Wondering about Beckham

[oeo]

Originally Posted by khan

Indeed. Since you disagree with me, I have two quick questions for you:

What exactly about Fields' career batting average or ability to catch is great/promising?

AND

Exactly what did Richar do offensively that is/was impressive?

Fields: a pretty good minor league career, and potential shown in his rookie season. Whether an average glove will be there is questionable (while he does have his weaknesses, i.e. range, he also has strengths: plus, accurate arm and the ability to charge the ball quite well), but do I think he can hit for decent average? Sure. Do I think he can become more patient? He's improved upon it every year. Fields is always going to strike out, but that's one of the negatives to nearly every power hitter.

Richar: good plate discipline, and the ability foul tough pitches off. He wasn't out of the AB when he got down in the count, he worked himself back into it.

Your judgment comes off of 4 months and 3 months, respectively. I guess if you're not an Evan Longoria, you suck.

[Craig Grebeck]

Originally Posted by oeo

Fields: a pretty good minor league career, and potential shown in his rookie season. Whether an average glove will be there is questionable (while he does have his weaknesses, i.e. range, he also has strengths: plus, accurate arm and the ability to charge the ball quite well), but do I think he can hit for decent average? Sure. Do I think he can become more patient? He's improved upon it every year.

Richar: good plate discipline, and the ability foul tough pitches off. He wasn't out of the AB when he got down in the count, he worked himself back into it.

Your judgment comes off of 4 months and 3 months, respectively. I guess if you're not an Evan Longoria, you suck.

Haha, my favorite part is the Richar comment. Damn, we couldn't fix that guy who spent just about one year in the organization. If you're going to be pissed about something involving Richar, lament the fact we gave up a guy who is a hell of a lot better than him in the trade.

[khan]

Originally Posted by oeo

Fields: a pretty good minor league career, and potential shown in his rookie season.

Great! So you're impressed by a career .303 OBP at the big league level? A .233 batting average? 150 Ks in 125 games in the bigs?

How about only ONE above-.300 batting average season in 5 years in the minors? [Crede had 3 seasons >.300 BA, and 3 >20 HR in the minors, and he turned into a merely above-average hitter in the bigs, BTW.]

Originally Posted by oeo

Whether an average glove will be there is questionable (while he does have his weaknesses, i.e. range, he also has strengths: plus, accurate arm and the ability to charge the ball quite well),

So a minor league career Fielding Percentage of .927 is good for you? [Granted Fielding % is an imperfect metric, but by all measureables, Fields can't catch.]

Originally Posted by oeo

but do I think he can hit for decent average? Sure.

His numbers state otherwise. He had one lucky year in the minors, and swung for the fences in garbage time in 2006, as the Sox were well out of it by the time Fields arrived in Chicago.

Originally Posted by oeo

Do I think he can become more patient? He's improved upon it every year.

No, he hasn't. His OBP and BA have shown no signs of improvement since he had his one lucky year in the minors. He's a slow strikeout machine in a team that is replete with slow strikeout machines.

Originally Posted by oeo

Fields is always going to strike out, but that's one of the negatives to nearly every power hitter.

And his power numbers suck compared to Crede's in the minors. His power numbers suck, when you realize that he'll average 1.5 K/game. If you strike out that often, you'd better be Ryan Howard. Or at least, Adam Dunn. But even Dunn hit for more power than Fields has hereto fore.

Again, in each and every year, Josh Fields averaged more than one K per game played. Even in his "good" season, he struck out 136 times in 124 games. In AAA. The fact of the matter is that Josh Fields is, was, and always will be a strikeout waiting to happen. And don't give me this "he was injured in 2008" bull****. His injury did not impact Fields' (in)ability to judge balls and strikes. To my knowledge, his eyes were perfectly healthy in 2008.

Originally Posted by oeo

Richar: good plate discipline, and the ability foul tough pitches off. He wasn't out of the AB when he got down in the count, he worked himself back into it.

Thrilling. Can he get on base?

[fozzy]

here's a good scouting report about beckman pre-draft it breaks down his swing...
http://www.baseball-intellect.com/Ar...ham-swing.html

also till last year no one ever questioned richar's ability to hit. i think his lowest ob% was above .360. personally i think we gave up on him to soon. he had leg problems last year and struggled. we gave up a great prospect in aaron cunninham to get him, who has tore up every level he has been in. it might go down as kenny's worse trade.