Re: who is leading the major's in RBI's...oh yea,Josh Hamilton!

"Bob Braun" <oxinfla@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message 
news:KMWdnechZ_f_coDVnZ2dnUVZ_tWtnZ2d@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
> -- 
>
> "Kevin McClave" <kmcclaveSPAM DIES@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message 
> news:m2np14h4j0r7ks4cvgaripgcuakusp53b2@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>> On Sat, 3 May 2008 17:22:58 -0400, "RJA" <rja@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>"David Short" <David.No.Short@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
>>>news:fvijve$sls$1@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>>> "Bob Braun" <oxinfla@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in
>>>>> Hamilton will have better numbers than Dunn.  400K vs. $13MIL. 
Don't
>>>>> even
>>>>> bother think about the defensive aspect.  Watching Hamilton handle
>>>>> pitches, and drive the ball to the opposite field with power made
him 
>>>>> an
>>>>> absolute no-brainer.  He abused himself for years, literally thumbed

>>>>> his
>>>>> nose at minor league baseball, jumped to the majors and handled 
>>>>> pitches
>>>>> like an elite player.  People just don't do that.  He is in a class 
>>>>> that
>>>>> approaches Albert Pujols.
>>>> ....a unique talent.
>>>>
>>>>> The GM of the Reds chose the wrong path for 2008.  Votto in LF, 
>>>>> Hamilton
>>>>> in CF and Bruce in RF was the way to go for 2008.  Adding an ace 
>>>>> pitcher
>>>>> to this lineup was putting lipstick on a hog.  Grow with the kids,
the
>>>>> "cheap kids" in 2008, the future is bright.  But again, the Reds
will
>>>>> fall
>>>>> into perpetual rebuild.
>>>>
>>>> You can blame Krivsky all you want, but the mandate from the owner
was 
>>>> to
>>>> win NOW. He was in a position where he couldn't deal either Junior or

>>>> Dunn
>>>> and he needed to get a winning record on the books in order to keep
his
>>>> job.
>>>
>>>This is what I don't get.  There are tons of people locally saying that
>>>Krivsky should have gone young and/or traded Griffey and Dunn, but none

>>>of
>>>them will tell you who the takers were.  Griffey is under contract and
I
>>>doubt any smart GM wanted an aging veteran for 12.5 million or whatever

>>>it
>>>is.  They also know that he's got a 16.5 million dollar option after
this
>>>year.  Dunn could have been bought out, but who exactly was going to 
>>>replace
>>>his numbers?  I know he has sucked thus far, but I'm not sure anyone 
>>>could
>>>have seen that after last year.
>>
>> Uh...I did. One of his biggest defenders saw it a mile away.
>>
>>>Bruce is hitting .307/.324 at AAA and striking out 1/4 of the time. 
This
>>>doesn't exactly say that he's going to tear up the majors just yet.
>>>
>>>If Hamilton was here, it may have been a wash.  Couple more games 
>>>possibly
>>>won due to offense, and a couple more lost due to lack of pitching. 
I'd
>>>rather have the pitching in the long run.  The offense is easier to
>>>acquire/solve.  Hamilton also adds to our lefthanded hitting struggles
>>>against lefties.
>>
>> Assuming for the sake of argument that Hamilton and Volquez are equally
>> talented, of course you would want the pitcher. Pitching is much harder
>> to find.
>>
>
> Good pitchers are hard to find.  But how many people can do what Josh 
> Hamilton has even done so far?

Volquez has the potential to be a dominant ace.  Hamilton has the
potential 
to be great as well.  If we assume that they keep doing what they're
doing, 
would you rather have Pedro Martinez in his prime or a .290, 35 HR, 125
RBI 
guy?  Come playoff time, I'd want the former.  Apparently some guys in the

clubhouse weren't too fond of the attention that Hamilton was getting.  I 
recall Phillips saying something to the media about it as well, and they 
also don't think he's going to hold up for very long after the damage that

drugs have done to his body, at least that's what Jeff Brantley has said
on 
numerous occasions.  Perhaps he has talked to some people in the know.