Well, not friendly necessarily but they weren't dicks like I had been led to believe.
I was also with some regulars so that might have helped. When I asked a question they were more than happy to answer which was awesome. Much better than the staff at the Monk tends to be.
Eh, nothing awful (the above comment was more of an aside)
but they’ve just never been very helpful when I ask questions about the stuff on tap. I don’t really have a problem with their bartenders, but I thought the staff at Toronado was better. And like I said, I was with regulars (who might have even been their friends) so it probably skews things a bit.
Subsequent visits dulled the experience somewhat for me. I still really like it, but for me, nothing has topped Uber’s rotating taps. Perhaps because I have more access to it, but Uber seems to get more rare imports on tap while Nado focuses a lot on SoCal breweries. That was my impression anyways, and not that that’s bad, just that it gets somewhat repetitive.
And Uber has a lot of American crafts as well. Both Uber and Toronado are fabulous, I just think Uber rotates their taps faster and gets more rare stuff, which makes it better to me.
Also, Uber is 20 minutes away and Toronado is a little further.
I'll bring you a bottle if you show up in Seattle around Opening Day
I quite enjoy Serpent’s Stout and will have you know that it doesn’t lose any of its appeal when consumed in bulk out of a growler. Even though I’m kind of stouted out at the moment, it still somehow found a way to be exactly what I wanted. Excellent masking of its strength.
I can’t figure this guy out. Everyone says he has no stuff so I’ve ignored him all Spring. And yet he had very good numbers in AA and AAA last year in a short stint.
Spiroid without the roids and Spiro, and with a much harder name to spell.
I don’t have an issue with him occupying space at the back of a rotation or in a bullpen, as long as he isn’t blocking anyone better (since if he develops into the sort of rubber armed, slightly above replacement level*, defense-dependent pitchers Spiroid was, he’d be useful, in the right situations, as long as you don’t think they are anything other than that or start paying him much above a million or two), and given that our FO is probably smart enough to try and flip him if he lucks into a season like Spiroid’s 2003, I won’t have a cow if he pitches his way onto the roster. I like the odds of being able to trade him for anything useful better than Silva’s or Beluga Tits, anyway.
*the “slightly above” is the rubber-armed part- if someone can bounce between starting and relieving, that’s handy when you have doubleheaders or need emergency starters due to injury and don’t want to blow out your bullpen.
I know Dave Cameron's going to come tell me to shut up, but I still don't buy the Spiroid comp.
One’s a flyballer throwing a FB/slider/everything else, the other’s a FB/CH guy who gets a lot of GBs.
He’s Cesar Jimenez or Rich Dorman (another converted position player). Maybe you like those guys, maybe you hate ‘em, but Jakubauskas just isn’t Spiroid.
Franklin adjusted his approach in the majors some.
Not surprising when your fastball isn’t all that and a bag of chips and you’re a righty, plus you end up in the rotation and you lose a MPH or three.
I wouldn’t get hung up on the comp in terms of the mix of they throw, and would focus more on “if he fulfills his potential, he would be _”. And yeah, that’s Ryan Franklin- a guy who’d be rotation filler in the back end of a rotation, a little bit better in the bullpen, stuff isn’t dominating, needs defense or they look terrible.
Ryan Franklin has had a 9 year MLB career and 1000+ MLB innings. Jakubauskas would probably be very, very happy to end up with a career like that. Oh and Spiroid’s career as a reliever: 24-18, 379.1 IP 3.75 ERA.
*yes, I know, ERA and W-L. sigh The point is he comes off as an effective reliever.
Just curious.
I may be biased, as ‘Spiroid’ is now an epithet for M’s fans, and because Franklin’s so close to replacement level.
Forget about pitches then, and look at batted ball type. Why not Kyle Lohse? Why not someone like Livan Hernandez (late, crappy Livan Hernandez)?
Spiroid’s career as a reliever isn’t bad, but I still don’t think it’s the best comparison.
Ryan Franklin is what he is, the same as Willie Bloomquist is: roster filler that shouldn’t stop you from improving the roster if it’s a choice between him or a more talented player, or evaluating his true talent level, but if the worst player on your roster is Ryan Franklin or WFB, and you have a number of BETTER players, he isn’t going to stop you from winning a lot of ballgames (see: Cairo, Miguel or Sojo, Luis), and can be useful in the right role.
Lohse isn’t much better, if at all, IMO (the Twins have generally had better defensive teams so a marginal defense-dependent pitcher will appear to be marginally better). Neither is craptastic Livan Hernandez.
Still didn't get into the hate. (assuming I am just not oblivious to sarcasm)
I tend to assume I don’t have the best perspective on the measure of a person compared to a front office and teammates, but maybe the Cardinals all hate his guts, save for Tony LaRussa. Maybe I’m just clueless as to why he’s WORSE THAN HITLER!!!!!111-shrug-
He largely just went out there and pitched regardless of whatever results he got. Then he got dinged for performance-enhancing drugs, coughed up 8 runs in an outing and claimed he “pitched well”. Couldn’t wait until he got out of there after that (he just had a bad attitude).
Like I said, you could say something to object to about
Freddie (Belltown carousing)
Pineiro (steroids, douchiness)
Spiroid (same)
The Bus (general douchiness)
Silva (out of shape AND douchiness)
Each of them have managed to do some things to get some element of the fan base annoyed at them. I dunno what it is, but for some reason we’ve needed to have a quotient of at least one whiny/misbehaving pitcher in the rotation the last few years.
Better/worse/whatever - my point is that there are better comparisons, in my mind.
Spiroid will always be a loaded word, and in any event he was a very different starter.
It’s actually kind of odd that he’s getting more GBs and Ks now, but yeah, he’s not the same as Lohse or Cesar Jimenez or whatever.
Lohse is underwhelming, but his FIP has been intermittently good. His ERA sucks, but blah blah ERA sucks. What you can clearly see is that Lohse is quite different (and better) compared to, oh, Jarrod Washburn, whose FIP is solidly higher and whose xFIP is replacement level. This is why GBs matter, and why I don’t think it’s all that useful to ignore if your 5th starter candidate is a flyballer versus a ground baller.
Someone’s going to bring up RRS, but clearly, things are different for Aussie lefthanders….
Weaker league, different park, maybe changed the pitching mix. I suppose I would look at the pitch mix if I cared.
I might also note that Lohse and Spiroid BOTH got time with Dave Duncan, who is notorious for bringing out improvements in pitchers (see: Stewart, Dave). He’s the one of the few pitching coaches in MLB I actually think makes a dime’s worth of difference to a player’s or team’s performance
it’s not weird that he’s getting more Ks. This is what starters DO when they move to the pen. But just that he’s getting more GBs. It may have something to do with changing from a pure change to a splitter (at least according to fangraphs). So good for him and all that.
But again, Jakubauskas /= spiroid. I’m not saying you have to think he’s actually GOOD, I just think skills/pitches are relevant.
That’s how I view him too. And hey, there is “some” value in that guy. He saves your pen in blowouts and doubleheaders or if you have a starter who needs to skip a turn. And like you said, he can be included in trades at some point if he gets lucky for a while.
Bottom line – I’ll root for Jack to keep him over Beluga
He saves your pen in blowouts and doubleheaders or if you have a starter who needs to skip a turn. And like you said, he can be included in trades at some point if he gets lucky for a while.
Those aren’t points in Jakubauskas’ favor. Those are points in pretty much everybody’s favor.
I’d rather keep him than Batista, too, but I’m not going to lose any sleep if the team believes otherwise.
But I think Batista is below replacement level at this point. So I’m rooting for Jakubauskus simply because he’s the guy supposedly competing with Batista right now.
If some other pitcher were competing against Batista, I’d root just as hard for that guy. Regardless, it’s a minor decision as you say.
I actually thought it might be nice to have him work on a slider in Tacoma. I never thought he’d make the team, and I’m OK with that. Now that he’s actually got a shot, it’s sort of odd and hilarious.
Seriously, I think if you looked, the AL bats something like .300 over the course of Spring Training. Unless you think the 2009 AL is going to play like the 1930 AL, you pretty much need to throw away ST stats (not to mention Small Sample Size Theatre).
They have their own chocolate blend. If they do the syrup for you, they did it wrong. I have had it happen to me before and I quickly get the real stuff.
Also, I like to put either an almond or hazelnut extract shot in my hot chocolate.
Some of the smaller stores do not carry the hot chocolate because they are not a full-fledged store and do not have the inventory space. They carry the best sellers and that’s it.
Lopez and Endy must have got a hold of some of that Boli stuff A-Rod talked about.
I don’t know if Balentien can do anything to earn an everyday job with Endy slapping hits every which way. And Lopez could make a run at Edgar’s single-season doubles record the way he is going.
However, a young player who is hitting 40+ doubles and less than 20 HRs has a good shot of adding 5-10 HRs as they age (it’s a very common aging pattern, and Lopez slugged pretty decently in the minors). But I’ve always thought (irrationally, I guess) Loafie had a bit more growth potential in him than CW would suggest.
Lopez did most of his damage during the WBC, not in Arizona. Pitchers certainly not in regular season form during the WBC, but they weren’t “just getting their work in,” either.
TV!
JI - March 31, 2009
!
!
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
How's the tour?
Can California handle all of your rock?
marc w - March 31, 2009
Back home now, unfortunately.
Oakland is a terrible place with an amazing scene.
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
The BART stop for the stadium is what uptight white people see before they die
Jeff Sullivan - March 31, 2009
I had to stand alone outside of a locked warehouse on San Pablo with a guitar for about 15 minutes.
I considered writing my will on a piece of litter but then I realized that the only thing I own that’s worth anything is my guitar.
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
Impressions of Toronado?
Jeff Sullivan - March 31, 2009
Quite possibly my favorite bar ever.
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
I'm more partial to Uber personally
but that might be regional bias.
Matthew - March 31, 2009
They were playing High on Fire and they had my all-time favorite band's sticker displayed prominently on the wall.
They were exceptionally friendly and really knowledgeable despite the fact that it was totally packed. I am in love.
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
They were friendly?
They were kind of dismissive and terse with us, which I liked.
Jeff Sullivan - March 31, 2009
Well, not friendly necessarily but they weren't dicks like I had been led to believe.
I was also with some regulars so that might have helped. When I asked a question they were more than happy to answer which was awesome. Much better than the staff at the Monk tends to be.
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
Weird.
I was at the monk on Friday and overheard the tender having a long beer discussion with a customer.
Matthew - March 31, 2009
There is at least one bartender who is awesome
but I generally find them to be dicks.
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
I do not interact with bar employees much, so I am not one to say otherwise.
Matthew - March 31, 2009
I don't either, but when you specialize in beer that people aren't really familiar with it should be expected that they will ask questions.
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
I agree on this.
It just would not have any impact on me personally and thus, I care little.
Matthew - March 31, 2009
I take bad customer service personally
because I have to be nice to people that are total assholes on a constant basis. It’s really not hard to be at least cordial to customers.
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
It is not, no.
What kind of behaviour have you’ve seen, because I have never had a bad experience there.
Matthew - March 31, 2009
Eh, nothing awful (the above comment was more of an aside)
but they’ve just never been very helpful when I ask questions about the stuff on tap. I don’t really have a problem with their bartenders, but I thought the staff at Toronado was better. And like I said, I was with regulars (who might have even been their friends) so it probably skews things a bit.
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
The best customer service ever lives at Lost Abbey
Matthew - March 31, 2009
Unless you're not a fan of hard core porn, of course
Graham MacAree - March 31, 2009
You were warned
Jeff Sullivan - March 31, 2009
That was only a hypothetical
Graham MacAree - March 31, 2009
Best bartenders on the planet
Jeff Sullivan - March 31, 2009
That place feels like how I want my bar/brewpub to operate.
The only thing it needed was more Czech Republic
Matthew - March 31, 2009
They had a pilsner
Jeff Sullivan - March 31, 2009
Still needs more Czech.
Matthew - March 31, 2009
I need to get on this.
How’s the food?
Teej - March 31, 2009
There was free cake!
Matthew - March 31, 2009
Cake, porn and beer.
I’m ashamed of myself for never having gone.
Teej - March 31, 2009
I'm ashamed of you too.
royalcurve - March 31, 2009
The cake was delicious until you found out the secret ingredient to the frosting
Robert - March 31, 2009
Yes, cream cheese is real secret.
Matthew - March 31, 2009
gross
Robert - March 31, 2009
?
Graham MacAree - March 31, 2009
This subthread has totally gone meta
Graham MacAree - March 31, 2009
Please stop ruining LL for me.
Robert - March 31, 2009
.
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
You should make that gif longer
or would that be too hard?
Robert - March 31, 2009
That would only be acceptable if AK1984 was running LL
Graham MacAree - March 31, 2009
I'm sure it'd go a bit longer at DRB, too.
marc w - March 31, 2009
Isn't the average DRB commenter AK without the thesaurus and malice?
Graham MacAree - March 31, 2009
I found the guy fascinating
in low doses.
AK1984 = compulsive rosterbator
DRD commenter = …
too easy?
marc w - March 31, 2009
At least it isn't sideways
JI - March 31, 2009
Could stand to be rotating though
Matthew - March 31, 2009
Perhaps on the head of a grotesque red goblin.
Teej - March 31, 2009
That's what she said.
Not Loving Batista - April 1, 2009
Perfect.
royalcurve - March 31, 2009
I woder how mant potential new users were scared away by this GT
JI - March 31, 2009
Gotta fight the Yahoo invasion somehow.
Teej - March 31, 2009
I wonder how many new users we gained
who are bored out of their minds every day.
marc w - March 31, 2009
No food
just beer (for unthinkably cheap)
Jeff Sullivan - March 31, 2009
Seriously it's just a warehouse with a bar in it
Jeff Sullivan - March 31, 2009
With the best bar ever in it
Graham MacAree - March 31, 2009
Also, the warehouse itself was nice.
Matthew - March 31, 2009
I want him to be my new uncle.
Robert - March 31, 2009
Better than the group of twats in the back.
“Oh! You work in technology too!!”
Matthew - March 31, 2009
I loved Toronado my first time there too.
Subsequent visits dulled the experience somewhat for me. I still really like it, but for me, nothing has topped Uber’s rotating taps. Perhaps because I have more access to it, but Uber seems to get more rare imports on tap while Nado focuses a lot on SoCal breweries. That was my impression anyways, and not that that’s bad, just that it gets somewhat repetitive.
Matthew - March 31, 2009
I can see that.
I also haven’t been to Uber yet (which I feel like a total lameo for) and tend to prefer American craft beer to imports.
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
Holy shit, really? (to the first part)
Matthew - March 31, 2009
Yeah, I know.
I’m going to try to go some time this week before school starts again.
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
Dogfish 120 will be on tap sometime this Spring
so I’ve heard.
On tap!
And Uber has a lot of American crafts as well. Both Uber and Toronado are fabulous, I just think Uber rotates their taps faster and gets more rare stuff, which makes it better to me.
Also, Uber is 20 minutes away and Toronado is a little further.
Matthew - March 31, 2009
120 on tap is either the best or worst idea in history.
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
I hope they're planning to erect a police station and jail nextdoor
Jeff Sullivan - March 31, 2009
It's on Aurora so they're covered.
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
They'll just blend in with the normal Green Lake crowd.
Matthew - March 31, 2009
That sounds horrifying and epic at the same time
Graham MacAree - March 31, 2009
!
Robert - March 31, 2009
Jeff Sullivan - March 31, 2009
The world isn't black and white Jeff
Matthew - March 31, 2009
The world of Cable Car is blue and amber
Jeff Sullivan - March 31, 2009
It certainly looks like there are other colors on that label.
Matthew - March 31, 2009
Earth is blue and green from a distance
Jeff Sullivan - March 31, 2009
I see some white.
Matthew - March 31, 2009
Of course you do you Klansman
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
Fuck. Late again!
johnbai - March 31, 2009
How dare you discriminate against the retarded
Graham MacAree - March 31, 2009
That's probably all you see
cuz you’re a racist!
johnbai - March 31, 2009
What's important is that Toronado is amazing
Jeff Sullivan - March 31, 2009
"I still really like it"
Matthew - March 31, 2009
I get the feeling like it's difficult to get served at Uber when there's a crowd on hand
Jeff Sullivan - March 31, 2009
I have found it much easier than Toronado when there's a crowd.
Matthew - March 31, 2009
Getting a drink at Toronado is damn easy
At least the Toronado down here.
Jeff Sullivan - March 31, 2009
Not so much in S.F., but it was packed.
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
It is not overly difficult, no.
But it can involve waiting for people to clear the bar area. It is the same at Uber except there is generally less people and more bar area.
Matthew - March 31, 2009
More bar area?
The picture of Uber in my head must be incorrect.
Jeff Sullivan - March 31, 2009
In terms of ratio.
Uber’s capacity is smaller by say 50, but it’s bar area is only 33 smaller than Toronado.
Matthew - March 31, 2009
As long as we can all agree that Brouwer's blows goats.
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
Meh.
Overrated, but it certainly has its place. And the last couple times I have been there the music situation has been far better than before.
Matthew - March 31, 2009
I can't imagine choosing to go there for any reason other than a festival
but I hate Fremont so that factors in as well.
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
I do not understand this.
But I do not work in Fremont.
Matthew - March 31, 2009
I hate Fremont after 6:00 PM.
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
I only go there to drink.
Matthew - March 31, 2009
Clearly I just need to go back to Uber
Jeff Sullivan - March 31, 2009
NB: I may be completely delusional.
Matthew - March 31, 2009
I shall be your scientist
Jeff Sullivan - March 31, 2009
I hope they have 120 on tap when you visit.
Objective measurements ahoy!
Matthew - March 31, 2009
uBER ist beets
Jeff Sullivan - March 31, 2009
I wonder if they'll serve it in shakers.
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
Will you be a scientist who understands the difference between ratio and percentage?
Graham MacAree - March 31, 2009
There were percent signs in my comment. SBN ate them.
Matthew - March 31, 2009
My family's from Oakland, so I'll always have a soft spot for the place.
And that BART stop has nothing on a few others in that burg. I’m sure rc’s got a top 5 list.
marc w - March 31, 2009
I've only ever been to that one because I am an uptight white person
Jeff Sullivan - March 31, 2009
I do indeed.
royalcurve - March 31, 2009
Lake Merritt or MacArthur?
marc w - March 31, 2009
Fruitvale.
royalcurve - March 31, 2009
I think I know that one. I'm forgetting one that was kind of sketchy, too....
maybe it’s Fruitvale.
marc w - March 31, 2009
Fruitvale is the stop just before the Oakland stadium.
Very, very sketchy. My apartment was 4 blocks away. HYPHY!
royalcurve - March 31, 2009
Did you get your CDs in PDX?
marc w - March 31, 2009
Nope :/
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
I love Oakland, but I understand why you'd feel that way.
You’re right about the scene.
royalcurve - March 31, 2009
Four different people asked me if I had any methadone for sale.
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
Well, see, they asked.
They could have just demanded some.
royalcurve - March 31, 2009
I had no idea people used methadone recreationally.
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
Also how the fuck did I go to the East Bay and not go to the Asteroid Cafe?
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
I imagine there are quite a few places you could have or should have gone to.
royalcurve - March 31, 2009
Southern California are a bunch of dicks for hoarding all of the Speedway Stout.
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
owned
Jeff Sullivan - March 31, 2009
OK, that's about enough with the "owned" comments
Did you recently start playing video games on line or something?
johnbai - March 31, 2009
possessed
Jeff Sullivan - March 31, 2009
emancipated!
Am I doing it right?
Matthew - March 31, 2009
Better
:)
johnbai - March 31, 2009
Remind me and I'll bring you a bottle in two weeks
Jeff Sullivan - March 31, 2009
Note to everyone else: this is LLLJ and I am not a role model
Jeff Sullivan - March 31, 2009
I'll let it slide if you bring me a bottle too.
Oh, and Jeff, what do YOU think of Serpent’s stout?
marc w - March 31, 2009
I'll bring you a bottle if you show up in Seattle around Opening Day
I quite enjoy Serpent’s Stout and will have you know that it doesn’t lose any of its appeal when consumed in bulk out of a growler. Even though I’m kind of stouted out at the moment, it still somehow found a way to be exactly what I wanted. Excellent masking of its strength.
Jeff Sullivan - March 31, 2009
*Home Opening Day
Jeff Sullivan - March 31, 2009
BTW, I was wrong. You can get that in Seattle.
Matthew - March 31, 2009
Bottleworks?
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
Yes.
Though they did not have any as of 3 hours ago. They did have it a few weeks back.
Matthew - March 31, 2009
Did you happen to notice whether they had Serpent's Stout?
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
I vaguely remember seeing something along those lines
Robert - March 31, 2009
That is what I am referring to.
Matthew - March 31, 2009
Whoops a doodle.
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
I got Serpent's Stout in Olympia,
so if you’re ever visiting folks down there, it was at Gravity.
marc w - March 31, 2009
I'd like some tonight is the thing.
Maybe Greenwood Market…
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
I'd been in a stout drought, so it hit the spot.
Though I thought it changed markedly between the first sip and the last. Maybe it was I who had changed between ml1 and ml750…..
Yes, it masked its strength quite well.
marc w - March 31, 2009
This sounds like all of my experiences with it
Jeff Sullivan - March 31, 2009
Similar to my experiences with Old(er) Viscosity, in fact
Jeff Sullivan - March 31, 2009
I had never even heard of this before going to The Blind Lady.
I was very impressed.
Teej - March 31, 2009
I LEARNED IT FROM YOU, DAD!
eponymous_coward - March 31, 2009
Learned it from *watching* you.
Is the quote.
Matthew - March 31, 2009
Thanks for the dedication to accuracy.
I’ll need to remember this for next time.
eponymous_coward - March 31, 2009
Further correction:
learned it by watching you.
Matthew - March 31, 2009
I know, huh.
marc w - March 31, 2009
Now would be a good time to turn those tv links blue.
JI - March 31, 2009
Yeah, wtf?
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
I WANT A REFUND
JI - March 31, 2009
He's also our top RH SP prospect, should we need one in 2009.
…
eponymous_coward - March 31, 2009
I'm telling all y'all. Get on the bandwagon now.
The Jakubauskas dreamy-liner is an express train, so don’t delay.
marc w - March 31, 2009
Every time I see that name I think:
JI - March 31, 2009
HI, ERIC!
http://www.lookoutlanding.com/2009/3/18/802886/on-spring-surprises#13198310
But you included a picture, so I’m pleased.
Teej - March 31, 2009
Hanging around, hanging around
Kid’s got alligator blood… can’t get rid of him.
lemonverbena - March 31, 2009
3 strikeouts, 1 inning
Who needs Morrow when you have talent like that
Malcontent1 - March 31, 2009
Ooooh, Jakubauskas strikes out the side.
Yeeeesss, Cleveland, send lefties to face Jakubauskas…
marc w - March 31, 2009
This can be the key to his success
for like a month or two before everyone with a spinal chord figures it out.
Bearskin Rugburn - March 31, 2009
About Jakubauskas
I can’t figure this guy out. Everyone says he has no stuff so I’ve ignored him all Spring. And yet he had very good numbers in AA and AAA last year in a short stint.
http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=paL07539&position=P
What am I missing? Why can’t this guy be a long relief/mopup guy?
gustafm - March 31, 2009
You're not missing anything. Yes, he can be a long reliever.
He doesn’t have overwhelming stuff, but he’s got a nice change up. That means he often lacks a pitch to get righties.
marc w - March 31, 2009
Or... THE SECOND COMING OF JAMIE MOYER!!!!11!!
johnbai - March 31, 2009
He can. And realistically. that's what he is...
Spiroid without the roids and Spiro, and with a much harder name to spell.
I don’t have an issue with him occupying space at the back of a rotation or in a bullpen, as long as he isn’t blocking anyone better (since if he develops into the sort of rubber armed, slightly above replacement level*, defense-dependent pitchers Spiroid was, he’d be useful, in the right situations, as long as you don’t think they are anything other than that or start paying him much above a million or two), and given that our FO is probably smart enough to try and flip him if he lucks into a season like Spiroid’s 2003, I won’t have a cow if he pitches his way onto the roster. I like the odds of being able to trade him for anything useful better than Silva’s or Beluga Tits, anyway.
*the “slightly above” is the rubber-armed part- if someone can bounce between starting and relieving, that’s handy when you have doubleheaders or need emergency starters due to injury and don’t want to blow out your bullpen.
eponymous_coward - March 31, 2009
I know Dave Cameron's going to come tell me to shut up, but I still don't buy the Spiroid comp.
One’s a flyballer throwing a FB/slider/everything else, the other’s a FB/CH guy who gets a lot of GBs.
He’s Cesar Jimenez or Rich Dorman (another converted position player). Maybe you like those guys, maybe you hate ‘em, but Jakubauskas just isn’t Spiroid.
marc w - March 31, 2009
Franklin adjusted his approach in the majors some.
Not surprising when your fastball isn’t all that and a bag of chips and you’re a righty, plus you end up in the rotation and you lose a MPH or three.
I wouldn’t get hung up on the comp in terms of the mix of they throw, and would focus more on “if he fulfills his potential, he would be _”. And yeah, that’s Ryan Franklin- a guy who’d be rotation filler in the back end of a rotation, a little bit better in the bullpen, stuff isn’t dominating, needs defense or they look terrible.
eponymous_coward - March 31, 2009
And by that I mean...
Ryan Franklin has had a 9 year MLB career and 1000+ MLB innings. Jakubauskas would probably be very, very happy to end up with a career like that. Oh and Spiroid’s career as a reliever: 24-18, 379.1 IP 3.75 ERA.
*yes, I know, ERA and W-L.
sighThe point is he comes off as an effective reliever.eponymous_coward - March 31, 2009
Why do you say that?
Just curious.
I may be biased, as ‘Spiroid’ is now an epithet for M’s fans, and because Franklin’s so close to replacement level.
Forget about pitches then, and look at batted ball type. Why not Kyle Lohse? Why not someone like Livan Hernandez (late, crappy Livan Hernandez)?
Spiroid’s career as a reliever isn’t bad, but I still don’t think it’s the best comparison.
marc w - March 31, 2009
I never got into the Spiroid hate.
Ryan Franklin is what he is, the same as Willie Bloomquist is: roster filler that shouldn’t stop you from improving the roster if it’s a choice between him or a more talented player, or evaluating his true talent level, but if the worst player on your roster is Ryan Franklin or WFB, and you have a number of BETTER players, he isn’t going to stop you from winning a lot of ballgames (see: Cairo, Miguel or Sojo, Luis), and can be useful in the right role.
Lohse isn’t much better, if at all, IMO (the Twins have generally had better defensive teams so a marginal defense-dependent pitcher will appear to be marginally better). Neither is craptastic Livan Hernandez.
eponymous_coward - March 31, 2009
Ryan Franklin is a despicable human being.
That’s where the hate comes from.
Matthew - March 31, 2009
It's not his fault Beltre had to sit him down
he was roid-raging.
johnbai - March 31, 2009
Still didn't get into the hate. (assuming I am just not oblivious to sarcasm)
I tend to assume I don’t have the best perspective on the measure of a person compared to a front office and teammates, but maybe the Cardinals all hate his guts, save for Tony LaRussa. Maybe I’m just clueless as to why he’s WORSE THAN HITLER!!!!!111-shrug-
eponymous_coward - March 31, 2009
You are exaggerating our distaste
Jeff Sullivan - March 31, 2009
He was Washburn before Washburn except worse.
All he ever did was bitch about his run support.
Matthew - March 31, 2009
Or Silva, or Pineiro, or (fill in the blank)
We seem to have a recurring issue with whiny pitchers.
eponymous_coward - March 31, 2009
I tried to sympathize with Franklin.
He largely just went out there and pitched regardless of whatever results he got. Then he got dinged for performance-enhancing drugs, coughed up 8 runs in an outing and claimed he “pitched well”. Couldn’t wait until he got out of there after that (he just had a bad attitude).
ThundaPC - March 31, 2009
Like I said, you could say something to object to about
Freddie (Belltown carousing)
Pineiro (steroids, douchiness)
Spiroid (same)
The Bus (general douchiness)
Silva (out of shape AND douchiness)
Each of them have managed to do some things to get some element of the fan base annoyed at them. I dunno what it is, but for some reason we’ve needed to have a quotient of at least one whiny/misbehaving pitcher in the rotation the last few years.
eponymous_coward - March 31, 2009
Fuck Ryan Franklin
JI - March 31, 2009
Better/worse/whatever - my point is that there are better comparisons, in my mind.
Spiroid will always be a loaded word, and in any event he was a very different starter.
It’s actually kind of odd that he’s getting more GBs and Ks now, but yeah, he’s not the same as Lohse or Cesar Jimenez or whatever.
Lohse is underwhelming, but his FIP has been intermittently good. His ERA sucks, but blah blah ERA sucks. What you can clearly see is that Lohse is quite different (and better) compared to, oh, Jarrod Washburn, whose FIP is solidly higher and whose xFIP is replacement level. This is why GBs matter, and why I don’t think it’s all that useful to ignore if your 5th starter candidate is a flyballer versus a ground baller.
Someone’s going to bring up RRS, but clearly, things are different for Aussie lefthanders….
marc w - March 31, 2009
I don't think it's odd.
Weaker league, different park, maybe changed the pitching mix. I suppose I would look at the pitch mix if I cared.
I might also note that Lohse and Spiroid BOTH got time with Dave Duncan, who is notorious for bringing out improvements in pitchers (see: Stewart, Dave). He’s the one of the few pitching coaches in MLB I actually think makes a dime’s worth of difference to a player’s or team’s performance
eponymous_coward - March 31, 2009
I should say
it’s not weird that he’s getting more Ks. This is what starters DO when they move to the pen. But just that he’s getting more GBs. It may have something to do with changing from a pure change to a splitter (at least according to fangraphs). So good for him and all that.
But again, Jakubauskas /= spiroid. I’m not saying you have to think he’s actually GOOD, I just think skills/pitches are relevant.
marc w - March 31, 2009
That is a good writeup
That’s how I view him too. And hey, there is “some” value in that guy. He saves your pen in blowouts and doubleheaders or if you have a starter who needs to skip a turn. And like you said, he can be included in trades at some point if he gets lucky for a while.
Bottom line – I’ll root for Jack to keep him over Beluga
gustafm - March 31, 2009
One critique:
Those aren’t points in Jakubauskas’ favor. Those are points in pretty much everybody’s favor.
I’d rather keep him than Batista, too, but I’m not going to lose any sleep if the team believes otherwise.
Jeff Sullivan - March 31, 2009
Yeah, that's where I'm at.
Replacement talent is replacement talent.
eponymous_coward - March 31, 2009
I won't lose sleep
But I think Batista is below replacement level at this point. So I’m rooting for Jakubauskus simply because he’s the guy supposedly competing with Batista right now.
If some other pitcher were competing against Batista, I’d root just as hard for that guy. Regardless, it’s a minor decision as you say.
gustafm - March 31, 2009
I haven't been paying attention- is his velocity OK?
Last year he was not only missing continents, he was down a few MPH. If he’s still throwing 87-90… ugh.
eponymous_coward - March 31, 2009
To put my fanboy persona on hold here,
I actually thought it might be nice to have him work on a slider in Tacoma. I never thought he’d make the team, and I’m OK with that. Now that he’s actually got a shot, it’s sort of odd and hilarious.
marc w - March 31, 2009
2 of his 4 strikouts were against right handed batters
Malcontent1 - March 31, 2009
Nice.
I’m just happy to see the K’s back against anyone after he started the spring as a (successful) pitch-to-contact guy.
marc w - March 31, 2009
THE GRAND BRANYAN
FUNK BLAST!
bluemax - March 31, 2009
I love that big ox. It'll be fun (and sometimes infuriating) to watch that guy hit this year.
gustafm - March 31, 2009
Another Branyan Blast!!!
I wanna have relations with him… 2 more today…
gustafm - March 31, 2009
Ah Wilson Valdez....
I remember when we all looked forward to Mike Morse at SS because we were sick and tired of you.
marc w - March 31, 2009
I remember when he hit that ball to right field
Jeff Sullivan - March 31, 2009
I remember him telling Ron and Dave that his goal was hitting .300 for the year.
Well, his OPS was over .300, so he had that going for him.
marc w - March 31, 2009
What channel is this on? I can't find it.
royalcurve - March 31, 2009
Looks like Cleveland's FSN.
At least that is what MLB.tv is broadcasting.
Wilder. - March 31, 2009
CEDENO FOR SS!
Wilder. - March 31, 2009
hahah
If he hits grand slams every day, then yes.
gustafm - March 31, 2009
Or if he doesn't play defence like a paraplegic camel.
Graham MacAree - March 31, 2009
Is that Yuni's new nickname?
eponymous_coward - March 31, 2009
Or an orangutan with spina bifida.
royalcurve - March 31, 2009
I think even a regular camel would be bad at shortstop defense
Jeff Sullivan - March 31, 2009
GRAND BRANYAN PART II
Wilder. - March 31, 2009
What a silly game.
msb - March 31, 2009
So our offense doesn't appear to be our problem this year.
But then again, pitchers have been getting lit up all Spring. This offense gaining confidence isn’t such a bad thing, though.
Wilder. - March 31, 2009
Hello spring training/AZ stats
Seriously, I think if you looked, the AL bats something like .300 over the course of Spring Training. Unless you think the 2009 AL is going to play like the 1930 AL, you pretty much need to throw away ST stats (not to mention Small Sample Size Theatre).
eponymous_coward - March 31, 2009
Pfft, the Mariners are going to score 7.4 runs a game this season.
Junior is back!
Wilder. - March 31, 2009
Unfortunately, so is Safeco.
Or so the commercials tell me.
eponymous_coward - March 31, 2009
Together we can win!
Wilder. - March 31, 2009
I can't wait to see the 1199th run cross the plate.
joof - March 31, 2009
McCafe?
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
.
McCafe
?s have delicious coffee?Corco - March 31, 2009
I haven't had anything from McDonald's in about four years
but from what I’ve heard their coffee is actually pretty decent. They apparently beat Starbucks and Tully’s in a Consumer Report’s survey.
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
I've enjoyed it as much as Starbucks in limited samplings
Corco - March 31, 2009
Which is just absolutely hilarious to me.
Way to be awful Starbucks.
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
Starbucks is the most overrated coffee anywhere ever
Corco - March 31, 2009
It's their hot chocolate that's really amazing.
Wilder. - March 31, 2009
Their hot chocolate
isn’t it just steamed milk and nestle syrup?
bluemax - March 31, 2009
No.
They have their own chocolate blend. If they do the syrup for you, they did it wrong. I have had it happen to me before and I quickly get the real stuff.
Also, I like to put either an almond or hazelnut extract shot in my hot chocolate.
Wilder. - March 31, 2009
I'm just going off what the pseudo star bucks
on campus did.
bluemax - March 31, 2009
That's probably it, then.
Some of the smaller stores do not carry the hot chocolate because they are not a full-fledged store and do not have the inventory space. They carry the best sellers and that’s it.
Wilder. - March 31, 2009
What's funny is that when I'm anywhere along the I-5 corridor I scoff at its mere mention
but as soon as I venture away it becomes a shining beacon of light and representation of all that is right in the world.
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
Based on a sample size of two it is bad
Jeff Sullivan - March 31, 2009
Lopez and Endy must have got a hold of some of that Boli stuff A-Rod talked about.
I don’t know if Balentien can do anything to earn an everyday job with Endy slapping hits every which way. And Lopez could make a run at Edgar’s single-season doubles record the way he is going.
Wilder. - March 31, 2009
If Jose's performance is the result of development as opposed to SSS I will cream myself.
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
RC baiting.
royalcurve - March 31, 2009
I sure hope it is.
The change in his batting stance makes it even more SSS, but it also might be the element that takes his game to the next level.
Wilder. - March 31, 2009
Once again, hellllooooo AZ stats!
However, a young player who is hitting 40+ doubles and less than 20 HRs has a good shot of adding 5-10 HRs as they age (it’s a very common aging pattern, and Lopez slugged pretty decently in the minors). But I’ve always thought (irrationally, I guess) Loafie had a bit more growth potential in him than CW would suggest.
eponymous_coward - March 31, 2009
Well...
Lopez did most of his damage during the WBC, not in Arizona. Pitchers certainly not in regular season form during the WBC, but they weren’t “just getting their work in,” either.
He looks good and let’s hope it’s the real deal.
Wilder. - March 31, 2009
certainly are not
Wilder. - March 31, 2009
Yeah he had 41 doubles last year, right?
And 17 homers. Considering he’s 25 years old, he could get to 25 and 45 in his prime.
gustafm - March 31, 2009
I don't know if I'd go there.
Generally, you gain the homers but lose the doubles as the aging curve goes.
eponymous_coward - March 31, 2009
Ahhh interesting
Makes sense
gustafm - March 31, 2009
"Stop sucking, Olson!"
They should put together sound bites from the fans at Spring training.
Wilder. - March 31, 2009
Hey, it's Johan Limonta!
Haven’t heard from him since that disastrous performance in the Hawaiian Winter league.
marc w - March 31, 2009
Hey look Valdez still sucks.
Aaron Campeau - March 31, 2009
Morrow in.
Dream Over.
ThundaPC - March 31, 2009
Morrowtime bitches
JI - March 31, 2009
LOOK WHO WAS SUPPORTIVE
TURN THIS GREEN!!! TURN THIS GREEN!!! TURN THIS GREEN!!!
JI - March 31, 2009
I am supportive of you, JI.
royalcurve - March 31, 2009
Panic!
shinallsrevenge - March 31, 2009
Crack!
Big Jared - March 31, 2009
Like you could tell from reading this thread
but Russ Branyan is a pimp
JI - March 31, 2009
Tony Graffanino?
Really?
marc w - March 31, 2009
Is the game over?
d0nkey - March 31, 2009
You must Login with your SB Nation account and be a member of Lookout Landing to post a comment.