The Dugout: David Eckstein’s Greatness Cannot Be Expressed in Words or Numbers
Aug 31st 2008 3:45PM by Jon Bois (author feed)
David Eckstein, the favorite son of old men who hate statistics, has managed to get his scrappy, sinewy body wedged within the blades of the rumor mill. Our Will Brinson reports that Mr. Eckstein may be headed to Arizona, and he also manages to express some disgust over the notion that Eckstein is somehow better than mediocre.
Well, I’d like to make a counterpoint. David Eckstein, you see, he’s a scrapper. I don’t really know what “scrapper” means, but still, he’s a scrapper. A hard worker. What? You want me to back that up? Well, uh, look at that picture. It lacks any specific context, but you can tell that he’s running hard! Look at that face. It’s a face of determination. Well, that, or he’s making that whiny sort of fart noise you can only make with your mouth. Fine, Brinson, you win this round.
Today’s Dugout is after the jump.Continue Reading
Update: D-Backs Acquire Eckstein Before Midnight Deadline
Aug 31st 2008 4:35PM by Will Brinson (author feed)
Nothing like a set of circumstances — Orlando Hudson’s season ending surgery in this case — to force a playoff caliber team into acquiring the services of one Mr. Hustle, David Eckstein. And it appears that, based on what Fox’s Ken Rosenthal is saying, Eckstein will be traded by Sunday night and most likely to the Snakes.
Eckstein, 33, is almost certain to be traded before the deadline for setting postseason rosters at midnight Sunday. While talks are fluid, the Jays currently are more inclined to trade with the D-backs, sources say.
Now, you may be asking yourself, “Isn’t O-Dog a second basemen?” Why, yes, yes he is. So Eck would not actually be playing shortstop, which is certainly a shame given the cannon arm that he possesses.
The biggest downside of this entire theoretical transaction is that we will be subjected to countless columns, pandering in nature, that detail the hustle-y nature of David Eckstein and how his grit, toughness and ability to take control of a game with his sheer determination — skill does not matter, I say! — can put a team over the top.
Oh, and if the Diamondbacks actually the World Series? Night-horse of epic proportions, folks. We already hear about Eckstein’s presence as a leader on an Angels and a Cardinals club that won the World Series — it was not Troy Glaus or Albert Pujols that prevailed triumphantly, mind you — and how he inspired victory. This would be disastrous.
Eckstein is a Diamondback! Scrappiness will ab
Where Old Canadian Jerseys Go to Die
Aug 28th 2008 10:15PM by Matt Watson (author feed)
I’ve always wondered what teams do with all of their old jerseys. Now I know: shove them in a small little room in the bowels of the stadium and forget about them.
Seriously, how cool would it be to have the keys to that room, a great big duffel bag and five minutes alone? I don’t know about you, but I’d go straight for those custom Raul Mondesi unis — my guns need room to breath! Or maybe an David Eckstein jersey, because it’d be all stained and dirty. He’s gritty, don’t you know?
Phillies Scour Waiver Wire: Land Matt Stairs
Aug 29th 2008 2:00AM by Mullet (author feed)
He’s 40 years old, and hasn’t hit a home run in a month. But in the NL East, where the margin between first and second is razor thin, Matt Stairs qualifies as an upgrade. And it’s the Philadelphia Phillies that have snagged him for the stretch drive, acquiring him from the Blue Jays for an unidentified minor leaguer.
Stairs is what he is … a .250 hitter who also happens to be a career .250 hitter in the month of September. He’ll most likely play some outfield in place of the disabled Geoff Jenkins, but I’d be willing to bet that most of Stairs’ appearances will be coming off the bench to get some big hits for the Phils’.
I wonder if the Phils are done dealing … as their problems lately have come from the bullpen in the eighth inning. In the last two weeks, they’ve blown five games where they’ve had leads in the eighth, with Chad Durbin and Ryan Madson being multiple offenders (they combined to blow a 4-1 lead Thursday night against the Cubs in the eighth.) Wild guess, but could Huston Street be far behind?
Hank Steinbrenner Still Doesn’t Get Tampering
Aug 29th 2008 5:30AM by Matt Watson (author feed)
Hank Steinbrenner has made no secret about his plans to buy his way back into contention this winter, preferably by picking up a big-name pitcher. But there’s a difference between saying you want to sign “a pitcher” and actually naming names — especially when it’s still August and the players in question are under another team’s employ. From the :
“Everybody is looking at Sabathia and Burnett, not just us,” Steinbrenner said Thursday. “We’ll see. I mean, our main concern is, are their arms going to be okay after this season?”
On the one hand, nothing he’s saying is revolutionary — everybody knows CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett will hot items this winter. On the other, each of those two now have even less reason to sign an extension before testing the open market since they know Hank’s wallet will be out.
Make no mistake, this isn’t the first time Hank has toed the line. He raised the ire of the Twins this past winter by talking about how much he wanted Johan Santana, and if the Twins didn’t file a complaint with the commissioner’s office, it was probably only because they were holding out hope the Yanks would up the ante and top the Mets’ offer. But talking up Sabathia and Burnett while in the same breath suggesting they might be damaged goods? That’s not going to make anybody happy.
(Though, really, should we be surprised? It took Hank’s dad 14 years [Dave Winfield in 1990; Randy Johnson in 2004] before he finally understood the rule)
Aug 24th 2008 10:00AM by Mullet (author feed)
Daisuke Matsuzaka is the very case study of new breed vs. old guard. The old guard will see Matsuzaka’s 15-2 record and his 2.77 ERA and tell you that he’s gotta be one of the best pitchers in baseball. The new breed of fan will tell you that his 1.37 WHIP and his 77 walks in 126+ innings tell the future of a man who’s been lucky to get out of jams that he created for himself against mediocre teams. Which side are you on?
Today, Dice K goes up against the Blue Jays … and while everybody is talking about the job that Jerry Manuel is doing for the Mets after taking over mid-season, there’s been a similar, quieter turnaround in Toronto, where Cito Gaston is 32-23 this season after taking over for John Gibbons, who started the season 35-39.
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Jul 18th 2008 11:00PM by Andrew Johnson (author feed)
- The Pirates have players to give, players that could really help a contender, guys like Damaso Marte, Jason Bay and Xavier Nady, but don’t expect first-year GM Neal Huntington to give them away for nothing writes John Perrotto. Huntington, who already seems eminently more qualified for his job than predecessor Dave Littlefield, is reportedly asking for two advanced prospects and one lower-level prospect for Bay. That’s about what he should be asking for considering Bay has bounced back nicely from a rough 2007. A 29-year-old outfielder with a .917 OPS could help a considerable number of contenders.
- Toronto’s A.J. Burnett says he does not want nor does he expect to be traded before July 31, and the thing we keep hearing is that there is little movement on Burnett. But with the right-hander expected to opt out of his contract at the end of the year and with the Blue Jays treading water in the AL East, it seems unlikely that will be the case over the next few weeks. Two teams to watch on Burnett: St. Louis and the Mets, particularly if Pedro Martinez’s injury is worse than it seems.Continue Reading
Buy or Sell: Toronto Blue Jays
Jul 22nd 2008 12:00PM by Mullet (author feed)
This is the year that the Jays really thought they were going to take that step into the stratosphere of the Yankees and the Red Sox. Of course, you could probably say that about the Blue Jays every year for the last ten. But with the acquisitions of the likes of Scott Rolen and David Eckstein, this was really going to be the year.
Instead, not only were they passed by the Rays, but they’ve been passed by the Baltimore Orioles. And these are two franchises that haven’t been known for great baseball decisions over the past ten years.
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Blue Jays Gauging Interest in Roy Halladay
Jul 24th 2008 1:11PM by Tom Fornelli (author feed)
With the trade deadline coming up on us quickly, there’s been plenty of talk surrounding a certain Blue Jays starting pitcher that may be available via trade this season. That pitcher is A.J. Burnett, who has the ability to opt out of his contract at season’s end, and even if he doesn’t the Jays aren’t sure they really want to pay him the money still owed him on his current contract.
So they wouldn’t mind trading him at all, and given the way he’s talked in recent months, A.J. wouldn’t mind it that much either. Of course, the Blue Jays have another pitcher on their staff who hasn’t exactly been thrilled with the way things have gone in Toronto, and he’s been letting management know about it too.
Which is why the Jays are calling teams to gauge their interest in 2003 Cy Young winner Roy Halladay.The whispers just won’t go away. Halladay is apparently unhappy in Toronto and has let management know it, and management has apparently responded by doing some quiet surveying of teams (such as St. Louis and the Dodgers) that are far, far away from the AL East in an effort to see what it could get for the 2003 Cy Young Award winner. Apparently, the returns other teams are getting for top-talent pitchers such as C.C. Sabathia, Rich Harden and Erik Bedard has inspired the Blue Jays to at least find out what it could get for one of the best pitchers in the American League. It remains unlikely that they’d deal him, but you never know.I don’t know if there’s any way the Blue Jays would actually trade Halladay, but it could be a good way for J.P. Ricciardi to stick it to ownership. With John Gibbons being fired earlier this season in favor of Cito Gaston, and the Jays disappointing again, most believe that Ricciardi won’t be the team’s general manager next season.
Would there be a bigger “screw you” to the organization and fans than trading away the team’s most important player before being fired?
Jul 24th 2008 6:27PM by Andrew Johnson (author feed)
- The Braves continue to indicate that they won’t move Mark Teixeira in hopes of contending for the NL East title, but if the team struggles over the next week, that could all change. Atlanta is already a bit of a longshot to make the playoffs, but two injuries to key players should push them over the cliff and turn them into sellers. Chipper Jones hurt his hamstring again last night in Florida and staff ace Tim Hudson left his start early with ominous-sounding elbow tightness.
If ever there was an omen that it might be time to let go of this season, wouldn’t injuries to the team’s best pitcher and hitter on the same night be it? Teixeira is certain to leave this winter and if Atlanta holds on to him all it will get is a pair of early draft picks. They stand to get much better talent in a deadline deal, even considering Teixeira’s rental status.
- I got a chance to see A.J. Burnett’s rain-shortened start last night in Baltimore. There were plenty of scouts in attendance, though some of them were probably there in hopes of seeing Orioles closer George Sherrill. Burnett has good raw stuff — a fastball he gets to 95 mph with ease and a tough curveball in the low-80s. Still, Orioles hitters made good contact on him. He’s a very good, but fragile No. 2 starter, who could help a number of contenders, but his uncertain contract status continues to make potential suitors cautious. Don’t put too much stock into the Roy Halladay rumors, Burnett is still the most likely to get moved of any of Toronto’s pitchers.Continue Reading
