Weekend Reposter: What is Walt Jocketty worth?

Benjamin Morris of the Five Thirty Eight blog has a fantastic article up about the worth of A's general manager Billy Beane. Morris looks at the A's success versus what would have been expected of them given their payroll and finds that Beane is likely worth ten times what he's being paid, if not more.  Beane, of course, is the gold standard of current MLB GM's (it helps when Brad Pitt plays you in the movie) but it got me wondering what Walt Jocketty is worth to the Reds.  Given the imminent trade deadline, Jocketty's worth is on the forefront of many Reds fans' minds, and I'd be interested in Reds fans' opinion on his value.  Thoughts?

Todd Frazier talked to his home state's Asbury Park Press about his memories of his Little League World Series run in 1998. It's clear from the article that Frazier never tires of talking about that time of his life, and it informs his big league career even today.  He talks about the relaxed attitude the team had and how that helped them succeed, which to my mind is further evidence that if Bryan Price ever chose to name a team captain, he could do far worse than to name Frazier to that position.

Jonah Keri took a look at the still-tight National League Central race for Grantland, and determined what it will take for each of the contenders - in other words, every team that isn't the Cubs - to win the division.  Keri seems to believe the Reds are the longest shot among the top four teams in the division, and that it would take a major move for them to even compete.  And that article was written before the Reds most recent two losses.  But it's still worth a read if you're concerned about who will represent the Central in the playoffs.

Pete Rose Jr. wants to coach and manage in the major leagues. Rose has compiled an impressive minor league career as a player, and is in his fourth year as a minor league manager.  He exhibits typical Rose family confidence when he says "I will manage in the big leagues at some point," and defers to his famous father with his Twitter handle @hitprince14.  Good luck, Pete Jr.

Tomorrow is the annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cooperstown, New York.  Managers Tony LaRussa, Bobby Cox and Joe Torre, and players Frank Thomas, Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine will receive baseball's highest honor when they are inducted into the Hall.  Two of the inductees, LaRussa and Maddux, will be inducted with plaques that indicate no team logo in reference to the fact that they both had equal claims to multiple teams.  Richard Sandomir of the New York Times has a look at how they came to that decision, and the historical precedent for it.

Finally, the Pittsburgh Pirates did a great thing this week when they signed a 12 year old cancer patient named Matthew Beichner to a one day contract and treated him to an amazing experience via the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Matthew played catch with his favorite player Andrew McCutchen, toured the clubhouse and took batting practice.  It's a beautiful story that should remind us all what's really important in life.