By Dalton Del Don
The first week of the season might be the toughest time to write about baseball. There’s no more looking forward before fantasy drafts, yet the sample size is so small there’s also little information to form an opinion about what’s happened. As Joe Sheehan might say, no one would notice a 20 at-bat stretch in the middle of June, but because it’s opening the year, they get highlighted. And do you really need me to tell you to sell-high on Emilio Bonifacio? Nevertheless, let’s move onto the notes:
There are some exceptions to my not paying attention to the season’s first week theory, and Travis Hafner is one. I’m not saying he’s all the way back or anything, but three homers already are highly encouraging. After such a disappointing spring, his power has certainly been a surprise. Maybe his shoulder is finally starting to get back to full strength.
Miguel Cabrera probably isn’t going to finish the season with a .520 batting average, but this is going to be the year he starts challenging to win the Triple Crown. Over his last 75 games, he has 80 RBI.
Jason Kendall was intentionally walked twice last week – over the previous six years, he had been intentionally walked more than two times during an entire season just once. And while it was extremely unlikely for Randy Johnson to give up a homer to Yovani Gallardo afterward on Wednesday (it was the first pitcher he’s ever given up a long ball to during his 21-year career), the move has got to be questioned since Gallardo has a .490 career slugging percentage. Kendall’s is .388.
Speaking of terrible managerial decisions, can someone explain to me why Jack Cust is batting so low in Oakland’s lineup? I know, managers don’t like to be bothered by pesky things like stats, but you might want to have your team’s best on-base guy hitting higher in the order. And don’t get me started on Elijah Dukes not being an everyday player. And how long is Boston going to waste Clay Buchholz for far inferior options like Tim Wakefield and Brad Penny?
If loving “Celebrity Apprentice” is wrong, then I don’t want to be right.
I like Pablo Sandoval, but if he doesn’t change his approach at the plate, he’s going to end up a big disappointment this season. He might already have the best plate coverage in all of baseball, but there’s simply no reason to throw him a strike if he’ll swing at everything. Because his power isn’t all that great, Sandoval is highly batting average dependent, and his current mentality needs to change.
It’s too early to call Andy LaRoche a Quad-A player, but this is someone with a career minor league line of .294/.380/.517 yet over the first 330 at-bats in the majors, he’s hitting .176, including a dreadful 0-for-14 start to 2009. He’s combined that with terrible defense at third. Yuck.
Barry Zito on Twitter: “It’s cold in my room, but my Dutch oven warms me up..” Ladies and gentlemen, your 126 million dollar man!
Counting spring and dating back to last year, Conor Jackson has hit zero home runs over his past 290 at-bats.
One early season performance that looks legit is Josh Johnson’s terrific start to the year. The increase he saw in his velocity after returning from TJ surgery last season has remained intact, which is a nice combination with improved command. A Cy Young type season wouldn’t surprise.
Aside from those who do it as their profession, I can’t think of anyone I’d want to fight less than “CT” from the Real World/Road Rules challenge. This guy is quite clearly clinically insane.
This criminal is the bookkeeper for my family’s business.
I’ll preach patience with Tim Lincecum (duh!), but I remain worried about Cole Hamels, who did not ease concerns about his elbow with his debut. His fastball averaged just 86 mph, and remember, this is a fragile pitcher who threw the most pitches in all of baseball last season. It’s just one start, and he claims he feels fine, but if I owned him, I wouldn’t be sleeping well at night (and yes, these are the type of issues I think about while lying in bed).
I was at the 1999 playoff game when Steve Young threw a 25-yard TD pass to Terrell Owens with three seconds left and also the NFC Championship game in 1994 when the 49ers jumped out to a 21-0 lead over the Cowboys within the first five minutes. I also witnessed the second biggest comeback in NFL playoff history. I’ve seen Barry Bonds hit numerous bombs into the bay, while also watching Michael Jordan during his 72-win season with the Bulls and also when he hit a game-winner at the buzzer in Phoenix while paying for the Wizards. But nothing, and I mean nothing was crazier than when I was at an otherwise boring 7-1 SF Giants win last Thursday, and in the ninth inning, a screaming Mike Cameron line drive hit Joe Martinez directly in the face. The sound was unforgettable. And haunting.
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