Comments on: Rah Rah Raul

By: Brian

Brian — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 01:50:04 +0000

Great work. I’m rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and I plan sharing this with some fellow rehabbers. Perhaps these stories are so wonderful because they inspire others to try and live them out.

By: Jason

Jason — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 21:13:25 +0000

Scott @ 63, a lot of fans gave him grief because he was absolutely atrocious on defense, giving back almost everything he provided on offense. One of the biggest reasons a flyball pitcher like Jarod Washburn looks so good this season is because Ibanez isn’t out there letting singles turn into doubles or watching doubles drop in juuuust over his outstretched glove. He has little speed left and takes horrible routes. We’re denigrated as being “smart” because we want the team to win?

Enjoy him all you want on another team, but I’ll be thankful our new GM is smarter than the average fan.

By: Aaron B.

Aaron B. — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 08:02:40 +0000

Didn’t Kurt Warner only work at the grocery store for like… a month?

By: Scott

Scott — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:55:37 +0000

A Mariners fan here. Raul is a terrific guy and a fine ballplayer. A lot of “smart” fans in Seattle gave him grief for his lack of speed in the outfield. I would take him back anytime.

By: Sal Paradise

Sal Paradise — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 03:43:54 +0000

Wow … a 29-year old guy in the Mariners system with a 73 OPS+? Sounds quite a bit like Yuniesky Betancourt.

It just goes to show you that scouting/signing/trading/hoping/praying/sabremetricizing are all inexact sciences and many times accomplish nothing in the end. Had someone made a trade for THAT Raul Ibanez today, they’d get skewered in blogs across the Internet for not paying attention to the precious, infallible numbers.

Ibanez’s minor league numbers:
.295/.360/.473

Betancourt’s minor league numbers:
.280/.327/.426

Betancourt’s major league numbers are worse than Ibanez’s were as well, and over a larger number of plate appearances.

The numbers aren’t infallible, but they are a good guide. Should I laugh at scouting accuracy because of the round Albert Pujols was picked at in the draft?

By: Warren HYnes

Warren HYnes — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 14:50:56 +0000

Beautiful story! Thanks so much for sharing it, and your talents -

By: Mike

Mike — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 01:11:18 +0000

Joe,
Beautiful post, one of many. I have to say, I cut Raul Ibanez off my fantasy team, and I have no regrets. As you say, “lots of people like to pick against Raul Ibanez”. Having said that, I absolutely must say this–the “Raul Ibanez”s of the league are why I watch baseball. They are why I care so much about one particular group of grown men playing a child’s game. Beautiful post. Thanks Joe, and thank you Mr. Ibanez, for inspiring it.

By: Rev. Slappy

Rev. Slappy — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 23:01:00 +0000

Brock, I was just wondering if you had seen Chest Rockwell lately. I hope he’s doing well.

By: Brock Landers

Brock Landers — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 21:53:53 +0000

Joe–Sometimes I feel guilty that I’m able to enjoy your talents free of charge. And to think that I would have to pay to bask in the genius that is Buster Olney. Keep up the great work, and I’ll be purchasing The Machine after I write this. Small price to pay…

By: Rev. Slappy

Rev. Slappy — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 20:04:13 +0000

Reading this piece makes it clearer to me why my frustration is growing and I am starting to hate the Royals — they don’t play the game right and nobody in the organization seems to care that they don’t. Instead they pay $12 million a year for a guy like Guillen, who has a horrible reputation for not playing the game right. A $70 million payroll has produced the same half-assed, incompetent ballclub.