Mariner news of note
DMZ · May 16, 2006 at 9:58 am · Filed Under Mariners
Larry Stone on Jose Lopez. Short version: team asked him to make a lot of changes over the last, year or so and he did. MLB.com echoes the sentiment. And Washburn has dead-arm!
Jim Moore manages to write an affectation-free column on Fruto.
The Answer Guy’s latest column concerns the black on the plate, evil spirits, and losing on a balk.
Also in the PI, a lot of hooey about the closer’s role as Guardado mentors Putz. And there’s a meandering set of column-inches on the season so far.
Snelling will be on KJR w/Softy at 10:30 for those with radio access. Beware, its still KJR.
I don’t want to sound like an idiot, but then, I sound like one every day:
What is the physiological cause of dead-arm syndrome?
Washburn does not sound worried. He makes it sound like a normal physical occurence that has a short shelf life and leaves no after effects. I hope that he is right.
Dead arm just refers to muscle fatigue (not an injury). Given that pitchers are still building up their arm strength this early in the season, it’s not unusual to see this kind of thing perk up from time to time. He’ll be fine.
Well, unless it’s a “we don’t know” diagnosis, which sometimes still happens. Generally it isn’t a big deal.
Larry Larue has a piece about pitch counts, talking to Chavez, Slaton, Don Cooper & Mazzone …
Right, like with Gil Meche a few years ago. Let’s hope this isn’t that.
I should also add that when I say “he’ll be fine”, I mean in terms of physical health, not performance. He’s still not very good.
Does Carl Everett believe in the Native American storytelling tradition?
speaking of the meandering column inches, anyone have any sense of how much time Ted Miller has actually spent in the “library-like Mariners clubhouse”?
Also there’s a Monday daily graphing article on Soriano & Putz in the Hardball Times.
950! Now! Doyyleeeeee!
I’ve got no beef against Jim Moore – the Go-2-Guy’s actually usually pretty readable…but does it seem odd to anyone that a guy who makes his living writing about the Mariners doesn’t even read Baseball America?
He doesn’t make his living writing about the Mariners. He makes his living writing about the Go 2 Guy.
Why does KJR love Willie so much?
It would be difficult to have a less-insightful interview. 90% interviewer babbling, 10% answers.
KJR never knows how to let the interviewee just talk.
weirdly, Mitch can do an interview when he wants to. KJR loves Willie, but Fain really loves Willie. oh, and the Go 2 Guy also sometimes writes about the Go 2 Dog.
Don’t forget the Go 2 Wife.
Did anybody see this snippet on si.com today?
“Dusty Baker is not going to get fired anytime soon. The Cubs may still extend his contract near the end of this season or soon after, though if Baker is tired of the criticism and angst in Cubs Nation he may be just as happy to pick up and move on to a place like Seattle, a franchise and area that have long appealed to him.”
Baker?
Um, no.
Is Mateo coming back today? Could we hope for anything positive out of that?
From the something that bugs me file. Fruto transacation listing online says:
“Recalled RHP Emiliano Fruto from Tripe-A Tacoma; optioned LHP Bobby Livingston to Tacoma”
Why do they always say “recalled” even when it is the guys first time in the majors? Is it one of those drive on a parkway and park on a driveway sort of things?
Why do they always say “recalled†even when it is the guys first time in the majors?
Fruto is on the 40-man roster. You “recall” and “option” guys on the 40-man (except when they need to pass through waivers).
It still sounds funny. It’s like saying I’m going to “re-climb” Mount Rainier, when I’ve never “climbed” it in the first place.
Fruto was on the active roster during spring training. The difference is that the active roster was obviously bigger then. When the limit shrunk, he was “optioned” off the active roster to Tacoma. Now, he’s being recalled to the active roster.
I often review documents I’m seeing for the first time. Movie / book reviewers do that too.
Since this is the grab bag thread: anybody else notice Wiki got picked up by the Nationals org? Would love to see what happens when his work ethic meets Frank Robinson.
Dusty + Felix = Nightmare
#19– Verducci isn’t the first guy to suggest that Baker would want to come to Seattle– pretty much every columnist in Chicago is trying (again) to oust Baker. What I find interesting is the notion that anyone would think that the Seattle job would just be waiting for him, as the FO wouldn’t even talk to him the first time he was available, and there are now several more years of non-winning baseball, mis-statements, and minor eruptions on Dusty’s resume.
With Doyle on mend could the Mariners trade one or two of their left fielders to the Yankees?
Trade them to the Yankees for what? As far as I know, the Yankees don’t have much in their farm system (at least that they’re willing to part with).
I don’t know why they would think that Seattle would be holding the job for Baker. It looks to me like they are grooming Dan Rohn to be the next manager.
Besides, like #27 said, I sure don’t want Baker involved with Felix in any way!
#30: Exactly. Lawton was busted for steroids as a Yankee last year and unless the Yankees don’t have anything of value they’d part with for Ibanez (and I think he should stay and Snelling DH to save wear and tear on his body).
If there ever was a “Sell High” for a player, Everett seems to be there right now.
Don’t both Everett and Lawton have to agree to any trade, until some deadline since they were signed this last offseason?
Don’t both Everett and Lawton have to agree to any trade, until some deadline since they were signed this last offseason?
Yes, but I can’t imagine any player would refuse to be traded off this team.
Good point, although I don’t think Lawton enjoyed his time as a Yankee much. Although, it might be a ton of fun to watch Everett and Steinbrenner go head-to-head!
Lopez isn’t THAT different from when he came up. This is just small sample size + age related development making up a lot of the difference, IMO.
2004: 207 AB, 8 BB, 31 K
2005: 190 AB, 6 BB, 25 K
2006: 160 AB, 3 BB, 23 K
His BB/K numbers are rather Batista-rific right now, and I suspect Batista might not be a bad comp for Jose if those BB/K numbers stay the same- he started out in the middle infield and eventually moved to corner infield.
The problem I see is that between Beltre, Betancourt and Lopez, that’s an awful lot of guys potentially in the M’s lineup for a looooong time who think that you don’t walk off the island (or, in Lopez’s case, off the South American continent).Lopez has a .309 OBP, which is around what Beltre’s has been for 4 of the 5 years since 2001 (with 2004 being the fluke of all flukes), and Betancourt not looking like a very patient hitter. We’re seeing some of that now in the Mariners being pretty inconsistent in their ability to score.
Considering Asdrubral Cabrera has a much better walk rate than those guys (except for Beltre when he actually displayed some pitch recognition in 1999, 2000 and 2004)…things could be interesting in the middle infield. The Mariners could actually, OMG, make a trade that doesn’t involve exchanging garbage or bailing out on a soon-to-be-free-agent.
33, 34 – I could be wrong, but I thought that deadline was May 15, yesterday.
Let’s see, is this the right terminology?
In addition to “recalled” and “optioned” for guys already on the 40-man who are just taking the I-5 shuttle, we have:
When a player not on the 40-man roster is called up, it’s reported as “purchased the contract of Joe Soandso from Tacoma”.
When a player on the 40-man roster is booted off the 40-man to make room, he is “outrighted to Podunk”. But does he have to be “Designated for Assignment” first? Or is DFA just what happens to guys out of option years?
And if I guy still has option years left, but you want to move him off the 40-man roster, does he still go through waivers?