Later this morning, the Yankees and technology giant Cisco will announce a partnership involving the new Yankee Stadium. While we’ll have more on this announcement after the 11 a.m. press conference, the MLB.com Ballparks of the Future tie-in with Cicso provides a glimpse at what this announcement might feature: electronic sales kiosks, wireless broadband access, video-on-demand. I’m sure some of this will be on display when the new ballpark opens in April.
Musings on Bobby Abreu
We keep coming back to Bobby Abreu. He’s that free agent with whom no one knows know what to do.
On Sunday night, in our open thread, a mini-discussion broke out about Bobby Abreu’s declining walk rate. Some saw it as a sign that Bobby is nearing that Bernie Williams circa 2003/2004 point of no returns. Others — as Jeff Passan wrote in his absurdly comprehensive free agent tracker — still see Abreu as a potent offensive force and are seduced by his career .300/.400/.500 offensive line.
I go back and forth on Abreu. On the one hand, I see him as a much better choice than Xavier Nady, but I recognize that this reaction is based on Nady’s bad month and the two players’ prior records. Considering Bobby will be 35 while Nady will be 30 come opening day, the possibility exists that Nady could outperform Abreu in either or both of the next two seasons despite the fact that Bobby Abreu is a far, far superior player.
So while we’ve already debated Abreu, I’d like to offer up some observations that serve as something as a counterpoint to my own previous belief that the Yanks will let Abreu walk. With Matt Holliday heading to Oakland and the Yanks seemingly not that interested in Manny, Abreu may very well be the best choice whether we like it or not.
Now, despite this predicament, there are some warning signs. Since arriving in New York, past his peak, at age 32, Abreu’s walk rate has dropped, while on the Yanks, from a walk every 7.5 BB in his first two months in the Bronx in 2006 to once every 8.3 PAs in 2007 to once every 9.4 PAs in 2008. That is a fairly dramatic slide. But on the other hand, we have his K rates. This went from 4.8 PA/K in 2006 to 6.1 PA/K to 6.3 PA/K. While he’s walking less, he’s also striking out less. All of this means that Bobby Abreu is putting the ball in play more often. But why?
According to ESPN’s stats page, Abreu is still seeing an impressive 4.29 pitches per plate appearance. This total is right in line with his career average and is down from the 4.39 mark in 2007 and the 4.44 mark he put up during his first few months in the Bronx. The 2006 totals, by the way, were a career high for Bobby in that department.
Now, I’m thinking these changes are due to the lineup. In Philadelphia, Abreu hit third in front of Pat Burrell. In New York, he hits third in front of Alex Rodriguez. Pitchers are much more likely to go after Abreu if they have A-Rod up next. Why pitch around Abreu to face Alex with a runner on base? Objectively, that doesn’t make sense. So perhaps the AL pitchers are more inclined to attack the zone. Who knows? That’s just my theory.
While these numbers offer us a glimpse at what’s going on, we can’t escape the fact that Abreu is getting old, and he’s slowing down. It’s unavoidable. But perhaps his declining walk rate isn’t as much of a concern as we all think.
He’s not a steady outfielder; he’s 35. Those are two good reasons to replace him with some younger. But that option might not exist. The Yankees may just need Bobby Abreu after all.
Monday night Hot Stove open thread
We still have another 72 hours or so to wait before free agents can sign with new teams, but that hasn’t stopped the hot stove from burnin’. You may have heard about today’s small, under-the-radar trade that sent Matt Holliday to Oaktown for a package of young players that may or may not include Carlos Gonzalez, Huston Street and Greg Smith. Is Jake Peavy next? Who knows.
Use this thread to express any hot stove thoughts or talk about tonight’s riveting Monday Night Football matchup. If the Cards-Niners game does nothing for you, check out the Rangers taking on the Oilers at the Garden on the same night ex-Ranger & ex-Oiler Glenn Anderson gets inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Play nice.
Update (8:08pm): Josh Willingham & Scott Olsen are headed to DC for three prospects. Ladies and gents, the hot stove season has begun.
Death of a Preacher
Preacher Roe, a name familiar to Brooklynites slightly older than my parents, passed away this weekend at the age of 91. Roe was one of the more colorful characters on the Dodger teams of the early 1950s and retired one year before the Bums captured their only World Series championship. In 1949, he was the winning pitcher in one of the World Series’ better pitching duels.
Longoria, Soto take home ROY honors
No surprise here, these two were clearly the head of the rookie class in their respective leagues. Here’s where it gets ridiculous though: Edinson Volquez received three second place votes despite NOT EVEN BEING ELIGIBLE FOR THE FREAKING AWARD!!! He passed the rookie limit of 50 IP last September, yet some esteemed members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America decided he was so awesome that his eligiblity should be prolonged.
These people are paid to write about baseball. What a joke.
Oakland celebrates a Holliday
According to Jon Heyman, the A’s have emerged the winners in the Matt Holliday sweepstakes. While we’re still awaiting word on the A’s side of the trade, this is a fairly surprising result. One thing is for sure: The A’s really need the offense.
Update 3:46 p.m.: Tim Brown at Yahoo! Sports reports that the A’s are sending Huston Street, Greg Smith and Carlos Gonzalez to the Rockies. That’s quite a haul for a one-year rental of a player moving from Coors Field to the vast reaches of the McAfee Coliseum.