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Blog*Spot ArchivesContactRichard Ceccarelli Josh Mandir |
Wednesday, September 22, 2004Angels 3, Mariners 7And the 'cursed tickets' strike again. I'm going to do you all a huge favor and burn my remaining tickets... All there is to say about Aaron Sele's performance is: "I told you so". He was so bad it is impossible to illustrate with words alone- you would really have to see the pain and frustration on my face and hear the groans of agony in my voice. Meanwhile, Ramon Ortiz (the man who should have started this game) was throwing the ball well, if not spectacularly, in relief. Don't let Dallas McPherson's four-strikeout performance get you down. Even with the strikeouts, I thought he worked the count well (three of them came on full counts). He just didn't hit the "fastballs" (if that's what you really want to call Jamie Moyer's slop) tonight. The most impressive statistic you can draw from McPherson's first few games is his 4.5 P/PA. If he keeps that anywhere near four, he will be successful. It's looking like McPherson will get that chance now that we know that Adam Kennedy is done for the year. It's a complete tear of the ACL and a partial tear of the MCL. I keep hearing people say "it didn't look so bad when it happened". Well, I thought it did. When your entire body goes to the right, and your knee decides to head off to the left, it can only be bad. I'm not too worried about this. Sure, on the surface it seems that Kennedy is a huge loss, considering that he's been hot recently and his gold-glove defense. But I think we all know in our heart-of-hearts that Chone Figgins and Adam Kennedy are a wash with the bat (both are dead-even at a .269 GPA) and I am of the opinion that Figgins could be a very good defensive second baseman. Look at these numbers:
This a tiny sample size for Figgins at second (just 11 games), but they show that while Figgins is a substantial downgrade from Kennedy (who wouldn't be?), he is not far below league average at the position. Also, keep in mind that Figgins' career ZR at second is well above .900, and I think he's a lot closer to that than to .700. Now, think about what you've seen with your own eyes; Figgins certainly has the range- there can be no doubt about that. His problem at third has been the throw- not that he doesn't have the arm mind you, but it looks like he is often rushing it. Combine that with less-than-perfect footwork, and you'll get a few funky plays. Footwork and throwing not being so much a problem at second, I think you will see Figgins excel at the position. He'll remain a downgrade, but he should at least bring adequate glove work. Now if only he could start hitting again... Of course that's just me looking for the silver lining. |
