Good news from Larry LaRue. After Raul declines and goes away to be someone else's hilassacre, we'll land a pair of picks, and thereby avoid the retarded Jose Guillen mistake we made last winter. You want evidence that the new administration is better than the old one? There you go. Good heavens was that ever stupid.
In addition, we're bringing in two new coaches. Ty Van Burkleo comes over from Oakland to be Wakamatsu's new drinking buddy, and Lee Tinsley will regale baserunners and first basemen alike with stories of how he totally sucked in Sega's World Series Baseball '94. I expect he'll also give good advice, because if Tinsley learned anything from his own career, it's that standing on first base is a rare privilege, not a right, and you shouldn't try to pull anything stupid because you never know if you'll ever be back there again. Isn't that right, Lee? You were a bad little player, weren't you? Weren't you? Yes you were. awww
Fun fact: in 1996, Tinsley was successful on eight of twenty steal attempts.
0 recs | 63 comments
Thank god.
Lets bring on the draft picks!
Kirk - December 1, 2008
Dammit.
No draft picks for Bloomquist or Cairo.
Well, I don’t think you get picks for Type Z- players anyway, so, YAAAAaaawwwwwnnn…
PositivePaul - December 1, 2008
are you talking dirty to Lee Tinsley? You dirty dog.
Bearskin Rugburn - December 1, 2008
I was actually talking to him like a child
Jeff Sullivan - December 1, 2008
You talk to children is if they were dogs?
BrianL - December 1, 2008
Bad children
Jeff Sullivan - December 1, 2008
You can't make fur coats out of children.
JI - December 1, 2008
you can if you let their hair grow out first
pdb - December 1, 2008
pdb knows what he's talking about.
I have a childfur cover for my office chair. Luxurious.
Llewdor - December 2, 2008
that's good livin'
pdb - December 2, 2008
how do you talk to good dogs?
pdb - December 1, 2008
I don't
Jeff Sullivan - December 1, 2008
a reasonable course of action
pdb - December 1, 2008
How fucked up are you to actively talk dirty to children?
Robert - December 1, 2008
Isn't that what the internet is for?
Llewdor - December 2, 2008
This is terrible
Now were stuck with him for another year at an inflated salary because he won’t get any multi-year offers anywhere else.
JI - December 1, 2008
13 for 13 in 1994!
JI - December 1, 2008
I am looking forward to the 4 picks.
Is there any word as to whether Albert Pujols will be available via the Rule 5? That would be a decent signing I guess.
abender20 - December 1, 2008
Four picks?
Teej - December 1, 2008
4 first rounders, I should have said.
The M’s first rounder, the recouped first rounder for not signing Josh Fields, and the 1st pick + sandwich pick for Raul presumably signing elsewhere. 4 picks. A step in the right direction.
abender20 - December 1, 2008
Oh, OK.
I count three, but I wasn’t including the Fields compensation. I still wonder if they might sign him. I hope they don’t.
Teej - December 1, 2008
Yes, four picks.
We’ll have four picks in the first two rounds of next year’s draft. That assumes Raul doesn’t take arby and that he signs with a team that would have to give up a first (preferable) or second round pick by signing him, but it seems possible.
We get five picks if Fields doesn’t sign, four of them in first round.
JY - December 1, 2008
4 picks WOW!
Slurvey - December 1, 2008
Heh
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/8874364/Ibanez-more-intense-than-most-about-training
JI - December 1, 2008
That is weird.
InSpokane - December 1, 2008
… cause Selig can’t test me for batshit crazy! Hah!
Also, what was that about MJ?
Bearskin Rugburn - December 1, 2008
I thought it strange he referred to Michael Jackson instead of someone like Anthony Gonzalez.
But I guess Ibanez being compared to a batshit crazy music performer is closer than a football athlete.
Wilder. - December 1, 2008
Lance Armstrong use one as well.
I think it is because Raul and Michael Jackson share the same throwing arm.
InSpokane - December 1, 2008
you guys are way too harsh on raul
he’s not as bad as you portray him to be
Woodinville_12thMan - December 1, 2008
Defensively, yes he his.
We all agree he’s a quality bat.
Thingray - December 1, 2008
I tried to use Raul as a bat once and I tore my shoulder.
Sec 108 - December 1, 2008
He's below average
that’s pretty bad for a guy who gets so much attention.
Jeff Sullivan - December 1, 2008
And he's not going to be getting better over the life of a multi-year contract.
Teej - December 1, 2008
He's not below average
The mariners were just too retarded to use him as a DH.
Edgar for Pres - December 1, 2008
He's less valuable than an average baseball player.
Teej - December 1, 2008
To expand:
As Dave put it, when defense is factored in, Ibanez is about 1 or 1.5 wins above replacement. Average is around 2.
Moving him to DH obviously takes away his bad defense, but that also strips a lot of value from him because now you’ve filled the spot in the lineup where it’s quite easy to find a good hitter.
Raul would have been an above-average DH in 2008, but he still wouldn’t have been an above-average MLB player.
Teej - December 1, 2008
Using WAR, he's still below average even as a DH
Jeff Sullivan - December 1, 2008
How many runs are you taking off for DH
just wondering.
Edgar for Pres - December 1, 2008
DH adjustment is -1.75 wins
http://www.insidethebook.com/ee/index.php/site/article/complete_war_2008/
Jeff Sullivan - December 1, 2008
Wasn't Ibanez over +2 wins with the bat?
Edgar for Pres - December 1, 2008
Nope
Also, are we talking about Ibanez 2008 or Ibanez going forward?
Jeff Sullivan - December 1, 2008
I thought 2008
Sorry, yeah going forward he is gonna fall off a cliff.
Edgar for Pres - December 1, 2008
All right
Raul was slightly below-average in 2008. Going forward, I expect him to get even worse.
Jeff Sullivan - December 1, 2008
yes i agree with this
you’re right, he is defensively very bad
Woodinville_12thMan - December 1, 2008
Raul was the worst defensive outfielder on the team
and he played in the biggest part of Safeco’s outfield. Any contribution he made with the bat was given right back when he took the field.
BrianL - December 1, 2008
Center field is bigger
JI - December 1, 2008
You are correct.
BrianL - December 1, 2008
Wrong
Graham MacAree - December 1, 2008
I heard he deals weed to 12-year olds.
Wilder. - December 1, 2008
I heard he beat up a 12 year old that fell behind on his weed payments.
pdb - December 1, 2008
Well, you have to teach them about good credit early. Just think if everyone learned that lesson at 12, the US finical outlook would substantially different.
InSpokane - December 1, 2008
Yay!
Goose - December 1, 2008
Oh my god we learned something
Nick S - December 1, 2008
Well, I'd say we rather brought in somebody smarter
than actually learned something since learning something means the same person has to avoid a prior mistake.
Matthew - December 1, 2008
The martial arts training taught Ibanez how to better fall and roll in the outfield, and helps him with his flexibility.
[snerk]
msb - December 1, 2008
Plus, if he ever charges the mound he can get the pitcher in a GogoPlata
Llewdor - December 2, 2008
Hahahaha
Lee Tinsley? Thats what I love about coaches, most of the time it’s a player you remember but never thought youd EVER see again.
So…Jeff Huson for 3rd base coach next year then? Is Brent Gates doing anything?
Karma Police - December 1, 2008
that's easy.
Huson is an analyst for the FSN Rockies broadcasts.
Gates is the baseball coach at Grand Rapids Christian HS. His wife coaches volleyball at East Grand Rapids HS.
msb - December 1, 2008
Hard to believe
we went from having the worst run ball club in baseball to one of the best run clubs in just a matter of a couple of months.
MfaninAlaska - December 1, 2008
I'm going to hold off on the hyperbolic "best run teams" until I see something to prove it
seattlebruin - December 1, 2008
agreed.
pdb - December 1, 2008
Me too
though it’s actually plausible that we might end up saying it. We probably won’t, though I do think we’ll at least be better than average, but I can actually see this FO being one of the best in the majors. Something to hope for, anyway — which is a nice change.
The Ancient Mariner - December 2, 2008
And to think GMZ was the last guy on the list we wanted.
I recall us all clamouring for Ng or LeCava.
Llewdor - December 2, 2008
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