Game 142 Open Thread: September 9, 2005

by lboros on Sep 9, 2005 3:29 PM EDT in News

marquis seo
11-13, 4.25 7-1, 1.79

go to cardnilly to find out why the awards races are going to drive him insane, plus 9 other things . . . . go to get up baby to read about john gall, ted williams, ruben sierra, and the batboy. . . . . go to fungoes to learn why pip misses the "mets are pond scum" era. . . . . go to the birdwatch and wonder whether john gall was just discharged from a m*a*s*h unit. . . . and go to bleed cubbie blue to read al yellon's parting words for busch.

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Question:

After this season, and larry retires, and reggie (maybe) seeks fame and fortune elsewhere, would it be insane to give so taguchi a chance to start? He's defensively solid, and in extended exposure, seems to be getting his act together with the bat. My instincts are screaming no, but I really can't come up with a reason why.

by Valatan on Sep 9, 2005 9:24 PM EDT 0 recs

and

Izzy pitches a perfect 9th. Maybe everyone IS getting into their form for the playoffs. Let's hope

by Valatan on Sep 9, 2005 11:11 PM EDT up 0 recs

i'd have no problem

w taguchi as an affordable ev'yday outfielder next season. it'd be a smart move, free up some $$$ to acquire a megabucks outfielder, or maybe rafael furcal (w eckstein moving to 2d).

by lboros on Sep 10, 2005 1:38 AM EDT up 0 recs

As good as Gooch as been...

..let's not get carried away.

In this, his "breakout" year, he still has just a .768 OPS and not much pop for a corner outfielder.

Coveniently, over his StL career, Gooch has accrued 585 at-bats and his totals give at least an indication of the kinds of numbers he'd put up over a full season.

The .296 average and decent defense (last night's misplayed flyball notwithstanding) are attractive, but do you really want your starting LF to hit 10-15 homers and walk just 35 times?

Baseball Prospectus puts Taguchi's "Equivalent Average" (a general offensive production rating that resembles batting average in its range, e.g. .300 is pretty damn good) at .266---third from the bottom among N.L. Right Fielders with at least 300 PAs, ahead of only Jason Lane and Ryan Langerhans. Among LFs, Taguchi's EQA would rank 4th from the bottom among those with 300+ PA, ahead of only Pedro Feliz, Kelly Johnson and Chris Burke.

The bottom line is, if Gooch were starting for us in 2006, he'd be one of the weakest regular corner outfielders in the NL.

by salvomania on Sep 10, 2005 10:01 AM EDT up 0 recs

So

That's not even considering So's dreadful minor league numbers or that LaRussa's shielded him a bit from right-handed pitching or that Taguchi's not a spring chicken himself.

by Rob H on Sep 10, 2005 11:14 AM EDT up 0 recs

Sticker shock at Busch

As Lboros' advance man, I went to the games Wednesday and Friday to make sure the stadium is ready for L an Sboros. Wouldn't have minded a bit more hitting, but who could complain about the pitching? Marquis pitched a beaut, and seemed to get better in the late going. The only two runs were courtesy of two cheap hits and an error, and then Jason pitched out of a jam to prevent further damage. And how `bout Larry's tater? Gotta' love it when the outfielder doesn't move a step.

But the real surprise to me was learning that the seats I sit in--I buy a few games from a friend with season tix in the 2nd level--will be 20% more expensive next year. Ouch! Of course, the owners need to do that since there will be 10% fewer seats in the stadium. That was a brilliant decision. I sure am glad there will be so many great luxury boxes.

By the way, I'll see Lboros on Monday. If anyone needs me to deliver a smack on the noggin or somesuch, just let me know.

by Mad Lithuanian on Sep 9, 2005 11:24 PM EDT 0 recs

I'm firmly

in Marquis' corner now. Three very impressive starts, he got out of a couple of jams, and no meltdowns on the mound. Walker never ceases to amaze me, either. After looking so bad in his previous at bats, coming through with that bomb was vintage Walker.

by cardsrul on Sep 9, 2005 11:35 PM EDT 0 recs