Rain Delay

Graphing Jeremy Reed

Head on over to The Hardball Times, as Dave Appleman graphs out Jeremy Reed's 2005 season.

After hanging around Baseball America's top 100 prospect list for a couple years, Jeremy Reed, at only 24 years of age played his first full major league season in 2005. Compared to the small preview he gave in his 2004 big-league debut where he batted .397 in 58 at-bats, his 2005 season was, to put it nicely, sobering. In just under 500 at-bats he batted only .254 with three home runs and 12 stolen bases. Let's see if there's any chance an improved 2006 is on the horizon.

You can read the rest of the article and take a look at the graphs with the link provided above. Dave has a pretty positive outlook on Jeremy heading into the '06 season. I hope he's on to something, Jeremy sure didn't tear it up last year as expected, maybe sophomore season shows some improvement.

Here's Reed's line so far this spring: .323/.382/.581

I know it's a small sample size, but that's a pretty modest spring. He's also got 1 home run and 4 RBI's.

Top 10 Prospects: Atlanta

Over at Minor League Ball John has his Top 20 Prospects in the Braves system. Here's the Top 10.

Atlanta Braves Top 20 Prospects

1. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C, Grade A-
   
2. Chuck James, LHP, B+
   
3. Elvis Andrus, SS, B
   
4. Joey Devine, RHP, B      
   
5. Yunel Escobar, SS, B      
   
6. Max Ramirez, C, B
   
7. Eric Campbell, 3B, B
   
8. Brandon Jones, OF, B
   
9. Beau Jones, LHP, B
   
10. Anthony Lerew, RHP, B-

I can agree with that Top 10 for sure, with my main man Salty sitting at the top. There's been speculation here and there, that by the time Salty hits the major's he may no longer be a backstop. To me that would be a shame, he should be given the chance to call games at the Major League Level. Number 3 on that list is another one to look out for.

I wonder if he likes peanut butter and banana sammiches?

Fun with Numb3rs: M's Catchers

This is the first of many installments, dealing with Stats. Now let me go on the record as saying, I'm a novice when it comes to Sabermetrics but I'm learning. I'm sure you'll notice. And yes I know I spelled Numbers wrong, I got the idea from the TV show "Numb3rs".

Alright then, on with the show!

In the last couple weeks, the M's have purchased rights to two different Indy league catchers. Then lets add in that they've signed Japanese catcher and former Olympic Gold Medalist  Kenji Johjima. . You almost had to keep a flow chart, just so you'd know who was starting behind the plate and when. The M's used 7 different catchers over the course of the '05 season.

So lets take a look at who backstopped for the M's:

(I included their Value Over Replacement Player as well)

Ranking in order of the most # of Plate Appearances:
Miguel Olivo (dealt to San Diego)
157 PA .151/.172/.149/.321 OPS -12.8 VORP

Pat Borders (DFA'd)
125 PA .197/.224/.265/.489 OPS -6.6 VORP

Yorvit Torrealba (dealt to Colorado)
119 PA .241/.286/.333/.619 OPS 0.1 VORP

Rene Rivera (projected back up in  '06)
50 PA .396/.400/.521/.921 OPS 7.7 VORP

Wiki Gonzalez (Signed with the Nat's)
47 PA .267/.298/.378/.676 OPS 1.3 VORP

Miguel Ojeda (came over in deal with SD)
37 PA .172/.297/.276/.573 OPS -1.4 VORP

Dan Wilson (limited playing. Injured, now retired)
28 PA .185/.214/.185/.399 OPS -3.0 VORP

Boy that's just a motley crue now isn't it? Honestly I could stop right there, those lines alone show you just how bad the M's catchers were this season. What was really sad is that when you combined the gang of seven, this is what you got : .216, with 10 home runs and 46 RBIs. Willie Ballgame for example, hit better (not by much) than seven guys combined.

That in itself is enough to cause some panic.

Welcome to the AL West Big Hurt

The Big Hurt, Frank Thomas finds a home in Oakland.

Free agent slugger Frank Thomas agreed to a $500,000, one-year contract with Oakland on Wednesday, giving the Athletics the big bat they've been searching for in the middle of their lineup.

Thomas, a two-time American League MVP who has been slowed by injuries in recent years, can make an additional $2.6 million in bonuses based on plate appearances and not hurting his left foot. He played his first 16 seasons with the Chicago White Sox, who won their first World Series title since 1917 last season.

It's no secret that the A's could use his bat, and he'll be hitting right in the middle of the order. The key here is if,(and that's a very big IF) Thomas can keep healthy. If his foot gets the least bit cranky, it will defiantly spell disabled list. Honestly, this signing is a gamble for the A's. It could pan out, or it could go right in the toilet.

Time will tell.

The Big Hurt's Stats via The Baseball Cube