Pheasants

A question: What is the definition of an infield single? I had assumed it was a ball that the infielder could reach but couldn't throw the runner out at first. But in the first inning, Game Cast says Alberto hit an infield single and the right fielder made a fielding error. So is it just a ground ball that goes for a hit?

I like that one better. It's closely dependent on the speed rather than on the quality of the hitter behind the runner. On the other hand, I keep slapping myself to wake up after arguing with Drungo. I consider you the most knowledgeable person on this board.

Sorry, I won't buy this even though I'm on the pro-fast guy side. Because of tradition of having the fast guy at the top of the order or batting ninth, he's more likely to be followed by the better hitters in the lineup who drive him in. The slow guys like Castillo, Davis are more likely to be at the bottom of the good hitter group and thus followed by players who are less likely to follow their hit with another hit. If Castillo was batting 6th and followed by Davis and then another player batting .230 (I was going to use Ruiz, but Sunday he proved the exception), he's not likely to score, whereas an Alberto being followed by a Santandar and Iglesias (just using this year's averages) is more likely to score. It goes back to why OBP and SLG replaced the counting stats as the better measures of hitting.

With the streak, 10 home runs and 27 RBIs (both tied for the league lead with Abreu), he did not even get honorable mention in the first month MVP article of CBSsports--neither did Abreu.

I thought Hyde tried too hard to get an extra inning out of Milone and then--possibly because we were so far behind--an extra inning out of Akin. If he had pulled Milone it still would have been a close game, and Milone did not look good enough the inning before to deserve another inning. For Akin, it would have been simply a matter of how well he felt about his outing.

We want him to to hit to Center to Left Field in order to not hit into the shift. If he has made a decision to swing slightly later, more power to him. In his best years, he had a lot of HRs to the opposite field. If the other team has to quit shifting, so much the better.

Tony, Are you keeping a stat sheet anywhere we can look. I was thinking this would not be very interesting since it just used old stats. We couldn't see if Davis really got better, etc., but I may get hooked.

The more Davis goes oppo, the more I like it. In his best years he did it a lot; in his worst he tried to pull everything--right into the shift.

One of my points has been how do you know which of the 300 are going to develop into the best janitors and get to clean the major league locker rooms? The sooner you have to make that decision, the sooner you are likely to discard someone who could have been good. And the playing field for 18 or 21 year olds isn't even. For instance, people from northern states get less year-round opportunity. As you read the descriptions of draftees, you see words like raw more commonly used for northerners. Do we give them a chance to develop? I've seen high school soccer coaches who only want players who play all year on travel teams so they make the judgment of potential at 14 when really they are looking at training and experience (and no not everyone had the option of playing for travel teams; they cost money). Is that what baseball should be like? I'd rather see more possible players given the opportunity to develop with good coaching than to decide at 18 or 21 or 23 that this is all a player will ever be and discard him. Two years ago, how many people would have included Means in the throwaway pile?

You seem to be agreeing with me; $3.75 million is less that what the teams pay for a few players in the majors--it's less than for one! Paying 250 people a living wage, say $50,000, would be $12.5 million; still low compared to mlb salaries. I see no reason why a major league player would see that raise as a reason for them to ask for more money except maybe a few thousand more for the rookies coming up. A guy making 5 million a year should not be saying I deserve 5 million plus 50,000.

I was surprised to see McKenna ranked equally to Diaz and Hayes, especially the latter. He doe not seem to get the same respect here.

I grew up in Aberdeen, South Dakota. I saw Palmer, Watt, Etchebarren and Belanger before they were Orioles. I also saw Scruggs, Rathbun, Rouse and Mazzerelli, who never made it. I enjoyed them all. For 40 plus years now there has not been a farm club in Aberdeen. The nearest baseball is Minneapolis. So I would like more minor leagues, but I understand the economics (and Aberdeen I'm told was disliked by black players as an all white town). But I don't see a reason for cutting further, and I don't see the logic in assuming that someone coming out of college is all he is ever likely to be. Remember under the new scheme Toby Welk would never be drafted; yet he's looked good so far. The major league teams spend less on their entire farm systems than they do on a few players in the majors. If they are losing money, it is not because of the minors but because of bad decisions elsewhere. Yet this is a "good" place to cut because the people who live near the big league stadium don't care, the major leaguers who run the union don't care, the media who cover the majors don't care, the owners can slip a few dollars in their pockets, and the people who do care can be labeled dreamers and mopers and unrealistic.

Realism v. romanticism--no starving ball players, no starving artists, no starving writers, no place in the world for dreams. Either you are ready at 18-21 to amaze the world or you should go drive a truck. Only the elite get a chance to prove they belong in the superelite.

Thank you

I hate to complain about a fantastic effort, but I wish Luke had put age and the last level they were at with each player. For pitchers, I'm more interested in guys who were AAA so they can step in right away--McGill, Hill, Sharp. Maybe a AA guy. Infielders I'm OK with projects or ready players--Hernandez or Fermin would be possible. I would not look at an outfielder at all.

Sorry, I did not realize how old your comment was.

Batting .300 is not a guy who "only hit(s) home runs." You ignore half of the comment.

Total agreement.

If the draft had been down to the proposed 20 rounds, no one would have ever heard of him. I really have to root for guys likie him.

With Ynoa and Brooks gone, Hess is the left over long man.

It would not surprise me if a goal--and a result--is to increase the number of students going to college. Only expected stars would get drafted out of high school while MLB lets the colleges develop everyone else as is done in football and basketball. It would be bad for college academics and for the prospects who aren't really interested in being students, but that's no skin off the owners. About 80% of players would enter the minors at age 21 and get at most 3 years to make the majors or become AAAA.

Recently, there has been more concern for maintaining a higher on-base percentage even if it means not swinging for the fences every time up. OH seems to have accepted that you can't hit Earl Weaver specials (3-run home runs) with no one on base. The mere fact that McKenna is being criticized for changing to a power swing which hurt the rest of his game is a sign of enlightenment.

I keep wondering if he changed his swing on his own or if he was told by the coaches to try to hit for more power. I think anyone reading OH or other baseball writings over the last few years would believe that the only way to be a starter in the majors is to hit for power. That attitude finally began changing on OH within the last year, but most people still seem to be stuck on wanting a leadoff hitter who adds 20+ home runs. Did McKenna think he had to change?

Welk did so well this year, but Gunnar is considered the likely 3rd baseman of the future and makes the top 10 for Tony and Luke. What will Welk have to do to stay ahead (he was basically a level above) or get ahead (in the rankings)? Does he have a shot at the majors or is he likely to be only a throw in for a trade?

I saw Hayes at Norfolk steal second with a full slide and go home when the ball went into centerfield. He's fast.