# ML Baseball 2010, talk to tide us over! **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 11, 2010, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ml-baseball-2010-talk-to-tide-us-over/528546 "2010-02-11T11:44:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Hawkeyeop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/958977/32.png) [@Hawkeyeop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hawkeyeop)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ml-baseball-2010-talk-to-tide-us-over/528546/41 "2010-02-14T06:47:39Z")
> [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#): > > He’ll put up good numbers against both in limited spurts. In any case, I wonder if he’s going to be used as a platoon bat/pinch hitter or if his bat will get him in and out of the everyday lineup. Career 256/329/516 against lefties, 234/291/474 against righties. Against lefties his tremendous power gives him value as he slugged over 580 in 2007 and 2008. Against righties, the power in lessened and his OBP falls under 300. That is unplayable for a guy with little defensive skill. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ml-baseball-2010-talk-to-tide-us-over/528546/42 "2010-02-14T06:54:52Z")
> [@Hawkeyeop](#): > > Career 256/329/516 against lefties, 234/291/474 against righties. Against lefties his tremendous power gives him value as he slugged over 580 in 2007 and 2008. Against righties, the power in lessened and his OBP falls under 300. That is unplayable for a guy with little defensive skill. So are you saying it’s a good signing or a bad signing? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ml-baseball-2010-talk-to-tide-us-over/528546/43 "2010-02-14T13:04:53Z")
> [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#): > > So are you saying it’s a good signing or a bad signing? Depends how they plan on using him. If they’re slotting him for full time work, it’s probably not going to help them. However, with Gardner available, the plan appears to be to mostly use Thames against lefties. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ml-baseball-2010-talk-to-tide-us-over/528546/44 "2010-02-14T15:48:51Z")
Platoon Thames and Granderson. Problem solved. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ml-baseball-2010-talk-to-tide-us-over/528546/45 "2010-02-14T17:05:08Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Platoon Thames and Granderson. Problem solved. You know better than that. That’s a mighty big defensive liability you have against lefties. ---
**Author:** ![Hawkeyeop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/958977/32.png) [@Hawkeyeop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hawkeyeop)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ml-baseball-2010-talk-to-tide-us-over/528546/46 "2010-02-14T17:17:35Z")
> [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#): > > You know better than that. That’s a mighty big defensive liability you have against lefties. Gardner can shift to center when Thames is in. Alternately the Yankees can DH Thames and sit N Johnson. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ml-baseball-2010-talk-to-tide-us-over/528546/47 "2010-02-14T17:38:36Z")
> [@Hawkeyeop](#): > > I thought the Mets were the best team in the Nl in 2007 even after their collapse. I thought the same in 2008. This team is terrible, the once great core is now flawed, and there is absolutely no secondary talent. Quick question. Assuming, Bay, Krod, Beltran, Reyes, Wright, and Santana are the 6 best Mets, who is number 7? Jeff Francoeur? Fernando Tatís? John Maine when his arm’s not in a sling? I agree with you about the best team in the NL thing for 2007 and 2008 though. I definitely thought the same thing. But now… ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ml-baseball-2010-talk-to-tide-us-over/528546/48 "2010-02-14T18:39:06Z")
> [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#): > > You know better than that. That’s a mighty big defensive liability you have against lefties. Thames bat against lefties and Grandersons hitting 180 with a million strikeouts, makes platooning logical. You would have to have a center fielder when Granderson sits though. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ml-baseball-2010-talk-to-tide-us-over/528546/49 "2010-02-14T22:06:42Z")
Besides Baseball Prospectus, what else should I read? My 2010 Baseball Prospectus will be here on Tuesday! ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ml-baseball-2010-talk-to-tide-us-over/528546/50 "2010-02-16T02:32:36Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Besides Baseball Prospectus, what else should I read? My 2010 Baseball Prospectus will be here on Tuesday! [http://www.hardballtimes.com/](http://www.hardballtimes.com/) All the stats you can possibly stand with endless ratings of players. ---
**Author:** ![brianjedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ml-baseball-2010-talk-to-tide-us-over/528546/51 "2010-02-16T04:29:46Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Jeff Francoeur? Fernando Tatís? John Maine when his arm’s not in a sling? > > I agree with you about the best team in the NL thing for 2007 and 2008 though. I definitely thought the same thing. But now… Fernando Tatis only belongs in that discussion if the Mets will be facing Chan Ho Park 162 times this year. Let’s see who gets that one. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ml-baseball-2010-talk-to-tide-us-over/528546/52 "2010-02-16T14:51:52Z")
> [@Southern\_Yankee](#): > > Ok, I know how this will go over.. but I’m concerned about the Yankees. They have outfield issues. Yes, they have Granderson now, but they lost Damon, Matsui and Melky Cabrera; and will try to replace them with Brett Gardner, Randy Winn, Marcus Thames and Nick Swisher. Swisher was good last year. Gardner has speed and moxie.. but not much stick. Sure, they are still stacked in the infield, but very, very old. Their core players, A-Rod, Jeter, Posada and yes, the great Mariano Rivera are all quite old in baseball years, even if they performed great last season. It has to end sometime. I like their rotation, but I think there will be a drop-off this year. Yanks are pretty well set, Gardner is better than you think and better defensively then Melky. His off season program has been all about really learning to bunt which is 100% the right thing for him. He could easily hit .290 with a .360 OBA and be a terror on the base paths. Granderson is a perfect fit for Yankee Stadium and now we need to see if they can close his hole vs. Lefties. Swisher really improved defensively and he has a damn good bat and plenty of patience. Thames may or may not make the team. Wynn is probably more likely and the Rule 5 Kid will have to fail for Thames to make it. Thames is expected to start in Scranton AAA. Overall the Yanks should do great. The pitching is better and A-Rod should be there from the start. Nick Swisher will be on base whenever healthy and the team will hit, pitch and field. They have to be the favorites to win the AL. The Red Sox are dangerous with plenty of pitching. Their catching is a bad joke though. We’ll see how much this hurts. Tampa can compete and it should be another fun race in the east. I think Seattle could overtake the Angels this year. They made a lot of good moves though Bradley may well backfire badly. I expect the Royals to repeat in the Central. Detroit will fall back and the WhiteSox will be the only team really giving the Royals a race. > [@Omniscient](#): > > Thames’ bat could absolutely explode in that loaded line up. I think the Yanks will be very happy with him, they’ve got quite a bit of experience with crummy defensive outfielders and I suspect that will be a liability that’s tolerated. Granderson’s range and glove will help provide a net improvement over the group they had last season. Agreed. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ml-baseball-2010-talk-to-tide-us-over/528546/53 "2010-02-16T15:33:01Z")
Granderson has speed in the outfield, but he does not have a great eye. He freezes on balls straight at him. Generally he has the legs to compensate. He also strikes out a lot a hell of a lot. His k ratio is about 1 in 4. He leaves runners in scoring position because of it. Me fell in love with home runs last year. If they can get him back on hitting doubles and triples, he can be valuable. He has speed but does not steal bases well. Damon steals as many as he does. Then the .180 against lefties is a big problem. How do you deal with that? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ml-baseball-2010-talk-to-tide-us-over/528546/54 "2010-02-16T15:39:15Z")
The hole against lefties is big. His defense has generally been better than you are describing though he did clearly have issues in the second half. He should be able to relax and stop swinging for the fences as a Yankee and the fence of course is in a much better place for him in NY vs. Detroit. I think it comes down to his serious problem against lefties. As to defense, it is already being discussed about him in Left and Gardner in Center. So that might be the solution. BTW: Damon was a worse fielder than Granderson and Gardner is better than Melky except for the arm. So overall the Yanks OF defense is improved this year. That rule 5 kid, Jamie Hoffmann might make an impact. He is suppose to be a good fielder with a right fielder’s arm and borderline CF speed. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ml-baseball-2010-talk-to-tide-us-over/528546/55 "2010-02-16T16:07:33Z")
Damon is not contracted to field. He is the kind of guy who DH is perfect for. Can he play 1st base.? Granderson has been CF for a long time. I wonder if he can switch to LF seamlessly? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ml-baseball-2010-talk-to-tide-us-over/528546/56 "2010-02-16T16:18:28Z")
Damon was a liability for the Yanks last year in the field though his hitting more than made up for it. ---
**Author:** ![storyteller0910](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@storyteller0910](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/storyteller0910)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ml-baseball-2010-talk-to-tide-us-over/528546/57 "2010-02-16T16:20:25Z")
BIG NEWS! The Mets have signed Mike Jacobs. Either he or Daniel Murphy will start the season as the everyday first baseman. They won’t platoon, because both are left-handed. Omar’s so clever! ---
**Author:** ![Hawkeyeop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/958977/32.png) [@Hawkeyeop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hawkeyeop)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ml-baseball-2010-talk-to-tide-us-over/528546/58 "2010-02-16T16:50:31Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > I expect the Royals to repeat in the Central. Detroit will fall back and the WhiteSox will be the only team really giving the Royals a race. Repeat last? I assume you me the Twins. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ml-baseball-2010-talk-to-tide-us-over/528546/59 "2010-02-16T16:57:23Z")
> [@Hawkeyeop](#): > > Repeat last? I assume you me the Twins. I believe he means “repeat finishing in the basement”. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ml-baseball-2010-talk-to-tide-us-over/528546/60 "2010-02-16T17:02:24Z")
> [@Hawkeyeop](#): > > Repeat last? I assume you me the Twins. Wow, what a brain fart. My apologies. I meant the Twins. :smack: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ml-baseball-2010-talk-to-tide-us-over/528546.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ml-baseball-2010-talk-to-tide-us-over/528546.md?page=4)