SG, is history any indicator (and I am not a big fan of using history as any sort of indicator, it neglects person specific effects completely)? I.e., do we have a sample of catchers who have started relatively late, been extremely durable throughout their career, and suffered a serious injury only late in the career, that we can see as a guide to what can be expected of Posada as a catcher?

I won’t put much emphasis on it, as it is likely to be a very small sample size (reinforcing how unique a player Posada is), but it would still be good to know.

do we have a sample of catchers who have started relatively late, been extremely durable throughout their career, and suffered a serious injury only late in the career, that we can see as a guide to what can be expected of Posada as a catcher?

Probably not, but I’ll see what I can dig up.  At this point, every favorable comp for Posada is Carlton Fisk and no one else.

reading the rest of those questions makes me thankful for places like this.

man, some of those questions were not-smart.

Even if Posada is healthy, Molina should replace him in close games during the 9th.  One of my favorite things about 2008 was seeing Molina throw out eleven consecutive would be base-stealers.

Rangers have four young talented catchers.  I think Cashman would be remiss if he didn’t trade for one of them, or at least kick the tires a lot. 

I think it will be a minor miracle if Posada, at his age and with his shoulder, can come back and catch 100 games, much less full-time.

I also think the Yanks won’t fork over a ton of money for Teix before they know Posada’s fate - or at least feel confident whether he can handle catching.

If Posada is cooked behind the plate and Matsui is your full-time DH, then Posada’s only position is 1B.  Or, move Matsui to 1B and let Posada DH.

Bring in Teix and someone is out of a job.  And while some may see a market for Matsui, I don’t.  He’s a DH from here on out and I don’t know any team that will take him at his salary when he hasn’t really tested his new knees.

Even if Posada is healthy, Molina should replace him in close games during the 9th.

Close games with Yanks up you mean, right?  Tied or Yanks behind a run (assuming they’re at home), I’d certainly keep Posada in there, because his bat may be needed.  Though I’m sure both of us may be willing to change their minds after we see Posada throw for a month.

Who can do the cool link thing

http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/shareit/9TzN

That is a list of all catchers who are 35 and have caught more than 100 games since 1946.

Not in a season, rather, total, after their age 35 season.  There are only 60 of them.  This does not bode well.

I just don’t see how Matsui fits into this roster.  Even if the Yankees have to eat the bulk of his salary, I think he HAS to be traded.  There’s just no way that Posada can be penciled in as catcher for any significant amount of time.  You have to leave DH open for him (I say DH b/c I also think the Yankees “need” Texeria at 1st). 

Unless the Yankees have the guts to have one of those players be one of the best bench players in the league.

Bring in Teix and someone is out of a job.  And while some may see a market for Matsui, I don’t.  He’s a DH from here on out and I don’t know any team that will take him at his salary when he hasn’t really tested his new knees.

i don’t think the Yankees should or will pass on Teixeira because there is one remaining year on Matsui’s contract.

the Yankees don’t have a first baseman.  Teixeira is a really good 1Bman. 

if Matsui is out of a job, so be it.

if the Yankees get outbid b/c someone did something foolish, that’s one thing.  you can’t control the other 29 teams.  if they pass on Teixeira b/c they want to keep the DH spot open for Matsui, well, that doesn’t seem too smart.

if the Yankees get outbid b/c someone did something foolish, that’s one thing.  you can’t control the other 29 teams.  if they pass on Teixeira b/c they want to keep the DH spot open for Matsui, well, that doesn’t seem too smart.

I agree.  Based on what I’ve read over the past several weeks, here is what I think Cashman is going to (try to) do.

1) He’s going to assume for now that Posada is his regular catcher next year.  Perhaps he’s happy with Molina/Cervelli, or perhaps he tries to upgrade his backups a little, but he’s going to try for Posada as a catcher.
2) He’s going to try to acquire a 1B, and Tex is at the top of his list.  If he fails to get Tex, he’ll look at alternatives *outside* the org (Dunn, trade for ?) before looking at inside.
3) He’ll start the year with Matsui as the DH.

After that, if Posada isn’t able to catch, but can hit like Jorge, he’ll probably look to trade Matsui, or just let Matsui be a bench-player.  Assuming he isn’t hurt again.

After 2009, Hideki is gone.  If Posada is a DH then, he’s a DH, and the Yanks will find a catcher.  If Posada can still catch, then great.

I’d love for Cashman to bring in a young catcher and sign Teix.  But he has to do something with Matsui.  Trading him will be tough.  But maybe Cashman will utter “damn the torpedoes” and just let Matsui sit on the bench.  Or, more likely, just let Girardi make it work.

However, if Cashman doesn’t trade for a young catcher, and hopes Posada and Molina can handle the job, then I think they make the mistake at the catcher position that yup worries they’ll make at the 1B position.

Don’t hold the catcher position for Posada.  If you have a chance to get a good young catcher, do it.  And while the Rangers haven’t publicly put a sign up, you have to think that with four young catchers, someone (or two) is on the market.

Frankly, I also think this is all moot because I don’t see Teix signing with the Yankees.

Rangers have four young talented catchers.  I think Cashman would be remiss if he didn’t trade for one of them, or at least kick the tires a lot.

The Red Sox are in the same situation for next season, without the upside of Posada.  I’m not sure if that’s a better or worse situation to be in, but you can bet they’ll be in contact with the Rangers a lot this offseason.

However, if Cashman doesn’t trade for a young catcher, and hopes Posada and Molina can handle the job, then I think they make the mistake at the catcher position that yup worries they’ll make at the 1B position.

the difference is that unlike 1B, the Yankees actually have several interesting catching prospects in the pipeline. 

it’s the one position, next to CF, where they are somewhat likely to develop a major league starter in the next few years. 

of course, those guys are still a ways off and like any propsects come with question marks. on the other hand, the Rangers aren’t going to just give away any of their young catching.  they know how valuable they are.

i could actually see Boston trading for Saltalamacchia centered around Buchholz.  so think of that as the starting point. 

i agree that Cashman should look into it, but i am not hopeful a match is there to be made.

DaPuj beat me to it.

That’s what you get for taking your time to actually add insight to a comment as opposed to just spouting off the first thing that comes to your head like I do.

Lots of thoughts on Posada…basically, if I understand it, the medical people are telling the Yankees that Posada’s shoulder will regain full strength.  I suppose it’s also possible it could be a little stronger with targeted rehab.  I think it makes perfect sense for the Yankees to at least get through December (since Posada starts throwing on 12/01) before they start looking at catcher.

I’d hazard that they can pretty well monitor things like release time, velocity, time it takes the ball to reach 2B, etc, and compare to past years.  If on 01/01 Posada to them looks like 2006 Posada with throwing, he’s definitely the catcher in 2009.  That gives them another year to evaluate Posada for sticking there, Cervelli for if is ceiling is AAA, major-league backup, or perhaps even a starter.  And also see how their prospects develop.  I’d imagine they can make a trade just as easily in January as November, and it could even be cheaper (yes, it could be more expensive as well).

Man, it would really suck if Posada couldn’t catch in 2009. What’s the timeframe to expect Montero? 2010.. maybe? And he may not even be a catcher anymore at that point.

Montero and Austin Romine will both start 2009 in Tampa, which would mean they are two years away (at best) from the majors.

haha, check out this memorable moment in SG’s analysis career:

from the BTF chat logs:

00:16 < hugmysoul> boone looks like he needs a nap
00:16 < joe_dimino> Let’s go Aaron
00:16 -!- keving18 has joined #baseball_primer
00:16 < SGinATL> the boone lineage is the greatest lineage in professional sports</b>
00:16 < Glenn> Bret’s down in the runway putting on Aaron’s uniform.
00:16 <@DSzymborski> it’s way past bret’s bedtime
00:16 < rickumali> “I just enjoy watching!” says Boone.
00:16 < HatrackHines> SGinATL: How about the Bonds lineage?
00:16 < Im_Just_A_Pedro> what about the bell’s?
00:16 < SGinATL> it is about to be vindicated
00:16 < Dial> Boone was protesting during thwe game because Aaron wasn’t playing
00:16 < Bernal_Diaz> i brilliant nuggent from bret
00:16 < Shred_der> Thanks for that, Bret
00:16 < PatGillicksHemorrhoids> NO
00:16 < rickumali> Whoa.
00:16 < joe_dimino> We want a pitcher, not a bellyitcher!
00:16 < PatGillicksHemorrhoids> nono
00:16 < hugmysoul> oh my
00:16 < HatrackHines> OH NO
00:16 < joe_dimino> YES!!!!
00:16 <@VcdeChagn> that’s it
00:16 < Halloway> yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
00:16 < dbrazeal> Holy crap.
00:16 < PatGillicksHemorrhoids> !!!!!!
00:16 < GregTamer> HOLY SHIT!
00:16 <@scottb> haha
00:16 < SMinDC> OMG’
00:16 < PatGillicksHemorrhoids> FUCK!!!!
00:16 <@DSzymborski> goddamit
00:16 < AdamB> Fuck.
00:16 < Im_Just_A_Pedro> shit
00:16 < GregTamer> HOLY SHIT!
00:16 < ChadBradfordWannabe> I think Boone’s hammered
00:16 < PatGillicksHemorrhoids> FUCKFUCKFUDFKFUEOIFUWEIOPFHWEOFHW
00:16 <@VcdeChagn> Boone
00:16 < SMinDC> OMG
00:16 < AdamB> Fuck fuck fuck.
00:16 < dbrazeal> Bucky Fucking Boone.
00:16 < SMinDC> OMG
00:16 < SMinDC> OMG
00:16 < joe_dimino> YES!@!!!!!
00:16 <@VcdeChagn> of all ppl
00:16 < Aliabeth> damn
00:16 < GregTamer> HOLY SHIt!
00:16 < Bernal_Diaz> oops
00:16 < hugmysoul> omg
00:16 < rickumali> That’s the end of that.
00:16 < Halloway> wooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
00:16 < GregTamer> BOONE!
00:16 -!- chrisp has quit [Quit: ]
00:16 < Im_Just_A_Pedro> fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck
00:16 -!- keving18 has quit [Quit: ]
00:16 < SGinATL> i love aaron boone!!!!!!!!!!
00:16 < joe_dimino> I LOVE YOU BOONE!!!!!
00:16 < Shred_der> Wow.
00:16 < joe_dimino> I LOVE YOU BOONE!!!!!
00:16 < ChadBradfordWannabe> oh my god
00:16 < SGinATL> the boone lineage is the greatest lineage in professional sports
00:16 < SMinDC> OMG
00:16 < SMinDC> OMG
00:16 < SMinDC> OMG
00:16 < joe_dimino> I LOVE YOU BOONE!!!!!
00:16 < binary> THATS WHAT WE FUCKIN CALL CLUTCH
00:16 < SGinATL> the boone lineage is the greatest lineage in professional sports
00:16 < joe_dimino> I LOVE YOU BOONE!!!!!
00:16 < brendan> that sucks ass
00:16 < SMinDC> OMG
00:16 < SGinATL> the boone lineage is the greatest lineage in professional sports
00:16 < SMinDC> OMG
00:16 < SGinATL> the boone lineage is the greatest lineage in professional sports
00:16 < SGinATL> the boone lineage is the greatest lineage in professional sports
00:16 < SGinATL> the boone lineage is the greatest lineage in professional sports
00:16 < PatGillicksHemorrhoids> christ
00:16 <@VcdeChagn> WEll, hopefully that will be the end of Grady LIttle
00:16 < SGinATL> i love aaron boone!!!!!!!!!!

WJ: That’s fairly hysterical.  I particularly enjoyed the Sox fan’s reactions.

patgillickshemorrhoids, hahahahaha

What if we signed Tex and moved mastui for ichiro and Kenji to free up the dh position and give us someone to split the catching duties. Gets us a CF for a year. And a RF for 2010

In that case, why don’t the Yanks just field a team of all Japanese players, sans Igawa of course.

moved mastui for ichiro and Kenji

Yeah, why don’t we? In fact, why hasn’t this been done already?

Igawa WPTTE*.

*with apologies to whoever (j?) complained that this meme has jumped the shark.

with apologies to whoever (j?) complained that this meme has jumped the shark

It’s not as bad as the consistent misspelling of the word ‘the’, but it’s close.

Well we know they wouldnt want to lose the japenese market same goes for mariners so

Matsui+ 6mill Igawa Kennedy/

Matsui Nady Igawa Kenendy?

Ichiro kenji washburn

trade isnt that insane the salary relief is nuts (23 million) and kenji and igawa both have 3 years left on there contracts so if you subtract the 4 million igawa makes the yanks would be paying kenji 3 mill for the next 3 years(not bad for a bench player). Wash can be usefull simply for innings exp if we have a rotation of guys who need to be regulated (Joba,Hughes, CC??)

Wonder if it would be worth taking a flier on half a season of bedard. Even if it ment melky/gardner?

Bedard+ Washburn could equal 220 innings 160 Ks from the left side and we can cut washburn or float him for nothing end of the summer.

Mariners would have 43 mill to spend this year if bedard wasnt in the trade 50 if he was.

CC Sabathia Wang Joba Hughes Bedard would be insane come october.

Ok, the david, my head exploded processing the proposals that you put together. I see no realistic scenario where any of those trades could be mutually beneficial for either franchise.

Washburn sucks, and he will suck hard at YS. Johjima was probably worse than Molina last year. And Melky/Gardner is not going to get Bedard.

Also, some punctuations may cause some parts of my exploded head to reunite.

I would trade Kennedy in the right deal, but I consider Kenendy untouchable.

Seriously david, I don’t think the Mariners have any interest in trading Ichiro!  Especially not for what you’re offering.

WJ, what a joy that was.  Tell me you made it up and you get a Pulitzer!  Tell me you didn’t and… awww, you can still have the Pulitzer!!

but I consider Kenendy untouchable.

Can Kenendy pitch teh eighth?!!11!!

Hm, don’t make me dig through the October ‘04 archives… I thought I was over Aaron Boone, and am for the most part, but it takes a millisecond to remember how depressed I was at that very moment.

Onto better things, I think Teixeira becomes a Yankee. Notwithstanding my fancrush, when I saw Heyman saying he wants $20milx10, that’s a non-starter for a team with some caveats. The Yankees have no caveats. The Angles… no real problems besides the stench of death that comes over them every October 1. But for the Sox, I don’t think they can go there. Honestly, what increment of value over Kevin Youkilis does Teixeira bring? A small uptick in slugging maybe, and if you’re an outsider choosing btw the two, you probably pick Teix first. But if you’re the team that owns Youkilis already, and is looking to lock him up for something sane, you can’t meet Borass’ demands.

For similar reasons, if there’s a Ranger catcher on the block, I bet we get him over the Yankees. You still have Jorge. We have nothing.

Bedard to the Yankees? Does God love me that much??

Honestly, what increment of value over Kevin Youkilis does Teixeira bring?

Exactly.  Or, alternatively, what value does Youkilis/Tex bring over Lowell/Youk?  You’d have to move either Lowell or Youk.  I just don’t see the Sox doing anything on that front.

The reason to do it for the Sox is that Teix is young(ish) and Lowell looked pretty broken down. It’s justifiable if you can bring him in for Drew money (5x15). But that’s laughable.

We have nothing.

Wait, you mean Captain Intangibles is nothing?

Actually, for better or worse, that is a true statement.

The only Rangers catcher any team would get is probably Gerald Laird. The rest of them would probably cost more than their value.

Cap’n is a FA and the Sox are being coy, so for now, we literally have nothing.

As for Laird, he might make it as a 3-4 year stopgap while we start prowling the college ranks.

BTW, I know the Bedard comment was a throw-in in the midst of… whatever that was. But seriously… the view from Seattle is that he’s a complete diva. Think of every Ed Whitson type you guys ever imported only to see them completely flop in New York, and that’s what you’ve got in Bedard. Anyway, Cashman is too smart to scoop up the Mariners’ garbage.

Anybody know of any small non-feedthrough linear actuators that operate in a moderate vacuum at cryo temperature with say a 1 cm stroke?

Anybody know of any small non-feedthrough linear actuators that operate in a moderate vacuum at cryo temperature with say a 1 cm stroke?

Um, yes?

What sort of force do you need?  What about power requirements?

For those of you out there foaming at the mouth for Gerald Laird, let’s keep in mind that he has a career OPS+ of 79 in 1225 career at bats.  Obviously, he was a bit better last year with a .276/.329/.398 line, but that’s still nothing wondrous.  Cervelli should be able to produce similar stats by 2010 if not earlier.

“Anybody know of any small non-feedthrough linear actuators that operate in a moderate vacuum at cryo temperature with say a 1 cm stroke?”

Strange, I was thinking just this while staring at the ceiling last night at 2am or so…

(And I don’t know why this is the 2nd or 3rd posting in a row with ellipses, of which I’m hardly a fan…)

People here seriously know about my wildly random ungoogleable question just written as a distracting joke?  Well, ok, expertise appreciated here.  I just need to move a berry-sized radioactive source behind a shield.

IE, do you subscribe to the catchers as late-bloomers theory? I don’t personally know enough about Laird to guess as to what he’ll do next. Just sayin, if that were an OF, we’d be writing his epitaph. Not so with catchers.

Sorry, Rilke[my]man, my response was equally and utterly a joke.

DaPuj, however, probably knows his stuff.  Sounds like it.

I’m going to presume he does - anyone who casually uses the word “chirality” deserves the benefit of the doubt.  We need more of those.

Also, all the Phils need is bad weather tomorrow for Hamels to start Game 7 on full rest.  Just sayin’... <—there it is again!]

WP, it was obvious you were kidding.  And note that technically an ellipsis ending a sentence is followed by a dot, so four in all….  (OTOH I think that looks affected.)  In cryo news, I finally found something that does much more than I need and costs less than a grad student.

Well, I *COULD* have been thinking of that last night, couldn’t I?  Couldn’t I?  Is that so impossible?  (I mean, were I not actually thinking of how much sense it makes that the Aeolian harp doesn’t recur as a typical metaphor in the late-19th-early-20th-C ‘romantic resurgence.’  Which is why I don’t make nearly as much money as I otherwise might.)

Did you know that Wallace Stevens at some point had an Aeolian harp in his garden which he could hear from his bed?

When’s catchers and pitchers again?

I was thinking of putting one up.  Anyone ever do it?  And where is the Aeolian harp store, anyhow?

costs less than a grad student.

Hmmm.  As someone with first-hand knowledge of graduate student costs, I’m assuming this is some sort of device fashioned out of a McDonalds straw and refrigerator magnet.

Graduate students are a dime a dozen, though. Dirt-cheap!

I presume you left out the indefinite article, DaPuj, because it would elevate the cost of your imagined device above that of most graduate students.

Ya’ll whack n shit.
On a serious note if I can get 5 lads to join the NRA before Xmas I get a free
.50 calibre MG and enough ammo to convince Hal & Hank that the team should be run by a Roman type senate filled with RLYW nutjobs.
Thats some mavericky stuff.
Go filz.

Sg- quite a fan of the Boone lineage are ya?
Goes way back to guy banging Karen Allen in Animal House.
The Boones Farm Wines are some of the finest in the land. So I have been told.
Then the great Daniel Boone.
What did that fella do to merit being remembered fondly by so many people?
Discover Kentucky? Beat the Redskins at home? Coonskin cap magnate?
Time for google.
Bob Boone was a fine defensive catcher, that I do recall.

the guy banging

Wasn’t that Donald Sutherland, OTF?

Right you are Pete.
Boone was the cuckold boyfriend.
I assume (hope) the Boonester was hittin it like a big dog, before Prof DS smoked his way into her shorts.

Sg- quite a fan of the Boone lineage are ya?

I was younger and dumber back then, and I think drunk too.  Nowadays, not so much.

Re [50], it’s in the style of a common joke about how physics works to say we could buy a little motor to move a device in a liquid-nitrogen-cold vacuum instead of having a grad student do it.

Re [50], it’s in the style of a common joke about how physics works to say we could buy a little motor to move a device in a liquid-nitrogen-cold vacuum instead of having a grad student do it.

You watch Big Bang Theory?  Great show…the line you wrote, is the type that would come right out of there.

Yeah, we watch TBBT - I know the guy doing the science consulting for them, so maybe your observation isn’t surprising.