Beer nuts: Burrell finishes third in All-Star voting

Brewers outfielder Corey Hart and Mets third baseman David Wright finished ahead of Phillies left fielder Pat Burrell in the final fan voting. Wright was invited to the team to replace Alfonso Soriano.

Hart is hitting 292/.332/.510 with 14 home runs and 56 RBIs, while Wright is hitting .285/386/.511 with 17 homers and 70 RBIs. Burrell is hitting .279/.412/.581 with 22 homers and 54 RBIs, and is also leading all NL outfielders with a .933 OPS.

Beerleaguer: Fans will vote as they please, and I suppose the Milwaukee faithful were feeling especially giddy about their team following the acquisition of CC Sabathia. On the flipside, the Phillies’ recent struggles probably kept Burrell supporters away. Everyone knew Wright would get plenty of support in New York. If the voting wasn’t a popularity contest, designed to drum up page traffic and collect e-mail information for MLB promotional purposes, Burrell wins by a nose.

The rule about having at least one player from each team never bothered me. I understand the reasoning, I like the variety and actually get a kick out of seeing that one, solitary member from teams like Kansas City (Joakim Soria) standing by his lonesome when lineups are announced. The problem is that many times, they select a closer from these teams. My all-time favorite is the Pirates' Mike Williams back in 2002. Everyone knew Williams was smoke and mirrors, except for Ed Wade, who traded for him a month later. And of course, Ricky Botallico represented the same idea with the Phils back in 1996.

So with Wright aboard as the No. 2 vote-getter, I’m especially bothered by the inclusion of other players, like some of the other outfielders, but also Billy Wagner, who’s there because the Mets needed a rep. He’s having a good, but not great, season. Metsblog graded him as a “B” so far, which basically means he’s done his job. What’s the difference between what Wagner has done for his team and, say, Kyle Kendrick? I’d give Kendrick a “B,” too.

Whenever possible, the All-Star team should be a place to reward players who are having grade-A, special seasons, which is what Burrell is having. The NL roster is padded with far to many players who would earn 'Bs' on their report cards.

Today’s stat: 3.95. That’s Jamie Moyer’s ERA. Not too shabby. No. 2 material, maybe? Based on no particular stat, Moyer is a top 20 NL starter. At his best, that’s what Brett Myers was.

Good links: Because of the 1 o’clock game, Philadelphia’s finest used the early deadlines to pen some excellent team features the morning after the Phillies defeated the Cardinals 4-1.

I invite everyone to bookmark a couple informative pieces for future reference. Matt Gelb, Staff Writer at the Inquirer, offered a nice feature on top prospect Carlos Carrasco, with the premise being “He doesn’t even know how good he’s going to be.” Reading pitching coach Tom Filer and catcher Lou Marson are interviewed. Speaking of Marson, Todd Zolecki explains why Carlos Ruiz’s job is secure, and where Marson and Jason Jaramillo are in their development.

Comments

[Sophist]

"Wright is doing better in almost every hitting category statistically and Burrell is one of the worst fielders this game has ever seen. Exactly why does Pat deserve it over Wright??"

No.

Burrell: .279/.412/.581 (155 OPS+)
Wright: .288/.386/.511 (139 OPS+)

And OPS+ is park-adjusted, so we can't get on the CBP high-horse here. Burrell leads the NL in Away OPS, and is second in WPA to Berkmann.

[Sophist]

Wright does make sense as a roster choice though. The NL already had enough OF, and he finished second in the Final Vote.

Wright's a great player. Burrell was snubbed by Ludwick, Hart, Fukudome, Soriano, even Braun. Not Wright or Hurdle.

[SPINK3]

yea but you have to put the CBP factor into the equation with every other offensive stat. RBIs, Runs, and fielding is where the seperation exists. Put wright in CBP 82 games a yr and this argument wouldnt be happening.

[CJ]

SPINK: Go away. They have a whole other blog for you. Here's a link. Thanks for visiting.

[Infield NL's Problem]

I agree with Sophist. The NL needed to strengthen its infield, particularly given that the final vote added yet another outfielder to the roster in the form of Corey Hart.

[J. Weitzel]

What about basing the decision on something other than statistics? Burrell is a veteran player who never made it, and endured some tough times over his career in Philadelphia ...

[Sophist]

Away OPS, NL rank

Burrell - 1.153
Pujols - 1.074
Uggla - 1.060
Berkmann - 1.034

Wright is 39th with .852.

Look, as I said, this isn't about Wright vs. Burrell to me. They play different positions and fill different roster needs. But if you want to keep making false statements, go right ahead.

[fletch]

I don't know if this has been mentioned here yet, but here's a funny, Phillies-centric post from The Onion: Jamie Moyer Change-Up Arrives At Home Plate After Long Journey.

[Sophist]

JW, I don't mind that rationale either. Although I don't think Hurdle has a soft spot for PHI.

[Inside/Outside the Parker]

If the Phillies bungle this Burnett thing, IMO, they are conceding defeat, or at least that they don't care. They obviously realize they can't win with the rotation as presently constituted. If they make no move, it is ridiculous.

BTW: I said the other day that the FO would try to sell Myers as an "acquisition" for the starting rotation.

Todd Zolecki: "The Phillies really see Brett Myers as that # 2 type acquisition once he gets back from the minors."

What a load of crap, but completely expected. How many times are they going to sell Myers as an addition without addition. Just shut up with it already.

[J. Weitzel]

To me, "strengthen the infield" isn't a good enough reason.

[Brian G]

Jason: I wouldn't mind that angle if it were a close call, but it is completely unnecessary. His statistics make him more than qualified. To try to package it as some type of sentimental pick cheapens how awesome he's been this year.

[Infield NL's Problem]

Perhaps, and I don't think Wright was necessarily the best Met to solve the infield problem. I mean, up until this point, I would say that Reyes is having a better year.

That said, the rationale expressed above problem is what factored into the decision making: The NL has plently of reserve outfielders, Wright adds another infielder, and (probably most important) he finished next in the final fan popularity round.

[Bedrosian's Beard]

"If the Phillies bungle this Burnett thing, IMO, they are conceding defeat, or at least that they don't care. They obviously realize they can't win with the rotation as presently constituted. If they make no move, it is ridiculous."

I agree they have to get someone as an upgrade, but it's not that Burnett is the only guy out there.

I think a part of it is to put pressure on/show faith in Myers. Build him up to get his mental juices flowing, if he has any.

[Brian G]

Parker: "If the Phillies bungle this Burnett thing, IMO, they are conceding defeat, or at least that they don't care. They obviously realize they can't win with the rotation as presently constituted. If they make no move, it is ridiculous. "

Then do you think they should've traded Carrasco AND Marson to get Sabathia? Or was not doing that conceding defeat as well? You can't just decide you need to improve and then force a trade no matter what. That's a really bad way of doing business.

[Sophist]

Tatis hit .438/.500/.875 this week.

With Church and Alou out, will the Mets keep getting production like this from Tatis?

[Bedrosian's Beard]

"I agree they have to get someone as an upgrade, but it's not that Burnett is the only guy out there."

...meant to add you're setting yourself up for a letdown

[Jack]

Honestly, Church and Alou being out scares me. It makes me think the Mets may trade for Holliday or bring in Bonds. I'd rather have Church/Alou out there than either one of those guys.

[CJ]

Brian G: Are you satisfied with Brett Myers as our rotation upgrade? If not, whom do you suggest and what do you believe it would take to get them?

I'm on record. I do Golson/Donald for Burnett in a heartbeat. I believe Seattle will request either Carrasco or Marson, and I don't trade either for him.

[CJ]

Jack: No way the bring in Bonds. No one is signing that guy.

I suppose they might go after Holliday, but the buzz has them looking at Xavier Nady, Raul Ibanez, Randy Winn or Adam Dunn. At least, that's what Metsblog is saying.

[Bedrosian's Beard]

Who are they going to trade for Holliday?

[Infield NL's Problem]

There is no way the Mets have the prospects to get Holliday. And whatever on Bonds; the guy is, what, 43, and can't more more than five feet in any direction.

The Mets are not going to pull of a division-changing upgrade.

[J. Weitzel]

Colorado is only 7.5 games out in a fading NL West. The Mets used their prospects for Santana. Next topic.

[Brian G]

CJ: Considering the alternatives and our current dearth of high level prospects, I'm fine with the FO deciding to just go with what we have in the rotation. I keep Happ in there and have Myers replace Eaton, who would go to the bullpen.

[Bedrosian's Beard]

Eaton in the pen? No. Eaton in the rotation? No. Eaton in the stands? Yes.

[CJ]

Yeah, the Mets best pitching prospect is already in the rotation (Pelfrey). And they would be crazy to trade their best position prospect (Francisco Martinez, whom they wouldn't include for Santana).

[Sophist]

Here's some Oswalt news as well from Will Carroll:

Oswalt left the Astros over the weekend and returned to Houston to see team physicians about his hip. They decided to give him a cortisone injection, not an uncommon short-term treatment. The odd phrasing in discussion of this, both by the team and by Astros writers, was that the injection was designed to "get him through the season." (Worse, I think, was Ed Wade's questioning of his own trainers, but then it is Ed Wade.) If the injection has this specific design, is there an underlying problem that will need correction in the offseason, or is this just an odd turn of phrase by Wade that was passed on in the articles? I'm relatively sure it's the former. There's no clear return date for Oswalt, though the team doesn't seem to want to place their ace on the DL either.

[Bedrosian's Beard]

Heck, they can trade Wagner and call up their closing prospect from AAA(?). Oregon State kid.

[CJ]

Brian G: What purpose does Eaton have in the bullpen? He's a terrible 1st inning starter which would suggest he'd be terrible out of the bullpen. Happ is an untested rookie and Myers is a tested bust. I hope Myers gets his head on straight and can help us, but I'm just not willing to sit back and cross my fingers when we could offer a couple of middling prospects for an impact starter.

I can't believe anyone here would shed a tear for Greg Golson.

[jr]

I'm on record. I do Golson/Donald for Burnett in a heartbeat. I believe Seattle will request either Carrasco or Marson, and I don't trade either for him.

Agree,they are nuts if they trade either one.Cleveland is desperate for a closer. Myers,but I don't know who we could get from them.

[Bedrosian's Beard]

I don't think i'd let him stand in the way of a good deal, but I get a weird feeling about Donald: Of all the prospects, he'd be the one to come back and bite us on the ass. He'll probably end up as a decent bench guy, but he's got all the makings of an under-the-radar guy. Jays probably want him b/c he hit 2 bombs off them in spring training.

[Morty]

How can anyone be excited about a pitcher with an almost 6 ERA? We already have a pitcher with good stuff, no head and having a terrible season. I'd far prefer Bedard.

[Brian G]

CJ: Myers is a "tested bust"? Are you basing this on one bad halfseason? If so, what is the difference between he and Burnett this year? Burnett just got rocked by the Angels and Orioles in his last two starts. His ERA is over 6 since June 1. This is your savior?

Also, I only said Eaton to BP bc I don't think they'll just cut him.

[Iceman]

Arbuckle is slithering his way through an interview on DNL.

[CJ]

Brian: I can't believe you're still comparing the two. Myers hasn't been a competant starter in two years. Prior to Burnett's last two bad starts, he had a 13 game stretch with a 4.18 ERA, .237 BAA, .680 OPS against and 95 K's in 84 innings, averaging more than 6 innings per start. If you can find a stretch anywhere close to that from Brett Myers since the beginning of last year, I'm all ears (or eyes, since we're online).

Besides, even if Myers comes back and pitches great (which I hope), I'm not sure why that precludes replacing Eaton with Burnett... unless you believe Happ is one to count on.

[Sophist]

ESPN talking heads just claimed that Burnett was a FB pitcher and that the Phils were in the bottom half in Team ERA.

Phils are 3rd in the NL in Team ERA.

Burnett is 14th in GB% this year. He was 4th last year.

I can't believe these guys are paid for their opinion.

[doubleh]

Sophist: They hired Steve Phillips to be an analyst--how much can ESPN really know about the game of baseball?

[CJ]

One more Burnett vs. Myers

Burnett: 10 HR in 118 innings
Myers: 24 HR in 101 innings

[Brian G]

CJ: No comparison is perfect. But their ERA+ is basically the same on the year. I think that's a pretty good indicator. Why is a decent 8 game stretch so important? Why is that stretch more indicative than what he's done recently? Did the last two awful starts not count in the standings?

I do agree that a Myers' resurrection (which I've made clear in the past I don't expect at all) wouldn't preclude bringing in Burnett as well. I just see the Burnett acquisition as having the potential to hurt us financially the next couple years (ie bye bye Burrell) without providing that great of an increase in our chances this year.

[denny b.]

Burrell should be on that all star team.

The guy has never made an all star team, and this was his year to do it.

Corey Hart making it is a rippin' joke, fans or no fans vote.

[Sophist]

Brian G, I think you may be oversimplifying the comparison a bit to boil everything down to ERA+. Paul Byrd has a similar ERA+, but it not the same kind of pitcher and isn't struggling for the same reasons Burnett and Myers are.

There's more to it than ERA+.

I posted a bunch of peripheral stats in the previous thread. For one, Myers' HR/FB is twice Burnett's.

[Sophist]

ERA+ is good for overall evaluation, but if you want to know why a pitcher is struggling -- if he has any chance of being better -- it's a good idea to look past ERA+.

Besides, Burnett has had 6 seasons of 112+ ERA+ pitching
Myers has had 2.

I think Myers can make a successful return, but Burnett =/= Myers.

[Ribbies]

I'm not sure how important this is but I was surprised by this factoid from Zolecki's article today "Ruiz has a 3.56 catcher's ERA - the best catcher's ERA in the National League."

[Brian G]

Sophist: That's fair. I just wanted to point out that Myers has been an equally successful starting pitcher in the past, and no one gives him a chance while at the same time assuming Burnett will be fantastic upon joining the Phillies. Myers really has nothing to do with him though. Burnett is a very talented but oft-injured pitcher who, while unlucky, has also pitched poorly this year. I just don't think the chances of him being the answer for us is very high, and considering the cost we shouldn't do it.

[Brian G]

"Besides, Burnett has had 6 seasons of 112+ ERA+ pitching, Myers has had 2."

That's not really fair. For one, Burnett's really only had 5, and secondly, he's 4 years older than Myers so has had a lot more chances.

[Sophist]

Brian, Burnett has a proven track record that Myers lacks. Burnett, therefore, is more likely, I'd think, to return to his previous form.

[Brian G]

I agree.

[CJ]

Brian G:

1) It was a 13 game stretch, not an 8 game stretch. He's had two bad outings since. It's not unheard of for a pitcher to have a bad two game stretch. You'd rather believe those last 2 games are more indicative of what Burnett can offer us. I'll take the 13 before that.

2) It's not JUST ERA+. I also pointed out that Burnett gives up many fewer HRs and strikes out more batters.

3) Myers hasn't been an effective starter since 2005. Burnett hasn't been anything BUT an effective starter in his career prior to some struggles this season.

************

I can respect that you believe giving up prospects for what might be an expensive injured pitcher is a bad idea. But I don't accept that Myers = Burnett.

[Brian G]

I don't think Myers = Burnett either. But in 2005/2006, the last two years they were both starters full time, they were. This has been beaten to death though, which is why I didn't carry it over to the next thread.