Kennedy to DL = addition by subtraction

by musial6 on Aug 12, 2007 2:12 PM EDT Comment 27 comments

I've long written off our chances for 2007, but Ankiel-mania has gotten to me and I'm starting to feel mild symptoms of pennant fever.

Kennedy is out. Brendan Ryan is in. We've replaced JuanEnc with Roy Hobbs. Edmonds is hitting. The rotation is showing signs of stability (knock on wood). The Cubs and Brewers are stuck in neutral.

Mind you up to this point 2007 is eerily similar to 1997 (always clinging to faint postseason hopes despite never being above .500, lots of ill-fated contract extensions for declining players following the previous year's miraculous postseason run, devastating injuries to the rotation, the emergence of a new young ace, the August arrival of a rockstar power hitter who revives hopes of a late season charge - and we all remember how 1997 ended - but unlike 1997, there's no powerhouse team in the NL Central - and just like 2006, the playoff birth is there for the taking.

If we can keep this up in these upcoming series in Milwaukee and Chicago, this race will get very interesting. This team has got nothing to lose - they've experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows - all they can do is go out there and leave it on the field. I'm by no means optimistic, but I like our chances a lot better now with Ankiel and Ryan in there instead of bums Kennedy and Encarnacion.

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Bums may be a little harsh but..

I agree. At least Kennedy tried but I feel no matter how hard he tried he wasn't going to be any help this year other than keeping Miles from being out there with the glove every game.

The Red Blazer

by Red Blazer on Aug 12, 2007 2:06 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The numbers don't lie

Any non-pitcher/catcher/shortstop who hits .219/.282/.290 over the better part of a season is a bum. You think it's a coincidence that he's having his worst season ever following his first (only) multi-year free agent contract?

Some guys are naturally self-motivated to perform (Pujols, Eckstein), others constantly need to prove they belong in the bigs (Miles, Ludwick) - then there are guys who suck all season long without any immediate ramifications to their salary. In my book, we call those players 'bums'.

by musial6 on Aug 12, 2007 3:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

yes

yes, i do think it is a coincidence kennedy is struggling after signing a free agent contract. AK's struggles dont seem to be from lack of effort and there's never been a hint of laziness in his career. for all we know he's had that knee injury for a while.

its been a bad year, there's no arguing that point. to me, a bum is a player who ALWAYS stinks. we've seen just one bad year of AK.

by dmb60614 on Aug 12, 2007 5:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The guy tries which means he is just...

Not talented. A bum is someone who lives off the success of others and doesn't try to better his own situation. That would define Juan. Kennedy has sucked but at least he tried. In hindsight it may have a lot to do with his injury. How long has he been running around with the messed up meniscus?

The Red Blazer

by Red Blazer on Aug 12, 2007 7:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

What??

That seems like an absurd statement for you to make...how can you talk about a guy like that when you do not know him in the slightest?

You will probably give some anecdotal evidence of "not hustling" or not being gritty enough. Again, Juan has been decent for us this year. His OBP is .330, above his career average. His slugging is also above his career average. His OPS+ is 102. That is slightly above average, really average. If anything, he is showing through his performance that he does care.

In short...stop throwing out these ridiculous insults and talk about baseball.

Let me get this straight...Rowand over Pujols??? Really, Tony?

by cardzfan24 on Aug 12, 2007 7:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

K Passa???

I judge by what I see. Most scouts do that. Kennedy seems to be making an effort. Juan seems to be thinking about eating a big double bacon chesseburger and at the last minute remembers he is playing on a major leauge baseball team. He is talented but if he had Tonys focus he could be better than Pujols.

The Red Blazer

by Red Blazer on Aug 12, 2007 8:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Please, please please

tell me you are joking. I will not ridicule you until you answer that.

Let me get this straight...Rowand over Pujols??? Really, Tony?

by cardzfan24 on Aug 12, 2007 9:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Let the ridicule begin...

Okay Juan could never come close to holding Alberts Jock let alone his talent.

The Red Blazer

by Red Blazer on Aug 13, 2007 9:14 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Stop

"He is talented but if he had Tonys focus he could be better than Pujols."

Re-read that statement and stop.

Cheeseburger in paradise.

by joker24 on Aug 12, 2007 11:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I never buy the injury excuse

If he's hurt, he shouldn't be out there in the first place - certainly there are better options available.

Maybe 'bum' isn't the best word - but from my seat it looks like he's stealing his paycheck.

by musial6 on Aug 13, 2007 12:11 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

he shouldnt be, but....

mulder, carp, rolen, edmonds, izzy...they've all been out there when they shouldnt be.

of course, AK said in an article this morning that its only been hurting for three days so there goes that theory.

one bad year doesnt make you a bum or a thief. is izzy a bum because he sucked last year? lets see what AK can do next year before we condemn him.

by dmb60614 on Aug 13, 2007 7:56 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I've seen enough

Mulder, Carp, Rolen, Edmonds, and Izzy are/were elite players who each performed reasonably well upon arriving in STL. Say what you want about the Cards handling of said players, but at least in those cases there was something good to look forward to (presumably) once they got healthy.

Kennedy has never been anything more than a slightly above average 2nd baseman - now he's 31 and having his worst season ever. He's getting paid $10M to not suck and failing miserably.

In Kennedy we thought we were getting another Eckstein type player, but it turns out he can't even hold Bo Hart's jockstrap.

by musial6 on Aug 13, 2007 9:11 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wow.

That's some serious vitriol there, buddy. Yeah, Kennedy's been pretty bad this year, but that kind of hatred for someone who didn't, like, personally burn your house down or something seems a little extreme.

Just a game, man.

To hell with your spoiled baby! I need those shoes!

by the red baron on Aug 13, 2007 4:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Calmer than you are

I'm just pointing out how sucky Kennedy has been and how dumping him from the active roster improves our chances of winning. If he can't take the criticism for his dreadful performance than he has no business playing professional sports. Hopefully next spring he reports to Jupiter in the best shape of his life and has a great 2008 - but for now, he's at the top of my shit list.

and seriously - this is pretty tame by my standards - maybe a 3 out of 10.

I usually won't go over 5 unless we're talking about crimes of the Bush Administration.

by musial6 on Aug 15, 2007 11:43 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's unreasonable to think Kennedy is this bad

I'll quote from Litchman over at The Book blog because I'm too lazy to discuss Marcels myself:

The biggest "trap" in baseball is evaluating players based on the "magic current season performance." If you or anyone else wants to do any serious analysis it MUST start with evaluating players based on a Marcel. All "mistakes" in player and team evaluation, commentary, and analysis start and end with this "trap."

Kennedy's play this year is most likely not representative of his skillset and talent level. His true talent level may be declining but losing 150 pts of OPS overnight is, in part, random flux. PECOTA pegged him as being worth $22M from 07-09 in large part because of his above average defense. If he had performed at last years levels offensively and defensively, he's probably a 2 win player, which is not outrageous for a ~$3M cost.

Future Redbirds

by azruavatar on Aug 13, 2007 4:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Unreasonable?

It's not unreasonable to think that he's taking a dump in the first year of his contract. Lots of guys do this. It's simply a matter of lack of motivation. He has relatively little incentive to perform well this season - not when he's got the next 2 years guaranteed.

I'm not saying we should DFA the guy yet - he may bounce back in 2008 - but put a fork in him for 2007, he's done. He's had ample opportunities to shine and has given us next to nothing.

by musial6 on Aug 15, 2007 11:52 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm never happy to see a guy get hurt

but Kennedy's injury has made me not-unhappy. Get beeter, AK, lets see what you got next year.

I think Ryan should be getting the bulk of the playing time at SS and it would (IMO) behoove Eck to try to make a transition to 2B. If he has a future in the bigs (again, imo) for four-five years down the road, it would be as a second baseman.

As I said in todays game thread, it appears as if this team is beginning to take shape. If the starting pitching can continue to hang together (for whatever ungodly reason), I really think they can make a push. Of course, I'm a giant idiot.

Boooo-urns.

by Alxfritz on Aug 12, 2007 3:15 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Know what

ya mean about feeling like an idiot. About half an hour ago, my wife walked into the room and caught me just sitting there, staring off into space with a huge grin. "I know what you're thinking," she said. "You're thinking about the Cardinals winning the division again, aren't you?" Sure enough, that was exactly what I was thinking. She just shook her head. She's a fan, but is not obsessed like me and always tries to keep me from the depression of too many high highs and low lows, but right now I can't help myself. We'll see what shakes out in these next seven games. If they go 5-2 or something like that, I will be in full idiot mode. Then if they blow it--aaargh, depression city.

by rockin redbird on Aug 12, 2007 6:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Pssst...

We won the World Series last year. Really too soon to get depressed! Just enjoy what we've got. Cheer maniacally every time Ankiel gets a hit. Laugh at Reyes' hat. Be glad you're not a Cubs fan.

by lordsummer on Aug 16, 2007 9:27 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm not sure

that Juan Enc deserves to be in the same group as Adam Kennedy. Kennedy has not provided any help in this team winning at all.

Enc is above his career averages in OBP and slugging and has an OPS+ of 102. Hardly a stud, but he is a long way from the bummish OPS+ of 52 of AK.

Think about that for a second...OPS+ of 52. Man that's bad.

Let me get this straight...Rowand over Pujols??? Really, Tony?

by cardzfan24 on Aug 12, 2007 4:54 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

When Juan

was signed I was hopeful that he would step up his game. I thought Albert would be a positive influence on him and he would play "a hard nine."

Juan has been fustrating, but I don't think he is a bum. I was hoping he would get a start in center today and have a chance to contribute.

I guess his fate is to be traded this off season. I would bet a lot of the VEB'ers wouldn't mind him being the PTBNL in the Maroth deal.

by nybirdfan on Aug 12, 2007 7:49 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Encarnacion = MEH

He produces just enough to keep his stats respectable. He's at best an average corner OF and at this point he's not going to get any better.

I'm sorry if 'bum' is too strong a word for free agent busts. Would 'suckwad' be more appropriate?

by musial6 on Aug 13, 2007 12:28 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I wish I have the BP link to that day.

Their take was basically "This is borderline criminal in it keeps a potentially better player in the minors (jrod)" Juan has been exactly what everyone should have expected. Average.

Nothing wrong with Juan, just not a good performance per $$$ deal.

by DriverZn on Aug 13, 2007 1:51 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Jeez,

as soon as I heard about Adam I knew this post was coming.

by boog on Aug 12, 2007 9:35 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Do you have a problem with my math?

It's very simple: When bad players get forced out of the lineup, only good things can result.

In 2001, the team was going nowhere fast by the start of August. Then they dumped LanKford (miraculously getting a capable starting pitcher in return), sent Dave Kingman to the bench, and whadda ya know - they went on a tear the rest of the way and tied for the best record in the NL.

If it's wrong to celebrate the (long overdue) relegation of underperforming players, then I don't want to be right.

by musial6 on Aug 13, 2007 9:21 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs