Reds sign Willy Taveras to 2 year deal....

[M2]

Hey, it was four years ago on Dec. 27 that the Reds signed Eric Milton.

Apparently the Reds are sending me a message by making insultingly stupid free agent signings on my birthday.



Go Team to Be Named Later.

[Raisor]

Originally Posted by lollipopcurve

I find it a little sad that the season will be nearly ruined for lots of regular posters because of this signing. It's a weird thing.

Personally, I find Tavares entertaining. Looking forward to seeing him play for the Reds.

He'll be really entertaining walking from the batter's box to between firstbase and back to the dugout almost 500 times in 09.

[BuckeyeRedleg]

Originally Posted by lollipopcurve

I find it a little sad that the season will be nearly ruined for lots of regular posters because of this signing. It's a weird thing.

Personally, I find Tavares entertaining. Looking forward to seeing him play for the Reds.

I'm more entertained by watching good baseball and good baseball players wear my team's uniform.

[SteelSD]

Originally Posted by Ron Madden

Nobody ever said that batting average doesn't mean anything.

All hitters have slumps. When a hitter with a BA driven OBP slumps he's just making outs.

When a hitter with a high walk rate slumps he can still avoid making outs by getting on base via a base on balls.

It aint that hard to understand.

What I'm trying to figure out is the demand of BA being something we shouldn't ignore when a big chunk of the BA of the player in question (Taveras) is made up of bunt singles, which are effectively no different than a Base on Balls.

[_Sir_Charles_]

Originally Posted by Ron Madden

Nobody ever said that batting average doesn't mean anything.

All hitters have slumps. When a hitter with a BA driven OBP slumps he's just making outs.

When a hitter with a high walk rate slumps he can still avoid making outs by getting on base via a base on balls.

It aint that hard to understand.

Sorry, I just disagree. When a hitter with a BA driven OBP slumps...he's not "just making outs". Odds are, a player with a higher BA is able to put the bat on the ball. Those kind of players are just hitting them where they ARE when they slump. That can still advance runners. A player with a high walk rate...I guess when they slump they still walk at the exact same pace....riiiiiiight. Players don't walk more often and less often during a season. Nah, walkers are consistant.

[BuckeyeRedleg]

Originally Posted by SteelSD

What I'm trying to figure out is the demand of BA being something we shouldn't ignore when a big chunk of the BA of the player in question (Taveras) is made up of bunt singles, which are effectively no different than a Base on Balls.

If Adam Dunn could have just learned how to lay down 120 bunts and avoided those damn walks every year.............

[Ron Madden]

Originally Posted by SteelSD

What I'm trying to figure out is the demand of BA being something we shouldn't ignore when a big chunk of the BA of the player in question (Taveras) is made up of bunt singles, which are effectively no different than a Base on Balls.

[Raisor]

Originally Posted by _Sir_Charles_

Sorry, I just disagree. When a hitter with a BA driven OBP slumps...he's not "just making outs". Odds are, a player with a higher BA is able to put the bat on the ball. Those kind of players are just hitting them where they ARE when they slump. That can still advance runners. A player with a high walk rate...I guess when they slump they still walk at the exact same pace....riiiiiiight. Players don't walk more often and less often during a season. Nah, walkers are consistant.

Before continuing, please do a thread search for OBP. Read them.

Thanks.

[LoganBuck]

After letting this sink in more, I can not underscore how mad I am about this.

Go read the comments of the idiots on the Hal McCoy blog. They don't get it.
http://www.daytondailynews.com/o/con....html#comments

[_Sir_Charles_]

Originally Posted by SteelSD

What I'm trying to figure out is the demand of BA being something we shouldn't ignore when a big chunk of the BA of the player in question (Taveras) is made up of bunt singles, which are effectively no different than a Base on Balls.

Not true. And I'm pretty sure you know that. Even if we assume that a large portion of his hits were bunt singles (which they weren't when I watched him in Houston), those bunt singles will STILL advance runners and force the defense to make a play. A walk will NOT do that no matter how much you guys seem to want it to. A walk is NEVER as valuable as a hit. ANY kind of hit.

[icehole3]

Originally Posted by BuckeyeRedleg

If Adam Dunn could have just learned how to lay down 120 bunts and avoided those damn walks every year.............

Here we go with the Dunn references....

[mth123]

Originally Posted by icehole3

you thought we we're going to the playoffs????

No, but that is the story that the owner has been selling. I would expect moves that help either A) in the short term B) in the long term or C) Both.

Singning Taveras is D) none of the above. Its the worst kind of move for a team like the Reds. It not only kills the team in 2009, but likely blocks guys like Stubbs, Dickerson or even Heisey from getting an audition. The Long Term was made worse IMO with no short term improvement. It was time to see if Dickerson can be an answer over the course of a season and it is what I like least about this move. Our best hope is that this is a cheap enough deal that Taveras can be painlessly jettisoned or sent to the end of the bench when the time comes (and it already has IMO).

[Screwball]

Originally Posted by M2

Hey, it was four years ago on Dec. 27 that the Reds signed Eric Milton.

Apparently the Reds are sending me a message by making insultingly stupid free agent signings on my birthday.

Go Team to Be Named Later.

Insulted. Great term. Take my ticket/hot dog/mountain dew (now coke)/pizza/jersey/3-way/beer money, and go spend it on someone who will almost assuredly lose the Reds games while I'm there.

It's basically a slap in the face.

[_Sir_Charles_]

Originally Posted by BuckeyeRedleg

If Adam Dunn could have just learned how to lay down 120 bunts and avoided those damn walks every year.............

If Dunn were to have bunted for 100 singles instead of 100 walks...yes, he'd be even more valuable. Somehow, whenever I talk about this, people seem to think that I think a walk is a bad thing. Hit > Walk > Out. Now that's a formula I can agree with everytime.

[_Sir_Charles_]

Originally Posted by icehole3

Here we go with the Dunn references....

My bad. I think I started it this time. It's kind of hard to talk about walks and batting average without bringing up the posterboy. :O)