One day, I may figure out why Bobby, even with a limited bench, keeps on sending up pinch-hitters to bunt rather than using Hampton or one of the other starting pitchers.
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One day, I may figure out why Bobby, even with a limited bench, keeps on sending up pinch-hitters to bunt rather than using Hampton or one of the other starting pitchers.
Use code “Journal” for a 5% discount.
I am FED UP with Andruw Jones. I said before the 3-1 pitch, he’s going to pop up and, of course,he popped up. At least he is predictable. He gets paid like a number 3 hitter, but he hits like a number 7. The sad thing is that Andruw will always put up respectable power numbers because of the nature of today’s baseball and may actually come close to 500 homeruns and someone is sure to talk about him for the HOF. In reality, he is a mediocre hitter who has never improved substantially from the day he comes up, but gets paid like a superstar. Forgive the rant, but Andruw gets my goat. (yes, he is a great, great outfielder.)
One minute, it’s 3-1 ATL…next thing I see on ESPN2’s Bottom Line, it’s 4-3 KC?! And I hear of a missed pop-up…geez.
Oh it gets much worse than that.
Andruw Jones is a terrible batter. His HOF fielding doesn’t really compensate for anything more than 25 runs produced at the plate per year.
We could get way more than he is worth if we would trade him just because he is flashy.
I can’t think of any batting style that disgusts me more than his. Desperate, over the top and futile is no way to go through life.
Mac, the comments for the game summary are not working.
That game made me sick. We had it won. I don’t understand Bobby’s use of pitchers. Why did he take out Wright? Two-men on, a strikeout is needed, so he take out a very good strikeout pitcher and brings in…Gryboski who gets two very lucky in-play outs. Reitsma had NOTHING, yet Bobby left him in. Then the refusal to use Smoltz in a non-save situation is inexcusable.
Comments for the recap should be working. I doubt anyone cares, but there was a problem with the name of the file. Apparently, Movable Type didn’t like an entry beginning “Kansas City 10” any more than we did.
Bainser, I hope you’re trying to employ hyperbole. Andruw hits 30 homers every year, usually closer to 35. How can you hit 35 homers and produce only 25 runs?
Certainly he’s a frustrating player to watch. (Though I’m glad that he’s trying to be selective at the plate and I think he’s going to go on a run soon.) But he’s still a very valuable player.
Andruw is a difficult player of whom to be a fan. I catch myself hating his play because I know what he’s capable of – we’ve seen it for 2-3 month stretches, and his hacktastic ways just look all the worse because of it.
But the thing is, when we measure Andruw against expectations, he comes up way short. When we measure him against his peers, he’s a valuable player. Is he as valuable as he could be? No. But combine his level of play with the fact that he almost never misses games and that alone is very, very good. It’s easy to overlook that as we dwell on how much better he could be
All that said, having seen Beltran’s defense this week, I really do miss the old defensive Andruw. Sigh…
I agree. As much as Andruw frustrates many of us by the way he smirks at the plate when he strikes out, he is been a solid producer at the plate. Last Year was statistically his 2nd best year. He tied a career high in HR and set a career high in rbis. He had his 2nd highest BA and TB. The only knock against him at the plate is how he hits with RISP. His defense is 2nd to none, and he’s only 27.
My only fear is he will have weight problems and have to move to 1st base by the time he is 30-32 and will look like Willie Stargell before his career is over.
As for the game, With Reitsma only having one other implosion this year, he was the best choice to go in. My guess is they just went up there hacking away since he throws strikes. The pitch count and batters faced seems to indicate that. Almanza and Smith were victims of their own lack of ability.
Andruw’s OPS is aroung 830; that’s decent but not what you want from a middle of the order hitter. Drew’s is well over 900. I judge a hitter by whether he is a “tough out” by which I mean in critical situations he does not swing at bad pitches and and does not get himself out by flailing. By any standards, Andruw is not a tough out; he is the guy that pitchers want to face in key situations because you don’t have to make a particularly good pitch to get him out. That creates two problems; first, instead of protecting the hitter in front of him (whether Chipper or Sheffield), he makes it less likely they will get a good pitch. Second, obviously, is that he rarely comes through.
I think home runs and total bases are misleading stats in today’s game, considering that 40-50 HR are common today. Andruw’s OPS is mediocre for a middle of the order hitter. Plus, his speed has apparently deserted him. I don’t argue that Andruw is not a valuable player and he is obviously a great outfielder. But his salary is out of proportion to his contribution and prevents the team from making needed moves. He is a complimentary player and that’s fine. But he is getting paid as a superstar.