From: kirsch@ux.acs.umn.edu (Dave Kirsch)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: Least Valuable Players (career)
Date: 14 Apr 92 16:27:06 GMT
Article-I.D.: ux.1992Apr14.162706.4031
Organization: David Cone's Pull Toys and Assorted Paraphenalia, Inc.

In article <1992Apr11.234752.671@ramsey.cs.laurentian.ca> 91287041@ramsey.cs.laurentian.ca (Roger Gary Huckabay Maynard) writes:
>
>Griffin played 6 years in TO, 3 in OAK and 4 in LA.  Toronto, a defending
>champion, just reacquired him.  These 3 organizations are 3 of the most
>successful in the game.  Are you implying that they don't know what they
>are doing?  No, I think the problem might be found in your one-dimensional
>analysis of a player's worth.

  I understand what you're saying, Roger; why would all these teams want this
guy if he's as pathetic as everyone says? The answer is I don't know. You're 
right, all have been successful organizations but all three have made plenty 
of foolish mistakes .. they just do other things well enough to compensate. 

  The problem is that every piece of evidence we can come up with suggests 
Alfredo is worth slightly more than a warm bucket of spit. (Mike Benjamin
being the baseline equivalent of a warm bucket of spit.) I'm sure he must
have some positive traits (or 8x10 glossies of baseball executives) in order 
to keep finding work. Let me ask you this, Roger; ignoring stats altogether, 
what is it that Alfredo does well, and why? Just from personal observation, 
it looks to me like Alfredo no longer has much range, doesn't throw
particularly well, doesn't draw walks or make the pitcher work hard, has
trouble making frequent contact and hits the ball only slightly harder than 
Rafael Belliard or the ghost of Angel Salazar. Even if he *is* a great guy in
the clubhouse, a positive influence on the younger guys, etc., is that enough
to compensate for what he *doesn't* do on the field?  
 
>Alfredo Griffin is reported to be a really nice guy, a positive influence
>on the bench, in the clubhouse and on the field - if not at the plate.

  Roger, you bloated sack of protoplasm! 

  *I* am a really nice guy, a positive influence on the bench, in the
clubhouse and on the field - if not at the plate. You wouldn't want *me*
playing SS for you, would you? (A hint: I played mostly C, 3B and pitched 
some in high school/intramurals.) 

  Once again, I have to ask: Even if all these wonderful things are true
about Fettucine Alfredo, does it make up for the things he *doesn't* do on 
the baseball field? I rather doubt it. He's only around as a safety valve 
*if* (1) Manny Lee is the second coming of the antichrist for another year and 
(2) Eddie Zosky gets too many batting tips from Manny. He really doesn't 
deserve a job *anywwhere*, but I guess you could even make an argument
against that considering how weak SS is these days, especially in the AL. 
Of course, one thing I *have* neglected is that Alfredo gives off almost as
much 'leadership aura' (tm) as Chris James. Almost.  
 
>Making him the butt of your little statistical jokes shows a complete
>lack of respect for a man who commands a lot more respect from his peers
>than Tony Fernandez.  Ask the players if he made a "measurable" contribution.

  I'm sorry, but this is just silly. "..commands a lot more respect from his 
peers than Tony Fernandez."? I've never seen any evidence of this, even from a
'players' standpoint, and I've followed the Jays for quite a while. Tony's 
suffered a couple of freak injuries that may severely curtail his career, and
he's still 10 times the player Alfredo pretends to be. I don't think he's
*that* great a player any more (Tony), but he's still one of the best
shortstops in baseball. It's kinda sad for me to see Tony decline like this; 
he was one of the big reasons I started following the Jays in '84/'85. Up
until Bill 'roll block from hell' Madlock took him out in '87, Tony was
without peer in the field. (With apologies to Cal and Ozzie.) After his
facial reconstruction (read: beaning) in early '88, he was still pretty damn
good, but he just didn't seem like the same player. I'd love to have him back
in Mann 'E' Lee's place in Toronto, surliness/moodiness and all; wouldn't you?

  It's hard to say with a straight face, but the Jays don't have all *that* 
big of a hole at SS. Now, I better qualify that before a certain designated 
fiery redhead on the left coast falls off his chair laughing. The Jays are
lucky. They don't have *that* big of a hole at SS because of the sorry state 
of the shortstop position in the AL. In other words, it's not because of
anything the Jays have done, it's because the AL SS contingent *sucks wind*. 
After Cal Ripken, what is there, really? Trammell, maybe, but he's become
increasingly fragile and the long grass at Tiger Stadium is disguising his 
loss of range. Guillen, maybe, but he drew all of 11 walks last year and hits
with about as much authority as Al Newman's big sister. Bill Spiers, maybe, 
but last year was a bit of a fluke and he's now battling injuries. 

  It's not exactly fair to excuse the Jays for having a crummy SS just cuz 
the rest of the league (minus one team) is mediocre at best. But, when the 
rest of the league includes such stalwarts as DiSarcina, Fermin, Vizquel, 
Rivera, Thon/Huson, Weiss/Bordick and Howard, things don't look so bad. 

-- 
Dave Hung Like a Jim Acker Slider Kirsch  ...   of the Warren Newson fan club 
kirsch@ux.acs.umn.edu                          "Blue Jays all the way in '92"  
"Sportswriters mostly sit in bars and argue about things, then go home and 
 write all the clever bullshit they think they should have said at the time." 
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