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New Hampshire, Dunedin and Lansing combined to belt 10 homers yesterday, half of them by the Fisher Cats, to propel them to victory.  As for Syracuse, they dropped their fifth in a row to fall to .500.  At least the Argos are back to .500 thanks to a 109-yard drive for the winning touchdown.  Way to go, K-Jo.  That concludes my football commentary!



Durham 4 Syracuse 0

Syracuse, NY - Lefty Bill Murphy traded zeroes with Bulls starter Wade Davis in his first Triple A start for the first five innings.  Murphy survived five baserunners in the first two frames, including a bases-loaded jam in the first, before retiring 11 of the next 12 hitters he faced.   The Chiefs best chance to score came in the fifth when Pedro Lopez was thrown out at the plate, trying to score from second on a Buck Coats single. 

The cheese slipped off the cracker for Murphy in the sixth when he issued a leadoff walk and that was immediately followed by a two-run home run by Chris RichardJonah Bayliss had to come in from the pen to get the final two outs of the inning.  Bayliss had trouble in the seventh when a throwing error by Pedro Lopez allowed Fernando Perez to get aboard.  He proceeded to steal second and third and southpaw Mike Gosling yielded a run-scoring groundout to give the Rays affiliate a 3-0 lead.  Gosling and Rick Bauer kept the Bulls off the board in the eighth but Bauer was nicked for a run in the ninth when Justin Ruggiano walked, stole second and third before scoring on a sac fly.

Boxscore Notes - A mixed bag of a start for Bill Murphy.  He gave up two runs on five hits and four walks in 5 1/3 innings but wound up striking out a whopping dozen.  He falls to 5-7 on the season with a 5.34 ERA........The Chiefs only managed five singles and three bases on balls with Danny Sandoval collecting two knocks and a bruise as a hit batsman and Chip Cannon drawing two walks...Running of the Bulls wasn't limited to Spain as Durham went 7-for-7 in stolen bases, including four by Justin Ruggiano.  A tough night for Curtis Thigpen behind and at the dish as his 1-for-4 day at the dish was offset by three strikeouts.

New Hampshire 8 New Britain 1

Manchester, NH - Fisher Cats starter Robert Ray quickly discovered that run support is a beautiful thing.  Scott Campbell led off the home half of the first with a leadoff homer and J.P. Arencibia delivered a sacrifice fly to give New Hampshire a quick 2-0 lead.  The F-Cats just kept adding to the lead as Ryan Klosterman's sac fly added one in the second, a J.P. Arencibia solo homer made it 4-0 in the third and another homer by Scott Campbell, a two-run bomb gave the F-Cats a 6-0 lead after four.

Ray, who had baserunners on every inning, finally gave up a run in the fifth when the leadoff man reached on an error and was sent home on a pair of singles.  New Hampshire got that run back in their half of the fifth as J.P. Arencibia connected for his second homer of the game to restore the F-Cats six-run lead.  Brian Jeroloman accounted for the final run of the game with, wait for it, another home run to make it five longballs against the Twins affiliate.  Jean Machi took over for Ray with two outs in the sixth and he went the final 3 1/3 innings, scattering a hit and walk for the save.

Boxscore Notes - Robert Ray earned the victory by allowing one run (which was unearned) on seven hits and four walks in 5 2/3 innings while striking out five.  He is 4-and-4 on the season with a 3.35 ERA.......Scott Campbell now has eight homers on the year and his batting average is at .333.....J.P. Arencibia also has eight jacks since joining the F-Cats and is hitting a half-dozen points over .300.......Brian Jeroloman was behind the plate in this one and did a fine job at the plate with a double, a homer and a walk which puts the "BJWM" at 45.  He's now 45 up on Arencibia.  Jeroloman is hitting .393 over his past 10 contests.

Dunedin 10 Palm Beach 7

Dunedin, FL - Sometimes, it's not how you start but it's how you finish.  Palm Beach took advantage of a shaky Kyle Ginley for a pair of runs in the first, caused by two singles, an errant pickoff throw by Ginley, a run-scoring groundout and an RBI single.  A fielder's choice led to another Cardinals run in the third.  The D-Jays didn't get their first hit until the fourth but it was a big one as Chris Emanuele led off the frame with a solo jack to cut Palm Beach's lead to 3-1.  The Cards responded with a two-homer in the fifth after the leadoff man reached on a Luis Sanchez error. 

Adrian Martin relieved Ginley in the sixth and he gave the D-Jays their first 1-2-3 inning of the game.  After that, the D-Jays harnessed in the good energy and blocked out the bad.  They put the quarter in the carousel, got on the horse and went with the flow to the tune of nine runs over the next two innings.  Brian Dopirak jolted one out of the yard for a three-run shot in the sixth and Brad Emaus managed to plate three runs with a single and a throwing error by the Palm Beach catcher.  An RBI double by Cory Patton and a two-run tater by Brian Dopirak capped off the six-run seventh.  Martin gave up just a single over the next two innings before handing the ball to lefty Cody Crowell in the ninth.  He gave up a two-out, two-run homer to make the score a little more respectable for the visitors.

Boxscore Notes - Adrian Martin earned the victory with three innings of one-hit relief while striking out three to improve to 5-2........Kyle Ginley allowed five runs (four earned) in five innings by allowing six hits and three walks while whiffing three.  He did get 10 groundball outs.......Brian Dopirak is hitting .357 in his last 10 games as he closes on in a .300 average (now at .293).  He has homered 21 times and is slugging .536.....Toronto native Chris Emanuele was 1-for-2 with a homer, a walk and three runs scored.  His .289 mark over the past 10 games has pushed his overall average to .255.

Lansing 10 Kane County 8

Geneva, IL - Again, it's now how you start but it's how you finish.  The Cougars scratched out the first run off Trystan Magnuson in the first when Jemile Weeks, brother of Ricky and the A's first round pick in this year's draft, led off with a double and he came home on another two-bagger to make it 1-0 Kane County.  Justin Jackson would give the Lugnuts the lead when he belted a three-run homer in the third.  Kane County matched that three spot in the fourth with two singles and two walks with a Magnuson wild pitch thrown into the mix.  Magnuson's best inning was the fourth when he set down the side in order and lefty Edgar Estanga did the same in the fifth.  However, the Cougars pounced on Estanga for three runs on three singles, a double, two walks and a Manny Rodriguez error.  Michael Barbara bailed out Estanga by inducing a double play grounder to stop the bleeding.

The Lugnuts would take a page from the Dunedin playbook and score six runs in lucky inning number seven.  Kevin Ahrens started the fun with a leadoff homer.  A balk would score the second run of the inning, Justin Jackson delivered with a two-run knock and first round pick David Cooper doubled home another two runs to erase a 7-3 Kane County lead. Michael Barbara surrendered a run in the seventh on a double and two grounders but the Lugnuts got that run back in the ninth thanks to a wild pitch.  Tim Collins finished up with two nerve-racking but scoreless innings.  He loaded up the bases with two walks and a single in the ninth but struck out the final hitter to get the save.

Boxscore Notes - Trystan Magnuson gave up a run an inning over four frames in which he gave up six hits, two walks and hit a batter while striking out three.  He did get seven groundball outs but also uncorked a wild pitch..........Michael Barbara earned his first win of the year to go 1-and-2 with 1 2/3 innings of one-run, two hit ball.....Tim Collins earned his eighth save and kept his ERA below 1 at 0.91 with two frames of one-hit, three walk ball.  He has struck out 71 hitters over 49.1 IP......Justin Jackson is tearing it up lately, hitting .465 over his last 10 games to push his average to .253 and his OBP to .358....If you said David Cooper's doing alright in the Midwest League, you wouldn't be off the mark.  He's hitting .386 with a 1.051 OPS.

Auburn 1 Batavia 0 (Bottom 1st - Suspended Due To Rain, Make-Up Date TBA)

Batavia, NY - The Doubledays scored first when Chris Demons drew a leadoff walk and he was promptly doubled home by Bartolo NicolasJoshua Charles-Hanford Wells got the start for the D-Days.  He issued a leadoff walk before getting the next two hitters but he gave up a single before the rains came so this game will be pick up with two on and two out in the bottom of the first.

 

Gulf Coast League Blue Jays - Scheduled Day Off.

 

*** 3 Stars!!! ***

3.  Justin Jackson, Lansing - 3/5, HR, 5RBI, 2R.

2.  J.P. Arencibia, New Hampshire - 2/3, 2HR, 3RBI, SF.

1.  Brian Dopirak, Dunedin - 2/3, 2HR, 5 RBI, BB.

 

Honourable Mentions.........

Syracuse - Bill Murphy, Mike Gosling, Danny Sandoval, Chip Cannon.

New Hampshire - Brian Jeroloman, David Smith, Andrew Pickney, Robert Ray, Jean Machi.

Dunedin - Chris Emanuele, Brad Emaus, Cory Patton, Al Quintana, Adrian Martin.

Lansing -  Kevin Ahrens, Matt Liuzza, David Cooper, Darin Mastroianni, Eric Eiland, Michael Barbara, Tim Collins.

 

Standings/Streaks...........

Syracuse - 50-50, 3rd place - IL North (12.0 GB of Pawtucket), 2-8 Last 10, L5.

New Hampshire - 40-60, 6th place - EL North (22.5 GB of Trenton), 6-4 Last 10, W3.

Dunedin - 20-6, 1st place - FSL West (6.0 GA of Fort Myers), 8-2 Last 10, W8.

Lansing - 19-11, Tied for 1st place w/ South Bend (2.0 GA of Dayton), 6-4 Last 10, W2.

Auburn - 17-14, Tied for 2nd place w/ Batavia (4.5 GB of Jamestown), 5-5 Last 10, L1.

GCL Blue Jays - 13-13, 3rd place (3.0 GB of GCL Phillies), 6-4 Last 10, L1.

 

Today's Schedule/Probable Starters......

GCL Yankees @ GCL Blue Jays, 12:00 p.m. EDT - TBA vs. TBA.

Lansing @ Kane County, 1:00 p.m. EDT - TBA vs. TBA.

Palm Beach @ Dunedin, 7:00 p.m. EDT - TBA vs. TBA

Syracuse @ Louisville, 7:05 p.m. EDT - LHP David Purcey, SYR (7-6, 2.76) vs. LHP Bobby Livingston, LOU (0-0. 0.00).

Batavia @ Auburn, 7:05 p.m. EDT - TBA vs. TBA.

Trenton @ New Hampshire, 7:05 p.m. EDT - RHP Jason Jones, TRE (10-3, 2.28) vs RHP Kenny Rodriguez, NH (1-2, 6.43). 

 

Bonus Material......

Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi has a chat with the New Hampshire Union Leader about the state of the Jays and Fisher Cats.

The Union Leader has the game story and game notes on yesterday's rout by the Fisher Cats.

Another article by the Union Leader about the Blue Jays-Fisher Cats affiliation.

Syracuse.com has the game story on the Chiefs loss to Durham.

Lansinglugnuts.com has the game story and audio highlights of the 'Nuts victory over Kane County.

Baseball America gives Justin Jackson an honourable mention in its Prospect Hot Sheet.

 

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The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
GregD - Monday, July 21 2008 @ 02:33 AM EDT (#189111) #
Wow, Dopriak is on as hott a streak as I've ever seen. New Hampshire seems to be a lost cause so hopefully Dorpiak stays in Dunedin and helps push them to a playoff berth.
jerjapan - Monday, July 21 2008 @ 08:44 AM EDT (#189116) #
Interesting interview with JP - I've always appreciated how he makes himself available for interviews, but I worry that he's in denial about his own mistakes.  Telling the interviewer that it's unfair to judge his mistakes and blaming criticism of him on an irrational dislike of the Jays?  That sounds like my boss, and there's an administrator who doesn't improve - because how can you, when you aren't doing anything wrong? 

Later he goes on to say he doesn't see any big moves coming and "we like the core of our team".  Man, that's a broken record.  And even if you do like your core, can't you still improve it by making deals?  I'm sure Billy Beane likes the core of his team too ...

What do you think are your best moves as a GM?

JPR: I don't know. People ask me that. I don't judge my moves good or bad. I think that's unfair.

Is it fair to ask you about your draft choices?

JPR: ... Are we the best in baseball? No. Are we the worst? No. I think we're good. I don't think we get as much credit because for some reason there seems to be a dislike for us.

Mike Green - Monday, July 21 2008 @ 09:06 AM EDT (#189117) #
Jackson's HR went the other way.  Nice.



Ryan Day - Monday, July 21 2008 @ 09:31 AM EDT (#189118) #
Later he goes on to say he doesn't see any big moves coming and "we like the core of our team".  Man, that's a broken record.

Yeah, but what do you really expect him to say? "Oh god, we're totally screwed. Do you know how hard I'm trying to dump some of these losers?"

The Lansing Kids seem to be finding a second wind in July: Jackson's hitting 345/413/589, and Ahrens 344/386/484. Still more strikeouts than I'd like to see at Low-A, but encouraging anyway.

I wonder if it's time to give up on Magnuson's conversion to starting. He doesn't seem to be adapting to it very well; at his age and experience, I'd expect him to be able to kick Low-A hitters around pretty easily.
John Northey - Monday, July 21 2008 @ 10:24 AM EDT (#189119) #
I enjoy reading those JP interviews, looking for any bits that we didn't already know.  I figure he won't confess to bad or good trades until after he is gone from here, ala Pat Gillick who has given his best and worst iirc - all I can recall is his most forgettable being the trade for Rance Mulliniks because it was more a roster trade that just worked out very nicely, more a dumb luck one.

Chacin still having physical issues was actually good to read because if he didn't then his career would be over, but if he has injury issues still then at least there is hope (if an ERA over 7 in Dunedin is all you can do when healthy then you are doomed).  Sounds like SS will be handled next winter the same as last, plan on using what is here and look for a cheap short term upgrade.  Justin Jackson at short is a long ways away, Lansing now, Dunedin next year, AA in 2010, AAA/majors in 2011 is the best one could hope for I would think.  It could be accelerated if he goes nuts next year, do A+ and AA in 09 then majors in 2010 but that would suggest a high level talent who should make many All-Star teams and while I'd love that I sure wouldn't expect it.  Thus another one year Eckstein type is likely.
Pistol - Monday, July 21 2008 @ 12:17 PM EDT (#189126) #
I enjoy reading those JP interviews, looking for any bits that we didn't already know. 

I enjoyed that Campbell reminded him of Chase Utley.  Probably like Jason Arnold reminded him of Greg Maddux.

Also, he can stop with the Angel comparison now ("we score more, we give up fewer runs and we play better defense, yet we're in last place!").  The Jays have the 8th best run differential in the AL, and that's about what they seem to be to me.


Chacin still having physical issues was actually good to read because if he didn't then his career would be over, but if he has injury issues still then at least there is hope (if an ERA over 7 in Dunedin is all you can do when healthy then you are doomed). 

I think that was just a round about way of saying he's probably done, but if they get something out of him it's a bonus.


Sounds like SS will be handled next winter the same as last, plan on using what is here and look for a cheap short term upgrade.  Justin Jackson at short is a long ways away..... Thus another one year Eckstein type is likely.

And relying on a pick in the 40s who's a long ways away is pretty risky.  The chance of Justin Jackson, or any player in the 30-60 range, is probably close to 1 in 4 (and maybe less if you took a hard look at it).  If the Jays get two solid or better players out of Ahrens, Arencibia, Cecil and Jackson they're doing pretty well.

The Jays need a good SS solution now.  If this player ends up blocking Jackson in 3-4 years deal with that 'problem' then.


greenfrog - Monday, July 21 2008 @ 12:25 PM EDT (#189127) #
"but I worry that he's in denial about his own mistakes"

I agree. It's hard for JP to be objective at this point. The team has been mediocre, and JP the target of relentless criticism, for too long. I have to think the odds are that he'll be fired after the season. But you never know with Rogers/Godfrey.

Jackson is an interesting player. Young, athletic, plays a strong SS, has shown flashes of offensive potential. I'm glad he's in our system; I just wish we had a few more solid prospects.

I'm kind of hoping that JP hangs on to AJ. I don't really trust him to maximize Burnett's value in a deadline trade. The problem is that AJ hasn't had a great year, which makes it hard for JP to obtain a premium package in return (the fact that AJ may become a Type B free agent doesn't help). My concern is that JP will panic and go halfway, trading him for one or two "OK" prospects and further entrenching the team in mediocrity.
John Northey - Monday, July 21 2008 @ 01:13 PM EDT (#189129) #
I agree completely that the Jays need a better solution for SS than Scutaro and McDonald (and any cheap free agents ala Eckstein).  If a problem occurs in 2-3 years when/if Jackson gets here then deal with that issue then.

However, it is far easier to say that than to do anything about it.  After Tony Fernandez was traded pre-1991 Pat Gillick used Manny Lee at short for '91 and '92 (OPS+ 54 and 83) until Tony came back via trade.  We had Alfredo Griffen as the primary backup in '92, Dick Schofield (OPS+ of 44) as the #1 guy pre-Fernandez in '93.  Finding top quality shortstops is not an easy task even for a HOF (I'm betting) GM.

The free agent SS who looked the best during JP's time (outside of A-Rod of course) was Julio Lugo who has hit for an OPS+ of 65 and 82 for Boston so far with mediocre defense. Troy Tulowitzki, the guy people love to hit JP over the head with, is hitting just 166-246-298, OPS+ of 39 this year after his amazing rookie season last year (291-359-479 OPS+ of 108 - it was in Colorado) thus it is a safe bet we'd be annoyed with him if he was here right now.  FYI: Tulowitzki after returning on June 20th hit just 196-288-435 and hasn't played since July 4th.

I wonder if JP is about to do at SS what he seems to have done for pitching - gather a ton of talent and ignore other areas until it is 'fixed'.  Shortstop is a great position to do that with as they can move to any other position on the field (outside of catcher) with minimal difficulties.  It would be nice to see, then we'd have a real deadball team - low offense/high defense/high pitching leading to lots of 1-0, 3-2 games.  Oh, we have that already?
Geoff - Monday, July 21 2008 @ 02:24 PM EDT (#189134) #
If they can let the Iiiice Coooold Beeer guy go, then nobody in the organization is safe. Not even Doc.

Heads will roll.

Mike Green - Monday, July 21 2008 @ 02:36 PM EDT (#189135) #
The chance of Jackson making it when he was drafted was probably less than 1 in 4. Now, it is significantly better than that, in my view.  Most of the #30-60 shortstops have not hit as well as Jackson for age and developmental level, and Jackson fields the position well enough to stick there. 

That said, you don't want to punt the position (shortstop) for 3 years.  Can somebody explain to me what John McDonald had in mind yesterday when he bunted with runners on first and third and one out?  It wasn't a squeeze.  Rance indicated that he felt that McDonald was bunting for a base hit, but he offered at a near impossible pitch to deaden.  The Tampa Bay scorer originally had it as a sacrifice, and I think that was what was going through McDonald's mind.  That is something that you do with a poor hitting pitcher...

Hodgie - Monday, July 21 2008 @ 03:50 PM EDT (#189145) #

Speaking of Mr. Jackson, he is one of four Jays propsects mentioned in Kevin Goldstein's Future Shock today along with Dopirak, Campbell and Cooper. What I found amusing was the intro in the newsletter:

"The pride of New Zealand, a better Blue Jays system....."

Those 10 words were either very painful to write or it is a cold day in.... well you get the picture.

#2JBrumfield - Monday, July 21 2008 @ 03:56 PM EDT (#189146) #
Scott Richmond has won International League Pitcher of the Week honours.  Congrats to the former Edmonton Cracker-Cat!
greenfrog - Monday, July 21 2008 @ 04:28 PM EDT (#189148) #
Rotoworld lists 5 Jays prospects (Snider, Cecil, Jackson, Campbell, Arencibia) in its mid-season top 150 prospects list, which puts the Jays roughly in the middle of the pack among MLB teams. However, the Jays prospect ranked highest after Snider (#12) is Cecil (#110). The Rays' David Price is #1.

You would have to think that David Cooper makes the list in the near future.

Amazingly, Houston has *no* prospects listed.
greenfrog - Monday, July 21 2008 @ 04:51 PM EDT (#189150) #
Future lineup (c. 2011)?

2B Campbell
LF Lind
RF Rios
DH/1B Snider
1B/DH Cooper
CF Wells
C Arencibia/Jerolman
3B Ahrens
SS Jackson

Future rotation?

Halladay
McGowan
Marcum
Cecil
Rzepczynski

Obviously, a lot of speculation (this scenario involves, among other things, a Halladay extension, McGowan and Marcum's health, Wells's ability to play CF, the trajectories of Jackson + Ahrens, etc). I also hope that the lineup includes a healthy and productive Hill. Either way, it's fun to think about.
85bluejay - Monday, July 21 2008 @ 05:03 PM EDT (#189153) #

GREENFROG - good news, but 2 points

The jays still ranked last amongst AL east teams in terms of  # of prospects on the list

Your 2011 lineup assumes virtually all the jays quality prospects make the show - If you look back at past prospects

list this is very unlikely to occur.  

Kelekin - Monday, July 21 2008 @ 05:37 PM EDT (#189159) #
The worst part for the Jays is that the Red Sox and Yankees are over-spending to get tough signs.  The Red Sox easily have the best draft if they sign Meyer which it is now looking like they are going to do.  Unreal.  The drafting process is a joke.
Mike Green - Monday, July 21 2008 @ 05:53 PM EDT (#189160) #
Y'know, the Red Sox payroll went down this year.  They are getting a lot of bang for the buck. Here was the 2003 team, which lost to the Yankees in heartbreaking fashion.  The only key player remaining is Manny; Pedro, Nomar and Damon all walked, and overall you'd have to say that the Sox did well to let them go.
greenfrog - Monday, July 21 2008 @ 06:03 PM EDT (#189163) #
85bluejay:

True, the above lineup represents the best-case scenario for our top prospects (and current regulars). It's extremely unlikely that all, or even most, will become productive everyday players by 2011.

On the other hand, Snider and Cooper seem to have a reasonable chance to hit in the middle of a big-league lineup, which would help anchor the offense. I've also left out second-tier players like Purcey, Romero, Diaz, Mills, Tolisano, Dials and Farina--one or two of whom might stick. Finally, the team should be able to afford a couple of decent free agents (which, admittedly, seem to be harder to find as teams lock up their young stars). The key will be finding the right ones: maybe a slugging 3B or SS in his prime, or a durable starter to help anchor the rotation.

I still think the organization comes up a bit short, and it does seem perpetually as though everything needs to break right, but with some astute moves over the next couple of years (and, perhaps more important, a healthy roster), the Jays still have decent long-term potential.
Sneeps - Monday, July 21 2008 @ 06:12 PM EDT (#189165) #
What I'm most impressed with regarding our top hitting prospects is their ability to drive in runs: 

Arencibia, Snider and Cooper are all on pace to drive in well over 100 rbi's based on a 162 game sched.  You could also say the same thing about Lind if you want to consider him a prospect, which you should because he only just turned 25.

Next year looks pretty promising.  It's not out of reason to predict that all 4 of those guys are on the big team next year.  You could also expect Aaron Hill to be back and for Rios and Wells to have better seasons.  As bad as things are looking right now, things could change for the better in a hurry.





Sneeps - Monday, July 21 2008 @ 06:23 PM EDT (#189166) #
Arencibia - 154 rbi (pace)
Snider - 106
Cooper - 147
Lind - 145

I know it's all projection and minor league numbers but still, this group has some potential.

jerjapan - Monday, July 21 2008 @ 07:01 PM EDT (#189168) #
"Later he goes on to say he doesn't see any big moves coming and "we like the core of our team".  Man, that's a broken record.

Yeah, but what do you really expect him to say? "Oh god, we're totally screwed. Do you know how hard I'm trying to dump some of these losers?""


I'd like to hear him say "the entire team has underperformed and as the GM, I hold myself most responsible.  While we like a lot of the talent we have assembled, we are looking at all of our options to improve our team this year and into the future."

That'd about do it.  It's absolutely reasonable to expect leaders to show leaderships by owning their mistakes, or even taking more than their share of the blame to deflect it from the players.  I don't feel like honesty would hurt J.P.s relationship with the players or fans, nor compromise his trading position - rival GMs are smart enough to know the Jays plight. 
greenfrog - Monday, July 21 2008 @ 07:45 PM EDT (#189170) #
"What I'm most impressed with regarding our top hitting prospects is their ability to drive in runs"

I would trade the RBIs for more BBs (Arencibia) and fewer Ks (Snider). Not to be gloomy or anything, but John-Ford Griffin also used to drive in a lot of runs...
Sneeps - Monday, July 21 2008 @ 08:44 PM EDT (#189173) #
I dunno I think it's pretty hard to argue the value of a walk over an RBI.  A walk is a potential run, while an RBI is an instant run.  To me, RBI's are the bottom line.

And speaking of runs batted in, Brian Diporak has 6 tonight putting him at 30 in his last 10 games.  Unreal.

Thomas - Monday, July 21 2008 @ 09:51 PM EDT (#189175) #
I'd like to hear him say "the entire team has underperformed and as the GM, I hold myself most responsible.  While we like a lot of the talent we have assembled, we are looking at all of our options to improve our team this year and into the future."

To his credit, JP has made statements like that (or at least the first half of it) on numerous occasions. While defending the construction of the team, he has repeatedly said you can hold him responsible for their lack of success. He said this quite a bit in the leadup to Gibbons being fired, where he'd say the criticism should be focused on him and not Gibbons, who was doing all he can.
jerjapan - Monday, July 21 2008 @ 10:31 PM EDT (#189179) #
Point taken - I do recall him making statements like that.  I was thinking more in the context of admitting that changes need to be changed, but he has said things like this. 
canuckiwi - Tuesday, July 22 2008 @ 12:16 AM EDT (#189181) #

I'm sure that there's a soft cheer in Edmonton, followed by an "I told you so," from the rest of the Northern League, as a result of this selection as International League Pitcher of the Week.

Rumor also has it, that Richmond is a dual citizen of both Canada and New Zealand; an apparently little known twist, which gives a bit of added spice to the punters, to see who indeed will be the first Kiwi to crack an MLB line up. 

ayjackson - Tuesday, July 22 2008 @ 12:45 AM EDT (#189182) #
From now on, I'm just going to assume that canuckiwi is Scott Richmond and see if that makes sense.
Nolan - Tuesday, July 22 2008 @ 12:47 AM EDT (#189183) #
I dunno I think it's pretty hard to argue the value of a walk over an RBI.  A walk is a potential run, while an RBI is an instant run.  To me, RBI's are the bottom line.

They are, however, poor indicators of a players potential and future performance.  A hitter has control over hist strike zone judgement but none over the ability of his teammates to get on base and provide opportunities.  I'd much rather have a prospect who has great numbers in regards to isolated  power, walks and strikeouts, albeit with poor counting numbers, than a prospect with great Triple Crown numbers and so-so rate numbers.
canuckiwi - Tuesday, July 22 2008 @ 12:41 PM EDT (#189206) #
Close, but no cigar!
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