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12/22/2002 Archived Entry: "BLUE'S NEWS"
Blue's News - Sunday, December 22, 2002
BLUE’S NEWS
Sunday, December 22, 2002
Only two topic for discussion on a slow Sunday on the MLB website
1. Cliff Floyd
The big guy passed his physical and is free to sign with the Mets. Too bad he wasn’t there last year – maybe he could have saved Bobby Valentine’s job.
2. Small Balls
The word is out – Japanese baseballs are smaller and more tightly wound. This revealed in the latest article about Hideki Matsui who is no longer referred to as Godzilla. Who were the Yankees listening to? ML scouts tell us Matsui is a disciplined hitter with a smooth quiet stroke that results in line drives to all fields. Nice, but not a bomber. Oh, he also can’t run and can’t throw. He will be a corner outfielder for the Bronx no longer Bombers.
Replies: 2 comments
Godzilla a line drive hitter and not a bomber? Funny how he managed to hit those 500 foot home runs. Sounds like Blue needs a clue or at least a new brain. What an idiot. Too bad Jim Albright puts his work on this anti-Japanese website.
Posted by Trevor Woens @ 12/23/2002 12:28 AM EST
Rob Neyer of ESPN used Jim Albright's method for translating Japanese stats to mlb equivalents to try to estimate Matsui's likely Yankee performance.
If Matsui plays at his average level from the past two years and he plays full time in the MLB, you can expect him to hit .310 with 30 HRs.
He was a perennial gold glove in Japan, so he will be above average in the outfield. While his arm is not as strong as some others, he has a quick release and was accurate enough to peg 21 base runners in one season in Japan.
Here's Rob's article:
http://espn.go.com/mlb/columns/neyer_rob/1480096.html
Here's Jim's article:
http://baseballguru.com/jalbright/analysisjalbright19.html
Posted by Craig Tomarkin @ 12/22/2002 07:21 PM EST
