Odds and Ends: Weathers, Montero, Springer

I wonder if Van Benschoten can still hit. Maybe he can follow the way of Ankiel and transform himself into a hitter...

no Jerry Hairston. We've fine with Bruntlett and Donald. Go get pitching and a left fielder. Chase will "HOPEFULLY" be back sooner than we all expect.

Correction! It is actually "Sir" Sidney Ponson... He was knighted in his native Aruba.

Haha, unless there is some stipulation where they can withdraw your knighthood for punching a judge in the face on Christmas day... But honestly, who hasn't been there before, right?!

ITs times like this that the players union annoys me. Ponson is being a little whiny bitch about money he's owed for being a middling pitcher at best. He should not get that money, even if he has shaped up, because his days of "actions unbecoming a pro ball player" will haunt him forever.

"no Jerry Hairston. We've fine with Bruntlett and Donald."

Totally agree. This is actually not that bad of a situation for the Phillies.

Jason Donald is good enough to be an everyday shortstop for someone maybe even next year, and his value is being wasted if he's playing behind Rollins and Utley.

With Utley on the DL, Donald can play second for a few weeks and showcase his talents at the ML level, and then once Utley is ready, they can move Donald for a pitcher or maybe an outfielder.

If any team was ready to lose their best player (yes, Utley is their best player), it really may have been Philadelphia.

*on the mound

"JVB's career was ruined before it started thanks to idiot Littlefield deciding he could be a pitcher instead of a hitter. Then, as the case with so many pitchers we draft, he blows out his arm and proceeds to pitch like crap.

I feel bad for the kid but I'm happy he'll finally be out of Pittsburgh. I cringed every time he was one the mound. He has no composure at all, and just looks like he never knew how to pitch in the first place really."

I agree. The Pirates screwed up by moving him to the mound. He was projected has having 5-tool potential, and not to mention his power scale from 20-80 was a 75.

But I disagree that he didn't know how to pitch. He was also known for his arm, and he knew how to pitch. It hasn't translated to the majors though, as he never did look good on the mound.

http://baseballanalysts.com/archives/2008/04/picking_apart_t_2.php

That's a link to an analysis on the 2001 draft. Includes Van Benschoten's analysis.

I wouldn't mind seeing my O's sign JVB. Seems worth a flier. Then again, I'm sure plenty of teams are thinkin' the same thing. It's gonna make the Teixeira bidding war look tame by comparison (LOL).

I'm surprised there isn't much demand for Montero. Kid looked like a future stud coming up through the D'backs' system, he's still young, and he's never really gotten a chance to play every day and prove himself. Granted, he's not the best defender, but it sounded like he had the raw tools to stick behind the plate. Furthermore, catchers often take longer to develop due to the position's defensive pressures. I don't know what Arizona is asking for in return, but he could be a real steal for some team in need of a backstop (like Boston).

I'm surprised there isn't much demand for Montero. Kid looked like a future stud coming up through the D'backs' system, he's still young, and he's never really gotten a chance to play every day and prove himself. Granted, he's not the best defender, but it sounded like he had the raw tools to stick behind the plate. Furthermore, catchers often take longer to develop due to the position's defensive pressures. I don't know what Arizona is asking for in return, but he could be a real steal for some team in need of a backstop (like Boston).

Posted by: milehigh78 | November 21, 2008 at 01:37 PM

2B, Bullpen, 1B in that order