|
|
|
|
Baseball Primer Newsblog— The Best News Links from the Baseball Newsstand
Friday, June 08, 2012
Great timing, Oakland Athletics.
Players in the A’s clubhouse reportedly are upset with team management about a roster move involving Kila Ka’aihue, who was designated for assignment Wednesday. The team replaced him with Brandon Moss, brought up from Triple-A, just four days after giving Ka’aihue the starting job at first base.
Then there’s Ka’aihue’s wife, Blair, who is set to give birth to twins at any moment. San Francisco Chronicle reporter Susan Slusser notes that many teammates are shaking their heads over the timing and even the necessity of the change. A’s manager Bob Melvin said it was the best move for the club, as if he’d say anything different. The players, though anonymous to us, don’t agree:
“Everyone is in shock,” one player said.
“Total horse” manure, said another.
Melvin said that Moss, who has hit 15 homers at Sacramento, had an out clause in his contract on June 15.
“Based on the fact he was doing what he was doing and a little bit of the lack of production that we’ve had here, we felt it was the right thing to get him here,” Melvin said.
Tripon
Posted: June 08, 2012 at 12:11 AM | 44 comment(s)
Login to Bookmark
Tags:
athletics
|
Support BBTF
Thanks to
Ray (RDP)
for his generous support.
Bookmarks
You must be logged in to view your Bookmarks.
Hot Topics
Newsblog: Cafardo: Dustin Pedroia the best second baseman in MLB? (101 - 3:34am, May 20)Last: RollingWaveNewsblog: Draft Features Rarest of Prospects: Redheads (94 - 1:36am, May 20)Last: JoMo the master pitch framerNewsblog: OMNICHATTER for May 19, 2013 (97 - 1:22am, May 20)Last: you got a STEAGLES? you're gonna need a STEAGLES.Newsblog: [OTP-May] Politico: Congressional baseball game, May 1, 1926 (3360 - 1:11am, May 20)Last: DJ Funky and the Smile Time Variety PlayersNewsblog: OT: The Soccer Thread, May 2013 (889 - 12:59am, May 20)Last: Textbook EditorNewsblog: Hochman: Dallas Green still tells it like it is (10 - 12:44am, May 20)Last: Sunday silenceNewsblog: OT: NBA Monthly Thread - May 2013 (947 - 12:28am, May 20)Last: robinredNewsblog: Holmes: Where does Miguel Cabrera rank among Tiger greats? (37 - 10:33pm, May 19)Last: Cooper NielsonNewsblog: Murray Chass: ARE RED SOX REELING ALREADY? (13 - 10:20pm, May 19)Last: Dale SamsNewsblog: MLB hoping for large replay expansion in 2014 (51 - 10:06pm, May 19)Last: David Nieporent (now, with children)Newsblog: Hal Steinbrenner calls tickets 'affordable' (21 - 9:26pm, May 19)Last: bunyonHall of Merit: Most Meritorious Player: 1982 Discussion (48 - 9:05pm, May 19)Last: Mr. CNewsblog: Chicago Softball (43 - 9:05pm, May 19)Last: Meatwad denied pope, reveals he faked it at massNewsblog: SoE (Megdal): It's Time to Finally Believe in the Orioles (26 - 8:38pm, May 19)Last: Mayor BlombergNewsblog: BtBS: Kevin Gregg Re-emerges in Chicago (4 - 7:48pm, May 19)Last: Transmission
|
|
Reader Comments and Retorts
Go to end of page
Statements posted here are those of our readers and do not represent the BaseballThinkFactory. Names are provided by the poster and are not verified. We ask that posters follow our submission policy. Please report any inappropriate comments.
1. Walt Davis Posted: June 08, 2012 at 07:17 AM (#4151439)The "callous" move wouldn't bother except ... do they really think Brandon Moss is a better bet to produce than Kila? They're the same age, Moss hasn't played significantly in the majors since 2009 and Moss has a "career" 79 OPS+ in the majors and their minor-league track records are about equivalent. That the A's are in any way concerned about losing Brandon Moss says a lot about the organization. That they'd combine the move with bad PR is just icing on the cake.
I'm waiting for the news that he's been traded to Minnesota. :)
Sucks for Kila and family, but if having kids in the middle of the season is the sort of thing that lets a non-prospect who's not producing keep his job, I look forward to seeing the photographs from the Emmanuel Burriss-Octomom wedding.
Exactly. And at another angle, what if Moss actually deserves to get called up right now, but does not get the opportunity, because some guys wife is having twins? Does that seem fair to anybody? This is going to promote unprotected sex among marginal MLB players and their wives, in September and October of every year.
This is probably a factor in their discontent as well.
Anyhow - I agree with Dan Shooty and bfan. Tough luck for Kila but the A's can run their team based on who's having babies.
It certainly doesn't seem fair to me that Brandon Moss gets paid to play baseball.
Thanks in part to...Home Run Brandon Moss!
Edit: changed that to "could have" rather than "should have."
Just looking at the 2012 A's on BB-Ref, I'm having trouble seeing how they don't have room on their roster for both Kila and Moss. Kila has an OPS+ of 92 for the year, which is better than the guys BB-Ref lists as the A's starters at C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, and LF. Bench Barton and Crisp, move Seth Smith (listed at DH, OPS+ of 102) to LF, and play Moss/Kila at 1B/DH (no idea which split makes more sense).
Another problem is that Smith and Moss are both crap outfielders, so you play them at 1B/DH or you take a hit on D that undoes their batting advantage over Crisp. The PR is unpleasant, but from a baseball perspective this is an OK move. Moss was at least hitting at AAA.
Crisp is playing CF now since it doesn't look like Cespedes can handle the position (or stay off the DL--he hurt himself again yesterday).
If Kila could play C, 2B, 3B, SS, or LF he would still be on the team. Unfortunately he can only play 1B, so he is not.
Not only does it not matter what players at skill positions hit vs. a first baseman, the fact that he's hitting for an OPS+ of 92 this year isn't a plus, it's a negative. They need to find an above average hitter at 1B, and a guy with a career MLB OPS+ of 88 isn't a great bet.
In better A's news, CESPEDES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Is he now un-hurt, or less-hurt, or something?
I thought his newly-injured leg would keep him out at least a few days.
I agree with this. If they had DFA Kila earlier and called up Moss nobody would have complained that they DFA a pinch hitter to call up a new 1B. But to say a guy isn't producing after 4 days isn't really fair in the minds of most players. I actually do think that if they had put him on paternity leave and then DFA him instead of taking him off it it would have been better PR since Moss would have done something in the interim. For that matter it gives them more flexibility in case Moss breaks a leg or something. Also it does not appear to be a move Melvin particularly liked.
I like Elisabeth Moss. I think she is very talented.
That is all.
So DFA'ing him to replace him with a guy who has a career 81 OPS+ (in more PAs) is a good move?
DFA'ing Kila in a vacuum isn't the issue, the issue is "do you have anyone better?"
Moss is just as useless as Kila, why not give Taylor a chance to flop in the MLB? (wow he's 26 already)
Is Miles Head (great name) their best hitting "prospect" now? If not, who is?
I think it's as simple as the fact that Moss has been far better than Kila in 2011-2012.
Probably Derek Norris, with Choice and Green struggling.
I thought it was just a tight hammy, and he's going to PH a couple games. Either way, A's team OPS+ up to 77, and CESPEDES!!!!!!!!!! part of the reason at 134.
That, and a guy who's lousy has no legitimate complaint even if he's replaced by someone even more lousy. If you want to keep your job, don't complain about the limited options your boss gambles on to replace you, just don't' be lousy.
Because he doesn't hit in AAA, I think is the unfortunate answer. We have been waiting for Taylor and Carter for years now - I am coming to grips with fact that they aren't going to make it. It makes me sad when we trade our stars for prospects that never even make the team. Taylor is who we have to show for trading Holliday, right?. Cardenas was the guy we got for Blanton and he was never even called up. Carter at least was only one of several prospects acquired for Haren.
EDIT: Have to L-O-V-E the Bailey trade, though. Reddick is the best player on the team.
All trades can't work out.
If Cardenas, Taylor and Carter turned out as well as Reddick, Selig would be trying to break up the As, and Beane would be working on his 3rd book.
Given the low percentage of success Beanes had trading for position players, clearly means if he wants to acquire more talent, he needs to increase his volume of trades.
Is this really true? Moss was doing well in AAA, but he wasn't Anthony Rizzo or anything. I don't know that giving Kila starts 4 days in a row and intermittent PA otherwise proves anything one way or the other.
There's also Addison Russell but you may not have counted him since he hasn't signed yet.
She can't be leaving the show, right?
Kila had a .219/.295/.315 MLE in 388 PA in AAA last year and has hit .219.295/.367 in 235 MLB PA from 2011-2012. That's pretty awful for a 1B.
Moss had a .238/.313/.427 MLE in 506 PA in AAA last year and was hitting .286/.371/.582 (which should be a bit better than his 2011 MLE) in 224 PA in AAA this year. That's still not good for a 1B, but it's better than Kila. Kila was awesome in AAA in 2010, but he sucked in 200 PA in the majors that year and was mediocre in AAA in 2009.
Grrrr.... AA. Nothing like correcting a joke 8 hours after it's made.
And if he were only having a single child, they would've sent him to AAAA... which is probably where Ka’aihue belongs.
30th in OPS in the EL in 2011
currently 72nd in the PCL (Moss was 31st, as someone else said he's no Rizzo)
Green was 23rd in the Calif league at age 22,56th in the TL at age 23, and is currently 96th in the PCL
Choice was second in the Northwest league in 2010 (only 27 games)
18th in the Calif league
and is currently 48th in the Texas league...
yikes, what a system
I'm gonna have to go with Head...
Rk G PA AB H HR RBI BA OBP SLG TB sOPS+ 1 Daric Barton 32 122 102 19 1 4 .186 .320 .265 27 59 2 Kila Kaaihue 21 81 71 18 3 8 .254 .346 .437 31 107 3 Brandon Moss 6 22 20 5 4 6 .250 .318 .850 17 195 4 Adam Rosales 4 14 9 1 0 0 .111 .429 .111 1 56 5 Brandon Allen 2 7 7 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 -100 6 Josh Donaldson 1 2 2 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 -100 Team Total 63 248 211 43 8 18 .204 .323 .360 76 82(h/t to Coors)
You must be Registered and Logged In to post comments.
<< Back to main