WOW

kcthekid · Post #1 » by **kcthekid** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 2:16 am

1) in the 4 series we've played....2 sweeps
2) the lost games were very close down to the wire (most by 1 run)....the oakland series should have been a sweep...
3) we actually run now!
4)arguably one of the best rotations in AL
5)frank thomas...actually woke the Fuzz up
6)shannon over reed...looking like a great move now
7) inglettt FTW!!!

i know its early, but this years team has a whole new vibe than previous years..we have the pitching, we manufacture runs, we bunt the freaking ball to move runners over...i love it....small ball wins game

discusss ,,,

SportsWorld · Post #2 » by **SportsWorld** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 2:21 am

The adjusted MLB standings by Baseball Prospectus has the Blue Jays in 1st.
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/stati ... ndings.php

TR50 · Post #3 » by **TR50** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 2:27 am

Inglett FTW!!!!

keep in mind...we still are a little premature, i'm somewhat excited and very optimistic but we still gotta play the 150 some odd games ahead of us...one at a time...i do feel good about this year though...theirs like a new atmosphere

kcthekid · Post #4 » by **kcthekid** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 2:43 am

when rolen comes back....this team can only get better!!!

kcthekid · Post #5 » by **kcthekid** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 2:46 am

SportsWorld wrote:The adjusted MLB standings by Baseball Prospectus has the Blue Jays in 1st.
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/stati ... ndings.php

why must u rain on my parade
i say good day to u sir....

Eternia · Post #6 » by **Eternia** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 3:34 am

I have to say, it really is nice seeing a few sweeps this early.

cb4_89 · Post #7 » by **cb4_89** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 3:55 am

we better not get swept now. Imagine if we won like 1-2 against the a's.

Post #8 » by **OldNo7** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 4:01 am

i love all these "frank is on fire to start this year!!!!!!!" posts, failing to realize he is batting .184.

kcthekid · Post #9 » by **kcthekid** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 4:17 am

OldNo7 wrote:i love all these "frank is on fire to start this year!!!!!!!" posts, failing to realize he is batting .184.

he does walk alot tho...agreed his avg sucks
but he isnt as bad as last yr

The_Hater · Post #10 » by **The_Hater** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 4:51 am

kcthekid wrote:-= original quote snipped =-

he does walk alot tho...agreed his avg sucks
but he isnt as bad as last yr

This is true, other than the fact that he was considerably better last season. :-?

Kosta · Post #11 » by **Kosta** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 4:56 am

Just wait and see, we'll get beat up by the Orioles. This team has already shown signs of inconsistency.

Post #12 » by **Schad** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 7:32 am

The biggest factor thus far has been Rios. His plate discipline has been excellent, as evidenced by the fact that he is taking a walk per game and seeing the second highest P/PA of any AL hitter.

As a result, Wells is getting an abundance of chances with runners on...which is a necessity, because with Vernon's tendency to chase pitchers can throw around him means that he needs pitchers to be under duress. If Rios can hit 20+ home runs and walk 90+ times in the third spot in the order, we might be in decent shape.

Post #13 » by **SmallTownJournalist303** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 7:53 am

Honestly, I'm fine if Rios only manages 20-25 home runs if he's going to be getting on base at this pace. I know people are expecting him to be a power hitter (and I still hope he can evolve into that), but like Schad eluded to, a decent power guy who walks at that rate is valuable.

The_Hater · Post #14 » by **The_Hater** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 3:56 pm

Rios and Wells have both been more patient at the plate this year. They're both drinking the Frank Thomas kool-aid or something.

LLJ · Post #15 » by **LLJ** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 5:25 pm

The funny thing is Frank Thomas is still a more clutch hitter than Vernon even with that abysmal hitting rate.

heemer · Post #16 » by **heemer** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 7:21 pm

Frankie T was considerably better last year, but only in the 2nd half of the season. He was horrible in the first half last season and despite his aweful average, his on base percentage isnt that bad becasue of all the walks, and his hitting has at least been timely. This is why people, including myself, are happy with the Big Hurt so far. I am, however, counting on him to get better later in the season as is usually the case with him. For now, great enough!

When we get Rolen back, then were really ready to go!

If only our 3 worst hitters werent the only leftys. Stairs, Overbay and Zaun should be 7,8,9 but probably wont be for matchup reasons. Hill will probably be hitting way down in the order which is a shame because hes probably our best batting avg. hitter

TR50 · Post #17 » by **TR50** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 7:32 pm

Hill is probably set at the 2 spot

kcthekid · Post #18 » by **kcthekid** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 12:34 am

The_Hater wrote:-= original quote snipped =-

This is true, other than the fact that he was considerably better last season.

whats the stats line from this season to last at the same time
so far frank has done an adequate job power wise

The_Hater · Post #19 » by **The_Hater** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 1:06 am

kcthekid wrote:-= original quote snipped =-

whats the stats line from this season to last at the same time
so far frank has done an adequate job power wise

During the month of April last year Frank hit .250 with 4 HR's and a .793 OPS. At the time you posted this he was hitting .171 with 3 HR's and a .783 OPS.

So despite your claims, he hasn't been any better this April than he was last April. The only reason people have the impression that he's doing better was because of a couple of clutch HR's, one of them a grand slam. He's still been a dog for the most part. And we shouldn't be impressed with 3 HR's because the guy has hit 516 of them during his career and that's exactly what he's getting paid $10 million a year to provide for us.

We all expect him to get better as the season progresses but let's not try to spin .171 and 3 HR's into something better than it is. We need a better Frank Thomas than that.

RingItUp! · Post #20 » by **RingItUp!** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 1:53 am

LLJ wrote:The funny thing is Frank Thomas is still a more clutch hitter than Vernon even with that abysmal hitting rate.

Uh-oh.

See... the thing about Frankie so far this season is that while he hit that big grand salami and two other homers, he's most been shite.

Thomas
Runs - 6
Hits - 7
HRs - 3
RBI - 10
BB - 9
K - 10
Avg - .184
OBP - .354
SLG - .447
OPS - .802

Wells
Runs - 12
Hits - 16
HRs - 3
RBI - 12
BB - 6
K - 8
Avg - .320
OBP - .393
SLG - .560
OPS - .953

Sooo... it appears that in the hitting categories (that I can access easily because I don't have a Baseball Prospectus account), Vernon outdoes Frank.

What is striking of course is the lack of a "clutch hitting" category, likely due to the fact that it, a) is very difficult to measure, b) in attempts to define a clutch metric, major league players have done their level best to perform in ways that don't meet the relevant statistical criteria, or c) doesn't exist.

I'd prefer if Frank would just get in his eye in and start hitting the ball more frequently, while both he and Vernon maintained their current levels of 'clutch'ness.