IMO, Rondell White would be pointless. Yes, I would much rather see the development of Luke Scott and Chris Burke. Why spend a few million on one player when you have perfectly capable players that cost a total of $700,000? The point was brought up on the Dan Patrick show today about Nomar. Patrick was wondering if the Astros weren't going after Nomar to play LF, but to play 1B. He and Buster Olney said that it would be bad pr for the Astros to publicly announce they are trying to get a replacement for Bagwell. I'm not terribly sold on bring Mr. Hamm in to the fold. I'm sure he can still hit. The question is whether it's worth it or not. I am one that believes that Bagwell will be able to play first at least 100 games this year and will be his old productive self (20-30 hr & 80-90 rbi).
Rondell White is not pointless. The guy can hit like your average corner outfielder, but at a 1-2 million type cost do to injuries. He was on a 2 year 6 mil total deal in detroit and is now coming off another injury. Secondly, Chris Burke is not a viable option in the OF as his bat is too weak, and do you really want to go with Bagwell and Luke Scott, when you can protect yourself in case of Scott struggling/Bags not recovering with White or take a gamble on Nomar(who hit well in his return from the groin injury last year). Finally, Patrick is wrong. If Bagwell can't go, Lance takes over at 1B and Nomar would be the LF.
I think at the same time that it is not unreasonable to pursue someone with the assumption that Bagwell will be unable to perform for either most of or all of the year. Someone like Nomar might work there because if Bagwell becomes and stays healthy by some bizare twist of fate, Nomar could act as a 'super utility player' which would allow him to get a significant number of AB's and the fact that he's been injured recently might make him more receptive to that arrangement. The issue surrounding Bagwell means that you need to have an aditional player on your roster capable of playing everyday, but that person has to understand that there is a reasonable outside chance that they might get squeezed out of that role for at least the remaining year on Bagwell's contract.
Well signing Nomar or White would be Bagwell insurance, at minimum. My point was that if Bags couldn't go, Nomar/White would be the lineup replacement but they would play Lance defensively at 1B, and Nomar/White in LF.
This is somewhat unrelated, but as I hadn't seen Rondell White play since he was first coming up in Montreal, when I came across this scouting report while looking up his old stats on espn.com it surprised me: [rquoter] Baserunning & Defense Although he was used extensively in left field last season, on a good team White is strictly a designated hitter. His throwing arm probably is the weakest of any major league outfielder in recent memory. Opposing teams run on his arm at will. He lacks range, especially on balls hit directly over his head. His eight assists over the past two seasons are offset by eight errors. Despite knee problems and advancing age, White has average speed on the bases. [/rquoter] In Montreal, he was a decent to good defensive guy, spending time in LF and CF, even though he had only an average arm. It is from scouting done by STATS Inc., so I personally have trouble discounting it out of hand. From reading it I wonder if we could move Bagwell to LF and get better defense! If it's accurate, I can't imagine they would want White as anything more than a PH and 5th OF. In any case, and in light of the above, it is reasonable to sign Nomar and consider him as capable of time at 3B or SS (both of which he's played which he hasn't done in LF) either as a backup or as an alternative in a pinch in addition to LF. I can't imagine putting White anywhere but LF.
You're talking about two players who aren't top-flight prospects and haven't had an OPS higher than .660 playing an offensive position that demands high production. They're nowhere even remotely close to capable in those positions. Burke might be one day, but in a middle infield spot, not a corner OF slot. Scott might be, but it would be silly to depend on it.
Wow, your looking way too much into scouting reports on white. He's a pretty good hitter, terrible arm. I mean terrible. Very good with RISP. He wouldn't be a bad signing for the astros. His defense sucks, but if he plays "left" field it wouldn't matter because in MMP it's non-existent. I would also like to give Kudos to myself for the quotations because of the lack thereof left field in MMP. And one more thing, he sucks with breaking pitches and the move to a a fastball league could only benefit him in that regard. I really wish people would stop going by ESPN. ESPN = adfsdfkjsd;lfjsad;fjsd;fsdj
non-astro fans don't have an opinion at least I'm pretty sure about that much like pgabriel (orlando magic fan), memphisx (grizzlies fan), and any other fan that isn't a fan of houston sports teams. as always, I'm right about everything.
lol, the word on the street is the astros gave rondell white a physical. But I don't know much, I'm not the Professor.
I hate Gwen Stefanni. How is she still alive? She is a terrible artist and makes the most annoying songs. Also it's sad the people are cheering her and dancing to her "music". I really hate people, especially people who like Gwen Stefanni. And yes, this is releant to the topic. I also hate MTV, they like penis.
speaking of people that need to die and never come back. how about Madonna? pretty sure the U.S. gov needs to .... erm... "dispose" of her.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2259316 Nomar near decision among four teams By Jayson Stark ESPN.com Nomar to the Yankees? Nomar to the Dodgers? Nomar to the Indians? You've heard the rumors. The question marks surrounding them could disappear as soon as Thursday. Nomar Garciaparra's agent, Arn Tellem, told ESPN.com Wednesday that Garciaparra hopes to make a decision on his next destination "by the end of the week," and might decide as early as Thursday. Garciaparra, who is testing free agency for the second straight winter, is "zeroing in on four teams," Tellem said. The Yankees, Indians and Astros are known to be three of them. The Dodgers could be the fourth. They were thought to be turning in a different direction after reeling in free-agent third baseman Bill Mueller on Wednesday. But two baseball men said later Wednesday they believe the Dodgers are still interested in Garciaparra at first base, left field or possibly both. Garciaparra is now at the stage where he's "an active participant in the process," Tellem said. "He's talking directly to these teams about baseball issues, trying to get a feel for where he'd be most comfortable." Tellem said Garciaparra has had conversations with managers and general managers of each of the remaining teams on his list. Although dollars and his future position are, obviously, major factors in the decision, Garciaparra's main concern is "the baseball situation," Tellem said. "It's the opportunity, the chance it could turn into something long-term, the comfort level," Tellem said. "There are a lot of personal things that go into it." Tellem would not identify any of the teams still alive and declined to talk about Garciaparra's potential contract terms. However, it's believed he is willing to take a one-year deal for between $6 million and $8 million, plus incentives. A trickier question, though, is where he would play for each of these teams. The Yankees view him as a guy who could bounce between first base and DH, but also would occasionally play third and short to give Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter a day off. The Indians want him to play right field, a position he never has played at any level. In Houston, he has been told he would play left field, Tellem said, because the Astros' infield is set. However, an official of one club that has spoken with the Astros said this week there is a possibility they could trade shortstop Adam Everett in the right deal. So potentially, that could create the option of using Garciaparra at shortstop. But that seems unlikely. While Garciaparra has no professional experience at any outfield position, "he feels that, athletically, he can play any position," Tellem said. Nevertheless, the position factor is "something he's going to weigh," Tellem said. "As he starts getting more focused on a decision, sure, that could be a factor. But at this point, I really don't know how much of a factor."
I'm pretty sure the front office wouldn't mind parting with Everett. God knows his bat's weak enough to not even come close to compensating for his "awesome" defense
My point is that you can most likely get the 15-20 hr, 60-70 rbi, more steals, and better defense out of Scott and Burke and save the cash. White is a nice player and all, but he is by no means the answer to the teams offensive woes.
Expecting 15-20 homers out of Scott/Burke is a huge stretch, as is expecting them to hit anywhere close to the .300 range that White often hovers around.
I see the Dodgers getting him for some reason, something he and LA have in common, but I hope we get him and ship everett off. I'll pray
