How are the schools in Houston?

Doubletree resorts to Hampton in!

W expansion in Houston highly unlikely.

huh ... is baseball chick going to go ballistic? is he hotter than brad ausmus?

Hampton has spent the past four seasons with the Atlanta Braves

I am a Braves fan who doesn't hold anything personal against Mike Hampton, but I would have bet my children that he's been with Atlanta for at least the last 67 years.

Now that Mike Hampton is off the Marlins payroll, they can be active in the free agent market again!

will they let him pitch his home games in the astrodome?

#4: Well he was there for six seasons. For some reason, the author decided to omit the missed seasons from his count.



Good riddance.

The author forgot to mention the terms of the contract...

7 years for eleventy billion dollars.

i can see the onion headline:

hampton agrees to spend '09 on DL with astros.

or did they do one like that already?

Things I Did Not Know About Mike Hampton

1. Only received Cy Young votes once
2. Never homered as a Met or an Astro
3. 1 career save
4. Has been hit by a pitch 5 times
5. If you take out his marginal first year with the Mariners when he barely started and ignore this 2008 season, he only had one losing season.

I hope the Astros had Hampton sign the deal using an autopen.

When did Hampton become a middle reliever?

Rosenthal says $2M, with another $2M in incentives.

Leave it to Ed Wade.

I really don't see how this fits any of the stereotypes about Astros or Ed Wade behavior. Seems like a good low-risk move to me, and probably a PR winner. I predict he will have a better season than Jamie Moyer this year.

I predict he will have a better season than Jamie Moyer this year.

I'm in for a 6-pack of Belgian beer on this bet.

I really don't see how this fits any of the stereotypes about Astros or Ed Wade behavior.

$2MM guaranteed for a 36 year old that has pitched 78 sub-replacement level innings in 3.5 years. That's a bad move, even for Ed Wade.

The scary thing (for Braves' fans) is the reports that the Braves offered more than the Astros.

Frank Wren = not smart

Who gets more guaranteed money, Pedro or Hampton?

Who gets more guaranteed money, Pedro or Hampton?

Wow. That's an incredibly depressing question. To depress you even more, what about a three way face off with Mark Prior in the mix? Or is he still beholden to the Padres?

I bet Pedro gets about $4m guaranteed and about the same in IP incentives. I'm not sure how useful he will be, even if he's healthy.

Chase Utley, America's Favorite Robot (Joey Belle) Posted: December 01, 2008 at 05:24 PM (#3018261)

How are the schools in Houston?

- for the incredibly rich like him? just fine thank you. (like his kidz would be caught dead going to any of the city of houston skoolz - don't make me laff) he can even send his boys to st thomas to play ball with biggio. if he's got grrrls, they got nunneries too

- and this is the guy who basically DEMANDED to be traded back at the end of 99 - couldn't STAND houston. but i hear that he supposedly "lives" here - no state taxes in texas. yet.


maharishi mahesh yogi berra (phredbird) Posted: December 01, 2008 at 05:28 PM (#3018264)

huh ... is baseball chick going to go ballistic? is he hotter than brad ausmus?

- i will only go ballistic if hampton replaces wandy
now i do suppose if is possible for a white boy to be hottern brad ausmus - i got an open mind and eyes that work juuuuuuust fine thank u

but comparing mike hampton to brad ausmus is like comparing roseann barr to (insert hot chick of your choice here)

Makes sense. He could outhit Michael Bourn.

The Astros continue to exploit the short statured starter market.

(steepling hands together)

Eeeeeexcellent.

Removed. Links not working right.

BLB,

tim lincecum and roy oswalt say - short guys ROOL

pedro agrees

sincerely,

mike hampton

$2MM guaranteed for a 36 year old that has pitched 78 sub-replacement level innings in 3.5 years. That's a bad move, even for Ed Wade.

actually I'm pretty sure that an 88 ERA+ is comfortably above replacement level for a starter.
154 pitchers last year had 60+ip while starting 60% or more of their games (which gives us roughly 5 sp per team...) Hampton's ERA+ out of that group was 113th- 4th starter territory- close to 5th starter territory- but that is still better than replacement level- looks to me that replacement level is around 70 ERA+ for starters...

Makes sense. He could outhit Michael Bourn.

Hampton's career OPS+ really is higher than Bourn's.

88 ERA+ is reasonable for a 4th or 5th guy

i don't get why so many people really think that replacement level starter throws 180-200 innings of 100 ERA+

Hampton's ERA+ out of that group was 113th- 4th starter territory- close to 5th starter territory- but that is still better than replacement level- looks to me that replacement level is around 70 ERA+ for starters...

A little lower, actually. Starters average around an ERA+ of 95 or 96, so 70% of that is 67 or 68. Agreed, c-a-DOOM, 88 is a #4 or a #5 starter on an average staff.

Edit: The post I muffed earlier was an attempt to post cards of Ausmus and Hampton.

actually I'm pretty sure that an 88 ERA+ is comfortably above replacement level for a starter.

Yes. But the notion that Hampton will actually deliver an 88 ERA+ in any significant number of innings is laughable. Rate stats ain't nearly all of it.

Well, this signing is still "pending a physical".

i don't get why so many people really think that replacement level starter throws 180-200 innings of 100 ERA+

True ... but then I don't think we have a good idea of how to define "replacement level starter."

Over the last 3 seasons, you get only 296 pitcher-seasons of 25+ starts or roughly 3 1/3 starters per team per season ... and of course some of those pitcher-seasons are from guys who are "replacement" starters. Basically that means that the average team is getting something on the order of 50-60 starts a year from guys who weren't intended to be in their opening day rotation. By one definition, the guys getting those 50-60 starts a year are "replacement level starters" -- they weren't intended to be in the rotation, they mostly started the year in the minors or long relief, many are AAAA journeymen -- and they tend to pitch poorly. By another definition, one simply has to accept that the modern rotation is actually 7-8 pitchers deep, not 5, and these guys are "starting" starters.

By the first definition, Hampton is a replacement-level (or worse) starter; by the second defintion (as #28 basically points out), he's well above replacement level -- if he can manage 60+ IP. :-)

But, going into the season, team's intended rotations (i.e. the first definition roughly) are not chock full of guys expected to post 88 ERA+s. If you look at pitchers who have at least 25 starts (total) over the last 3 years, #90 is a 101 ERA+, #120 is a 95 and #150 is an 89 (Jason Marquis!! He always shows up in a key spot in these lists I cook up!) That is likely a more accurate picture of non-replacement level pitching talent -- the only problem is probably half those guys are injured! :-) Anyway, it puts Hampton (if healthy) probably right on the 5th starter/replacement level cusp.

And of course it shows the value of a Marquis in that he has been able to go out there and give you 150-180 IP every year. And it's the best evidence that Kenny Williams is good GM -- the Sox have had just 35 replacement starts in the last 4 seasons combined.