JNichols42887

The Marlins have--for now--decided not to trade A.J. Burnett. They had a return in mind when they started dealing him, some combination of prospects in return and contracts taken, that they have not been able to match up. The return is pretty well known, so the right offer could heat this back up in a hurry. http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=4249

Luis Castillo is the best 2B in baseball. Alfonso Soriano can't hit the ball away from Texas. Next. Huh?? Not according to any objectively measurable statistic, he's not.? Taking into account offense only (fair, since you're argument centers on Soriano vs. Castillo on offense), Castillo doesn't rank well in VORP (Value over replacement player).? That stat, developed by Baseball Prospectus, measures the number of runs contributed beyond what a replacement-level player at the same position would contribute if given the same percentage of team plate appearances. Here are the VORP rankings for 2Bs in 2005: 1) Brian Roberts (VORP 54.3 -meaning Roberts is 54% than the average 2B) 2) Chase Utley (35.9) 3) Jeff Kent (35.6) 4) Marcus Giles (28.1) 5) SORIANO (27.7) 6) Craig Biggio (25.5) 7) Craig Counsell (20.1) 8) Luis Castillo (18.6) By the way, ranking 8th is an improvement for Luis.? Last year, he ranked 11th (although he also was 8th in the majors in 2003, and was 7th in the majors in 2002). More importantly, however, are the following numbers... 40.7 39.0 33.5 18.6 These correspond to Castillo's VORPs from 2002-2005.? Note the steady decline.? That's what concerns me. But to state that Castillo's the best 2B in baseball?? C'mon. 867215[/snapback] VORP's good in determining the overall ability of a hitter. But for our team, Castillo is much more effective. Castillo bats in front of two sluggers, so he needs to get on base a lot, especially since Pierre is struggling. He does that perfectly. His OBP is 98 points higher than Soriano's even when including Soriano's inflated numbers. And of course, you're ignoring Soriano's home/road splits. As has already been mentioned, he is a totally different hitter on the road. His OPS is 1.052 at home and .652 on the road. Don't you think that makes his VORP a little misleading? Also, since you are familiar with BP, look at the EQA's of the respective players. Soriano's is .288, and Castillo's is .296. Who's the better hitter now? And lastly, your point about Castillo declining is correct until you bring up 2005. Of course it's less than 2004! It's only half a season. Stretch it out for the whole year, and it's probably aroind 35 or 36, higher than 2004, and not a steady decline. I will leave you with this excerpt about Soriano from the BP 2005 book: "Probably the single most overrated player in baseball. Yes, it's interesting and exciting that he can hit a pitch two feet down and in over the fence. But what the hell is he doing swinging at it in the first place? Most of the time, he flails at that pitch and misses it, in yet another mini three-act play that has Soriano loping back to the bench. He hit .244/.291/.444 on the road. Defensively, no metric pegs him as a good defensive second baseman, and one advance scout describes him as 'beyond redemption' with the glove. Why, exactly, do people think this guy is anything remotely resembling a star? Are we that starved for excitement?"

Who's out there? Griffey? I don't think Dunn's available (I read the Reds are asking for way too much).

Luis Castillo is much better than Soriano. Soriano away from hitter-friendly Texas: .230 avg, .270 OBP, .382 SLG, .652 OPS, 42 SO, 8 BB Castillo, who plays in a pitcher's park that hurts his stats: .321 avg, .415 OBP, .397 SLG, .812 OPS, 19 SO, 43 BB Don't even mention defense. Soriano makes a terrible second baseman. But he also makes a terrible outfielder, third baseman, shortstop, first baseman, and catcher, because he can't hit.

But why so early?? Why not wait until the trading deadline and see if we can get more?? If this is just a salary dump and we're tanking this season.... 862552[/snapback] Because in two weeks it might be too late. 862556[/snapback] Why? The offers will only get better.

But why so early? Why not wait until the trading deadline and see if we can get more? If this is just a salary dump and we're tanking this season....

Don't forget that less experience means less wear and tear on his arm. He's in better shape than most kids his age.

I just think that nobody likes playing for the Marlins and everyone is a better player when they leave. It makes me mad. I won't forgive Lee for the same reason. 860789[/snapback] There's this guy...his name is Carl Pavano...

If the Yankees are willing to take on the rest of leiter's contract and pay a nice chunk of Pavano's contract for Burnett, the Marlins would do that trade in a second. To say Pavano was a fluke last year was one of the worst comments I have ever heard and you obvisouly didnt watch the fish in 2003 and you should be ban forever from this board. 857286[/snapback] That was a joke, right?

Don't the Reds need pitching?

Dunn is by far the best option.

Home runs continue to be the most overrated offensive stat in baseball. When you're losing every fifth day guaranteed, one of your aces can't keep himself healthy, and the guy you counted on to be the 3rd biggest producer on the team can't hit over the Mendoza line - that's why you don't win. 847829[/snapback] The best offensive teams in baseball are the best home run hitting teams in baseball.

Washington doesn't hit any homeruns. Look what's happened to them :plain 847787[/snapback] Washington has the worst offense in baseball.

Is it Clemens' fault the Astros have one of the worst offenses in baseball?

Is it Clemens' fault the Astros have one of the worst offenses in baseball?

100 pitches is not some magic number. It's when you get in the 120s that you risk serious injury. What he's doing now is OK. But I'm still afraid that he's going to push them too far..

Guys, you are way too critical of the media. The only guy that really deserves criticism is Berandino. Everybody else is fair and unbiased. Contrary to your beliefs, the entire galaxy does not hate the Florida Marlins. It just doesn't love them as much as all of you do. So take a chill pill and quit being so freaking sensitive.

The News thread is retarded. No offense, it's a good idea, but it's 20 different articles that all say practically the same thing.

He's already rejected 3yr/30mil, so I hope he loves the South Florida community...

If Yankees were in Devil Rays' shoes ... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ESPN.com news services NEW YORK -- The Yankees' push Monday for a forfeit victory over the Devil Rays has landed them squarely in the eye of Tampa Bay manager Lou Piniella. Because of travel problems due to Hurricane Frances, the Devil Rays arrived three hours late for the rescheduled 3 p.m. ET opener of a doubleheader Monday at Yankee Stadium. Tampa Bay lost the game that was played 7-4. Afterward, Piniella was angry that the Yankees asked the commissioner's office to declare the other game a forfeit victory for them. Commissioner Bud Selig has no intention of ordering a forfeit. "If it'd been reversed, and that hurricane would have been here in the New York area as opposed to the Tampa area, the Yankees should have stayed at home and forgotten about the ballgame in Tampa. Period," Piniella told reporters. "Let me tell you this: I think when you look at baseball, it's important," Piniella continued. "Your family is doubly important or triply important and when a hurricane is beating down on the Florida coast, 160, 70, 80 miles from your hometown, I think you take care of your family first and you worry about the ballgame second. "I know the Yankees are in a pennant race, but I also know that our kids are young and have a lot of young kids at home. There was flooding, there are a lot of things that occurred over a two-day period in Florida, and I think everybody was more comfortable being with their family than being in New York sitting in a hotel waiting to play a baseball game." Devil Rays designated hitter Aubrey Huff didn't make the trip; his house was so flooded, according to one report, that he couldn't get out of it despite offers from police to escort him to the airport so he could join his teammates. General manager Chuck LaMar said the team never intended to leave for New York until Sunday night or Monday. The team endured travel delays Monday of up to 10 hours before landing in New York. "We decided, and we made the right decision, we'll stick by that decision, to stay with our families," he said. "We wanted to stay in the Tampa Bay area, wait out the storm with our families." The Yankees reported to Yankee Stadium at noon for the doubleheader. Tampa Bay players arrived for the 7:05 p.m. start at 6:05, suited up, and lost their eighth straight. Before the game, Yankees president Randy Levine and general manager Brian Cashman held a news conference on the field, explaining why they wanted a forfeit. Baseball rules say a forfeit may be called if a team isn't ready within five minutes of umpires calling "play" unless the delay is "unavoidable." "The rule states that if your team is here and ready to play, and the other team isn't here and not ready to play, there should be a forfeit, and we believe there should be a forfeit," Levine said. The teams also are scheduled to play night games Wednesday and Thursday. Levine said that if the forfeit request was denied, it should be rescheduled to be played on Oct. 4, the day after the regular season, if it's needed to decide a postseason race. He also said that the Yankees may refuse to reschedule the game for this week, even if ordered to. "Given the stage of the season we are in, and the exciting pennant races, it is critical that we do everything to decide the championship on the field," Selig said in a statement. Go get em' Lou.

Good job breaking the news, Fish Tank Frenzy.

By the way, where did you hear this?

Damon Jones is awesome. Great signing. It better have been for cheap though.

Another hard hit ball. Another out. Things are going our way! We're going to get on a winning streak and take this division! Whew, sorry, need to breathe.

I love BOB.