ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick
Posted by Todd KaufmannMLB Baseball March 11th, 2008ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick stopped by Pro Sports Beat this afternoon and covered everything from Bartolo Colon to Dontrelle Willis to the Royals new manager Trey Hillman.
Todd Kaufmann: What’s your take on Boston signing Bartolo Colon? Is he just an insurance policy with Schilling being out until possibly the All-Star break?
Jerry Crasnick: A lot of scouts and front office people were scared off by Colon’s medical reports, but he was worth a shot for the Red Sox. He doesn’t make any money unless he performs, and apparently he looked decent early in camp. Schilling is going to be out quite a while, so they needed to do something as a security blanket.
Todd Kaufmann: Dontrelle Willis struggled last year in the NL East. Does he fare any better in a stronger AL Central division?
Jerry Crasnick: Dontrelle’s numbers took a serious nosedive in Florida the last couple of years, to the point where some people wondered if he was healthy. But the guy is such a competitor, you have to think he’ll be energized by pitching for a contending team in front of huge crowds in Detroit. The AL Central is no bargain for a pitcher, but that’s a big park, and the Tigers should give Willis plenty of runs to work with. Maybe it was just a case of him getting his mechanics ironed out.
Todd Kaufmann: There’s been a lot of talk about Tampa Bay being interested in bringing in Barry Bonds. Is this something they have just kicked around internally or have they contacted Bonds’ agent?
Jerry Crasnick: The Bonds-to-Tampa Bay rumor went nowhere in a hurry. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Rays kicked that one around internally, but there’s a big difference between spitballing ideas and actively pursuing a guy. I still don’t think Bonds will play this season. If the Mets aren’t interested in him with Moises Alou out, that says a lot.
Todd Kaufmann: With the injury to Jim Edmonds, have the Padres started discussions with any other teams about trading for a center fielder, or do they think they have enough internal candidates to fill the role until Edmonds is ready to return?
Jerry Crasnick: Right now the Padres are looking at Jody Gerut, Jeff Davanon and Rule 5 draft pick Callix Crabbe in center field as Edmonds recuperates. They’ve also talked about using Scott Hairston out there, but defense isn’t his strong point even in left field. Kevin Towers doesn’t seem concerned, but I would be if I were the Padres. They have two aging guys in center field and right, and Brian Giles is coming off knee surgery.
Coco Crisp would make sense in a trade, but the Pads aren’t inclined to pick up any salary at this point. I think they might have been wise to sign a guy like Corey Patterson, who was on the market forever and went to Cincinnati on a minor league deal. I’m just not confident in the ability of Edmonds and Giles to stay healthy.
Todd Kaufmann: I think Trey Hillman could be exactly what the Royals’ franchise needs. The guy that can finally get these players to respond and win ballgames. Do you agree?
Jerry Crasnick: Trey Hillman is, indeed, a nice fit in KC. He’s very bright, organized and driven. Ultimately, it’s more about getting better players in there, and Dayton Moore has the franchise headed in the right direction. They’ll take a pounding playing in the AL Central, but the team is gradually getting better every year.
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Comment by Andrew Mitchell on March 11th, 2008:
Great interview! Keep up the good work!
Comment by Kyle Eslick on March 12th, 2008:
Good stuff! I think that Dontrelle Willis will excel outside of Florida. Obviously they had a couple good years, but he seems like a guy that needs a major market with passionate fans to excel.
This is a great series of interviews Todd!
Comment by Todd Kaufmann on March 12th, 2008:
Kyle, I hope that Dontrelle excels outside of FLorida as well, but with declining numbers every year for the past 3 seasons on top of going to a much stronger AL Central, Tiger fans better HOPE that he’s better.
Comment by Kyle Eslick on March 13th, 2008:
That is very true. If he’s aided by better defense or a better home park that could help too.
On a quick side note, one thing I hate about Baseball stats is that every park is different, so doing well in a pitchers park is much more impressive than doing so in a hitters park, etc. Why can’t every park have the exact same dimensions? Why can’t the NL get a DH? (or AL lose the DH)
Stats are supposed to be the one advantage baseball has over other sports yet they are all based on situations and circumstance which drives me crazy.
Sorry, that is my rant for the day.
Comment by Todd Kaufmann on March 13th, 2008:
@ Kyle - I think it has less to do with the dimensions of a ballpark and everything to do with the conditions around the it. What I mean by that is, let’s take Petco Park and The Ballpark at Arlington and put them against each other.
Petco Park is one of the best pitchers parks in baseball because it has the very moist air coming in off the ocean and the ocean breeze, it keeps a lot of HR balls in the park. With Texas, I’ve been told that the jet stream is among the strongest in the country. You get a ball just right, the jet stream is going to carry it a LONG ways.
The 2 parks that drive me nuts are Minute Maid Park (Astros) and Dolphin Stadium (Marlins), both for their rediculous dimension in center field. I think straight away CF in Florida is 435 ft and Houston is close to that, somewhere in the 420-430 range, not to mention the flag pole that sits on the hill right before the fence. That’s a little extreme if you ask me.
As far as situational and circumstantial stats, doesn’t the NFL have that as well? Don’t they have stats for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th down conversion rates? A QB’s completion percentage? All sports are going to have situational stats, but you’re right about the circumstantial, we do hear the term “pitchers parks” and “hitters parks” quite a bit.