Jays Make Good Move In Bringing Up Aaron Hill From Syracuse

"Cerberus" <cerberus.TakeThisOut@remailer.com> wrote in message
news:rOadncJumv-gqhPfRVn-vg@rogers.com...
> Corey Koskie has not helped the Jays that much and should now
> be traded. His signing in the off season was yet another
> mistake by by general manager J.P. Ricciardi.
>
> I remember Ricciardi saying last year that getting rid
> of Delgado would free up some cash for the purchase of
> a couple of free-agent bats. Shea Hillenbrand has worked out,
> but Koskie so far has been a bust. For proof, Josh Phelps, the DH
> who was traded away to Cleveland for nothing, now with Tampa has a ,261
> average to Koskie's .248. And more important Phelps has 19 rbis to
> Koskie's 16, with fewer at-bats.
>
> Yes, Koskie can play a position and he is a Canadian. And neither player
> is burning up the league but Phelps would be making the minimum salary
> and Koskie is fairly costly. I don't know was his salary is but I assume
> it would be at least $1.5 million.
>
> The Jays would have been just as well off if they had started the season
> with Hill at third base. After all, they are not going to win anything
> this season so why not look to the future.
>
> Now that Hill has been brought up to play third at the minimum salary
> the Jays should trade Koskie, although they probably wouldn't get much for
> him. Just as they would not get much for Frank Catalanotto who was a
> relatively expensive re-signing. Catanotto's hitting has been mediocre
> and his defensive play is pretty awful. He can't run very fast and has a
> weak arm for a ML outfielder.

Lets wait and see if Hill gets the chance to actually do something. If he
starts off slow, will he be given the chance to play despite a .200 average
(since he isn`t a vet, he will be sent down, while the team waits forever to
see Menechino's average ever increases above .225). As for Koskie, I would
be more worried about Wells, another player who will get unlimited playing
time despite a sinking BA.
 >> Stay informed about: Jays Make Good Move In Bringing Up Aaron Hill From Syracuse 

You know, some people just like to complain no matter what the situation is.

The Jays won yesterday. It's near the end of May and they are not only over
..500 but still a wild card contender. They play entertaining baseball.
Almost all of their games I've seen have contained four or five brilliant
defensive plays. A Jay player (Wells) just hit two home runs in one game,
despite no Delgado. A Jay player (Hillenbrand) is in the top 10 in the
league in a number of offensive categories. When two, maybe three Jay
starters take the mound, you can expect brilliant pitching. The Jays have
defeated the aces of two opposing pitching staffs, including Randy Johnson.

Tell me the last time any of the above things happened. I say it's a good
thing again to be a Jays fan, and I'm happy for the improvement over last
season. Instead of bellyaching about trivial details, we should be thinking
about how the Jays can take that next step back toward being a championship
team.

Miki

"Cerberus" <cerberus DeleteThis @remailer.com> wrote in message
news:rOadncJumv-gqhPfRVn-vg@rogers.com...
> Corey Koskie has not helped the Jays that much and should now
> be traded. His signing in the off season was yet another
> mistake by by general manager J.P. Ricciardi.
>
> I remember Ricciardi saying last year that getting rid
> of Delgado would free up some cash for the purchase of
> a couple of free-agent bats. Shea Hillenbrand has worked out,
> but Koskie so far has been a bust. For proof, Josh Phelps, the DH
> who was traded away to Cleveland for nothing, now with Tampa has a ,261
> average to Koskie's .248. And more important Phelps has 19 rbis to
> Koskie's 16, with fewer at-bats.
>
> Yes, Koskie can play a position and he is a Canadian. And neither player
> is burning up the league but Phelps would be making the minimum salary
> and Koskie is fairly costly. I don't know was his salary is but I assume
> it would be at least $1.5 million.
>
> The Jays would have been just as well off if they had started the season
> with Hill at third base. After all, they are not going to win anything
> this season so why not look to the future.
>
> Now that Hill has been brought up to play third at the minimum salary
> the Jays should trade Koskie, although they probably wouldn't get much for
> him. Just as they would not get much for Frank Catalanotto who was a
> relatively expensive re-signing. Catanotto's hitting has been mediocre
> and his defensive play is pretty awful. He can't run very fast and has a
> weak arm for a ML outfielder.
 >> Stay informed about: Jays Make Good Move In Bringing Up Aaron Hill From Syracuse 

"Miki Kocic" <email.DeleteThis@munged.com> wrote in message
news:118u1jfp4veo5ca@corp.supernews.com...
> You know, some people just like to complain no matter what the situation
> is.
>
> The Jays won yesterday. It's near the end of May and they are not only
> over .500 but still a wild card contender. They play entertaining
> baseball. Almost all of their games I've seen have contained four or five
> brilliant defensive plays. A Jay player (Wells) just hit two home runs in
> one game, despite no Delgado. A Jay player (Hillenbrand) is in the top 10
> in the league in a number of offensive categories. When two, maybe three
> Jay starters take the mound, you can expect brilliant pitching. The Jays
> have defeated the aces of two opposing pitching staffs, including Randy
> Johnson.
>
> Tell me the last time any of the above things happened. I say it's a good
> thing again to be a Jays fan, and I'm happy for the improvement over last
> season. Instead of bellyaching about trivial details, we should be
> thinking about how the Jays can take that next step back toward being a
> championship team.
>
> Miki

Jay need consistency to compete for a championship. Koskie, Wells and Hinski
must, together create sustained offensive rallies. They all have the power
to belt an ill-placed pitch out of the park, but they need to start making
better contact with men on base. Given enough of a chance they will hit
their homeruns, but over-all, throughout the season it will be singles and
doubles that will gat the Jays to the top.

If the Jays really want to play the Lefty/Righty game, they need to improve
the quality of their role players. Menechino, the best the team can hope
from him is a average in the range of .230 - .245, with next to no power.
These are not the stats of a player who will surprise with a key late game
hit ( or even a late game pinch hit).

It is early in the season, but Randy Johnson has not been very dominant, 4 -
2 with a couple of no - decisions.




>
> "Cerberus" <cerberus.DeleteThis@remailer.com> wrote in message
> news:rOadncJumv-gqhPfRVn-vg@rogers.com...
>> Corey Koskie has not helped the Jays that much and should now
>> be traded. His signing in the off season was yet another
>> mistake by by general manager J.P. Ricciardi.
>>
>> I remember Ricciardi saying last year that getting rid
>> of Delgado would free up some cash for the purchase of
>> a couple of free-agent bats. Shea Hillenbrand has worked out,
>> but Koskie so far has been a bust. For proof, Josh Phelps, the DH
>> who was traded away to Cleveland for nothing, now with Tampa has a ,261
>> average to Koskie's .248. And more important Phelps has 19 rbis to
>> Koskie's 16, with fewer at-bats.
>>
>> Yes, Koskie can play a position and he is a Canadian. And neither player
>> is burning up the league but Phelps would be making the minimum salary
>> and Koskie is fairly costly. I don't know was his salary is but I assume
>> it would be at least $1.5 million.
>>
>> The Jays would have been just as well off if they had started the season
>> with Hill at third base. After all, they are not going to win anything
>> this season so why not look to the future.
>>
>> Now that Hill has been brought up to play third at the minimum salary
>> the Jays should trade Koskie, although they probably wouldn't get much
>> for him. Just as they would not get much for Frank Catalanotto who was a
>> relatively expensive re-signing. Catanotto's hitting has been mediocre
>> and his defensive play is pretty awful. He can't run very fast and has a
>> weak arm for a ML outfielder.
>
>
 >> Stay informed about: Jays Make Good Move In Bringing Up Aaron Hill From Syracuse 

<barber_anooooo.TakeThisOut@ns.sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:scGje.34189$Ph4.614806@ursa-nb00s0.nbnet.nb.ca...
>
> Jay need consistency to compete for a championship. Koskie, Wells and
> Hinski must, together create sustained offensive rallies. They all have
> the power to belt an ill-placed pitch out of the park, but they need to
> start making better contact with men on base. Given enough of a chance
> they will hit their homeruns, but over-all, throughout the season it will
> be singles and doubles that will gat the Jays to the top.

I agree that Koskie has been disappointing and Hinske has a large hole in
his batting that makes him a 99% certain out against a first-rate pitcher.
Wells had his usual slow start but has been contributing defensively and is
starting to come around. He'll have 30 homers, 100 RBIs and a .280 average
by the time the season ends. It's just the way he is.

On the other hand, to balance off the problems with Koskie and Hinske,
Hudson's defence has moved him into elite second-baseman territory, Towers
is 5-1 (!), Hillenbrand has been an excellent acquisition at the plate and
in the field, Halladay is back in dominant form, etc. etc. Many more
positives than negatives with this team.

I don't want to feed your obsession with Menechino, so I have deliberately
deleted your second paragraph.

> It is early in the season, but Randy Johnson has not been very dominant,
> 4 - 2 with a couple of no - decisions.

True, but he was very much on his game when the Jays beat him. One fewer
gopherball (and he threw only one), as well as even a slightly less dominant
performance by Halladay, and Johnson is 5-1. That's elite pitcher territory
to me.

Miki
 >> Stay informed about: Jays Make Good Move In Bringing Up Aaron Hill From Syracuse 

"Miki Kocic" <email DeleteThis @munged.com> wrote in message
news:118upsn99s7i55c@corp.supernews.com...
>
> <barber_anooooo DeleteThis @ns.sympatico.ca> wrote in message
> news:scGje.34189$Ph4.614806@ursa-nb00s0.nbnet.nb.ca...
>>
>> Jay need consistency to compete for a championship. Koskie, Wells and
>> Hinski must, together create sustained offensive rallies. They all have
>> the power to belt an ill-placed pitch out of the park, but they need to
>> start making better contact with men on base. Given enough of a chance
>> they will hit their homeruns, but over-all, throughout the season it will
>> be singles and doubles that will gat the Jays to the top.
>
> I agree that Koskie has been disappointing and Hinske has a large hole in
> his batting that makes him a 99% certain out against a first-rate pitcher.
> Wells had his usual slow start but has been contributing defensively and
> is starting to come around. He'll have 30 homers, 100 RBIs and a .280
> average by the time the season ends. It's just the way he is.
>
> On the other hand, to balance off the problems with Koskie and Hinske,
> Hudson's defence has moved him into elite second-baseman territory, Towers
> is 5-1 (!), Hillenbrand has been an excellent acquisition at the plate and
> in the field, Halladay is back in dominant form, etc. etc. Many more
> positives than negatives with this team.
>
> I don't want to feed your obsession with Menechino, so I have deliberately
> deleted your second paragraph.
>
>> It is early in the season, but Randy Johnson has not been very dominant,
>> 4 - 2 with a couple of no - decisions.
>
> True, but he was very much on his game when the Jays beat him. One fewer
> gopherball (and he threw only one), as well as even a slightly less
> dominant performance by Halladay, and Johnson is 5-1. That's elite
> pitcher territory to me.

Yankees lost 7-1 today, so Johnson is now 4-3. Johnson is now over 40. I am
not saying he is washed up, but I think the Yankees are having him pitch far
too many innings. Yankee pitching in general, has not been good this season,
but expecting Johnson to pick up the slack, might cost them a chance to
allow Johnson to be more effective by cutting back his innings, and spacing
out his starts more.. ie the manager may be more comfortable losing with
Johnson, then taking a chance on a rookie being in the Starting staff, and
reducing Johnson's workload.




>
> Miki
>
 >> Stay informed about: Jays Make Good Move In Bringing Up Aaron Hill From Syracuse 

"Bill Kawalec" <bkawalec.DeleteThis@NOcomcastSPAM.net> wrote in message
news:42900cbb$1_2@spool9-east.superfeed.net...
>
> <barber_anooooo.DeleteThis@ns.sympatico.ca> wrote in message
> news:umGje.34195$Ph4.615036@ursa-nb00s0.nbnet.nb.ca...
>>
>> "Bill Kawalec" <bkawalec.DeleteThis@NOcomcastSPAM.net> wrote in message
>> news:428ece19_3@spool9-east.superfeed.net...
>>>
> , to be a
>> true star he has to be able to contribute something other then
>> strike-outs in those non-homerun games )
>>
>>
>
>
> Again, an out is an out. Power hitters should be aggressive, and will
> strike out more than your average contact hitter.


They will have more strikeouts, an out is an out I agree, but since they
will not hit home runs every game of the season, during those games the team
can`t afford all of them to be 0 for 4 or 5 AB.
 >> Stay informed about: Jays Make Good Move In Bringing Up Aaron Hill From Syracuse 

Reply to message from Cerberus <cerberus.RemoveThis@remailer.com> (Fri, 20 May 2005
15:15:0 about "Jays Make Good Move In Bringing Up Aaron Hill From
Syracuse":

C> Corey Koskie has not helped the Jays that much and should now be
C> traded. His signing in the off season was yet another mistake by by
C> general manager J.P. Ricciardi.

There is an interesting mail response from bluejays.com today that speaks
indirectly to your concern here. Koskie is locked in a multi-year contract
and although we can't know what the release fee is, given his huge wage, we
can safely assume that it's going to be pretty large as well.

C> I remember Ricciardi saying last year that getting rid of Delgado would
C> free up some cash for the purchase of a couple of free-agent bats. Shea
C> Hillenbrand has worked out, but Koskie so far has been a bust. For
C> proof, Josh Phelps, the DH who was traded away to Cleveland for
C> nothing, now with Tampa has a ,261 average to Koskie's .248. And more
C> important Phelps has 19 rbis to Koskie's 16, with fewer at-bats.

I think it's always a mistake to compare what you gave away to what you
obtained, especially in the first season (May to boot). That Koskie may be
a slow starter, not unlike Wells, is something that we must account for as
well. There just hasn't been enough time for him to prove himself. Yes, at
times you get someone who asserts himself from the get-go and we have
Hillenbrand as evidence of that. If we give Wells the pass, I think Koskie
should get one as well.

C> The Jays would have been just as well off if they had started the
C> season with Hill at third base. After all, they are not going to win
C> anything this season so why not look to the future.

You never know with the Jays; that's the silver lining to inconsistency -
you never know what you're gonna get. Despite Hill's impressive start (he
is after all the top offensive prospect), I'm not entirely convinced that
he can keep up his hitting streak throughout the season. Being in the
majors means being able to tough out slumps and keep a positive attitude;
Koskie, I think, is a true professional in that respect.

C> Just as they would not get much for Frank Catalanotto who was a
C> relatively expensive re-signing. Catanotto's hitting has been mediocre
C> and his defensive play is pretty awful. He can't run very fast and has
C> a weak arm for a ML outfielder.

While Johnson is undoubtedly the better defensive player, Catalanotto has a
better bat. I'm sure this is the reason that Gibbons switch them up so
often in starts since neither can really be established as a 'regular.' All
in all, I would agree with you that Hill seems a good prospect but I
disagree that Koskie should make way for him. And let's not forget that
Hill was groomed to be a SS, and not a third baseman.

MF
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