Pop Quiz

Q: Two NL shortstops have an OPS over 800. Who are they?

A: Clint Barmes (1019) and Cesar Izturis (817).

Would you have guessed before the season that Barmes and Izturis would be the most deserving NL SS All-Stars? In fact, all things considered I believe Izturis is the best SS in the league, hot start or not. The difference in road OPS (to correct for their home park effects) between Barmes (849) and Izturis (832) is not significant, and Izturis is plainly a better defensive SS. He’s young (25), he’s shown steady improvement at the plate (last 3 years OPS 597, 711, 816), and he’s got a great defensive rep. I’ll predict that Nomar Garciaparra will never again be as good as Cesar Izturis, and I don’t really think that’s going out on a limb.

Closed down?

What in the world is going on with the NL closers this year? Every team seems to be having severe problems with these guys. As recently mentioned on these pages, Danny Kolb has been horrendous. But what about Mota on the DL? And Benitez. And Tsao (although its a good career move for a closer to go on the DL until traded from Colorado). And look at the Cubs troubles with Hawkins and Dempster, et al.

What is going on with the ranks of the closers? Is it poor conditioning? Over-use? Lack of steriods? Maybe complete game pitcher will make a comeback this season. Out of pure necessity.

Braul Jordesi: The Two-Headed Monster

What havoc hath this Braul Jordesi creature wrought upon our beloved game of baseball? Will any stat-respecting, adoring fan of the game remain standing in the wake this creature’s onslaught of 0-fers?

Legend has it that Brian Jordan and Raul Mondesi have fused into one terrifying two-headed, two-batted beast most frequently seen manning the corner spots of the Braves’ outfield. Now that they are generally considered as one, let’s add their stats together and see how they stack up against their one-headed counterparts.

Braul Jordesi:
BA – .215
HR – 6
RBI – 33
SB – 2
OBP – .275
SLG – .331
OPS – .606

Now, Braul Jordesi compared to more normal, mono-cranial NL players:

– .215 combined BA ranks 84th out of 88 (tied with Royce Clayton)
– 6 combined HRs rank 38th (tie)
– 33 combined RBIs rank 3rd (tie). Way to go Jordesi!
– 2 stolen bases rank 33rd (tie)
– .275 combined OBP ranks 82 out of 88 (just ahead of Jason Lane and below Chad Tracy)
– .331 combined SLG% ranks 81st out of 88 (tied with David Bell)
– .606 combined OPS ranks 83rd out of 88 (interestingly, this falls between the erstwhile Raul Mondesi and Brian Jordan)

So whoever said that two heads are better than one clearly does not play in the Braves’ outfield.

Thomson out 2-3 months

It was reported last night that the Braves will be without the services of John Thomson for the next two to three months, which is horrible news. He suffered some freak accident that saw a partial tear of his flexor tendon in his middle finger. Nasty stuff.

Thomson was 3-2 with a 3.42 ERA and a nice ratio (WHIP) of 1.26. He will be sorely missed, as Thomson was the best fourth starter in the league. This isn’t speculation either. I did my homework, which is unusual because usually I’ll say any damn thing that pops into my head. For example, now. But the Marlins officially list that freak Dontrelle Willis as their fourth starter, which if true, he is obviously doing better than Thomson this season. But Leiter, officially listed as number two, has a 6.06 ERA with more walks than strikeouts. So in taking a pure view of a team’s top four starters, Thomson gets the prize. Can Davies step in and pitch like Thomson this season? Doubtful, and the way Horacio looked at San Diego, I’m not champing at the bit to give him more looks, although that is obviously what will happen.

We will need to rely heavily on our offense as we start interleague play down two starters and a bullpen in tatters. It doesn’t help that while the Marlins get the juggernauts in the Devil Rays, we get the defending world champions.