My turn for some notes, with Craig on child watch (which makes me wonder how he posted so many messages yesterday!). On to the gibberish …
In addition to the fact Kansas City really isn't very good, does anyone remember last year when the Indians started out 11-1? On a related topic, Rob Dibble on Baseball Tonight said the Royals have what it takes to compete with the Twins. I assume he was talking about the little-known AL Central Yahtzee tournament held each all-star break in Topeka, Kansas.
Did anyone see Kerry Wood yesterday? His curve ball was snapping, his fastball had giddy-up AND movement, and, more importantly, his motion seemed smoother than it ever had. Forget Tim Hudson, Barry Zito, and Mark Mulder; in two years we'll be talking more about Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, and Carlos Zambrano, assuming Dusty Baker doesn't fry their arms. So it looks like we'll still be talking about Hudson, Zito, and Mulder in two years.
I have been reserved so far about this, but Jeremy Giambi is off to a terrible start with the Red Sox. After Saturday night's drubbing by the Orioles -- at least the 'pen didn't blow a save opportunity -- Jeremy is now 2-25 with an even dozen whiffs. It's too early to say "I told you so," but I'm warming up the fingers. On the other hand, given how well Kevin Millar is hitting -- and, frankly, has always hit -- it makes all the fuss over his signing seem a bit more justified. Millar was a player I really wanted the A's to go after, even more than Durazo, because he's a RH hitter with some sock, something the A's could have used more than another injury-prone left-handed slugger (see Justice, David).
One more Red Sox note. It would not be a shock at all to see Robert Person emerge as the main closer for the Sox, as Grady Little indicated yesterday. Not because Person's got "closer mentality" or is demonstrably better than anyone else down there, but because his career path screams "Future Closer." That is to say, a failed starting pitcher or starter converted to relief in the majors -- Eric Gagne, Billy Wagner, Keith Foulke, Mariano Rivera, Jose Mesa, John Wetteland, et al -- an injury-riddled starting pitcher converted to relief to spare his arm -- Tom Gordon, Billy Koch, Jason Isringhausen, et al -- or a successful starter winding down his career -- John Smoltz, Dennis Eckersley, et al. Then there's the former position players converted to relief aces, such as Trevor Hoffman (shortstop) and Troy Percival (catcher). Person's failure during his brief tenure as the Jays closer notwithstanding, he will take the job and run with it, leaving another team with less to lose than Boston to tackle the closer-by-committee approach.
Very, very quietly, the Expos have assembled a nice nucleus that includes, in addition to superstar Vladimir Guerrero, the underrated Jose Vidro and Brad Wilkerson, plus three pitchers who form one of the better, if similarly unheralded, front-end rotations in the league: Javier Vazquez, Tony Armas, and Tomo Ohka. The Expos' depth, both in the majors and down on the farm, rivals that of a John Hughes movie, but, like those lovable teen romps, the Expos will be fun to watch this year -- and hopefully beyond.
Finally, I don't want to bring down the Prodigy Aaron Gleeman, but I'm lukewarm at Bobby Kielty's prospects for stardom. He'll be 27 this August, and, while he has a nice skill set -- some extra-base pop and a good batting eye -- his age limits his upside somewhat. He could yet be Brian Giles, and I hope for Aaron's sake he is, but he's more likely to be Bobby Higginson -- and that's not too shabby a fate, except for the playing in Detroit part. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Well, maybe Mick …
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