Updating the Top 100; Joey Votto, #27

He’s a good player. Also. These seats in the resource room are awesome.

had an interesting article in their travel section, about a baseball scout. The article was ostensibly about travel tips from a frequent flyer (he says he’s home only about 8 days during the season), but had some interesting stuff on scouting, too.

“I’m looking for tendencies,” he explains. “If a guy sets his hands at a different position on different counts. I want to know his stance. Does he close up? Is he an open-style hitter? Does he dive into the pitch? … I first check his hands, then his feet. Then I check where his head goes on certain pitches.”

…Back at the hotel, he writes up reports on the game and then emails them to the team’s video coordinator, who compiles the various streams of research. The team’s manager and staff will ultimately share the information with the players to help them prepare for future match-ups.

And he always starts afresh each year.

By the end of the season, Johnson has accumulated more than 300 charts. When the playing is done for the year, he’ll pull the stacks out of his closet and “throw them out.” It starts all over again in a few months.

“Every year is a different year,” he says. “The way you stay in the big leagues is by making adjustments to the competition. For example, a pitcher that used to throw 95 and now throws 91, he has to adjust his style to the hitters.”

I don’t think I’d like his job, much as I love baseball. Sounds like a grueling schedule. You don’t even get to fly business class. He says he always picks the cheapest fares. Small market teams can’t afford to do otherwise.

The Reds really haven’t had a lot of good first baseman.

Granted, he won a batting title, but he also was the Grand Wizard of throwing baseball games, which should be worth -5,000,000 WAR or something.

This is definitely the darkest, most terrible timeline.

Where does Votto wind up ranking if his 2012 and 2013 numbers mirror his 2010-2011 numbers?

My 1B do things that your 1B wish he could.

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/12/15/josh-hamilton-is-looking-for-a-new-accountability-partner/

Is that the person that finds the girls for you to do shots off of?

Wee Kenny Rosenthal thinks there’s a chance the Pads would deal Latos.

I’ve found a new completely unrealistic thing to dream on until the Reds announce the Wade Davis trade.

Baseball Wives is the worst “show” in the history of television.

Josh Willingham signed with the Twins for 3 years and $21 million guaranteed. Glad that’s not us.

1 acre for rumored 20mil.

How much will Toby Keith’s “I Love This Bar and Grill” sell for in a year or two?

C’mon Yanks!

Why hasn’t winning bid been announced? Bidding period ended last night.