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One weekend later, the A's are reeling again.

Thursday night, they marched into Tampa Bay behind a motivated Chad Gaudin and won 12-2. Then the Rays realized it was Raymond the Blue Fuzzy Thing's birthday weekend and decided they'd better get their act in gear. So they immediately turned the tables and massacred the A's three straight times by an aggregate score of 33-9, hanging three beatings on Oakland's top three starters. The A's will look to turn things around at home behind a couple of ex-Jays, both of whom hit their stride as pitchers immediately after leaving Mr Rogers' neighborhood.


Tonight, it's a rematch from last Wednesday's getaway game. I'm watching tennis instead, even if Marcos Baghdatis has been bounced already.

Tomorrow, it's Chad Gaudin, in the midst of a breakout season. Although he isn't doing it by striking hitters out at a particularly impressive pace, he did fan 10 Devil Rays on Thursday to inflate the ol' strikeout rate a little. Gaudin is a three-pitch pitcher with his fastball, the Slider of Great Humiliation and a show changeup.

Gaudin has pronounced splits. He treads lightly around lefties and eats righties for breakfast. Lefties are .282/.386/.411 with 36 strikeouts and 54 walks (or 0.67 K/BB); righties are .233/.298/.359 with 83 strikeouts and 25 walks (or 3.32). If the Jays were still in contention I'd make an impassioned plea to start Adams, Olmedo and Stairs here; since they're 10 games out, whatever lineup is most effective for building character is fine by me.

The current Jays' roster is a combined 1-17 against Gaudin, but with 6 walks and 3 strikeouts. The hit is a Vernon Wells double.

Wednesday's getaway game features soft-tossing cutter fiend and groundball machine Lenny DiNardo, who didn't make it out of the second inning in Tampa Bay Friday.

After that game, DiNardo said he thought his stuff and location were way off. "My pitches looked about average. I just didn't have it today. I was leaving it up, and everything was predictable ... and that's never good for me. ... My cutter was a notch up and didn't have the depth it should have. And my changeup, I felt by the time I did have some swings and misses on it, it was pretty much too late. And my curveball was pretty loopy."

If this Jays team got to face DiNardo 162 times, they would have a hard time losing the AL East. They've crushed him with great consistency, and the individual splits illustrate that: Vernon Wells is 5-8 with a walk and a homer against him; Reed Johnson, 4-8 with a walk; Aaron Hill, 6-8 with two walks and four doubles and a homer; Troy Glaus, 3-6 with a walk; Gregg Zaun, 0-2 with two walks, and so on. But he'll always own Lyle Overbay, and the leveling effect of the Getaway Day Strike Zone works in DiNardo's favor when Roy Halladay is providing the opposition. It should be an interesting matchup.

Personnel moves: The on-again, off-again relationship between Travis Buck and the 15-day DL is on again. They were made for each other. Also, Donnie Murphy has been demoted to AAA. The A's recalled utility infielder J.J. Furmaniak (stats), who's having his best year since 2004. It's fueled by a .354 BABIP. Furmaniak's versatility and ability to play shortstop should get him plenty of opportunities to find out whether that newfound success will translate to the major-league level.

And if the Jays go up 30-3 at any point during the series, they now know which position player will fill the Frank Menechino role: backup catcher Rob Bowen. With the A's in a double-digit hole in the bottom of the eighth on Saturday, and Huston Street and Alan Embree the only two relievers available, and Kiko Calero on the mound and headed for a jam, manager Bob Geren (or "Green" if you're Tim Langton) sent Bowen out to the bullpen to warm up.

The Credit Section: All offensive stats, pitches per PA for pitchers and league average stats are from the Hardball Times. Pitchers' stats and leverage indices are from Fangraphs. Minor-league stats are from Minor League Splits and First Inning. K% and BB% are strikeouts and walks as a percentage of plate appearances; GB% + LD% + FB% = 100.

Dee Brown's minor league stats are available here; I put his MLB numbers in the chart to give an impression of how often the A's play him.


Advance Scout: Athletics, August 27-29 | 37 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
Mike Green - Tuesday, August 28 2007 @ 09:48 AM EDT (#173632) #
I just wanted to share my appreciation for the particular shade of green in the chart.  Someone in the Advance Scout office must have spent weeks at the paint store matching chips to the A's uniform!

Speaking of which, you know how managers use the dimunitive of players they are fond of, "Stairsie" and the like.  Does Bob Geren call Chad Gaudin "Gaudy", after a particular good outing?


Barry Bonnell - Tuesday, August 28 2007 @ 01:05 PM EDT (#173640) #
Anyone want to take bets on when Brian Wolfe takes over Casey's set-up role?
jeff mcl - Tuesday, August 28 2007 @ 02:01 PM EDT (#173644) #
Spring '08, when Janssen finally rejoins the rotation and BJ's still rehabbing.
Thomas - Tuesday, August 28 2007 @ 05:42 PM EDT (#173649) #
After cutting bait on Mark Redman quickly, the Jays have signed Joe Kennedy to a minor-league contract. He will report to Syracuse
Magpie - Tuesday, August 28 2007 @ 06:04 PM EDT (#173650) #
the Jays have signed Joe Kennedy to a minor-league contract.

I like this a lot. Granted, it may only be because Kennedy is 4-0, 3.54 lifetime in Toronto (11 games, 6 starts) and I was probably in the house every time. But he's always looked like a pitcher to me.
Mike Green - Tuesday, August 28 2007 @ 07:45 PM EDT (#173654) #
I don't see why Kennedy couldn't fashion a career for himself out of the pen.
BigTimeRoyalsFan - Tuesday, August 28 2007 @ 10:07 PM EDT (#173655) #
I don't see why Kennedy couldn't fashion a career for himself out of the pen.

I presume you mean as a left handed specialist? RHBs hitting .294/.360/.463 over his career is quite ugly.
Mike Green - Tuesday, August 28 2007 @ 11:01 PM EDT (#173658) #
Yep, as a left-handed specialist..  He's pitched most of his innings in the rotation, and done better (as most pitchers do) out of the pen. 
Thomas - Tuesday, August 28 2007 @ 11:11 PM EDT (#173659) #
Apparently Mike Wilner stated today on the FAN that he's changed his mind and after reviewing his personal scoresheets that he now supports John McDonald returning as the Jays starting SS next year. I didn't hear the interview personally, but after calculating McDonald's runs saved this year and adding it to his offensive totals Wilner came to the conclusion McDonald's been the fourth best SS in the AL this year, if you assume every AL SS is average defensively.
Mike Green - Tuesday, August 28 2007 @ 11:58 PM EDT (#173660) #
I am sorry but John McDonald was not the 4th best shortstop in the AL this year, taking into account offence and defence.  Taking the most optimistic account of his defence, he saved 10 runs with his glove compared with the average and gave away more than that with his bat.  Derek Jeter, Carlos Guillen, Jhonny Peralta, Michael Young and Orlando Cabrera were pretty clearly significantly better.  And that was in a career year for him defensively at age 32.  Shortstop defence tends to decline more significantly than at other positions around this age, as reaction times slow and speed is lost.
Magpie - Wednesday, August 29 2007 @ 12:33 AM EDT (#173662) #
John McDonald was not the 4th best shortstop in the AL this year

But you could make a case that he's been the fourth best shortstop in the division this year. Julio Lugo has provided the same lousy offense, but without the excellent defense.
Magpie - Wednesday, August 29 2007 @ 12:40 AM EDT (#173664) #
Taking the most optimistic account of his defence, he saved 10 runs with his glove compared with the average

I think that's very optimistic. A shortstop who is 10 runs better defensively than an average shortstop? In just half a season?

That sounds like Ozzie Smith.

Shortstops take away singles, and 10 runs requires quite a few singles.
scottt - Wednesday, August 29 2007 @ 01:39 AM EDT (#173665) #
I was just looking at what Kennedy's done lately and it's not too bad except for that one outing.

On August 14 against Florida he faced 9 batters, got the first one on a grounder, beaned 3 batters, walked 2, gave up 3 singles and also managed one wild pitch.

He could be quite good as a left handed specialist, especially in September.
Thomas - Wednesday, August 29 2007 @ 07:48 AM EDT (#173667) #
A shortstop who is 10 runs better defensively than an average shortstop? In just half a season?

I think Wilner had him at over 20 runs better defensively than the average SS. That's what he concluded after going through all of his Jays scoresheets this season. I don't really buy it either, but it was interesting to me to hear that Wilner set out to prove everyone who kept calling Jays Talk and saying they should keep McDonald because of his defence was wrong and ended up agreeing with them.
Parker - Wednesday, August 29 2007 @ 08:31 AM EDT (#173669) #

What's the point of assuming all AL shortstops have average defence and then using McDonald's above-average defence as part of the reason for naming him 4th best in the league?

I guess you really CAN use statistics to prove anything...

Parker - Wednesday, August 29 2007 @ 08:55 AM EDT (#173670) #
By my own tabulation based on OPS+ and assuming all AL shortstops are all average defensively, McDonald is actually tied with Tony Pena for last in the league among starters.  That's INCLUDING stellar offensive seasons from Bobby Crosby, Juan Uribe, and everyone's favorite Julio Lugo.
Pistol - Wednesday, August 29 2007 @ 01:56 PM EDT (#173684) #
He who shall not be named was claimed by the Dodgers, picking up the last $8 million this year and next.
laketrout - Wednesday, August 29 2007 @ 02:13 PM EDT (#173686) #

Wilner is just a company shill.  There I said it, now I feel better. His fawning support for JP and Gibbons is beyond reason.

Johnny Mac is a great defender but even on defence alone he ranks behind much of the AL. He ranks 13th in overall  win shares (not a perfect stat but it does include defense) for AL shortstops and 8th overall defensively.

deep dish - Wednesday, August 29 2007 @ 05:52 PM EDT (#173690) #

Wilner is just a company shill.  There I said it, now I feel better. His fawning support for JP and Gibbons is beyond reason.

I know, I was listening to a "Wednesday's with JP" a couple of weeks ago when a fan made a point about some poor decision JP had made.  In a rare JP move, he took the blame based on the information he had on the time and incorrect guessing, then Wilner steps in and adds "a lot of those guys were injured".  Wilner would not even accept self-criticism from JP.  That answer seemed to rattle even JP, and made me understand what the Americans mean they say Toronto doesn't really know baseball.

jasona - Wednesday, August 29 2007 @ 07:59 PM EDT (#173693) #
Wilner is just a company shill.  There I said it, now I feel better. His fawning support for JP and Gibbons is beyond reason

I believe the term is "don't bite the hand that feeds you".  I had the pleasure of working with Mike Wilner at the University of Toronto and there isn't another person I'd wish the kind of success he's enjoyed and will continue to enjoy.  Many times, especially on Jays Talk he will question moves, changes and trades so I don't get this comment. 

Once again though, something like this proves how fickle the Toronto sports scene is.  See no evil, hear no evil right?  Championship teams with below average offensive SS like Manny Lee aren't used as a foundation, yet because the Jays are having a well below potential year...we as fans choose to focus on the gaping hole at SS.  Johnny Mac is a consummate professional.  Shows up, keeps his mouth shut and does the job that he was hired to do.  You can't ask more from a guy then to do his job. 

I've just moved to Albuquerque, NM and I'll tell you, I miss watching Jays games.  The thing that Toronto fans do not appreciate is that there is still a team there to talk about.  Ripping on the team, the players, etc., is all part of being a fan, but we're in a better spot them Montreal because we still have a team to cheer for, write about and bitch about.  Sorry if this seems all airy-fairy, but it's a tough pill to swallow every once in awhile when there's no talk of the great things that go on in the games and only the mistakes, what moves weren't made, who should be traded, etc.  Alot of players stepped up into roles this year, especially in the pitching staff.  Call me an optimist, but 3 young pitchers that can do what Marcum, McGowan and Listch have done, provides something to be quite happy about for the coming seasons.  I'm out of things to say...and unfortunately I don't have a witty or smooth ending to this post...sorry if I offended anyone. 
Thomas - Wednesday, August 29 2007 @ 08:58 PM EDT (#173694) #
Wilner is just a company shill.  There I said it, now I feel better. His fawning support for JP and Gibbons is beyond reason.

I certainly don't think McDonald is the 4th best shortstop in the AL and nor do I understand why Wilner is reluctant at times to criticize JP and Gibbons.  Fans often go overboard in their criticisms, but sometimes Wilner seems hesitant to accept legitimate complaints.

However, what is your explanation for Wilner, who has been critical of McDonald's offence all year and never suggesting he's anything more than a backup thrust into a starting role, suddenly changing his mind? Do you think he's lying and just repeating the company line now JP's talking about bringing McDonald back as a starter? Did he just make up this story about going through game logs? Do you think Wilner is that reluctant to criticize JP that he'll do an about-face on a consistent position he's held for the whole season?
laketrout - Thursday, August 30 2007 @ 02:37 AM EDT (#173696) #

I think Wilner was right in his original judgment that McDonald's offence meant he could be nothing more than a backup and defensive replacement. And the stats do show that the longer he plays the worse his offense is getting.

 And I think you hit the nail on the head – now that JP is talking about bringing him back as a starter, Wilner suddenly thinks he defense justifies him remaining a starter. Hey, I was at the game a week ago Sunday in which the Jays won 4-3 in OT. McDonald was clearly the star of that game with an outstanding diving catch early and his heads up play to cut off Rios’s throw to nail House at first. But the fact is he didn’t get a hit in the game nor drive in any runs and he is not the player a contenting team can carry (at least not in the AL East).

 My beef is not with McDonald. I only wanted to get off my chest my thoughts on Wilner.  While I enjoy listening to his show, I do disagree with him much of the time. For instance he has repeatedly insisted that players go through hitting slumps and that this Blue Jay team will come out of it – no blame should be put on Gibbons, nor Brantley, nor the fact that JP assembled an all righty lineup that lets opposing pitcher get in a groove against said lineup. But we are now 5/6th of the way through the season and there is no sign of this slump ending.

 His stance on Gibbon’s handling of the “Lilly affair” last year was way off.

 Wilner is paid to promote the team, and that he does well. Like jasona said “don’t bite the hand that feeds you”.

Dave Till - Thursday, August 30 2007 @ 10:15 AM EDT (#173700) #
I agree with the consensus on Wilner: it's not his job to provide harsh criticism.

As for McDonald: one thing I'm noticing about the Jays' stats this year is that almost all the pitchers are doing better than expected:
  • Marcum and McGowan have taken huge strides forward.
  • Accardo has become a quality closer
  • Janssen has become an excellent setup man
  • Downs has the best LOOGY stats since the days of Dan Plesac
  • Litsch has done more than anyone could have expected (now a 3.40 ERA in 14 starts)
  • Halladay and Burnett have been solid
The Jays have the second-best team ERA in the American League.

Something I realized recently: almost all of these guys are ground-ball pitchers. When ground-ball pitchers, as a group, are doing much better than expected, a great deal of credit goes to the infielders behind them, especially McDonald and Hill.

Of course, the Jays would be better off if they could find a shortstop who fielded anywhere near as well as McDonald and who could actually hit every now and again. But I am of the opinion that McDonald is better than the options that were available to J.P. at the start of the season: for instance, they're better off with him than with Royce Clayton. (The jury's still out on Olmedo: I'd like to see him get some more playing time.)

The problem, of course, is that good shortstops who can actually hit are rare birds; teams that have them tend to keep them. That's why Old Baseball Guys always used to say that championship teams are always strong up the middle.

I don't know whether J.P. will be able to acquire a free-agent shortstop in the off-season who is better than any of the options available in 2007. I hope so.

BigTimeRoyalsFan - Thursday, August 30 2007 @ 10:35 AM EDT (#173702) #
For instance he has repeatedly insisted that players go through hitting slumps and that this Blue Jay team will come out of it – no blame should be put on Gibbons, nor Brantley, nor the fact that JP assembled an all righty lineup that lets opposing pitcher get in a groove against said lineup.

I'm going to stand up for Big Mike (or Lil Mike, depending on if you believe those Herbal Magic ads). First of all, he talks about the notion of being way too right-handed every single night, and certainly puts blame on it for the offensive woes. Secondly, this idea that he kisses management's ass is a little off, in my opinion. What I hear on a nightly basis is him questioning many of Gibbons' managerial decisions and JPs overall approach to running a team. He takes constant jabs at Gibby for not giving Stairs more playing time and hates that Frasor was banished to pitching 3 times a month (on a side note, what's been going on with Frasor recently - did JP tell John to showcase Jason for a trade?), along with the rest of his bullpen management and the fact that Gibbons is so by the book and really has only trusted his 3 headed monster till the recent arrival of Wolfe. He also has repeatedly pointed out that Gibbons said he would have to be insane to take Vernon out of the leadoff spot, and he did - that doesn't sound to me like sucking up. He LOVES to point out that JP has a history of of falsehood (Vernon=injured?!) and seems to enjoy running his team on a plane above everybody else, as if us commoners can't understand the intricacies behind his mediocre plans. As for the Brantley bit, Wilner basically says the same thing every night - where were all the callers asking for Brantley's head last year, and in April when the Jays practically led the majors in BA. There was a point last year, I believe it was June, that every starter in the Jays lineup had a .300 BA except for Glaus who was having his own monster year. So as Mike says - did Mickey's skills erode over the winter? Or does nearly all of the blame have to go towards injuries and on the players themselves, particularly Vernon's shoulders. Now don't get me wrong - I think change is important, and if you are reluctant to change around the dynamic of the team, I think you have to AT LEAST fire Brantley and bring in a new set of eyes with some fresh ideas for the hitters - but I certainly understand where Wilner comes from in his defense of Brantley/Gibbons.
Jordan - Thursday, August 30 2007 @ 12:20 PM EDT (#173705) #

The pitching has been an extremely pleasant surprise, and for all the heat he takes over AJ Burnett's mercurial performance, I think Brad Arnsberg deserves a heap of credit for shepherding a young pitching staff to such heights.

However, I have to note major red flags over Litsch and Janssen: specifically, their respective BB/K rates of 26/33 in 79 innings and 17/33 in 64 innings. That's going to catch up to them both soon, and in unpleasant fashion. And with a HR yielded every six innings, Shaun Marcum is walking a tightrope too. All of which is to say, don't count on these three guys posting sub-3.50 ERAs next year if those peripherals remain unchanged.

John Northey - Thursday, August 30 2007 @ 12:33 PM EDT (#173706) #
Things are better in some important respects this year alright. Having so many pitchers develop into high level guys is a big, big element that should not be ignored.

Age 25 pitchers and their ERA+ and IP...
McGowan - 111 - 129 1/3
Marcum - 127 - 136 2/3
Accardo - 188 - 55
Janssen - 193 - 64

Age 22
Jesse Litsch - 136 - 79 1/3

Others who should help are League 24, and 'old guys' Wolfe & Chacin 26.

Also used are Vermilyea 25 and Taubenheim 24.

Now _that_ is an impressive set of young pitchers who are 26 or younger (ie: entering the prime of their careers). 3 who have earned a slot in the rotation, 3 in key roles in the pen, plus League & Chacin who both were counted on at the end of last season. The potential is there to have up to 8 guys out of 12 (plus Halladay/AJ/Ryan/Downs) on the staff in 2008, all having shown they can be above average pitchers in the majors either this year or last.

Chacin is the weakest of the key batch, yet has a 109 ERA+ over 331 2/3 IP career wise. League is probably next weakest at 107 ERA+ over 89 2/3 IP.

Sweet.

Now, as to shortstop we had an ugly market last winter (if you assume Hill was to be left at second). Lugo looked the best of the batch by far but is hitting a McDonaldian 238/295/347 OPS+ 68 at age 31 (about the age players fall off a cliff). This winter doesn't look much better unless you assume A-Rod opts out and can still play short and that Rogers is willing to shell out $30 mil/year (3 longshots).

I'd keep McDonald here and search high and low (Japan maybe?) for a quality shortstop on both defence and offense. Ideally one who can produce at least an 80+ OPS+ rate with high end defence. Budget up to $10 million per year for 3-5 years and it might be possible (Lugo got $9 per over 4 years with his 90+ OPS+ at the time). Given that I'd check Japan for their top SS and use $20-30 million as the offer sheet and $20-30 million to the player (seems a 1-1 ratio is normal for that, once here you have him for 6 years before free agency).
ANationalAcrobat - Thursday, August 30 2007 @ 01:55 PM EDT (#173707) #

Jays perhaps the top defensive team http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7168142

Magpie - Thursday, August 30 2007 @ 02:41 PM EDT (#173710) #
Don't expect to see a lot of free agent shortstops this winter. The best just might be from Japan. That would be Tomohiro Nioka of the Yomiuri Giants. He'll be 32 years old next April. As a hitter he looks very similar to Tadahito Iguchi: probably not quite as good but close, and roughly the same type of hitter. Expect him to hit .275-.280, with 12 -15 homers.

MLB shortstops hitting the market? David Eckstein and Omar Vizquel are about it. Along with a bunch of career backups and utilty guys- Johnny Mac, Tomas Perez, Chris Woodward, Desi Relaford, Royce Clayton. Plus the White Sox have a team option on Juan Uribe, who I used to like. He's having a truly awful year, so maybe they'll cut him loose.

ayjackson - Thursday, August 30 2007 @ 03:18 PM EDT (#173711) #

I'm comfortable with JMac and Olmedo as our shortstops next year if we can get better production from the rest of the lineup.  This could be two years in a row that our record falls short of our Pythagorean prediction.

The problem seems to be that only Stairs and Rios can do anything with a pitch on the 1B side of the plate.  I like both Glaus and Thomas, but wouldn't mind seeing one of them moved.  Any starter displaying good control seems to breeze through Wells, Thomas, Glaus and Hill - after that comes Zaun and JMac.  Thomas and Glaus have been good mistake hitters this year, whereas when Wells has adopted the patient approach, he invariably pops up the mistake pitch.

Mick Doherty - Thursday, August 30 2007 @ 03:25 PM EDT (#173712) #

Since acquiring Saltalamacchia, the Rangers have pretty much let it be known that their young catcher, Gerald Laird, could be had, particularly for a 1B and/or for pitching.

What would the Jays be willing to give up for Laird, who could be a pretty decent upgrade over Zaun? Though to be completely accurate, Laird isn't having much of a year in '07 ... his OPS+ was over 100 last year and this season sits at an ugly 62.

BigTimeRoyalsFan - Thursday, August 30 2007 @ 04:01 PM EDT (#173713) #
Laird seems like an interesting proposition. He might be a good guy to acquire to groom as Zaunie fades. The problem is that you can't really even platoon them because neither hit RHP well. If Laird could duplicate his minor league stats (or close to them) on the major league level he'd probably be considered an above average offensive catcher.

.271/.348/.406

Would Texas take Litsch? If that's not enough, toss in Frasor or Downs?

Manhattan Mike - Thursday, August 30 2007 @ 04:40 PM EDT (#173716) #
I don't think that there's too much of market for Laird, especially since other team's know that the Rangers are sticking with Salty. Giving up Downs could arguably be giving up too much, depending on how much you weight is put on this past year's performance. Frasor for Laird seems more like it.
ayjackson - Thursday, August 30 2007 @ 05:23 PM EDT (#173719) #

Would Texas take Litsch? If that's not enough, toss in Frasor or Downs?

Maybe Frasor or Downs straight up for Laird.  A developing and successful 22 year old starter for a defensive specialist at catcher seems a bit laughable to me.  Laird's career numbers are not very impressive (and he's seen the majors in five seasons now so we can probably forget about that minor league line).  2006 looks like an anomoly for Mr. Laird.  2007 is the first decent sample size he's had too.

Magpie - Thursday, August 30 2007 @ 09:17 PM EDT (#173722) #
Texas doesn't know yet if Saltalamacchia (boy, we're gonna get tired of typing that) is a catcher or  a firstbaseman.
AWeb - Thursday, August 30 2007 @ 10:42 PM EDT (#173726) #
Jays perhaps the top defensive team

I think the team defense ratings are a lot more refined than the individual ones, and that the Jays are near the top in defense isn't all that shocking to me. One of the problems with individual defense ratings, especially in the OF, is that the ranges of good defensive players overlap a lot. This may prevent one player from standing out as notably great. The Jays do benefit from a groundball heavy pitching staff in the DER ratings (groundballs = more plays, lower fielding percentages), although I think that's acccounted for in the Plus Minus system that has them way ahead of everyone else. A team ERA+ of 117 this year is incredibly impressive (team ERA at 3.94), and a lot of credit must go to the defense.

As for Laird, to use one of my favourite lines : If Gerald Laird is the answer, then you are asking the wrong damn question. He does seem to perform better away from usually hitter-friendly Texas (Career: .708 Road OPS, .645 Home), but those road numbers aren't exactly lighting it up. Thigpen and/or Diaz should at least get a shot at helping out the team next year, unless neither is able to cut it defensively.

Mick Doherty - Friday, August 31 2007 @ 01:04 AM EDT (#173728) #
Texas doesn't know yet if Saltalamacchia (boy, we're gonna get tired of typing that) is a catcher or  a firstbaseman.

I'm too tired to look it up, but read in the paper yesterday that Salty (that's easier to type) was hitting about .370 as a catcher and about .140 at 1B. Yes, yes, small sample size, but the Rangers clearly love the idea of having his bat behind the plate and getting another big stick -- if there is one? -- to play 1B. Chris Davis and his 35 or so minor league home runs this season  may or may  not be the answer there.
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