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| | Tuesday, March 13 Chat wrap: Rob Neyer | |||||
Welcome to ESPN.com's moderated chat room.  It's Spring Training time and our loveable columnist Rob Neyer returned on Tuesday for another visit to chat all about spring preparations.ESPN.com's Rob Neyer writes a daily baseball column from March through October. His book "Baseball Dynasties," co-authored with Eddie Epstein, can be ordered from Amazon.com.
 Rob Neyer at 4:34pm ET
Hey, thanks for taking the time away from your family, your studies, or your job, to be here with me today. In that spirit ... Jeff from [66.30.104.242], at 4:35pm ET It seems to me you have something against the Red Sox of Boston...You seem to avoid reporting about them or even commenting on them, even not mentioning them in your book "Baseball Dynasties." Give me some thoughts, comments, ANYTHING, about the team. Rob Neyer at 4:37pm ET
This just might be the silliest question I've ever received, given that I spent the entire 2000 season in Boston, attended all 81 Red Sox home games, and wrote extensively about the Sox in my column. I'll have some thoughts, comments, and ANYTHING later in this chat. oldcurmudgeon from [128.6.250.136], at 4:37pm ET Rob, the Orioles' radio advertisements for the 2001 season use the following slogan: "bring the kids out to see the kids." [Brief pause to allow you to stop laughing.] I assume they meant that guys like Cal Ripken and Jeff Conine are really kids at heart. Rob Neyer at 4:39pm ET
Now that is good comedy, folks. Yes, the O's will have some fairly young players out there this season, but in this case, "young" is relative: Chris Richard is 26, Jerry Hairston is 24 (almost 25) ... Ryan Kohlmeier's probably the best of the kids, and he's 23. In other words, the '67 Red Sox these guys ain't, either in age or quality. Steve Tsai from [208.147.76.69], at 4:40pm ET What do you think of Jose Ortiz in Oakland? I think he's loaded with talent and a bona fide ROY candidate. However, do you think Oakland will break him in slowly, a la Tejada and Chavez, limiting him to 110-120 games and 350 or so at bats? Rob Neyer at 4:41pm ET
I don't have any inside information here, but the A's do have a pretty good backup in Frank Menechino. They may give Ortiz a day off here and there, but he's not some raw kid. He turns 24 in June, and spent the last two seasons in Triple-A. Seattleguy from [171.69.37.30], at 4:42pm ET Do you think Uncle Lou played any part in the fact, Gil Meche and Ryan Anderson are both now having major surgery done ? You've been critical of Pinella in the past regarding his handling of the staff. Rob Neyer at 4:43pm ET
Nah. Meche has been babied since arriving in the majors back in 1999, and Anderson has never pitched for Piniella. There's no scapegoat here, other than perhaps the natural fragility of all young pitchers. Sadaharu Oh from [170.20.32.199], at 4:44pm ET I saw your column today about rating Mussina & Clemens below Pedro for AL pitchers. Where would you put Colon on that list? Rob Neyer at 4:45pm ET
Colon's one of the guys who could leapfrog Mussina and Clemens, but to this point the control/durability really haven't been at a high level. He pitched 188 innings last year, and needs to be more consistent. The stuff is obviously there, and he's got a .638 career winning percentage. Tim from [64.12.102.49], at 4:47pm ET Do you understand why the Pirates signed D. Bell? Considering J. VanderWall had a break through year and put up numbers that were superior to Bell's. Rob Neyer at 4:49pm ET
Honestly? The Pirates signed Derek Bell because Cam Bonifay doesn't know a good decision from a hole in his head. He's made more dumb moves in the last three years than any other GM in the game. (And if you're reading this, Mrs. Bonifay, I'm sorry.) WAM from [24.162.136.43], at 4:49pm ET Any update on the Fenway book (publishing date, etc.)? Rob Neyer at 4:50pm ET
Nope. "Feeding the Monster" (or whatever title it ends up with) remains a book without a publisher. At this exact moment, however, my agent is working on the case. Thanks for asking. Todd from [152.163.213.82], at 4:50pm ET Rob, how do you fell about a 19 year old making a ball club? With Josh Hamilton and Corey Patterson as the top 2 minor-league prospects both struggling during spring training, do you think they are being rushed too quickly? Rob Neyer at 4:52pm ET
I don't have any problem with 19-year-olds making the Opening Day roster ... if they're talented enough to make some sort of contribution. Alex Rodriguez played when he was 19, as did Andruw Jones and Mel Ott and (I think) Al Kaline. Are Hamilton and Patterson ready to contribute? I think both need to gain better control of the strike zone. Soxtypeguy from [206.231.80.22], at 4:52pm ET Dan Duquette is looking at a four year extension. . .How would you rate his first term as GM? Rob Neyer at 4:53pm ET
Duquette's a good general manager, but not a great one. His inability to effectively communicate with his "inferiors" limits his performance. That said, as long as he's got $100 million to play with, he should field a good team, if not a great one. Troy Revell from [152.18.59.204], at 4:55pm ET Sports Illustrated's big article on Nomar looked impressive. Do you agree he has a shot at .400? Rob Neyer at 4:57pm ET
Hey, Ricky Gutierrez has a shot. But will he do it? Probably not. And while Nomar certainly has a better shot than Ricky, he probably won't do it, either. Look, the guy hit .372 last year, and it seems like he's going to suffer from injuries just about every year. Le Cracquer from [64.241.166.123], at 4:57pm ET I'm distressed by the presence of Rico Brogna in the Braves' '01 lineup, but wonder whether I'm being unfair to John Schuerholz--it's not as if the pickings were great. What would have been the smartest move to address Atlanta's hole at first over the winter? Rob Neyer at 5:00pm ET
I suspect that the Braves could have expended the same amount of resources, and acquired a guy with a bigger up-side. Erubiel Durazo, for instance. John Schuerholz has been good at keeping his pitchers, and keeping them healthy. And he's been unafraid to play kids like Andruw Jones and Rafael Furcal. But his record with trades and free agents has been horrible, and I suspect that Brogna will merely become the latest example. Tom from [200.177.203.252], at 5:01pm ET How do you rate the importance of a players defense versus his offense in dtermining a player's caliber? Is the offense:defense ratio 2:1? 4:1? 8:1? It seems that way becuase there are so many ways to measure offense and so few to measure defense? (Please exclude pitchers from this discussion.) Rob Neyer at 5:02pm ET
Offense is 50 percent of the game. Defense is about 15 percent of the game. But the ratio depends on the position. Ben Bishop from [63.204.152.140], at 5:02pm ET Okay, enough Red Sox stuff. Let's get some west coast questions in here. Rob, do you think the Angels have a chance to put things together this season after a respectable run last year, even without Mo Vaughn? Rob Neyer at 5:04pm ET
The Angels are more likely to decline than improve. Their pitching rotation is basically a joke, and the fate of the offense rests on the ability of Tim Salmon to stay healthy. If things break right, they could win 82 games again. Neyer Fan from [149.149.39.70], at 5:06pm ET Rob...I know what the baseball people think a good leadoff hitter should be (on-base percentage and speed), but what are baseball people looking for in a good number 2 hitter? Rob Neyer at 5:07pm ET
Well, a lot of baseball people look for "a guy who doesn't strike out, puts the ball in play." But what they should be looking for is another guy who gets on base. On a fundamental level, though, batting orders really aren't all that important. Tony Chimera from [63.46.199.85], at 5:07pm ET What is your take on Kevin Millwood? Will he be the 1999 Millwood or the 2000 Millwood this year? Rob Neyer at 5:08pm ET
Somewhere in the middle. The 1999 Millwood was a good Cy Young candidate, and it's not fair to expect that every year. But the 2000 Millwood pitched in a lot of tough luck, and he'll certainly be better in 2001. Barry from [209.218.91.68], at 5:09pm ET What is the reason for the switch of Kapler to Cf and mateo to RF? Rob Neyer at 5:10pm ET
Scouting, plain and simple. The Rangers have been watching both of them closely for a year now, and they simply decided that Kapler gets a slightly better jump when the ball is hit. I don't have any idea if they're right, but they know more about it than I do. Tim from [64.12.102.49], at 5:11pm ET When healthy is L. Walker the best player in the game? Rob Neyer at 5:12pm ET
That's a little bit like asking if I look good in a dress. We don't know, and we'll never find out. Joshua from [12.40.174.2], at 5:12pm ET Why isn't Tomo Okha in the Sox' rotation yet? And does anyone want Rolando Arrojo? And why on earth did they re-sign Tim Wakefield and let Jared Fernandez go? Why?! Rob Neyer at 5:14pm ET
Ah, the continuing fascination with Proven Veterans ... Ohka's clearly ready to pitch regularly, and I'll still be shocked if he doesn't win a rotation spot. As for keeping Wakefield and dumping Fernandez, see opening sentence of this post. Back to the Pirates situation. from [64.213.53.217], at 5:14pm ET I am glad the national media recognizes how incompetent Bonifay is. The same Pittsburgh media which criticized stars like Bonds has been very soft on Bonifay. Any clue why? Rob Neyer at 5:15pm ET
You got me. But members of the media are -- like everybody else -- most interested in how things affect them on a personal level. We know what Bonds thinks of writers. And I suspect that Bonifay treats them well. If so, that's probably all you need to know. Joe Table from [198.106.241.242], at 5:16pm ET What do you expect to see from Ichiro this season? Do you think he'll be able to adjust quickly enough to hit .300? Rob Neyer at 5:17pm ET
That seems realistic to me. I've seen a couple of projections for Ichiro, based on his stats in Japan and those of American hitters who have played there, that have him hitting around .320 with pretty good power. But if there's an adjustment period, .280-.300 might be more realistic. Adam from [64.50.0.130], at 5:18pm ET When you say batting order doesn't matter, how would you put a lineup together then? Would you bunch the good hitters together or would you spread out the bad hitters (except the pitcher, of course)? Rob Neyer at 5:20pm ET
I'm saying that it doesn't matter much, that the difference between the best possible lineup and worst possible lineup is something like four games over the course of a season. That doesn't mean you don't think about it if you're a manager, but those guys spend way too much time worrying about their lineups. I'd put the on-base guys at the top, the power guys in the middle, and I'd alternate lefties and righties when practical. Paul from [198.108.59.203], at 5:20pm ET Isn't Bobby Higginson about due for a Gold Glove? The cannon on that guy... Rob Neyer at 5:21pm ET
Interestingly enough, while Higginson did lead the majors last year with 19 Baserunner Kills, runners advanced on his arm at right around the league average. He's a good left fielder, but perhaps not a great one. Pac Belle from [138.88.86.111], at 5:23pm ET Rob, the Giants drew over 3 million last year, if memory serves--yet they can't pursue marquee free agents as a result of the debt load the team took on in building Pac Bell. Does this mean the (excruciatingly short) era of non-taxpayer financed stadiums is over? Rob Neyer at 5:24pm ET
Did it ever really start? The situation in San Francisco was probably anomalous, as many other cities have obtained public funding since then. Next Question: Why doesn't billionaire Carl Pohlad finance a new ballpark for the Twins? BigDel from [192.45.102.60], at 5:27pm ET Rob, while I respect your opinion most of the time, I'm stunned that you would fall into the same trap that most "sportswriters" fall into by describing the Angels rotation as a joke. Nobody seems to appreciate the potential that young Ortiz and Washburn bring to the table, not to mention Ismael Valdes who's going to be the free agent bargain of 2001...please...one of these days, spend some time looking at the Angels pitching without bias. Rob Neyer at 5:29pm ET
I feel like I'm in Bizarro World. Ortiz's 2000 ERA: 5.09 Washburn's 2000 GS: 14 Valdes' 2000 ERA: 5.64 And for good measure ... Pat Rapp's 2000 ERA: 5.90 Sure, they could be good. But I think you need to look in the mirror, and ask yourself who, exactly, is showing a bit of bias here. Chas from [199.72.51.150], at 5:30pm ET Timo Perez: Mets' leadoff man of the future or flash in the pan? Rob Neyer at 5:32pm ET
I actually like Perez, who doesn't turn 24 until next month. He's not great, but in a year or two he might challenge Agbayani for the title, "Best Met Outfielder." Thanks for all the questions, and I'll be doing this again sometime next week. | ALSO SEE Major League Baseball chat room | |||||
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