A huge workload alone can't account for a decline like that. I just can't see that. Yeah, really. I think it's a hands-down observation. Not even Ronnie Brown has anything on Dontrelle Willis.
Why not? Many people are perfectly inclined to pin Mark Prior's sudden decline on the 211.3 innings he threw as a 22 year old for the Cubs. Why wouldn't a much bigger workload do the trick? If you look at Willis' K rate, the drop after 2005 is very consistent, and rather alarming. Throw in the similarly increased BB rate, and I think there's ample statistical evidence to say that he did, unfortunately, peak as a 23 year old.
I agree. Having been a pitcher I can def see workload as a major factor to his decline. Ive always felt another reason for his inconsistency is his throwing motion. Too many moving parts for my taste. Hopefully he is willing to work on his mechanics in the minors. Comebacks like this are not unprecedented, Roy Halladay made a nice return after revamping his delivery.
A nasty rumor I heard today, and please take with a grain of salt, but apparently the Dodgers are going to try and start WINNING games. I don't know though. This is something I will have to see to believe.
Although I question the validity and sanity of your source, I guess its not completely out of the question. Joe Torre needs to stop drinking wheat grass and writing scripts and light a fire under that teams ***.
Shaq is damn near the bottom of the list, accompanied by the likes of Cecil Collins. D-Train is what Jason Taylor tries to pass himself off as. I don't think the workload alone can account for the decline. I think the workload may have been the catalyst for a decline, but now it's just a matter of mechanics and getting away from what he used to do well. I think if he's somehow able to take a season off to sort of rebuild, he can return to form.
Okay, now I KNOW you are talking silly talk with the JT thing What about Don Shula Bob Griese Larry Csonka John Offerdahl Little Nick Bounticonti D-Wayde Nat Moore Crash Jensen Zach Thomas This list could go on and on and on and on........
Taylor was never arrested to my knowledge. I always thought Willis was a bit overrated. He had one great year. I'm not sure what criteria one uses to describe what the best pro-athlete looks like, but i cant imagine Willis winning out in that argument. I'm sure Detroit would love to ship him back to Miami though
No, I'm not. All significant figures in Miami sports history, all very talented players, all legends in one way or another. But Dontrelle Willis' personality still shines above them all. Again, the only person who approaches D-Train in this category is Ronnie Brown.
No diss-respect, but I notice the two that you are choosing are obviously from your generation. I absolutely Love Ronnie Brown and what he brings, but to say he overshadows ANY of those on my list is pure poppycock Dontrelle Willis was a trooper, but so were any/all that I posted. Nobody and I mean NOBODY put more on the line with less talent every single week than Jim Crash Jensen. He was a QB in College, and played every position on the Offensive side except for Tackle, Guard and Center. Nick Bounticonti was a very very small man in regards to playing MLB. Didnt stop him and all he did was spearhead a group of unknown players (Hence the No-name Defense) to Stardom. Without Nick and his guys, 17-0 NEVER wouldve happened, and make zero mistakes Nick WAS the defensive QB....oh, and he has done as much in the community as ANYBODY, especially with the troubles his son Mark has had with paralysis....oh, and on top of all of this, he is also a lawyer Where do I even start With Shula and Marino?
Wow, I would have to disagree a billion times over. When making the list of South Flroida athletes, I think the list starts with Miami Dolphins and continues on through a bunch more Dolphins, sprinkle in an Alonzo Mourning and perhaps a Jeff Conine and then, and only then can you start to talk about someone like Dontrelle.
The problem here is that the three of you think I'm talking about athletic skill and on-field prowess. I'm talking about quality of personality and genuineness as a human being. That has nothing to do with athletic ability. Dontrelle is hardly the best sports player ever to sign with a Miami-based team.
Have to wonder if Hafner gets moved with him either in the same deal or separately. Garko looks to be pretty good and they have some kids in their system who could be middle of the order bats....
The Daily Herald reports that the Mariners plan on releasing Richie Sexson. Interim GM Lee Pelekoudas held meetings with club executives on Tuesday to discuss the final 3 1/2 months of the season, and according to one person familiar with the planned moves, Sexson will be let go within days. He's making $14 million in the final year of his four-year, $50 million deal. Jun. 18 - 12:19 pm et Rotoworld.com
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Braves are interested in Randy Winn. The 34-year-old Winn is hitting .298/.359/.447 and can play all three outfield spots, so he figures to be an attractive option for contending teams leading up to the July 31 trading deadline. He's making $8 million this season and will get $8.25 million in 2009, but has a limited no-trade clause. Rotoworld.com The Chicago Tribune speculates that the Cubs may have called Matt Murton up from Triple-A to showcase him for a possible trade. That would probably be best for Murton, who deserves far better treatment than the Cubs have given him. The newspaper highlights Boston as a possible destination for Murton, suggesting Murton and Rich Hill for Coco Crisp as a potential deal. Murton was acquired from the Red Sox in the Nomar Garciaparra trade back in 2004. Rotoworld.com
Ya, i can just see the Cubs running to give up a young pitcher who has shown he can pitch well at the MLB level and is down in the minors basically fine tuning. Especially for Coco Crisp. Murton for Crisp alone is overpayment. Murton is a pretty decent prospect still, hes just on Lou's poop list.
Lou Piniella hates young players and is indifferent to plate patience. That sums up Murton's problems in a nutshell. I could see them trading Murton for Crisp, just because of Sweet Lou's love for those Proven Veterans, but it would be a stupid deal. And it would be downright ridiculous if they sent Hill along with him. Actually, Murton is a guy who could help the Mets, who are in dire need of corner OFs who can actually swing the bat. What about Endy Chavez, who's the speedy, defensive OF that Piniella seems to be looking for (why else would you want Crisp?)?
I think we are witnessing the death of the pure Home Run hitter. Guys like Cecil Fielder, Adam Dunn, Richie Sexson, Tony Clark, Sosa, McGwire etc. are slowly starting to fade into oblivion IMO. Ryan Howard will fall into that category if he doesnt watch out. I believe now that the steroid era is over you're going to see alot more Josh Hamiltons, Lance Berkmans, and Matt Hollidays. Guys that hit .330 with 35 to 40 bombs who drive in 120-130. We may even see a Triple Crown within the next decade, Hamilton has a legit shot and Berkman just might if Chipper cant stay healthy.
The Murton for Chavez deal works for me. Especially when Pagan gets back since he and Chavez are basically duplicates. It would hurt some to deal Endy though as he always has a place on my team after that insane catch vs St Louis! Dude is a gamer all the way.
Adam Dunn, Prince Fielder, Ryan Howard, David Ortiz...You see a trend? Theyre all very large (fat and strong) guys who do little else but mash the holy snot out of the ball. There will always be a place for the one dimensional home run hitter because its such an important aspect. One swing and, poof just like that, game over. What makes it remarkable is that all of them except Dunn are usually around the 275+ BA range with OBP's (including Dunn) of 380 + which is well above the league average; remarkable because of how much they all swing and miss. The juice filled cretins like Mac and Sammy are gone, hopefully for good but thats delusional. Then again we just wish everyone was a David Wright or a Chipper Jones. And for the record Berk and Holliday dont belong in the same class as Hamilton. That dude is just The Natural...A triple crown candidate with half a season of pro experience? Youre kidding right? I dreamt of that like a 1000x growing up.
Haha, Hamilton has had a nice start. But lets not forget he's no youngin. Hes been around awhile just hasnt played because of drugs and alcohol abuse. Lets see what he does after scouting reports and pitchers becoming aware of his strengths/weaknesses catch up with him. As for the one-dimensional Home Run hitter, I think you will see them relegated to the AL DH role and platoon roles in the NL. Occasionally a mammoth beast like a Papi or Fielder will come along, but the days of Canseco and Bonds (latter years) as everyday position players are gone. Personally I like the new style and breed of players. I was sick of seeing guys like Brady Anderson hit 50 bombs. Those HR totals were watering down the game.
Hamilton's been around long enough where they would have figured out how to pitch him by now. Truth is there isnt a way to pitch him. Hes that good and still 26. He can still have the career I think he could have had from day 1. I hope he does it. Youre wrong regarding Bonds. While I loathe the player he became, he was, until the very end, a Gold Glove caliber defensive player. It was only after the knee trouble that he declined in that area. And I seriously cannot stand Bonds so far be it for me to defend him, but as a player he does not fit the one dimensional home run hitter you describe. Canseco was in his class for about 10 minutes. Maybe 11. However, regarding those same power hitters, that come along and look big and clunky, 1st baseman have almost always looked like that. Tall, big bodied, power hitters. Look at every generation of players. Theyre always taller and heavier then their teammates. The position stereotype asks that they be. When you here scouts describe a prototype 1b, they want a middle of the order caliber bat from the position and a serious home run threat. And all the guys we discussed like Fielder, howard, Papi, and Dunn fit that and all play or have at some point played 1B. In dunn's case its likely hes going to finish his career there.
Boik i agree for sure, he's been around long enough that htey should know how to pitch to him by now. The guy is unreal. There is no strategy for him and his IBB count is going to start going up very quickly, as long as bradley stays healthy, its going to be a pick your poison when facing texas. With Kinsler and Young in front of him, this ranger team will be putting up runs like crazy, and I think his RBI totals will contiue to impress as the two in front of him are so good at getting on base. I can't stop following Hamilton, its a great story, i hope he keeps it going off the field because he's a treat to follow on the field. That would be something if he did manage to get a triple crown. Baseball needs that kind of story to help forget about all the steroid crap.
Hamilton has had about 600 career AB's. IMO still not enough to say they would've figured him out by now. Dont get me wrong the guy is a GREAT hitter with tremendous power and I think it would be awesome if he hit for the TC. Im interested to see what he does when guys start pitching around him, force feed him breaking stuff away, throw him off speed in hitters counts, etc.
FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal reports that the Yankees have signed free agent Sidney Ponson to a minor league contract. The rest of the AL East must be worried now. Ponson had a 3.88 ERA before getting kicked off the Rangers, but there was no real chance of him keeping it up. Jun. 18 - 5:35 pm et Rotoworld.com
The Cubs confirmed that Carlos Zambrano left Wednesday's game with shoulder discomfort. He'll be examined on Thursday. Zambrano wanted to continue to pitching, but he did indicate that shoulder was bothering him in the dugout after departing in the seventh. If the Cubs are forced to put him on the disabled list, they could put Jon Lieber back into the rotation. Neither Sean Marshall nor Rich Hill would seem to be an option right now. Jun. 18 - 11:32 pm et Rotoworld.com
Mets News: The Bergen Record reports New York Mets OF Chris Aguila cleared waivers and was given an assignment to Triple-A New Orleans. Mets | Team to take less BP Wed, 18 Jun 2008 22:31:01 -0700 The Newark Star-Ledger reports New York Mets manager Jerry Manuel will have his team do less batting practice hitting. Some players, notably 3B David Wright and C Brian Schneider, took early hitting last night but the Mets cut their pregame session short. Kffl.com
Maybe it has been mentioned already, but I wouldn't be surprised to see L.A. move Jeff Kent if they continue to flounder. Their issue is that they are still within striking distance of the Diamondbacks which means they probably want to hold on to him. However, Jeff has made it clear that this is his last seaosn and he wants a shot at a ring. A shot that L.A. seemingly doesn't really have, even if they get to the postseason. Personally, I think it would be a good thing to have Jeff be moved for some younger talent and completely start anew in L.A. next year when a bunch of bloated contracts come off the books or go into their final year (Schmidt, Furcal, Jones etc.)
If they're moving Kent, I'd be shocked if they get more than a C grade prospect in return. 40 year old second basemen with zero range, .693 OPSs and $10M salaries tend not to command hefty returns on the market.
