Comments for 108 Stitches

Comment on Player Rankings by cbracke

cbracke — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 01:19:19 +0000

HW- Thanks for the comment! I debated long and hard on Milledge and in reality, I’ll probably sub him in for Teahen at the back of the list. I realize that Milledge has the opportunity now, but I’m just not as confident as the rest of the world that he’s improved his plate discipline enough to be a regular starter for fantasy owners.

Comment on Player Rankings by HW

HW — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 01:15:09 +0000

Where is Lastings Milledge?

Comment on Sleeper Showdown: Ryan Garko vs. James Loney by cbracke

cbracke — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 12:09:20 +0000

Dan- I appreciate the great stats and comment! Yeah, after breaking apart the numbers last night, there is simply no way Garko is in Loney’s class. I still believe Garko has more HR upside, but that is the only possible, miniscule edge he has over a far superior first baseman in Loney.

Comment on Sleeper Showdown: Ryan Garko vs. James Loney by Dan Lowe

Dan Lowe — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 05:26:27 +0000

I comment about this everywhere Loney’s name comes up, maybe cause I don’t want him to be a sleeper, maybe so I can say ‘I told you so’ (this is fantasy baseball) — I don’t know. Either way, anyone who happens to read anything about James Loney on the internet where there happens to a comment box just might have seen this already.

I’ll try to condense this this time, though:

1.) Loney’s prorated stats are better than Adrian Gonzalez’s. Loney was also much better than Gonzalez is the time the two played simultaneously. Everyone loves “Yo!” Adrian, and for good reason. Modus Pollendo Ponens…

Alright, that’s not a very fair comparison, and nor is it useful. But…

2.)According to Bill James’ website, Loney’s ‘Batting Performance By Quality of Opposing Pitcher’ splits in 2007 went like this:

Vs. pitcher with ERA less than/= 3.50 - 91 AB, .319/6/19/.950 OPS

…which was comparable to the number of at-bats he got in the next two higher levels (93 in 3.51 to 4.25, 104 in 4.26 to 5.25).

In that same category (vs. ERA less than/= 3.50), Gonzalez, in 129 AB (!), went .240/5/14/.721.

Furthermore, the numbers for the top-five first basemen (based on a few different lists that I may or may not agree with) are as follows:

Ortiz - 109 AB, .193/5/17/.631
Howard - 117 AB, .256/4/19/.833
Pujols - 111 AB, .270/7/19/.892
Fielder - 110 AB, .182/6/12/.682
Teixeira - 85 AB, .259/4/12/.790

While I’d have to take the time to see who it was exactly, Loney seemed to have his way with good pitching in ‘07, and to an extent that, out of the top-5 first baseman going into 2008, only Albert Pujols had comparable numbers (in 20 more at-bats).

(And, so not to seem like I’m emphasizing his numbers unfairly, Loney’s numbers against other pitching levels were as follows: vs. ERA 3.51-4.25, .280/3/16/.801, vs. 4.26-5.25, .346/4/21/.903, and vs. over/= 5.25, .389/2/11/1.063.)

I know; Loney was never scathing in the minor leagues, nor would he seem all that impressive in his 102 AB in 2006 (besides that fun 9 RBI game in Colorado).

For what it’s worth, though, out of those 102 ‘06 at-bats, 22 were against ERA less than/= 3.50 pitchers. Loney hit .409 with an OPS over 1.000, the best of any of his performance ranges. The guy who was just ‘good’ against minor league hurlers has been ‘nasty’ against the best of the MLB in his first 446 major league at-bats. I’ll gladly take him over Konerko or Helton, and in Round 6 if need be.

(For what that’s worth, I’ve gotten Loney from 110-120 (9th/10th round) in every mock or draft I’ve done so far, and as a backup, so he hasn’t been that expensive.)

Comment on LaRoche Clipped by Chris

Chris — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 03:40:30 +0000

Bracks,

LaRoche gets a tough break here…he will miss a ton of time, but should be back in July. Even then, he will likely struggle at the plate as he tries to find his grip strength and bat speed.

I like your blog and have subscribed. Check mine out. I’m a Physical Therapist who deals with injury reports and such.

Comment on Ask Mr. Bracks by cbracke

cbracke — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 03:18:38 +0000

Fred-
Knowing the rules, I like Hafner, Kazmir, Young, and possibly Burnett. I think you’ll get good numbers from the first three over the next couple years and Burnett is a wild card, but could be extremely productive if he stays healthy. That’s a BIG if though. Hafner is a tricky one if he’s only eligible at utlity. Still, he’s worth the risk.

Comment on Ask Mr. Bracks by Fred Smerlus

Fred Smerlus — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 03:07:46 +0000

Hey Mr. Bracks,
Sorry, we can keep the players for a max of three years. these will all be first year keepers for me as i’m taking ove r the new team. They are considered 18th rd players and you need to stack them. we draft 25 rounds.
Kasmir looks too be coming back ok. I was also thinking Izzy, Hafner, and Matsui and your choiceof Young. anyone else worth while?
thanks Fred,

Comment on Ask Mr. Bracks by cbracke

cbracke — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 23:10:28 +0000

Smutt Fairy-
I have no confidence in Harden’s ability to stay healthy. Sure, there are reports he’s looking good so far in camp, but these types of comments are essentially baseless. They go to no lengths to predict whether or not he’ll be able to avoid another malady. I think he throws around 100 innings, give or take 20.

Comment on Ask Mr. Bracks by smuttfairy

smuttfairy — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:57:26 +0000

Mr. Bracks,
How many innings will Rich Harden Thow this year?

Comment on Ask Mr. Bracks by cbracke

cbracke — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 02:53:31 +0000

Fred-
I really need to know what you have to give up to keep players. Do you give a pick a few rounds ahead of where said player was picked last year? I also need to know if you have a limit to how many years you can keep a player.

Without knowing this I would say you want to hold onto Kazmir for sure. He’s hurt now, but clearly has as much or more upside than any of the players you listed. I think you probably want to keep a guy like Michael Young simply due to the fact that the position he plays is thin on talent. I’m also liking Burnett and Wang. The former because of his upside and the latter because he’s a safe bet for a ton of wins given the team he plays for.