Miguel Tejada has indirectly ended Denis Sarfate's Oriole career as he was designated for assignement. Some quotes from his interview with Roch Kubatko:
"Right now, where I'm standing, I hope I get to pitch for another team. Obviously, my goal is to pitch in the big leagues every year. I'm not saying I couldn't make the (Orioles) out of spring training, because if I do go there, I intend to make the team, but obviously I'd be the last in line to get innings. If I get the chance to go to another team, I'd be happy and take it with open arms.
"To me, I'm kind of in shock. I wish I had known earlier and saved two days of my life and not gone to Baltimore for FanFest. I flew cross-country and left my daughter at home..."
Doesn't sound like he's going to accept the demotion...
I would have liked to see if a healthy Sarfate could've turned it around but if we're going to keep a fringy guy who has isues throwing strikes, I'd rather have Matt Albers.
*****
Nobody is surprised that Mark Hendrickson is back. According to Baseball-Reference.com, Hendrickson had a 3.44 ERA in 42 appearance as a reliever and a 2.64 K/BB ratio. He was effective in the bullpen and can make a spot start in a pinch. For $1.2 million, (less than he made last season) he's a good value.
*****
Keith Law released his top 100 prospects for 2010 andfour Orioles made the cut. For those of you without ESPN Insider, he're a few quotes:
SP Brian Matusz (#11) - "He's not the prototypical No. 1 starter with a big fastball and an easy delivery, but his ability to miss left- and right-handed bats in different ways gives him a chance to lead a staff, regardless."
SP Zach Britton (#25) - "His control remains below-average and his command of all pitches and feel for the slider need to improve, as well, but he would slot in very nicely as a No. 2 starter behind Brian Matusz, or as an outstanding No. 3 behind Matusz and Chris Tillman."
(I love that Britton is ranked so high. He's a sinkerballer who gets a ton a groundballs...a skill that works very well at OPACY.)
3B Josh Bell (#61) - "He has excellent bat speed from the left side, accelerating his wrists very quickly from the set position, although his swing is a little flat and might be more geared to doubles than home runs. "
SP Jake Arrieta (#90) - "Beyond the significant improvement in his control, he remains what he was: a four-pitch guy with no plus pitch but nothing below-average."
Keith Law's Top Ten Oriole Prospects:
1. Brian Matusz, LHP
2. Zack Britton, LHP
3. Josh Bell, 3B
4. Jake Arrieta, RHP
5. Brandon Snyder, 1B
6. Brandon Erbe, RHP
7. Caleb Joseph, C
8. Brandon Waring, 3B/1B
9. Matt Hobgood, RHP
10. Xavier Avery, OF
By the way, Law has been repeatedly asked if the O's made a mistake by "going cheap" and selecting Matt Hobgood in 2009. Law has consistently said that he would not have picked Hobgood over the college arms but does not consider the pick a "reach " or a bad pick on the face of it.
*****
I wanted to comment on the Ed Smith Stadium situation (again). TOH to Camden Chat for some of these links.
A week ago, citizen's groups that had put renovation plans for Ed Smith Stadium on hold with a lawsuit, offered to settle out of court with the main condition being a binding referendum on said renovations and bond offerings.
Yesterday, Sarasota County ruled out a referendum and instead will hold another public hearing on the issue.
While this is a bit of a mess, the fact that the plaintiff is offering to settle and the county has refused that offer and is instead manuevering to avoid any perception of violation of state law bodes well for a quick resolution. I don't think the renovations are in jeopardy.
Here are new drawings of the renovation plans for Ed Smith. A few more details than previous sketches but the same idea.
*****
Forget just talking to Hisanori Takaahashi, according to this article, there's more happening.
The Orioles have extended minor league deals with spring training invitations to former Los Angeles Dodgers Will Ohman and Japanese lefty Hisanori Takahashi.
The more, the merrier. More arms in Spring Training is a good thing, especially if they come cheap.
*****
Speaking of Spring Training invites, the Orioles invited 6 more players to major league ST. Here they are:
SS Blake Davis - Spring Training 2008 was good to Davis as his hot bat gained him serious consideration to make the jump from AA to Baltimore. Injuries decimated his 2009 season as he posted a .235/.290/.304 line in 68 games, most with AAA Norfolk.
C Adam Donachie - A Dempey's Army favorite. Donachie is probably just here to spell the catchers who actually have a shot to make the team but one can hope.
C Luis Barnardo - 22-year-old who played in Delmarva in 2009. Seems to be a "not-hit" type.
IF Miguel Abreu and IF/OF Jonathan Tucker - light hitting utility-player types. This is the role they will serve in Sarasota too.
CF Matt Angle - All Matt Angle does is get on base and steal bases. THAT'S ALL HE DOES!!!!
*****
Without further comment, here's a link to a Camden Crazies post that addresses blogging ethics. Good work, Dan.
OK, one more comment. I am as supportive of the Oriole Blog-O-Sphere community as anyone but this situation is just one reason I will not link to fledgling bloggers until I see the work they are doing. So if you are a new blogger, don't take it personally.
Just my 2 cents.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
One Size Doesn't Fit All
Dan Henninger on the State of the Presidency.
Barack Obama is 48 years old, a "young" president. But in a sense, he is an old 48-year-old. The House leadership, the committee chairmen leading his agenda, are old guys from the 1960s and '70s. The so-called progressive Democrats who make up his core base are essentially a labor movement stuck in a one-size-fits everything industrial model from the 1930s.Read it all.
Baseball Stats in Perspective - Offensive Stats
I indulge in baseball stats. While I don't consider this a purely statistical analysis site, I do my fair share of it and reference "advanced stats" on a regular basis.
But I get annoyed by my Sabermetric brethren from time to time as they introduce new stats and pronounce them the new standard. This doesn't work for me because while they may measure a snapshot of performance or add predictive value, there is typically no frame or reference. Specifically, historical reference. I recently joined Baseball Prospectus and while I enjoy the writing, they use a ton of proprietary stats that are not available to the general public, only their subscribers. There's no frame of reference among the average baseball fan so you are just talking to yourselves.
FanGraphs.com recently unveiled a new stat call wRC+ (Runs Created based on wOBA compared to league average). Many stat guys declared this as the new stat to use and that OPS+ was now irrelevant. This irritated me as I thought to myself, "But where's the frame of reference? What was Babe Ruth's career wRC+?"
But then I realized that I use stats on my posts here that many may not understand or have a reference for. So shame on me.
With that in mind, here's a quick tutorial for stats I regularly reference on the site, as well as links to pages that offer more detail and/or historical context.
The Slash Line
I often refer to a player's "line" is my posts. Brian Roberts' line for 2009 was .283/.356/.451. The slash line here signifies Batting Average/On-base Percentage/Slugging Percentage. It's a quick way to sum up a player's offensive production.
OPS
OPS is simply On-base Percentage plus Slugging Percentage. For reference, Babe Ruth has a career 1.164 OPS. Frank Robinson had a career .926 OPS. Nick Markakis has a career .838 OPS.
Career OPS leaders are here and Single Season OPS leaders are here.
OPS+
OPS+ lets you compare offensive output across different eras. Let's face it; a guy who hit .300 with 20 home runs in 1967 is far more impressive than a guy who did the same thing in 1997. OPS+ measures a player's OPS vs. the average OPS for the league that season. It helps to compare players across different eras.
Babe Ruth's career OPS+ is 207. Frank Robinson has a 154 career OPS+. Nick Markakis' career OPS+ is 119.
A more detailed explanation of OPS+ can be found here. Career OPS+ leaders are here and Single Season OPS leaders are here.
WAR
WAR is Wins Above Replacment and is a measure of how many "wins" a player can contribute above the average "replacement level" player in his league. This was recently explained very well in this ESPN article by Matt Klaasen and Dave Cameron of FranGraphs.com.
Babe Ruth has a career WAR of 172.0. Frank Robinson's is 107.1. Nick Markakis has a carrer WAR of 15.1.
Historical WAR totals can be found here.
ISO
ISO is isolated power, a stat that I love to use. ISO measures the "raw power" of a hitter as it separates the batting average component from the slugging percentage. It is basically the slugging percentage minus the batting average but the more exact calculation is:
Total Bases - Hits/At Bats
Babe Ruth had a carrer ISO of .348. Frank Robinson comes in at .243. Nick Markakis has a career ISO of .173.
More details on ISO are available here.
Career ISO leaders can be found here.
Later, we'll cover the pitching and defense. I hope this helps.
But I get annoyed by my Sabermetric brethren from time to time as they introduce new stats and pronounce them the new standard. This doesn't work for me because while they may measure a snapshot of performance or add predictive value, there is typically no frame or reference. Specifically, historical reference. I recently joined Baseball Prospectus and while I enjoy the writing, they use a ton of proprietary stats that are not available to the general public, only their subscribers. There's no frame of reference among the average baseball fan so you are just talking to yourselves.
FanGraphs.com recently unveiled a new stat call wRC+ (Runs Created based on wOBA compared to league average). Many stat guys declared this as the new stat to use and that OPS+ was now irrelevant. This irritated me as I thought to myself, "But where's the frame of reference? What was Babe Ruth's career wRC+?"
But then I realized that I use stats on my posts here that many may not understand or have a reference for. So shame on me.
With that in mind, here's a quick tutorial for stats I regularly reference on the site, as well as links to pages that offer more detail and/or historical context.
The Slash Line
I often refer to a player's "line" is my posts. Brian Roberts' line for 2009 was .283/.356/.451. The slash line here signifies Batting Average/On-base Percentage/Slugging Percentage. It's a quick way to sum up a player's offensive production.
OPS
OPS is simply On-base Percentage plus Slugging Percentage. For reference, Babe Ruth has a career 1.164 OPS. Frank Robinson had a career .926 OPS. Nick Markakis has a career .838 OPS.
Career OPS leaders are here and Single Season OPS leaders are here.
OPS+
OPS+ lets you compare offensive output across different eras. Let's face it; a guy who hit .300 with 20 home runs in 1967 is far more impressive than a guy who did the same thing in 1997. OPS+ measures a player's OPS vs. the average OPS for the league that season. It helps to compare players across different eras.
Babe Ruth's career OPS+ is 207. Frank Robinson has a 154 career OPS+. Nick Markakis' career OPS+ is 119.
A more detailed explanation of OPS+ can be found here. Career OPS+ leaders are here and Single Season OPS leaders are here.
WAR
WAR is Wins Above Replacment and is a measure of how many "wins" a player can contribute above the average "replacement level" player in his league. This was recently explained very well in this ESPN article by Matt Klaasen and Dave Cameron of FranGraphs.com.
Babe Ruth has a career WAR of 172.0. Frank Robinson's is 107.1. Nick Markakis has a carrer WAR of 15.1.
Historical WAR totals can be found here.
ISO
ISO is isolated power, a stat that I love to use. ISO measures the "raw power" of a hitter as it separates the batting average component from the slugging percentage. It is basically the slugging percentage minus the batting average but the more exact calculation is:
Total Bases - Hits/At Bats
Babe Ruth had a carrer ISO of .348. Frank Robinson comes in at .243. Nick Markakis has a career ISO of .173.
More details on ISO are available here.
Career ISO leaders can be found here.
Later, we'll cover the pitching and defense. I hope this helps.
Posers, Professors and Propaganda
A left-wing blogger's most excellent post about a top Obama administration advisor and his advocacy of government-paid covert agents to patrol political Web sites and promote the Obama party line while they pretend to be unaffiliated private citizens.
Greenwald calls Prof. Cass Sunstein's plan "spine-chilling."
It is certainly amazing that one of America's top constitutional law professors thinks that there is nothing unethical about engaging in this sort of political subterfuge.
"Ellie Light" phone the White House. Have they got a job for you.
Greenwald calls Prof. Cass Sunstein's plan "spine-chilling."
It is certainly amazing that one of America's top constitutional law professors thinks that there is nothing unethical about engaging in this sort of political subterfuge.
"Ellie Light" phone the White House. Have they got a job for you.
The State of the Union is... Confused!
I, I, I, caught some but not all of the President's SOTU speech last night. I noticed he said "I" a lot. For instance:
Moreover, the speech didn't soar, like the ones he gave during his campaign. It ran along the ground, quickly, like a roadrunner, never taking flight. It seemed to generate little enthusiasm, even among Democrats. It was pretty much boilerplate stuff, the typical laundry list of initiatives.
The couple of things meant to be red meat to party's left-wing base, ending the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy and the blasting of the recent Supreme Court ruling meant to end years of government supression of political speech, didn't play well with the institutional representatives of either the military or the court.
The brass and the justices sat there stone-faced as Democrats robotically clapped. Justice Sam Alito had the termerity to quietly shake his head after President misrepresented the ruling as allowing foreign corporations to contribute to candidates and affect U.S. elections.
Alito appeared to mouth the words "Not true."
Taking on the military and the Supreme Court may be tonic to his base, but not to the country as a whole.
On the whole, the speech was uninspiring and, I think, ineffective. Too many "I"s not enough "We"s. It certainly wasn't a confidence builder.
The ship of state is adrift and the captain has no idea how to right its course.
"I campaigned on the promise of change—change we can believe in, the slogan went. And right now, I know there are many Americans who aren't sure if they still believe we can change—or at least, that I can deliver it."The speech seemed to be more about the state of his presidency and the Democratic party than the union.
Moreover, the speech didn't soar, like the ones he gave during his campaign. It ran along the ground, quickly, like a roadrunner, never taking flight. It seemed to generate little enthusiasm, even among Democrats. It was pretty much boilerplate stuff, the typical laundry list of initiatives.
The couple of things meant to be red meat to party's left-wing base, ending the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy and the blasting of the recent Supreme Court ruling meant to end years of government supression of political speech, didn't play well with the institutional representatives of either the military or the court.
The brass and the justices sat there stone-faced as Democrats robotically clapped. Justice Sam Alito had the termerity to quietly shake his head after President misrepresented the ruling as allowing foreign corporations to contribute to candidates and affect U.S. elections.
Alito appeared to mouth the words "Not true."
Taking on the military and the Supreme Court may be tonic to his base, but not to the country as a whole.
On the whole, the speech was uninspiring and, I think, ineffective. Too many "I"s not enough "We"s. It certainly wasn't a confidence builder.
The ship of state is adrift and the captain has no idea how to right its course.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Blogger Template | Green Forest
Green forest is two column blogger template with light green background.The sidebar is to the left with post section to right.Supports al blogger features.You can change any color from inside blogger settings page as you like.Rss button is also ready at footer of the template.Its a beautiful green color design for users who think green :).Title seo has been done in it and i hope you will like this design for sure as i have taken images to create this design from rpmdesignfactory.
The similar designs you may like are green day and Elegant.
The similar designs you may like are green day and Elegant.
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