. Do what you need to do when the hurricane comes, but don't start boarding up the windows because it's windy.
When trying to make sense of this move, some have suggested that Denker didn't impress coaches, executives, or veterans with his attitude, or that he didn't run out a ground ball or two, which ticked off someone important. If true, that would mean the Giants are suggesting that being a jackass precludes any sort of potential value. Six of the past 15 National League MVP awards were won by Giants. Each of those six awards went to a jackass. Unbearable, moody, and distasteful jackasses who couldn't even hide behind an excuse of youthful ignorance. The Giants were also perennial contenders during this epoch of jackassery. The San Francisco Giants, more than any other franchise in the game, should know not to worry about their players' Gallup favorability ratings.
It's likely that this will end up being much ado about nothing. Denker might be turn out to be a utility player, and he might turn out to be a total bust. I've grumbled in the past about the donations of Brian Burres, Jon Coutlangus, Carlos Villaneuva, and Greg Bruso to the general fund, and none of those moves have proven to be traumatic. But this is still just a baffling move. Unless Denker was involved in something really creepy, or unless he was injured, I can't think of a reasonable reason to just dump him. I mean, this was just a complete dumping. They didn't need the roster spot at all. This was the baseball equivalent of killing a bystander in "Grand Theft Auto" just because you can. You have a pen, it's a Friday...why not just waive a whole bunch of people? Waive waive waive waive giggle outright waive waive release snerk release titter waive. Awesome! That really is fun.
I've never been more confused about a Giants roster move. That's the scariest sentence I've ever typed. I'm going to bed, and I just might call in sick to work tomorrow.
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Beat LA Gameday Thread
by WalrusMan
on Oct 12, 2008 7:59 PM PDT
s I don't know if I can take any more of this Manny Ramirez & Red Sox talk. So please Phillies, beat LA.
51 comments | 0 recs
Open NLCS Thread, 10/12
by Grant
on Oct 12, 2008 2:00 PM PDT
Welcome to your temporary home for all things Phillie-related. Carlton Chronicles had a ring, but I think I'll stick with Schmidt Schtories. Other possibilities: Ashburn Articles, Luzinski LULZ, and Bunning's Bazaar of Batty Bumblings.
504 comments | 0 recs
Open Championship Series Thread - AL Version: Extra Innings Edition
by Natto
on Oct 11, 2008 9:48 PM PDT
Long game is long.
183 comments | 0 recs
Open Championship Series Thread - AL Version, 10/10 and 10/11
by Natto
on Oct 10, 2008 5:19 PM PDT
James Shields is a cousin of Aaron Rowand, but don't let that discourage you from rooting for him.
512 comments | 0 recs
Travis Denker gone...
by Grant
on Oct 10, 2008 4:35 PM PDT
...according to some know-nothing blogger posting from his mom's basem...
Wait, the blogger was Paul DePodesta? Dang. And Denker is off the 40-man-roster on the Giants' site.
Genius roster move by Sabean. Second basemen with patience and power grow on trees, while no-defense, no-offense, PED-lovin' catchers are rare, special treasures that should be protected by any means necessary before free agents like Omar Vizquel file for free agency. (Edit: Eliezer Alfonzo was removed from the 40-man too, so this point is bunk....)
Maybe there's an explanation. Maybe these were "revocable" waivers. Maybe Travis Denker intentionally killed an osprey with a baseball. Maybe.
But the "Sergio Romo-Accidentally-DFA'd-OMG-WUT"-thread was just so much fun that I had to put this on the front page.
(Edit II: Something we're not thinking about is that the organization will need to protect folks from the Rule 5 draft. I'll try and work up a list of who would be eligible. Thanks to Andrew Baggarly for pointing that out. Still, the outrage is both amusing and nourishing.)
386 comments | 2 recs
Open Championship Series Thread, 10/10
by Grant
on Oct 10, 2008 11:17 AM PDT
Heck, it was good luck yesterday, and I did spend three whole minutes on it, so...
Current Series
Phillies lead the series 1-0
| Thu 10/09 | WP: Cole Hamels (2 - 0) SV: Brad Lidge LP: Derek Lowe (1 - 1) |
3 - 2 win |
|
Los Angeles Dodgers Friday, Oct 10, 2008, 1:35 PM PDT Chad Billingsley vs Brett Myers Sunny. Winds blowing in from left field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game Time temperature: Around 70.
|
||
| Sun 10/12 | 5:22 PM PDT | |
| Mon 10/13 | 5:22 PM PDT | |
517 comments | 0 recs
Open Letter to the Philadelphia Phillies
by Grant
on Oct 9, 2008 11:27 AM PDT
Dear Phillies,
I’m starting to wonder if this burgeoning appreciation for your franchise was always there, but it just took this NLCS to really bring it out. I’m a fan. The Philadelphia Phillies are my team for the next week or so. I’m going to bleed pink, or fuschia, or snapdragon red, or whatever the hell that color is. I will refrain making Rocky or chesse steak references, as I know that there’s just so much more to you than that.
But cheese steaks are delicious. That can’t be taken away from you. And the Dodgers are as patently evil as Ivan Drago’s U.S.S.R.; they’ll send you all to gulags and reeducation camps the second you turn your back. The Dodger fans are also spineless enough to cheer for you if you humiliate their team in their home.
I love that your two best position players went from decent-enough prospects, to good prospects, to superstars in their mid-20s. That’s how the Giants roll too. You’ve blazed a trail for Nate Schierholtz to be an All-Star, even if you don’t know it. Maybe Fred Lewis will reach for the stars in his mid-20s instead of being resigned to middle management, as it were. I can appreciate that.
I’m a sucker for the change-up, so I love that the top two pitchers on your staff rely on the changeup. Back when I was inhaling the Noah Lowry fumes, Cole Hamels is what I hoped Lowry would become – a dominant prince of befuddlement. And Jamie Moyer’s legendary exploits at Normandy add to his mystique, so he’s cool too.
Your roster has a few ex-Giants, which is pretty cool. Plus, they’re all likeable ex-Giants, which is even cooler. I’m down with Scott Eyre, and Pedro Feliz was a Giant for the better part of a decade. Heck, you even gave Mike Cervenak an opportunity to get an RBI. That’s awesome. And even if I ignored the ex-Giant angle, the Phillies also feature two Bay Area products, Jimmy Rollins and Pat Burrell. This all more than makes up for the unfortunate Shane Victorino and his unfortunate rectum face. While a significant part of me wants Victorino to contract scurvy from a Dodger Dog – even though "science" seems to think that would be impossible – this does not affect my overall feelings for your fine organization.
So, good luck, Phillies. Because if I’m reading this Punnet square correctly, there’s a 25% chance that I’ll have to root for the damn Red Sox again in the World Series. I don’t think I would ever be able to forgive you for that. And if the Dodgers were to pass by you on the way to a championship…oh, man. That’s a betrayal I can’t even fathom. To put it in terms you can understand: You would become our JD Drew.
Good luck, and we’re all counting you.
Sincerely,
Grant
Giants Fan
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