2008 Free Agents Sorted by Tim Dierkes

by Man Mountain on Sep 7, 2008 7:01 PM EDT

via MLB Trade Rumors.

Tim sorts available position players by OBP and includes BB%.

Why BB%, because...

I also included BB%, the percentage of plate appearances in which the hitter drew a walk. This helps identify those whose OBPs may be deceiving because of reliance on batting average (Hairston's .338/.388/.475 line is an example).

Natch. Hairston's 6.6 BB% is good for second lowest on the list. Only Mark Grudzielanek's is lower, and he's ancient and one of Dusty's former players, so he might be one to watch if he doesn't decide to retire.

Milton Bradley does extremely well by this isolation, and Jason Giambi, Fernando Tatis and Doug Mientkiewicz look more appealing than they might otherwise.

Dierkes sorts starting pitching by K/9.

The only one of these pitchers I could see the Reds making a legit run at is Burnett, who does well by this dips.

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That guy right above Hairston looks he's pretty damn good

Although he probably gets on base a little TOO much for Dusty’s liking.

Politickin' in God's Country

by chesirecat on Sep 7, 2008 7:40 PM EDT reply actions

Milton Bradley

Does extremely well by a lot of standards.

What do you think the market’s like for a player coming off a 171 OPS+ season?

Everybody's a jerk. You. Me. This jerk.

by andromache on Sep 7, 2008 7:42 PM EDT reply actions

it would be major

if the previous years he hadnt been a human hand grenade. the scary thing about it is i dont really think this is much of a fluke. this seems like the first year he has been healthy (both physically and mentally) and although i dont think he’s gonna do this ever again, i think he very possibly could put up 3+ years with an OPS+ over 140. and that would still be good.

but he could just as easily fall flat on his face. does this all sound familiar? a trouble player with a history of injuries and off-field problems finally puts it all together, and plays for Texas and we dont know what to expect of him going forward? i wish him all the best.

Dusty Baker is dumb.

by Charlie Scrabbles on Sep 7, 2008 9:43 PM EDT up reply actions

I can has Abreu?

I think I’d be better off deferring to BubbaFan on how good he is, but he certainly seems to fit the profile of what the Reds are looking for, yes?

...because there's already someone posing as Jacob Brumfield

by Cy Schourek on Sep 7, 2008 9:47 PM EDT reply actions

I'm not a big Abreu fan...

Although with all the youth on the team I guess he’d be a good veteran leader.

People Don't Kill People. Burning Couches Kill People.

by crolfer on Sep 7, 2008 9:56 PM EDT up reply actions

He is terrible defensively

His range numbers have been awful this season. Justin has him as the least valuable defensive player in the league.

Even still, with that he’d be close to the most valuable player on the team behind only Votto and Phillips. He’s not the kind of guy I would pay big money for and I’d have to believe that he would still get $10M next year.

"You never want to give up a 7-0 lead, in your rival's ballpark, that would put them in first place. Never want to do that." - Ron Darling

by Slyde on Sep 7, 2008 9:58 PM EDT up reply actions

I'm not a big fan of Abreu

I remember when the Yanks acquired him. A Phillies fan showed up at one of my favorite Yankees blogs, and warned us that before long, we’d get sick of his whining when he wasn’t allowed to bat third, his letting balls drop in in front of him, and his shying away from the wall.

Sour grapes, I thought. But he was right. Abreu has a good eye at the plate, but man, am I tired of his play in right field. His fear of the wall is just mind-boggling. It was like he was afraid it would bite him. It wasn’t that he wouldn’t run into the wall. He wouldn’t even walk near it. He treated it like it was the edge of 500’ cliff. He’s gotten better about that lately, but still…I won’t be sorry to see him go, if the Yanks decide to part ways with him. At his age, his defense is only going to get worse.

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?

by BubbaFan on Sep 7, 2008 11:05 PM EDT up reply actions

would Giles come to Cincy?

IMO, he’s the best fit for this team. excellent OBP and defense, and he seems to be a real stand-up kinda guy. but all indications are, being a wily veteran, he would only go to play for a handful of teams. Cincy is most likely not one of them.

but of the players on that list, for reasons ranging from too old (Manny) to too expensive (Tex), i would eliminate nearly every one, except for that Dunn fella. he’s still young, he’s a model of consistency, he’s…..

Dusty Baker is dumb.

by Charlie Scrabbles on Sep 7, 2008 10:07 PM EDT reply actions