: All Rob Neyer Posts

Chone Figgins: M's Won't Play Him, Won't Dump Him

Rob Neyer — Fri, 25 May 2012 01:49:43 -0000

When the Seattle Mariners needed to clear a roster spot, did they jettison Chone Figgins, the majors' biggest bust over the last two seasons? Nope. Which is really ~~stupid~~ less than smart.

Thursday, Mariners catcher Miguel Olivo came off the DL. Which meant someone had make room on the roster for Olivo, and so reserve outfielder Casper Wells got demoted to triple-A Tacoma. While super-bust Chone Figgins will continue to hold one of the club's 25 precious roster spots. Even though Figgins has arguably been the worst player in the major leagues, these last two seasons. With no apparent reason for optimism.

Why? Here's Geoff Baker (via The Seattle Times):

As for Figgins, Wedge said releasing him hasn't even been considered by the team.

"Not right now,'' Wedge said. "Right now, that's not even an option for us. With Chone, as you all know -- we were very open with you (media) guys about that -- we wanted to give him every opportunity to get back on track. We feel like we did that, leading him off, switching his role a little bit, and it didn't work out.

"So now, he's a utility player and a super utility player at that. He gives us protection. We'll play him when we need him. We'll use him how we see fit to help us win ballgames and go from there. You knew that that was the next option if it didn't work out. And that's where we are right now.''

When I was younger, I delighted in pointing out rank stupidity. Or what I believed was rank stupidity.

Today I'm less young, and I see rank stupidity less often. And when I see it, I take less delight in pointing out.

But this is really, really stupid. I'm not saying Eric Wedge is being stupid. I'm not saying Eric Wedge's boss is being stupid. I'm not saying Eric Wedge's boss's boss is being stupid. But I have little doubt in my mind that someone is being stupid. Not that I take any great delight in pointing this out.

I mean, come on.

Over these last two seasons, Figgins has been roughly two games worse than a replacement player.

Not two games worse than average. Two games worse than your average call-up from the Pacific Coast League.

Yes, Figgins can play 13 positions. But as Baker notes, "Wedge has used Figgins just four times in three weeks. He's had just six plate appearances, going hitless and walking once. Not quite what super-utility guys normally do for their teams."

By definition, a player the manager won't use is useless.

Perhaps it makes sense to send Casper Wells back to the minors, where he can play every day. But Wells is 27; it's not like he's going to learn to hit in the Pacific Coast League. If he can't hit yet, he probably won't ever hit. But the thing is, he's hit before. Not a lot. But certainly enough to make him your platoon left fielder.

But if not Wells, then someone else who can hit. Off the bench, at least. The Mariners' lineup, with Miguel coming off the Disabled List, will routinely include three hitters with sub-600 OPS's. That's bad enough. What's worse is when you can't pinch-hit for those guys because nobody on the bench can, you know, hit.

It must drive Eric Wedge absolutely nuts, having Figgins on the roster. Most managers love to manage, making their little moves here and there, especially when the games are close. But with Figgins, there's very little managing that Wedge can do. Figgins can't hit, and he's not a better fielder than any of the players who play the positions he can play. Which is how he gets used four times in three weeks. Figgins is a man without a country, like Tom Hanks in The Terminal except Figgins can't remodel a waiting area and he's not obsessed with Benny Golson.

But someone's forcing Chone Figgins upon Eric Wedge. It might be general manager Jack Zduriencik, who presumably thought it was a really good idea to spend $36 million on four seasons of Figgins (we're just barely into the third season). Or it might be Zduriencik's boss, or even his boss. But someone somewhere just can't stomach the indigestion that comes with eating nearly $15 million.

Someone, somewhere, doesn't understand the concept of the sunk cost, a better example of which you might never see. Because however unfathomable Chone Figgins' bizarre decline, it's nearly as unfathomable to think he'll turn things around. It's been too long since he's been anything but awful. Sorry to say.

Pirates DFA One-Season Wonder Nate McLouth

Rob Neyer — Fri, 25 May 2012 18:44:27 -0000

Not so long ago, Nate McLouth was MLB Flavor of the Month.

I mean, not officially. But if you followed the MLB in 2008, just four short years ago, it was Nate McLouth this and Nate McLouth that, until you felt like a summer evening wasn't complete without a Nate McLouth reference, a Nate McLouth highlight, or a Nate McLouth commemorative lunch box.

Nate McLouth led the National League with 46 doubles that season. He also led the Pirates with 94 runs batted in (nobody else on the club had more than 17), stole 23 bases while being caught only thrice, and won a Gold Glove in center field.

It was all quite heady, not to mention unexpected.

Friday, the Pirates designated Nate McLouth for assignment, the first step toward cutting ties or perhaps sending him to the minors to fill out their Class AAA roster.

What happened between then and now? He played well enough early in 2008 that Pittsburgh was able to trade him to the Braves for three players, including Charlie Morton; it's one of the smartest things the Pirates' current management team has ever done. McLouth's been injured and ineffective ever since. The Braves let him go after last season, the Pirates took a flier on him, and this season his .140/.210/.175 batting line in 34 games is just one of many reasons why the Pirates are last in the National League in scoring.

Somebody had to get fired, and why not the guy hitting .140?

McLouth was a really good player at 26, and he's still only 30. But if he doesn't get real healthy real fast, he's finished. But he'll always have that Gold Glove, and those 46 doubles.

Albert Pujols Finally Driving In Runs, Still Not Walking

Rob Neyer — Fri, 25 May 2012 13:23:16 -0000

Albert Pujols isn't still looking like one of the worst hitters in the majors ... but he's still not looking like one of the best, either.

Albert Pujols is cheating.

No, he's not breaking any rules. Not any official rules, anyway.

Thursday night against the Mariners, Pujols went 3 for 4, including two RBI and his 450th home run. I saw a graphic somewhere that said Pujols had driven in 17 runs in his last 18 games.

Oh (the baseball scribe thought to himself) isn't that intriguing? Perhaps all those rumors of Albert's demise were greatly exaggerated and he's become himself this month.

The baseball scribe looked, and the baseball scribe discovered that Pujols has indeed driven home 17 runs in his last 18 games. Yes, it's an arbitrary starting point; one might almost as usefully point out that he's driven home 17 runs in his last 20 games, or 18 in his last 36. We might also point out that since the Angels fired hitting coach Mickey Hatcher, nine games ago, Pujols has hit four home runs after homering just once in his first 36 games.

Let's focus on those 18 games, though. It's a lot more than nine games, and was deemed worthy of a graphic.

In those 18 games, Pujols drew five walks and struck out eight times.

Which makes me think he's cheating. Cheating on the fastball, and afraid to get behind in the count. Which certainly is an approach that can work. It's just not what's worked for Pujols in the past. Not with these results as an end-point, anyway. One of the hallmarks of Pujols's past greatness was his virtually singular ability to hit the ball exceptionally hard with great consistency while rarely striking out and drawing a fair number of walks. Even when you subtracted the considerable number of intentional walks Pujols drew, he walked more often than he struck out.

He was consistent about it, too. From 2006 through 2010 -- and removing the intentional walks from the figuring -- Pujols drew walks in 15, 15, 17, 18, and 16 percent of his plate appearances; average of the five seasons: 16 percent.

In 2011, though? Ten percent.

Just a fluke, though, right? After all, he finished the season so strong!

But maybe it wasn't such a fluke. This season the figure is six percent. I don't think Pujols's walk rate will be stuck on six percent all season ... but I also don't think he's getting it back to 16 percent again. For whatever reason, he seems to have become a different, lesser hitter since 2010. Maybe it's just the natural aging process, but this particular part of his game has undergone an extreme decline, and it's necessarily impacted his overall production.

Albert Pujols has driven home 17 runs in his last 18 games. He's also posted a sub-800 OPS, after entering the season with a 1037 career mark. Maybe he'll still become the hitter the Angels thought they were hitting. But just looking at these last 18 games, he's still got a long way to go.

Should Marlins Pursue Cubs' Reed Johnson?

Rob Neyer — Fri, 25 May 2012 04:39:23 -0000

With Emilio Bonifacio out of action, the Marlins could use a center fielder. With the Cubs out of action, the Cubs don't really need a center fielder. It's a trade made in heaven!

Honestly, I have no idea what the protocol is with Sulia. I mean, I know we're not supposed to just reproduce whole columns or stories or news reports in our humble blog posts. And I know that we often reproduce tweets in full, and nobody says boo. But where do Sulia posts fall in that continuum?

For the moment, I'm going to assume they're like tweets. Because I (think I) can.

With all that in mind (or, ideally, not), here's Phil Rogers:

There are multiple reports that the Marlins are looking outside for a center fielder w/Emilio Bonifacio out for 4-6 weeks. This could be a good opportunity for the Cubs to get maximum value for Reed Johnson. He's playing well in a platoon with Tony Campana but had back issues a year ago, which could return before the trade deadline. He'd be a good fit in Miami because he could join Austin Kearns in adding outfield depth when Bonifacio returns. Worth a conversation if the Fish call.

First Marlon Byrd, and now Reed Johnson? It's the Center Fielder Fire Sale of the Century!

Johnson's a pretty good player, but he's not exactly an every-day player. Or at least he hasn't been. Last year he totaled 111 games but only 266 plate appearances. This year it's 32 and 72. Johnson's managers just haven't trusted him. He bats right-handed, but has actually done quite well against right-handed pitching in these last two seasons. He does have a pronounced (and normal) platoon split in his career, though. And asking him to play every day would probably be a stretch, for any number of reasons.

But speaking of players who shouldn't play every day, there's Bryan Peterson ... who's been playing every day since Bonifacio went down. Peterson's been replacement-level in 110 major-league games, but his minor-league track record does suggest he's good enough to play at least semi-regularly. And he does bat left-handed, which could make him a fine platoon partner for Johnson.

Of course, you still have to wonder if it's worth trading a decent prospect for Johnson when you're expecting your regular back in a month or so. Maybe only if you think the player you're trading for will remain useful despite a diminished role. And given the Marlins' lack of outfield depth -- Austin Kearns just got DL'd, and Chris Coghlan seems to be finished -- Johnson could well prove useful as a fourth or fifth outfielder.

So yes, Phil Rogers: I endorse your rumor. Reed Johnson certainly won't be around when the Cubs are ready to win -- I don't mean win a pennant; I mean just win, like one game -- so they should trade him now if he's got any value at all. Which he just might, thanks to Emilio Bonifacio's bum thumb.

Hey, If Jim Morris Could Do It ...

Rob Neyer — Fri, 25 May 2012 04:18:38 -0000

Armando Benitez is merely the latest ex-major leaguer to become a Long Island duck. Other notable alumni include:

Chucky Carr, Carlos Baerga, Mark Whiten, Rusty Meacham, Bryan Rekar, Bill Pulsipher, Henry Rodriguez, Pete Rose (Jr.), Juan Gonzalez, Pat Mahomes, Edgardo Alfonzo, Carl Everett, Mark Lewis, Jose Offerman, Danny Graves, Donovan Osborne, Jay Gibbons, Richard Hidalgo, Preston Wilson, Dan Miceli, Bill Simas, Joey Gathright, Sidney Ponson, Kip Wells.

The good news for Benitez is that for all of those guys, the Ducks were merely a stop on the way to reëstablishing themselves as good major leaguers.

Wait, what? Oh, right: None of them did that. Still, you can't blame a guy for trying.

Austin Jackson Injury: Detroit CF Heading To DL?

Rob Neyer — Thu, 24 May 2012 18:26:34 -0000

As if getting swept by the first-place Indians wasn't bad enough, it doesn't look like Austin Jackson's return to the Tigers' lineup is imminent.

A week ago, the Detroit Tigers' best player hadn't been Prince Fielder or Miguel Cabrera or Alex Avila or even the immortal Delmon Young. The Tigers' best player, their best player by far, had been Austin Jackson. The same Austin Jackson who posted a 690 OPS last season was, a week ago, sitting on a brilliant 958 OPS, easily the best on the squad. Throw in Jackson's Gold Glove-quality defense in center field, and it really wasn't close: Austin Jackson was the 2012 Detroit Tigers' Most Valuable Player.

Maybe he was flying too close to the sun, because last week Jackson strained an abdominal muscle while swinging the bat, and he hasn't played since. It's been eight days and Jackson still hasn't been placed on the Disabled List, but that might change soon. John Lowe:

Ryan Raburn is due to return from the bereavement list Friday. The Tigers will have to take a player off the roster to make room for Raburn when he returns.

--snip--

If the Tigers put Jackson on the 15-day DL in the next few days, the time he has missed so far will count against the 15 days. A player’s assignment to the disabled list can be backdated up to 10 days. So if Jackson goes on the disabled list in the next few days, he’d be eligible to return to action a week from Friday -- after being out 15 days since he last played.

With Raburn gone, the Tigers have turned to 27-year-old Quintin Berry, with a sub-700 career OPS in the minor leagues. In other related news, the Tigers just finished getting swept by Cleveland, and now stand six games behind the first-place Tribe. It's still early and the Tigers still have a pretty good chance of getting where they're supposed to be. But I'll bet someone's big hairy finger isn't far from the panic button...

If You're Not Doing Anything Else This Weekend ...

Rob Neyer — Thu, 24 May 2012 18:05:09 -0000

Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association have finally released the "new" Collective Bargaining Agreement, and Biz of Baseball's got it. All 311 pages of it.

Fortunately, this weekend's got an extra day.

Great Moments In Merchandising History

Rob Neyer — Thu, 24 May 2012 16:33:02 -0000

The Worst Bobble Head in History Concerns Roy Halladay goo.gl/fb/UVQo8
— Zoo With Roy (@zoowithroy) May 24, 2012

It really is the worst. Hit that link and you'll see why. So gloriously why.

Fortunately, MLB's merchandising arm is ON IT; after the jump, the corrected version ...

New Yankee Stadium: A Review

Rob Neyer — Thu, 24 May 2012 03:37:21 -0000

The new Yankee Stadium is fine.

Which gives one pause. Or gives me pause, anyway.

Since getting to New York last week, I've asked a number of Yankees fans about the new ballpark, and their collective opinion might be summed up like this:

meh

I've had a bit stronger reaction, perhaps because I'm not predisposed toward the franchise. Yankee Stadium is perfectly serviceable, but upon my first visit this week I was actually disappointed. Disappointed with its lack of character. Disappointed with its lack of charisma. Disappointed with its lack of gravitas.

My favorite ballparks are the ancients in Boston and Chicago. I adore Dodger Stadium, too. Among the new ballparks I've visited -- and I've still plenty to visit -- I'm most fond of those in Denver, San Francisco, and Baltimore. It's lovely in Seattle once the weather turns in July. Most of the other recent ballparks leave me somewhat cold ... which of course is an improvement on the multi-purpose ashtrays of the 1970s and '80s, which left me disgusted.

Yankee Stadium should have joined those ballparks in Denver and San Francisco and Baltimore. I don't know how, exactly. The Bronx doesn't have Denver's mountainous backdrop, or San Francisco's bay, or Baltimore's massive brick warehouse. But I suspect that given a mandate by the Yankees' owners, a few creative people could have come up with something. Something that would have made the new Yankee Stadium stick in one's mind, long after a three-hour visit on an overcast Wednesday evening.

It's not that the stadium isn't distinctive. Not exactly. Visiting, you do realize you're in the home of the New York Yankees. There are those giant blue letters, both atop the main entrance and the big display board beyond left-center field. There are the blue seats, and the matte-black hitter's background, just like in the old yard. And of course there's still the frieze (which technically isn't a frieze, but whatever).

But while all of those things do echo the club's previous home next door, they have the odd effect of diminishing the new place. For one thing, few (if any) of those things were actually pleasing. Ballpark seats should be green, as should hitter's backgrounds. That "frieze" is merely tacked-on ornamentation. They're still playing Kate Smith singing "God Bless America" during the seventh-inning stretch. For heaven's sake, the grounds crews still performs its little "YMCA" routine.

So they kept all of those things ... and yet they're all smaller now. There aren't as many seats, the hitter's background isn't as large, the "frieze" is less noticeable, and even Kate Smith's voice somehow seems tinnier, less imposing and dramatic. Why bother, then?

We might also echo the complaints about other recently built ballparks. Those incredibly expensive seats behind home plate, often half-filled and permanently surrounded by a concrete moat. Between-innings "entertainment" on the big board.

Which reminds of something else that's disappointing ... The New York Yankees are supposed to epitomize class. But with the arguable exception of Derek Jeter's appearances still announced by the (now) disembodied voice of Bob Sheppard, there is almost nothing classy about Yankee Stadium. The Yankees could have afforded to eschew advertisements on the outfield walls, but they didn't. They could have jettisoned "YMCA", but they didn't. They could have built something in the grand tradition of the Empire State Building or the Chrysler Building or the Brooklyn Bridge or any of a dozen other New York City landmarks, but they didn't. Yankee Stadium's like a school in summer.

The big blue letters say Yankee Stadium, but otherwise you could be almost anywhere. There's something special about Yankee Stadium because the New York Yankees do play there and, as the franchise wins more championships, this new building will naturally accrue atmosphere and mystique, weighty with emotion and history.

Now, though? The New York Yankees and the local citizenry spent more than a billion dollars on a wasted opportunity.

What could the Yankees have done to make Yankee Stadium more memorable and distinctive? Please share your ideas in the comments, and we'll run some of the best ideas in a later post.

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Rob's Mailbag, Episode 1.4

Rob Neyer — Thu, 24 May 2012 16:09:49 -0000

Hey, it's the latest episode of Rob's Mailbag and ... hey, that's me!

We got an assist this week from Grant Brisbee, and also asked for your help with a little project. So watch the thing, and send me stuff, and next week we're all winners.