Comments on: Inside the spring-training roster: Infielders

By: Mike S.

Mike S. — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 02:40:25 +0000

Eric Duncan isn’t even listed in the top 30 for Yankees prospects. I’ve seen him several times over the past few years between Scranton and Trenton and wasn’t impressed. I wasn’t surprised that no one claimed him in Rule 5–it just confirmed what I’ve felt all along. This is indeed his last chance. The numbers Pete stated (.234 at AAA) have been very disappointing. From the moment I first saw Eric Duncan, I thought “Drew Henson all over again.” We know how Drew Henson’s major league career worked out. It’ll be the same with Eric Duncan.

Regarding Ensberg, it’s important to remember where he put up his numbers. There is a big difference between the joke of a short LF Houston has (315 down the line, 362 to LCF, not too much height to the fence) and what he’d have at Yankee Stadium.

I hate Schilling with a passion, but the 11-2, 2.23 postseason record does speak volumes.

By: GMAN

GMAN — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 00:05:13 +0000

Curt Schilling is the Mickey Lolich of this era.
Belongs in the Hall of Very, Very Good.

By: sammy

sammy — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 21:06:00 +0000

… Pete, didn’t you mean Sheff, and not Piazza?
a more directly comparable player.

By: John_Halfz

John_Halfz — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 20:05:00 +0000

I like how the commenter indicts “stat geeks” while simultaneously predicting good things for Shelley if he can keep his walks up.

1) walks are a stat
2) the predictive value of his career MiLB OBP is to suggest that he won’t keep his walks up
3) he can’t hit anything besides dead red.

Ensberg, on the other hand, is a low risk/high upside guy. Maybe he’ll suck. But maybe his injury issues are behind him. Either way, he has a great eye, and I’d much rather have his low .390s OBP (last 1,000 +/- PA in Houston). Shelley’s value to the team last year was embedded, almost entirely, in an HR:AB ratio that he can’t possibly hope to sustain (unless you honestly believe that he’ll hit 50 HR in 550 AB because pitchers will be too dumb to stop challenging him with the fastball).

By: hmmm

hmmm — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 19:21:11 +0000

“for those of you who are enamored of the great morgan ensberg, even in his supposedly great year of 2006, he hit .235 that year. he has declined steadily since 2005.”

no one said his 2006 was great. 2006 was the year he got hurt.

look at the numbers i posted above from before and after he got hurt.

now, i DON’T know if he is healthy. if he isn’t, you’re right, he won’t be very good.

if he is, he might be a killer bargain.

By: Jay

Jay — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 19:18:09 +0000

I’m sure someone else already pointed this out, but I don’t have the time to read through fifty comments.

“But Ensberg has played only one game of first in his pro career. Itâ€™s not so easy, just ask Mike Piazza.” Umm, Ensberg played third; Piazza was a catcher. Can you maybe see a bit of difference there? I mean, did you seriously write that?

By: Matt

Matt — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 18:29:00 +0000

Pete, didn’t you say something a couple months ago about how there would be an alien invasion in Central Park before they re-signed A-Rod? What are you trying to achieve here? If Jeter breaks a collarbone and Cano starts throwing to one or all of the twenty seven first basement a la Chuck Knoblauch, I know whom to blame.

Great series on camp so far, by the way.

By: whozat

whozat — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 18:28:59 +0000

“While he always had good junk, he also relied heavily on what once was a decent FB.”

If he can get his FB back into the high 80s, where it was in 06 — the last year he had a full spring training to build arm strength — I can see Moose having a decent year. Especially if he can be rested to avoid nagging injuries.

By: OldYanksFan

OldYanksFan — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 18:01:38 +0000

Ensberg: Look, you rarely get a star off the scrap heap, but all things considered: better numbers against leftiesl; backing up 3B; an OBP typically 80-100 pts above his (typicall terrible) BA; the injury, etc., he might surprise us. He also played on 3 teams last year which can’t help. If he stinks, there’s no loss, he’s a throw-away. We should be able to see in ST if he has his swing/power back.

Shelly: Gotta love the kid and hopefully he IS a late bloomer, but he has Shane Maas written all over him. He’s big and strong, but obviously not a ‘natural’ athlete. If he can’t shorten he swing and hit junk, he will struggle to hit .250.

Moose: He may indeed be cooked, but between this being a walk year, his sense of pride and maybe an outside outside shot and the HOF, he should at least be very motivated. While he always had good junk, he also relied heavily on what once was a decent FB. If he can’t hit 90 anymore, it may be an issue of re-learning how to pitch as a ‘pure’ junk baller. If people are gonna sit on his FB, he will have to be a lot more selective about when he throws it.

I really see the key being JD, Abreu, Matsui and to some extent Giambi, having better years. We can’t count on ARod and Po carrying the team again. Our offense will need to give our pitchers some breathing room.

By: MikeEff - Shelley at First

MikeEff - Shelley at First — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 17:25:39 +0000

for those of you who are enamored of the great morgan ensberg, even in his supposedly great year of 2006, he hit .235 that year. he has declined steadily since 2005.

for those making the argument that his shoulder injury kept him back, that is no doubt true, but his walks declined dramatically as well. i’d say we should have left him on the scrap heap.

many scouts have said that shelley duncan was a late bloomer…that is why the yanks are investing time ( and time with tino ) in him.

we;ll see how it shakes out, but even his career .257 would work out OK if he can keep his walks up. it can’t be denied that he has the right energy and intangibles that are so often overlooked by stat-geeks these days