Comments on The Tao of Stieb: Baby steps (you gotta start somewhere)

I thought it was his eyesight. Then I thought it w...

2009-11-05T14:42:02.448-05:00

I thought it was his eyesight. Then I thought it was his shoulder again. Then I thought it was his hammy. Then I thought it was just between his ears. Then I heard it was his wrist.

All you religious types spend the winter praying to your various Invisible Spaghetti Monsters that they fix it. Amen.

Vernon will hit .300 with 35 HR in 2010. Believe i...

2009-11-04T22:49:34.782-05:00

Vernon will hit .300 with 35 HR in 2010. Believe it.

Wells will post an OPS of above .850. I can't wait...

2009-11-04T14:53:49.577-05:00

Wells will post an OPS of above .850. I can't wait.

Please explain the attraction to Buck Coats, keepi...

2009-11-04T13:08:17.213-05:00

Please explain the attraction to Buck Coats, keeping in mind that his mediocre AAA numbers were from a launching pad park in a launching pad league.

Hoffpair falls somewhere between Joe Inglett and Emaus/Campbell on the infield pecking order.

Wells will put up an OPS between .780 and .810.

Free Buck Coats. Free Randy Ruiz

2009-11-04T10:35:32.862-05:00

Free Buck Coats.

Free Randy Ruiz

Peter, I think that's a bit of a pessimistic take ...

2009-11-04T10:00:28.079-05:00

Peter, I think that's a bit of a pessimistic take on the claim. I wouldn't say everything needs to "magically come together" for Hoff (thanks anon), but obviously there is a reason that a 26 year old with solid on base skills hasn't stuck at the major league level yet. Then again, Scutaro was little more than bench fodder until he got his break with the Jays....

And considering some of the fringe the Jays have on the 40 (nice knowing you, Bill Murphy), it's hard to knock the move.

re: Vernon - I'm slightly more optimistic - say .290-25-90.

I don't know if we can set expectations for Vernon...

2009-11-04T09:51:53.000-05:00

I don't know if we can set expectations for Vernon without knowing what the heck was wrong with him this year. It had to be more than just a physical thing -- his home/away and lefty/righty splits were just unbelievably backwards and deviated so far from his career stats that it's hard to know how to interpret them. I doubt we'll ever find out why, but hopefully he'll at least get over those anomalies for next year.

I think Dave's projection for Vernon is bang on. ...

2009-11-04T08:41:37.164-05:00

I think Dave's projection for Vernon is bang on.

As for these waiver claims, I don't expect any of them to have a significant impact on the Jays, and it's a bit of a waste of time to even hope for everything to magically come together for one of them. I remember JP Ricciardi getting pissed off at the Batters Box guys for this very thing, his comment was along the lines of 'Here I am adding quality major league talent and I get bashed, then I claim a guy for depth in the minor league system and I am praised for the move, you people need a reality check'

I don't mind the Jays becoming the Salvation Army ...

2009-11-04T04:38:53.146-05:00

I don't mind the Jays becoming the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen for wayward prospects in the short term. If Butters can turn the Hoff around remains to be seen - surely Butters won't be the first coach to try and help he guy out, so I wonder what exactly his problem is? It could be a question of skill or a question of comprehending the position, or both.

I remember one thing Aaron Hill once said about his playing time at LSU (not 100 % on location) is that in College hitting was the focus, not defense. So yeah, Butters will have his work cut out for him on tweaking EE a little (who isn't really that bad) and getting the Hoff to resemble something that looks like a decent infielder.

At this point, our wagon train is hitched to Verno...

2009-11-04T00:07:03.791-05:00

At this point, our wagon train is hitched to Vernon, like it or not. So we have to hope for the best here.

Maybe a new season and a fanbase that isn't rooted in misery will help him regain some of the old form, but I'd say .270-20-80 with continually declining skills in CF (with no other alternatives, sadly) is about where we can slot him in.

I like these 'intriguing' claims in the wake of no other news, let's get more Hoffpauirs and fewer Barretts on the 40-man.