Braves Making the Team Meter 2010: Introducing the Hitters

sorry if justin’s reply and my response to him are annoying. I was just curious how a player’s chances go down when they never existed to begin with? If gondee simply meant the player goes down, not their chance to make the team relative to a week, a month, a day ago, so be it. But I’ve still yet to see a response saying as much other than some +1 for logic. A simple response to the question would have ended any further discussion between one poster and another, and not the one person actually asked.

Pretty sure neither of us were arguing.

How is it that you and I get put in the same division in the fantasy league? That is like Yankees/RedSox epic.

Cody always hada 0% chance, barring multiple injuries (which would still be the case as of today). Without those injuries, he’s behind a pretty long list of names and is starting in AA. So the “chance” really hasn’t decreased since as I say, it never existed to begin with.

Absolutely agree that “scrappy” is a complement that should be applied to players that fit the David Eckstein category. Their 120% is always fun to watch and it certainly makes them fan favorites. The problem is, at least in most cases, “scrappy” is being mis-used by journalists and others to insinuate this type of player is good. IMO, saying something like – the scrappiness of David Eckstein won that ballgame – can be perfectly accurate if it’s used to describe a game in which he did well. BUT, saying something like – The Cardinals need the scrappiness of David Eckstein to help their playoff aspirations – is simply hogwash. The fact is DE just isn’t very good. It’s perfectly understandable for someone to watch this type of player and assume he is good because of the effort he puts into the game. The problem is, if you look at it subjectively, the evidence just doesn’t support it. This has nothing to do with Sabermetrics, simple every day stats support this argument.

Do I enjoy watching DE bust his ass all over the field? ABSOLUTELY! Does his hustle inspire other players to give a little more? I believe it does. Does this make him a good ball-player? No. The simple fact is, he has to give 120% just to be league average. If he is used as an everyday player then he is going to cost your team in the long run. Now, having said that, using him in a utility role to spot start, pinch-run, or as a late inning defensive replacement is perfectly fine in my book. Using the term “scrappy” to define him as exciting to watch is also perfectly fine, just don’t try to tell me that “scrappiness” is more useful to a team than actual talent.

I absolutely love watching guys like Eckstein, Miles and Rowand. The game is more fun to watch because of them. It’s one thing to “sell” these players as fun to watch, but it’s a whole other deal to try and “sell” them as stars!

I have to say that, for the most part, you’ve always had very good points of view even when you take a hard line against certain topics. This, however, is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever read and it surprises me coming from you.

Not unlike Bobby Cox, or most other good managers, Joe’s goal with that statement was to try and “spur” DE on. He knew that statement was going to be printed and he knew Eckstein would see it. Hopefully it would show him he still had faith and sometimes that’s what a player needs. It’s one thing to do it in an office, but to see it in print can have deeper meaning especially to a player. You, of all people here, should know this. I mean what was Joe going to say, “Yeah, he really sucked today”…

Now, if you go to ANY manager, or former manager for that matter, and you asked them one on one if a player helped his team win by going 0 for 4 and making two errors, no matter if that player is the almighty Albert Pujols, and he will laugh you right out of the building.