Sir Stewart Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 Did you ever find your keys? I did not. I was actually thinking about them this morning! I miss my Magic Hat bottle opener... Link to post Share on other sites
bobbob1313 Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 The Bradley and Burrell signings are both great. The Burrell one is better because I don't like the numbers on the Bradley deal, but if you can have him play 130, Soriano play 130, and have Fukudome pick up the rest between the two, you're going to have a stacked corner outfield. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Jules Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 No outfield arrangement including Fukudome in the mix can be considered stacked. Link to post Share on other sites
Duck-Billed Catechist Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 Isn't Fukudome slated to be the starting CF? Link to post Share on other sites
PigSooie Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 Isn't Fukudome slated to be the starting CF? ???? Surely, this is a joke. Link to post Share on other sites
bobbob1313 Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 No outfield arrangement including Fukudome in the mix can be considered stacked. I don't see why not. It seems like he got tired as the season went on, so if you can keep him fresh, the three of them should be pretty damn good. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Jules Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 I hope you're right, especially given how much money they have tied up in those three, but I think he's just plain bad. I think the latest is that Fukudome and Reed Johnson will be platooning in center. So, you have Fukudome coming off a bad season, playing out of position between two very average corners. Nice. Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 I think there's a chance that Fukudome could improve his hitting. It often seemed to me that he was bailing out of the batter's box in the middle of his swing, like he was in too much of a hurry to get to first base. When he was hitting better, earlier in the season, I don't think he was bailing out quite as much, and he was making pretty decent contact. But, that's just my untrained observation. I probably couldn't hit a 57-MPH fastball (not to mention 97 MPH), so what do I know. Link to post Share on other sites
Duck-Billed Catechist Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 Isn't that the way a lot of Japanese hitters hit? With a running stride? Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 Isn't that the way a lot of Japanese hitters hit? With a running stride?That might explain the shortage of great Japanese hitters in the U.S. major leagues. I think Ichiro hits like that, but he probably has uncanny hand-eye coordination, or something. It can't be easy to get good contact when you're already running to first. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Jules Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 I think there's a chance that Fukudome could improve his hitting. It often seemed to me that he was bailing out of the batter's box in the middle of his swing, like he was in too much of a hurry to get to first base. When he was hitting better, earlier in the season, I don't think he was bailing out quite as much, and he was making pretty decent contact. But, that's just my untrained observation. I probably couldn't hit a 57-MPH fastball (not to mention 97 MPH), so what do I know.Pitchers adjusted. He didn't change, the pitchers did. It's the major leagues. Again, I hope you're right. I just don't see it. Link to post Share on other sites
Duck-Billed Catechist Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 I think you are right, crytique. Ichiro, though, is a better fielder, has a career SB% of 82%, and isn't expected to hit for much power. That stance lends itself to slap-hitting and Ichiro is kind of a slap hitter. Ichiro, himself, is probably overpaid at this point. And now I'll toot my own horn about one of the few things I was right about last off-season. Fukudome was a two-time Central League batting champion, led the league in on-base percentage three times and four times won a Gold Glove for defensive excellence in the outfield. In a 9 year career, batt avg of .305. Sounds pretty good overall. Well, Ichiro and Matsui both had higher career OBPs in Japan than Fukodome did and their major league OBPs both went down by 10%. If Fukudome's OBP goes down by 10% he'll be at .360 which is good, but not great. Above average OBP + average power = meh for a corner outfielder. Like I said, though, he's better than whoever else they were going to put out there. I was within a 100th of a percent when predicting his OBP (toot, toot). Of course, I was wrong about the average power thing. He was below average. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Jules Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 Ichiro was a home run hitter in Japan, wasn't he? Link to post Share on other sites
Oil Can Boyd Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 Ichiro was a home run hitter in Japan, wasn't he?Moreso than he is now. He averaged about 17 home runs per season in Japan, and he has averaged about 9 per season in MLB. Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Stewart Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 He sure looks like a fucking Yankee. Link to post Share on other sites
jenbobblehead Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 He sure looks like a fucking Yankee.did his wife really talk him into being a Yankee? Link to post Share on other sites
Duck-Billed Catechist Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 Is he married to Benjamin Franklin? Link to post Share on other sites
jenbobblehead Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 From the Globe's Extra Bases blog: On whether he planned on signing with the Yankees all along: "The whole process was confusing. Sometimes I'd tell Scott to stop calling me, then I'd call him five times a day saying, 'Tell me what you know!' Two weeks before Christmas, I talked to [my wife] Leigh about it again, and we kind of decided that, hey, the Yankees are where we want to be. Cash [brian Cashman] might want to give Leigh a hug, because when I asked her during the process, 'Where should I go, where should I go?,' she'd always say, 'I just want you to be happy.' Finally she said, 'I want you to be a Yankee,' and it was a done deal. Once we got the contract figured out, it was a no-brainer for me." It's interesting to note that the Red Sox' visit to Teixeira's home in Texas came on Dec. 18, which is just a week before Christmas. If Teixeira's comments can be taken at face value, he made his mind up a week before the Sox' trip. Link to post Share on other sites
PigSooie Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 From the Globe's Extra Bases blog: On whether he planned on signing with the Yankees all along: "The whole process was confusing. Sometimes I'd tell Scott to stop calling me, then I'd call him five times a day saying, 'Tell me what you know!' Two weeks before Christmas, I talked to [my wife] Leigh about it again, and we kind of decided that, hey, the Yankees are where we want to be. Cash [brian Cashman] might want to give Leigh a hug, because when I asked her during the process, 'Where should I go, where should I go?,' she'd always say, 'I just want you to be happy.' Finally she said, 'I want you to be a Yankee,' and it was a done deal. Once we got the contract figured out, it was a no-brainer for me." It's interesting to note that the Red Sox' visit to Teixeira's home in Texas came on Dec. 18, which is just a week before Christmas. If Teixeira's comments can be taken at face value, he made his mind up a week before the Sox' trip. Link to post Share on other sites
Duck-Billed Catechist Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 From the Globe's Extra Bases blog: On whether he planned on signing with the Yankees all along: "The whole process was confusing. Sometimes I'd tell Scott to stop calling me, then I'd call him five times a day saying, 'Tell me what you know!' Two weeks before Christmas, I talked to [my wife] Leigh about it again, and we kind of decided that, hey, the Yankees are where we want to be. Cash [brian Cashman] might want to give Leigh a hug, because when I asked her during the process, 'Where should I go, where should I go?,' she'd always say, 'I just want you to be happy.' Finally she said, 'I want you to be a Yankee,' and it was a done deal. Once we got the contract figured out, it was a no-brainer for me." It's interesting to note that the Red Sox' visit to Teixeira's home in Texas came on Dec. 18, which is just a week before Christmas. If Teixeira's comments can be taken at face value, he made his mind up a week before the Sox' trip.Sounds like a cover story for wanting more money to me. Or his wife wanting more money. Link to post Share on other sites
bjorn_skurj Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 Maybe the dude and his wife wanted to be in New York, which is a very nice city with many cool things. Link to post Share on other sites
MrRain422 Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 He sure looks like a fucking Yankee. It's the jersey that gives it away. Link to post Share on other sites
dondoboy Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 It's the jersey that gives it away.Oh brother! Its also the collared shirt and tie under it and the dumbass smile...oh God I hate the Yanks! Link to post Share on other sites
bobbob1313 Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 I was wondering the other day if when people complain about contracts with NYC teams, do they take into account the higher cost of living there? And not just New York. A contract with the Yankees is worth less, per dollar than one with the Marlins because the Marlins have a lower tax rate. Just wondering aloud because I think it's interesting. Contracts probably shouldn't be taken in a vaccuum, like most things in baseball. Link to post Share on other sites
dondoboy Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 I was wondering the other day if when people complain about contracts with NYC teams, do they take into account the higher cost of living there? And not just New York. A contract with the Yankees is worth less, per dollar than one with the Marlins because the Marlins have a lower tax rate. Just wondering aloud because I think it's interesting. Contracts probably shouldn't be taken in a vaccuum, like most things in baseball.You know, San Fran is terribly expensive and they don't cough up that kind of money. I do agree its probably part of it, but it seems more like arrogance. Link to post Share on other sites
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