Wednesday, January 14, 2004
LOCKE ONCE AGAIN
What were the Mariners thinking when they signed Scott Spiezio, Raul Ibanez, and Rich Aurilia? According to David Locke, they're trying to recapture the lightning in a bottle they caught when they signed Bret Boone. Times three.
The Mariners have been the poster child for a team in desperate need of another bopper in the middle of the lineup for the past two seasons. Last season's devastating fades from Boone and Ichiro Suzuki underscored the need for big-time help.
Help is not defined as an average batter. Help is someone who makes pitchers adjust their approach. Help changes the way other players are pitched to. Help alters the entire complexion of your lineup.
Ibanez, Aurilia and Spiezio don't classify as help unless they take off like Boone did.
[...]
If they hadn't traded [Lou Piniella for Randy Winn], the last player [the Mariners]acquired via trade or development would have been [Dan] Wilson, 10 seasons ago.
I can totally imagine Bavasi and the Mariner brass using this logic. You can't bank on this. You just can't. You're trying to depend on shooting the moon and hoping for career years out of these guys rather than getting players that consistently do a good job, that will most likely help you, and that are dependable.
The way I look at it, this reminds me of when Norm Charlton was supposed to be the second lefty out of the pen in 2002. The logic is just as faulty. He hit the shelf, and they didn't do anything about it. The team was screwed and Rhodes got tired just like he did in 2000 (Rob Ramsay was more of a middle-innings long man), leading indirectly to the Dave Justice homer off Rhodes in Game 6 of the 2000 ALCS that is forever etched into my retinas, sort of like how some ATMs get their "Welcome" images burned into their screens (as will happen to any CRT with a standstill image, hence why screensavers were invented).
Anyway, when no move was made to get a second lefty in that bullpen until Doug Creek came in, this could have only meant that they were really banking on Norm Charlton (39 years old heading into the 2002 season) to be completely healthy and be that second lefty in the pen. I remember the very day he was shelved in spring training, the first thing that I and everyone else thought was "who's gonna be that second lefty?" We waited. And waited. And we got Doug frigging Creek in frigging August. And he sucked.
The point is, for me the Mariner brass is trying to place high hopes in things that just have a low likelihood of coming through (the three "Boone"-ish cases) or have a strong possibility of failing (Charlton).
I'm not even sure I know what I'm saying now.
[Bonus: I've figured out how to type the name Spiezio without messing up -- just try to add one more syllable to the word, kinda like how Schwarzenegger says Cahl-ee-FORN-ee-ah, except here I would say Spee-YEZ-ee-oh to account for that first letter "i" so I didn't miss it. So add one syllable, and stress the second.]
The Mariners have been the poster child for a team in desperate need of another bopper in the middle of the lineup for the past two seasons. Last season's devastating fades from Boone and Ichiro Suzuki underscored the need for big-time help.
Help is not defined as an average batter. Help is someone who makes pitchers adjust their approach. Help changes the way other players are pitched to. Help alters the entire complexion of your lineup.
Ibanez, Aurilia and Spiezio don't classify as help unless they take off like Boone did.
[...]
If they hadn't traded [Lou Piniella for Randy Winn], the last player [the Mariners]acquired via trade or development would have been [Dan] Wilson, 10 seasons ago.
I can totally imagine Bavasi and the Mariner brass using this logic. You can't bank on this. You just can't. You're trying to depend on shooting the moon and hoping for career years out of these guys rather than getting players that consistently do a good job, that will most likely help you, and that are dependable.
The way I look at it, this reminds me of when Norm Charlton was supposed to be the second lefty out of the pen in 2002. The logic is just as faulty. He hit the shelf, and they didn't do anything about it. The team was screwed and Rhodes got tired just like he did in 2000 (Rob Ramsay was more of a middle-innings long man), leading indirectly to the Dave Justice homer off Rhodes in Game 6 of the 2000 ALCS that is forever etched into my retinas, sort of like how some ATMs get their "Welcome" images burned into their screens (as will happen to any CRT with a standstill image, hence why screensavers were invented).
Anyway, when no move was made to get a second lefty in that bullpen until Doug Creek came in, this could have only meant that they were really banking on Norm Charlton (39 years old heading into the 2002 season) to be completely healthy and be that second lefty in the pen. I remember the very day he was shelved in spring training, the first thing that I and everyone else thought was "who's gonna be that second lefty?" We waited. And waited. And we got Doug frigging Creek in frigging August. And he sucked.
The point is, for me the Mariner brass is trying to place high hopes in things that just have a low likelihood of coming through (the three "Boone"-ish cases) or have a strong possibility of failing (Charlton).
I'm not even sure I know what I'm saying now.
[Bonus: I've figured out how to type the name Spiezio without messing up -- just try to add one more syllable to the word, kinda like how Schwarzenegger says Cahl-ee-FORN-ee-ah, except here I would say Spee-YEZ-ee-oh to account for that first letter "i" so I didn't miss it. So add one syllable, and stress the second.]
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