Memo to Self: When you get to be Major League Baseball owner, do not hire PhiSlammaJamma as your GM. End of Memo
I understand, Bobrek, I took a guess that Shea had a low OBP because he strikes out much, thus in fact, I was the one who "struck out" on that prediction.
Rezdawg, I would beg to differ that Shea is a good young player. He has mediocre power and doesn't walk, so what purpose does he have in a major league lineup?
I don't know what you people are talking about, if you can get Shea Hillenbrand a talented young player for just Ward? Then you better do it, because Ward is killing us in the outfield and his hitting stats have gone down too. Shea is a good hitter, and he he gets you RBI's too.
Hillenbrand does nothing for this team. It's like replacing Bagwell with Helton. Yeah, Helton's a great player, but you put Bagwell on the bench as a result. Hillenbrand is decent - but so is Blum. Are we really any better from this? I'd rather have Ward as a pinch-hitter on the bench than Blum. If that proposed trade is "on the table", I'd add a top prospect and take Boston out of the picture. Trade Ward + prospect(s) directly to the Expos and get Vasquez or Colon straight from them. At least that way, we're actually improving our team.
I'm sure you are taking your SATs soon or have recently taken them. Here's an analogy for you: Yao Ming:Frank Williams::Lance Berkman:Shea Hillenbrand
It looks like it is the Astros that are involved. Notice the last paragraph. http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/sports/bb/1728093 Astros bandied in trade talk Bosox might get Colon from Expos, deal Hillenbrand here By JOSE DE JESUS ORTIZ Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle As the winter figuratively heats up in Boston and Montreal, the Astros could suddenly become a perfect fit for matchmaker in the race to acquire ace Expos righthander Bartolo Colon. Two baseball officials and one prominent Astros veteran said Tuesday night the Astros could be primed to facilitate a deal that helps Montreal send Colon to Boston, with Red Sox third baseman Shea Hillenbrand landing in Houston. The Astros have arbitration-eligible third baseman Geoff Blum on the 40-man roster, but they could use him or Hillenbrand in another deal to acquire the pitching they crave. The Mets are also interested in Hillenbrand. Hillenbrand, considered a favorite of Jimy Williams when the Astros boss managed Boston, hit .293 with 18 home runs and 83 RBIs last season and was the American League's All-Star Game starter at third base. But his 95 strikeouts, 25 walks and .330 on-base percentage leave something to be desired, especially on a team that might want a better on-base percentage to help set up the offense for premier sluggers Jeff Bagwell, Lance Berkman and Jeff Kent. Moreover, the Astros are more in need of pitching. General manager Gerry Hunsicker, who was not available for comment Tuesday night, has made it clear he would like to upgrade the bullpen. Another cheap veteran starter such as Paul Wilson or Brian Moehler could be an option. Astros officials have also told scouts from other teams that they want to trade one or two of their surplus outfielders. Daryle Ward, Brian Hunter and Orlando Merced are the most likely candidates to be traded. Ward might have the most value of the three. Owned by the other 29 teams, the Expos have been given specific instructions to trim payroll by at least $10 million. Expos GM Omar Minaya was the center of attention at the winter meetings last month in Nashville, Tenn. Hunsicker and Minaya spoke at the winter meetings, but Hunsicker didn't appear optimistic afterward. Pitchers Colon, Javier Vazquez and Tony Armas Jr., right fielder Vladimir Guerrero, second baseman Jose Vidro and third baseman Fernando Tatis are only a few of the stars for whom Minaya has fielded offers. Hunsicker and Astros assistant general manager Tim Purpura have developed one of the best farm systems in baseball, which is why the Astros could have a better opportunity to package the young prospects the Expos crave. Outfielder Jason Lane was one of the top players at Class AAA in 2002. Round Rock catcher John Buck was among the top five prospects at the AA level. The Astros "have pretty good prospects," Minaya said last month. "I don't know them in detail, but I know the Astros have had a pretty good farm system. They've been good at developing prospects, especially pitchers." Colon will earn $8.2 million next season before he becomes a free agent. He appears too expensive for the Astros' budget, but Hunsicker has a reputation for pulling off incredible deals.
Geoff Blum vs Swinging Shea Hillenbrand Blum At home: .307 BA, .394 OBP, .515 SLG, .909 OPS On road: .263 BA, .345 OBP, .380 SLG, .725 OPS Hillenbrand At home: .264 BA, .301 OBP, .367 SLG, .668 OPS On road: .322 BA, .358 OBP, .548 SLG, .906 OPS So Blum is a stud at Enron, and Hillenbrand fared well on the road. Blum still has better road numbers than Hillenbrand has home numbers, and the AL is much more of a hitters league. And look at Hillenbrand's best .OBP, it came when he hit .322, and is only .036 higher than his average. That is not good. Plus Shea had an incredible 1st month of the year and that boosted his average significantly. Want further proof Shea's year was a big abberation? Month by Month breakdown of Shea, last year. April .341-BA .390-OBP .582-SLG .972 -OPS May .303-BA .345-OBP .523-SLG .868-OPS June .275-BA .286-OBP .440-SLG .726-OPS July .289-BA .319-OBP .386-SLG .705-OPS August .314-BA .360-OBP .457-SLG .817-OPS September .245-BA .287-OBP .387-SLG .674-OPS See two months unlike the others? His first two months mess up his stats and he did the same thing the year before. Except the year before he got hot in April and June. In 634 AB's last year he had 25 BB's, that is pathetic. We don't need an overrated, free swinging 3b, like Hillenbrand. He would have to hit way more than 18 homers before I ever consider trading for him, and he lacks the patience to do so. Also, he is not young, he is 27 years old. Blum is 29, and Ensberg had better minor league numbers than Shea. Even if Geoff doesn't have his power, at least he draws walks, meaning he is more valuable to our current Astros as we need a good 2 hitter. As for Ward, Daryle has a sweet swing and 40 homer potential, and even in a bad first year for him, he had a .324 OBP, and more walks than Shea. Also consider Jimy Williams never really had a set lineup, so he didn't get into a groove with playing time. I think Ward may not be able to play defense, but he sure has a higher ceiling than Shea(who has line drive pop) and as Major said, is a better bench asset for this team. Shea is not a better fit than Blum or Ensberg, and thus why would we trade a good potential 30-40 hr guy for him? It doesn't make sense.
Shea is okay, but i want Nomar, or as the locals in Beantown refer to him as NOMAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry bout dat. Just wihsfull thinking. Here is another factor to consider with Shea "Stadium" Hillenbrand. Fenway is not the easiest place to crank one out of the park. Yeah, sure right feild fence is only 5 feet high or about as tall as Mini Me, but man, Left feild fence blocks out the damn sun. Put Blum in that park and watch his numbers drop like it like its hot. But if Shea can succeed in Boston, which he has, he can succeed anywhere. And put him in the Juice Box formally known as Enron, and I expect to see good things out of him. Same for Jeff Kent. Pac Bell gave up the fewest Homers last season, even less than Detroit. He just hit a measley 40 homers, and most of those came on the road. Many people seem to complain about the ball being juiced. Here in Houston, we know the ball isnt juiced, the damn ballpark is!!!!!!!
I agree. Ward will be better suited where he can be in the lineup everyday and Shea is certainly better than Blum. This would be a no brainer. I just hope Gerry is exploring the possibility of landing Armas, Vasquez or Colon before he does any deal involving the Expos.
I guess this will nix the trade.... http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/sports/1729752 Hillenbrand not in Astros' plans By JOSE DE JESUS ORTIZ Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle Although the Astros remain potential suitors to facilitate a three-way trade for Expos ace righthander Bartolo Colon, it has become clear they are no longer interested in acquiring Boston Red Sox third baseman Shea Hillenbrand. If somehow a deal can be worked out for Colon, the odds are much better that the Astros would acquire Colon and dispatch him elsewhere to acquire the pitching general manager Gerry Hunsicker craves. As is his policy,Hunsicker does not make public his trade discussions with other clubs. But a high-ranking National League official with intimate knowledge of the discussions said the Astros have told Boston general manager Theo Epstein they don't want Hillenbrand. The Astros and Red Sox had discussions about Hillenbrand at the winter meetings, but the Astros are comfortable going into spring training with incumbent third baseman Geoff Blum and Morgan Ensberg, the opening-day third baseman last year. The Mets, who are in search of a third baseman, have also cooled on their interest in Hillenbrand. In an interesting twist, however, the Mets have made it clear they would be interested in Blum if he became available. Epstein expressed his pessimism about acquiring Colon on a conference call with Boston reporters Wednesday. "There's been no progress," Epstein said. "Actually, I don't expect there to be. I'm actually as pessimistic about our chances of matching up with Montreal as I have been in a long time." Nonetheless, Epstein says he will keep trying to land Colon to set up what could be one of the best rotations in baseball with Pedro Martinez, Derek Lowe and Colon leading the way. Owned by the other 29 teams, the Expos have been given specific instructions to trim payroll by at least $10 million this winter. Montreal general manager Omar Minaya has focused on young and inexpensive talent as teams inquire about Colon and fellow pitchers Javier Vazquez and Tony Armas Jr. Right fielder Vladimir Guerrero, second baseman Jose Vidro and third baseman Fernando Tatis are a few of the other stars Minaya could trade. The Red Sox already could have landed Colon if Epstein had been willing to include former Texas A&M lefthander Casey Fossum in the package to Montreal. Fossum, 25, was 5-4 with a 3.46 ERA while pitching 106 2/3 innings over 43 games (12 starts) in 2002. The Red Sox have been hesitant to part with Fossum, which is why they called the Astros to see if left fielder-first baseman Daryle Ward could be sent to Montreal in a three-way deal. It is no secret the Astros have been looking to dump one or two outfielders since second baseman Jeff Kent was acquired last month, putting the team over the budget and moving Craig Biggio to the outfield. The Astros would still like to add more pitchers, preferably a talented and inexpensive lefthander. Because Colon will earn $8.2 million before becoming a free agent after the coming season, he appears too expensive for the Astros to keep.
