Punto???? No comments???

Congratulations, Nick Punot. You have met your quota of 1 HR per
season.
 >> Stay informed about: Punto???? No comments??? 

"John Gregory" <ashbury.RemoveThis@skypoint.com> wrote in message
news:20080705112021.V41256@mirage.skypoint.com...
> On Sat, 5 Jul 2008, AnnE wrote:
>
>> Let's hear it for Punto!!! <G>
>
> Yay Nick. So far, your season sucks less than Brendan Harris's and
> Mike Lamb's do.
>
> It's only 78 AB at the moment, so wide swings are still possible. But yes,
> so far he's putting up batting numbers that justify a
> backup infielder. Too bad if more is expected of him.

His OPS of .781 would lead the league among SS, if he qualified (of course
he's not close to qualifying so that's a huge caveat).

Michael Young who *should* be the All-Star starter, has a .758 OPS. Jeter's
at .735; Peralta .747... and they're the best of the bunch in a year where
SSs are way down in production.

He hasn't played much and so it's unfair to compare him with guys who have
been there day-in and day-out... I'd say his numbers justify a starting SS
this year... you have to be happy with what he's given the Twins when he's
actually in the lineup, especially given his versatility, the positions he
plays, and his defense -- which is a plus.

brink
 >> Stay informed about: Punto???? No comments??? 

On Sat, 5 Jul 2008, brink wrote:

>
> "John Gregory" <ashbury.DeleteThis@skypoint.com> wrote in message
> news:20080705112021.V41256@mirage.skypoint.com...
>> On Sat, 5 Jul 2008, AnnE wrote:
>>
>>> Let's hear it for Punto!!! <G>
>>
>> Yay Nick. So far, your season sucks less than Brendan Harris's and
>> Mike Lamb's do.
>>
>> It's only 78 AB at the moment, so wide swings are still possible. But yes,
>> so far he's putting up batting numbers that justify a
>> backup infielder. Too bad if more is expected of him.
>
> His OPS of .781 would lead the league among SS, if he qualified (of course
> he's not close to qualifying so that's a huge caveat).

It would be easy to misinterpret my comments as meaning I hate the guy.
He's actually the kind who is easy to root for if he has occasional
success. If he keeps this up then I'll have to give him some love.

Still, as you say, the small number of AB counts as a caveat. Only two
games earlier, his OPS was sitting at .673. That would put him in company
with Yuniesky Betancourt, who to my knowledge isn't getting much All-Star
buzz. A home run will do great things for one's OPS when the overall
numbers are still small. Here's hoping he pops a few more.

Even less cause for optimism is that these past two games he fattened
up against two starting pitchers who have been struggling all year.
P. Byrd (I think the P has been legally changed to Putrid) must be
wondering how much lower a pitcher can go. Good for Nick, but he won't
be getting meatball pitches every game.

Also, as you say, this is kind of a down year for AL shortstops. We've
been spoiled by an era of hard hitting SS, so this season looks like an
anomaly. Especially since the top *6* hitting SS are all in the NL this
year, that comparison is especially shaky.

> I'd say his numbers justify a starting SS this year...

If he can keep his production at this level on a seasonal basis,
sounds good. An upgrade over what else we've got. I'm thinking it's
just a bit premature to make this assumption though.

BTW, any love out there for Delmon, whose OPS has also been on a steady
climb? Alan, you hush if you're impressed; don't go jinxing things.

BTW^2, my son is on a road trip and passing through town, so he'll be
at the Dome tonight. I'll look forward to hearing his scouting report
on the team.

--
John Gregory ashbury at skypoint.com http://www.skypoint.com/ tilde ashbury
Thought for the moment:
A million dollars sounds like a lot, but it actually isn't. -- Joan Collins
 >> Stay informed about: Punto???? No comments??? 

On Sat, 5 Jul 2008 13:39:11 -0700 (PDT), powrwrap <powrwrap DeleteThis @aol.com> wrote:

>Congratulations, Nick Punot. You have met your quota of 1 HR per
>season.

LOL

Well, at least Nick is still a defensive asset, and I've liked him playing
at SS...so far.



- Scott Smith: scott.smith DeleteThis @iphouse.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/choppersmith
 >> Stay informed about: Punto???? No comments??? 

"Scott Smith" <scott.smith.DeleteThis@iphouse.com> wrote in message
news:rg62745g8io6btigp04vovih01kpq3jgei@4ax.com...
> On Sat, 5 Jul 2008 13:39:11 -0700 (PDT), powrwrap <powrwrap.DeleteThis@aol.com>
> wrote:
>
>>Congratulations, Nick Punot. You have met your quota of 1 HR per
>>season.
>
> LOL
>
> Well, at least Nick is still a defensive asset, and I've liked him playing
> at SS...so far.

Are you kidding me? He's been the best SS on the team -- by far -- when
playing. He's hitting well and his defense... well, Harris' doesn't even
compare.

Thing is, he's played very little and less than 100 PA is no way to judge
whether a player is "back" to his 2006 production...

I'll just enjoy it for as long as it lasts. He was an asset for the Twins
again today.

brink
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"brink" <brinknospam.RemoveThis@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:6ddfnnF22eq5U3@mid.individual.net...
>
> "Scott Smith" <scott.smith.RemoveThis@iphouse.com> wrote in message
> news:rg62745g8io6btigp04vovih01kpq3jgei@4ax.com...
>> On Sat, 5 Jul 2008 13:39:11 -0700 (PDT), powrwrap <powrwrap.RemoveThis@aol.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>Congratulations, Nick Punot. You have met your quota of 1 HR per
>>>season.
>>
>> LOL
>>
>> Well, at least Nick is still a defensive asset, and I've liked him
>> playing
>> at SS...so far.
>
> Are you kidding me? He's been the best SS on the team -- by far --
> when playing. He's hitting well and his defense... well, Harris'
> doesn't even compare.
>
> Thing is, he's played very little and less than 100 PA is no way to
> judge whether a player is "back" to his 2006 production...
>
> I'll just enjoy it for as long as it lasts. He was an asset for the
> Twins again today.
>
> brink

OH, YES, he was! Yippppeee. Glad to see him produce since coming back.

AnnE Go TWINS
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