USSMariner Feed
Posted by Jason A. Churchill on March 31, 2006
If you could pay just 15 snaps to hang out with Bill Bavasi and ask him questions as well as enjoythe atmosphere among dozens of other Seattle Mariners baseball fans, would you?
If you answered yes, here is your chance.
On Sunday…
USSMariner.com is Hosting a Feed
Don't miss out, only a few spots left. Along with Bavasi, USSMariner's own crew, Derek Zumsteg, Dave Cameron, Jeff Shaw and Jason Michael Barker, will also be in attendance, as will yours truly.
It's a perfect way to start off the 2006 baseball season, and it's being held right at Safeco Field!
Don't miss out.
prospectinsider.wordpress.com 
J said
I’ll see you there, though I can’t think of any questions for Bavasi just yet.
slim said
I’m going too.
This is kind of a slow time for a GM though, outside of a few waiver-wire deals. Hopefully we’re not reduced to endlessly debating the merits of Pineiro and Meche or something like that.
Willmore said
How about: “Hey, Bill. What do you think Hargrove’s chances are for finishing the year as the manager of the M’s. Nothing specific, just a ballpark figure – 20-30% ?”
JasonAChurchill said
I would venture to guess that my only question will be asked by someone else before I can get a chance to throw it at him…
Daisuke Matsuzaka… might the M’s if he becomes available and how deep does the scouting actually go in Japan specifically?
Ted Heid works his tail off, so it might appear that they go super deep, but with Korea being a place where Seattle digs, too, it’s not apparent that they go as far as other clubs.
It’s not a coincidence that the Japanese role players never find themselves on the M’s radar. Shinjo specifically.
Willmore said
You know, as much as I was on the Daisuke bandwagon before, I am now not willing to make him anything more than a #3 starter, and get paid accordingly. I really think that the added strain of this extra season in Japan and his reduced velocity, coupled with what I did not think to be a formidable off-speed arsenal at the WBC, has shown that he will not be anything close to an ace in the majors. However, as the #3 guy (who would be a #2 in Seattle), he could work. Unfortunately, we will not be able to sign him to that kind of a contract since the Yanks or the Red Sox or the Angels will be blinded by the hype and fork over Contreras money for him. I would give Matsuzaka a maximum of a 3 year – 15-16 mil. deal.
Willmore said
As for international scouting, I’m with you on that, I think it’s the wave of the future. The blind truth is that the training regimens of International players is far more conducive to the grooming of professional athletes. If baseball takes off seriously worldwide in the next decade or so, we should be on the forefront of the scouting. Look at the foreign stars in the NBA and the NHL, if you extrapolate the amount of foreign players to what is potentially possible in the MLB, that’s a lot of guys.
Just look at the Chinese team from the WBC, sure they sucked, but they were mostly 17-20 year old guys who are training for the 2008 Olympic games. Then look at South Korea and Netherlands, sure most of them sucked, but there were a few kids who have clear potential.
We have to be ready for potential superstars cropping up in places we don’t expect, and we’ll never find them if we don’t look.
Instead of using another million dollars to pay a journeyman reliever we will release mid-season, spend it on scouting, bulding baseball camps.
The MLB really should try to promote baseball on a large scale outside of the Americas; Africa, Asia and Oceania are primed for baseball.
David Josef Clark said
Willmore, you did notice that DM was routinely in the 92-93 range? Touching 96 even.
Willmore said
Yeah, he was reported to be a few mph higher than that.
David Josef Clark said
by whom?
Willmore said
Don’t remember, but I based my opinion of him on the knowledge that he was a 94-96 pitcher with great off-speed stuff and a gyroball. Now, it turns out his off-speed stuff is pretty good, but not unhittable, his velocity is slightly down, and he rarely uses the gyro.
Now, that still makes a pretty good MLB pitcher, but not an ace, or something in that vicinity.
David Josef Clark said
Except that he still does sit 93-94 tops 95 often enough, does have plus breaking stuff, uses a funky delivery which leads to a late ball pickup, routinely pitches late in games and throws late into games.
http://mariners.scout.com/2/463187.html
What I wrote then, is not only still true, but after having seen him against quality competition in the WBC, I am MORE excited about his prospects as TOR in MLB.
Four Year Averages 628.3 total Innings
K/9 = 9.3 (likely to go all the way down to about a 7.5)
BB/9 = 2.4 (likely to rise to about 2.8)
HR/9 = .66 (likely to GO DOWN playing in the larger parks and less vibrant ball to .6 even)
K/BB = 3.875 (by my eyeballed adjustments a 2.68)
So, if you can list me the #3 pitchers in the majors that throw five pitches for strikes (Jason tells me that's actually only three now, as he doesn't throw the curve or change much anymore) while racking up 200+ innings in 30+ starts while giving up about 20HR and striking out over 200 I would love to see it. The WBC performance RAISED my opinion of DM, because he actually did it with a major league ball in major league parks against major league talent.
His WBC #s
K/9 =6.9
BB/9=2.1
HR/9=0.7
K/BB=3.29
In 13 innings with a WHIP of 0.85
He faced Taipei, Mexico and Cuba. So sure that wasn't the toughest competition, but we also found that two of those teams capable of beating the USA. I would say that of the hitters he faced probably 12-14 were MLB caliber with most of those being on the Cuban team in the Finals.
Oh, and I would adjust one last thing, his projected salary. I'm now going to estimate that he gets three or four years and 8.5 to 11M$ in next years market.
JasonAChurchill said
I think if he avoids injury in 2006, he’ll certainly get 10 mil in the bigs.