Years	PA	AVG	OBP	SLG	DRC+	WARP
23	6023	.262	.356	.477	115	17.7

MLB Statistics

YEAR	TEAM	AGE	G	PA	H	2B	3B	HR	BB	SO	HBP	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	DRC+	DRAA	BRR	FRAA	BWARP
1992	MON	24	13	38	5	2	0	0	7	7	0	0	0	.167	.316	.233	94	-0.1	0.3	-0.4	0.1
1993	MON	25	6	8	3	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	.375	.375	.500	78	-0.2	0.0	0.0	0.0
1995	BOS	27	39	95	23	7	1	1	4	14	1	0	1	.261	.298	.398	78	-2.4	-0.4	-2.9	-0.3
1996	OAK	28	61	158	38	5	1	10	19	23	1	1	1	.277	.367	.547	130	7.0	-0.4	4.1	1.3
1997	OAK	29	133	410	105	19	0	27	50	60	3	3	2	.298	.386	.582	146	25.5	-2.3	-6.1	2.4
1998	OAK	30	149	593	154	33	1	26	59	93	6	8	3	.294	.370	.511	125	19.9	0.8	4.0	3.0
1999	OAK	31	146	623	137	26	3	38	89	124	2	2	7	.258	.366	.533	130	28.4	-0.7	-7.7	2.8
2000	OAK	32	143	562	108	26	0	21	78	122	1	5	2	.227	.333	.414	99	2.5	-1.6	-5.3	0.5
2001	CHN	33	128	403	85	21	0	17	52	76	7	2	3	.250	.358	.462	108	6.2	-2.9	-3.5	0.5
2002	MIL	34	107	315	66	15	0	16	36	50	8	2	0	.244	.349	.478	118	8.5	-1.6	-1.6	1.2
2003	PIT	35	121	357	89	20	1	20	45	64	5	0	1	.292	.389	.561	136	17.5	-0.3	-8.7	1.3
2004	KCA	36	126	496	117	21	3	18	49	92	5	1	0	.267	.345	.451	105	3.9	-3.7	-2.9	0.5
2005	KCA	37	127	466	109	26	1	13	60	69	5	1	2	.275	.373	.444	112	7.3	-2.8	-1.5	0.9
2006	DET	38	14	44	10	3	0	2	3	12	0	0	0	.244	.295	.463	103	0.4	-0.1	0.0	0.1
2006	KCA	38	77	261	59	14	0	8	31	52	2	0	0	.261	.352	.429	98	0.5	1.3	-0.3	0.5
2006	TEX	38	26	88	17	4	0	3	6	22	1	0	0	.210	.273	.370	101	0.5	-0.1	-0.1	0.1
2007	TOR	39	125	405	103	28	1	21	44	66	2	2	1	.289	.368	.549	127	15.8	-1.4	-3.5	1.8
2008	PHI	40	16	19	5	1	0	2	1	3	0	0	0	.294	.316	.706	95	-0.1	0.1	-0.1	0.0
2008	TOR	40	105	368	80	11	1	11	41	87	5	1	1	.250	.342	.394	97	-0.3	-0.3	-2.3	0.2
2009	PHI	41	99	129	20	4	0	5	23	30	3	0	0	.194	.357	.379	92	-1.0	-0.1	3.9	0.6
2010	SDN	42	78	111	23	6	0	6	11	32	0	2	0	.232	.306	.475	100	0.2	0.7	-0.4	0.3
2011	WAS	43	56	74	10	1	0	0	9	23	0	0	0	.154	.257	.169	64	-2.9	0.4	0.2	-0.1
Career			1895	6023	1366	294	13	265	717	1122	57	30	24	.262	.356	.477	115	137.0	-15.0	-35.1	17.7

Statistics for All Levels

'opp' stats - Quality of opponents faced - have been moved and are available only as OPP_QUAL in the Statistics reports now.
Minor league stats are currently shown —Click to hide.

YEAR	Team	Lg	LG	G	PA	oppAVG	oppOBP	oppSLG	BABIP	BPF	BRAA	repLVL	POS_ADJ	DRC+	DRC+ SD	FRAA	BRR	DRAA	BWARP
1989	ROK	A	MDW	44	161	.000	.000	.000	.339			0.0		0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
1989	JAM	A-	NYP	14	46	.000	.000	.000	.270			0.0		0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
1989	WPB	A+	FSL	36	122	.000	.000	.000	.215			0.0		0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
1990	WPB	A+	FSL	55	231	.000	.000	.000	.366			0.0		0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
1990	JAX	AA	SOU	79	310	.000	.000	.000	.291			0.0		0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
1991	HAR	AA	EAS	129	579	.000	.000	.000	.347			0.0		0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
1992	MON	MLB	NL	13	38	.230	.298	.339	.208	98	-0.7	1.0	-0.2	94	11	-0.4	0.3	-0.1	0.1
1992	IND	AAA	AA	110	460	.000	.000	.000	.288			0.0		0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
1993	MON	MLB	NL	6	8	.248	.315	.371	.429	92	0.2	0.2	0	78	9	0.0	0.0	-0.2	0.0
1993	OTT	AAA	INT	34	139	.000	.000	.000	.296			0.0		0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
1994	NBR	AA	EAS	93	378	.000	.000	.000	.330			0.0		0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
1995	BOS	MLB	AL	39	95	.283	.351	.446	.297	104	-3.9	2.8	-0.7	78	14	-2.9	-0.4	-2.4	-0.3
1995	PAW	AAA	INT	75	305	.000	.000	.000	.294			0.0		0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
1996	OAK	MLB	AL	61	158	.270	.338	.434	.267	99	8.5	4.9	-1.6	130	16	4.1	-0.4	7.0	1.3
1996	EDM	AAA	PCL	51	208	.000	.000	.000	.388			0.0		0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
1997	OAK	MLB	AL	133	410	.269	.336	.426	.290	102	23.8	11.3	-4.3	146	13	-6.1	-2.3	25.5	2.4
1998	OAK	MLB	AL	149	593	.271	.337	.427	.314	95	27.9	16.2	-10.5	125	9	4.0	0.8	19.9	3.0
1999	OAK	MLB	AL	146	623	.274	.346	.436	.268	97	27	17.4	-7.3	130	10	-7.7	-0.7	28.4	2.8
2000	OAK	MLB	AL	143	562	.273	.347	.442	.257	87	7.3	17.7	-7.7	99	9	-5.3	-1.6	2.5	0.5
2001	CHN	MLB	NL	128	403	.268	.332	.438	.272	99	9.1	12.0	-6.5	108	10	-3.5	-2.9	6.2	0.5
2002	MIL	MLB	NL	107	315	.255	.319	.403	.244	101	5.5	9.1	-2.6	118	13	-1.6	-1.6	8.5	1.2
2003	PIT	MLB	NL	121	357	.263	.331	.421	.309	102	18.8	9.4	-4.3	136	11	-8.7	-0.3	17.5	1.3
2003	NAS	AAA	PCL	7	27	.000	.000	.000	.071			0.0		0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
2004	KCA	MLB	AL	126	496	.270	.337	.433	.298	102	2.3	14.8	-6.9	105	9	-2.9	-3.7	3.9	0.5
2005	KCA	MLB	AL	127	466	.268	.325	.423	.301	104	11	13.4	-8	112	10	-1.5	-2.8	7.3	0.9
2006	DET	MLB	AL	14	44	.281	.356	.455	.296	111	-1.5	1.3	-0.9	103	9	0.0	-0.1	0.4	0.1
2006	KCA	MLB	AL	77	261	.268	.328	.426	.304	112	-0.4	7.9	-4.7	98	9	-0.3	1.3	0.5	0.5
2006	TEX	MLB	AL	26	88	.274	.340	.434	.250	106	-0.7	2.7	-1.6	101	9	-0.1	-0.1	0.5	0.1
2007	TOR	MLB	AL	125	405	.268	.333	.426	.301	94	26	12.0	-4.9	127	12	-3.5	-1.4	15.8	1.8
2008	PHI	MLB	NL	16	19	.256	.334	.407	.231	96	1.6	0.5	-0.1	95	9	-0.1	0.1	-0.1	0.0
2008	TOR	MLB	AL	105	368	.263	.331	.414	.308	99	-1.6	10.6	-6.1	97	9	-2.3	-0.3	-0.3	0.2
2009	PHI	MLB	NL	99	129	.251	.329	.395	.221	97	2	3.7	-0.5	92	11	3.9	-0.1	-1.0	0.6
2010	SDN	MLB	NL	78	111	.249	.316	.393	.274	84	2.9	3.1	-0.5	100	17	-0.4	0.7	0.2	0.3
2011	WAS	MLB	NL	56	74	.249	.313	.389	.238	96	-5.9	2.0	-0.5	64	16	0.2	0.4	-2.9	-0.1

Statistics For All Levels

Minor league stats are currently shown —Click to hide.

Year	Team	lvl	LG	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	TB	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	ISO	SF	SH
1989	WPB	A+	FSL	122	111	12	21	3	1	1	29	9	9	18	0	0	.189	.248	.261	.072	1	1
1989	ROK	A	MDW	161	141	20	40	9	2	2	59	14	15	29	5	4	.284	.356	.418	.135	2	2
1989	JAM	A-	NYP	46	43	8	11	1	0	1	15	5	3	5	1	2	.256	.304	.349	.093	0	0
1990	WPB	A+	FSL	231	183	30	62	9	3	3	86	30	41	19	15	2	.339	.472	.470	.131	0	0
1990	JAX	AA	SOU	310	280	26	71	17	0	3	97	34	22	43	5	3	.254	.315	.346	.093	0	0
1991	HAR	AA	EAS	579	505	87	168	30	10	13	257	78	66	47	23	11	.333	.411	.509	.176	2	2
1992	MON	MLB	NL	38	30	2	5	2	0	0	7	5	7	7	0	0	.167	.316	.233	.067	1	0
1992	IND	AAA	AA	460	401	57	107	23	4	11	171	56	49	61	11	11	.267	.349	.426	.160	4	4
1993	MON	MLB	NL	8	8	1	3	1	0	0	4	2	0	1	0	0	.375	.375	.500	.125	0	0
1993	OTT	AAA	INT	139	125	18	35	4	2	3	52	20	11	15	4	1	.280	.345	.416	.136	1	1
1994	NBR	AA	EAS	378	317	44	98	25	2	9	154	61	53	38	10	7	.309	.413	.486	.177	0	0
1995	PAW	AAA	INT	305	271	40	77	17	0	13	133	56	29	41	3	3	.284	.354	.491	.207	1	1
1995	BOS	MLB	AL	95	88	8	23	7	1	1	35	17	4	14	0	1	.261	.298	.398	.136	1	1
1996	OAK	MLB	AL	158	137	21	38	5	1	10	75	23	19	23	1	1	.277	.367	.547	.270	1	0
1996	EDM	AAA	PCL	208	180	35	62	16	1	8	104	41	21	34	0	0	.344	.411	.578	.233	1	1
1997	OAK	MLB	AL	410	352	62	105	19	0	27	205	73	50	60	3	2	.298	.386	.582	.284	4	1
1998	OAK	MLB	AL	593	523	88	154	33	1	26	267	106	59	93	8	3	.294	.370	.511	.216	4	1
1999	OAK	MLB	AL	623	531	94	137	26	3	38	283	102	89	124	2	7	.258	.366	.533	.275	1	0
2000	OAK	MLB	AL	562	476	74	108	26	0	21	197	81	78	122	5	2	.227	.333	.414	.187	6	1
2001	CHN	MLB	NL	403	340	48	85	21	0	17	157	61	52	76	2	3	.250	.358	.462	.212	3	1
2002	MIL	MLB	NL	315	270	41	66	15	0	16	129	41	36	50	2	0	.244	.349	.478	.233	1	0
2003	PIT	MLB	NL	357	305	49	89	20	1	20	171	57	45	64	0	1	.292	.389	.561	.269	2	0
2003	NAS	AAA	PCL	27	18	4	3	0	0	2	9	3	7	2	0	0	.167	.444	.500	.333	0	0
2004	KCA	MLB	AL	496	439	48	117	21	3	18	198	66	49	92	1	0	.267	.345	.451	.185	3	0
2005	KCA	MLB	AL	466	396	55	109	26	1	13	176	66	60	69	1	2	.275	.373	.444	.169	5	0
2006	DET	MLB	AL	44	41	5	10	3	0	2	19	8	3	12	0	0	.244	.295	.463	.220	0	0
2006	TEX	MLB	AL	88	81	6	17	4	0	3	30	11	6	22	0	0	.210	.273	.370	.160	0	0
2006	KCA	MLB	AL	261	226	31	59	14	0	8	97	32	31	52	0	0	.261	.352	.429	.168	2	0
2007	TOR	MLB	AL	405	357	58	103	28	1	21	196	64	44	66	2	1	.289	.368	.549	.261	2	0
2008	PHI	MLB	NL	19	17	4	5	1	0	2	12	5	1	3	0	0	.294	.316	.706	.412	1	0
2008	TOR	MLB	AL	368	320	42	80	11	1	11	126	44	41	87	1	1	.250	.342	.394	.144	2	0
2009	PHI	MLB	NL	129	103	15	20	4	0	5	39	17	23	30	0	0	.194	.357	.379	.184	0	0
2010	SDN	MLB	NL	111	99	14	23	6	0	6	47	16	11	32	2	0	.232	.306	.475	.242	1	0
2011	WAS	MLB	NL	74	65	4	10	1	0	0	11	2	9	23	0	0	.154	.257	.169	.015	0	0

Plate Discipline

YEAR	Pits	Zone%	Swing%	Contact%	Z-Swing%	O-Swing%	Z-Contact%	O-Contact%	SwStr%	CSAA
2008	1471	0.4867	0.4426	0.7373	0.6411	0.2543	0.8039	0.5781	0.2627	-0.0127
2009	527	0.4573	0.3605	0.6895	0.5892	0.1678	0.7535	0.5000	0.3105	-0.0092
2010	468	0.4722	0.4338	0.7438	0.6290	0.2591	0.8273	0.5625	0.2562	-0.0035
2011	299	0.4849	0.4080	0.7213	0.5517	0.2727	0.8125	0.5476	0.2787	0.0023
Career	2765	0.4784	0.4217	0.7276	0.6195	0.2406	0.7992	0.5573	0.2724	-0.0088

Injury History — No longer being updated

Last Update: 12/31/2014 23:59 ET

Date On	Date Off	Transaction	Days	Games	Side	Body Part	Injury	Severity	Surgery Date
2010-06-07	2010-07-01	15-DL	24	22	Right	Knee	Soreness		-
2008-05-22	2008-05-25	DTD	3	3		Neck	Tightness		-
2008-03-27	2008-04-03	Camp	7	2		Hip	Soreness		-
2008-03-08	2008-03-08	Camp	0	0		Ankle	Sprain		-
2005-08-26	2005-08-29	DTD	3	3	Left	Thigh	Strain	Hamstring	-
2005-08-10	2005-08-14	DTD	4	2	Right	Lower Leg	Strain	Calf	-
2005-04-07	2005-04-09	DTD	2	2	Right	Thigh	Soreness	Hamstring	-
2004-08-07	2004-08-22	15-DL	15	13	Left	Abdomen	Strain	Oblique	-
2004-03-18	2004-03-20	Camp	2	0		Thigh	Strain	Quadriceps	-
2003-08-03	2003-08-05	DTD	2	1	Right	Thigh	Strain	Hamstring	-
2003-07-13	2003-07-13	DTD	0	0		Groin	Strain		-
2003-05-19	2003-06-10	15-DL	22	16	Right	Fingers	Sprain	Slight Ligament Tear In Ring Finger	-
2003-04-14	2003-04-15	DTD	1	0	Left	Thigh	Soreness	Hamstring	-
2002-05-16	2002-06-03	15-DL	18	16	Left	Thigh	Strain	Hamstring	-

Compensation

Year	Team	Salary
2011	WAS	$850,000
2010	SDN	$700,000
2009	PHI	$1,625,000
2008	TOR	$2,250,000
2007	TOR	$850,000
2006	KCA	$1,350,000
2005	KCA	$1,200,000
2004	KCA	$1,000,000
2003	PIT	$900,000
2002	MIL	$500,000
2001	CHN	$3,200,000
2000	OAK	$3,050,000

Years	Description	Salary
12 yr	Previous	$17,475,000
12 yr	Total	$17,475,000

Service Time	Agent	Contract Status
16 y 29 d	Bob Garber	1 year/$0.85M (2011)

Details

1 year/$0.85M (2011). Signed by Washington as a free agent 12/14/10 (minor-league contract). $0.85M salary in majors. Contract purchased by Washington 3/30/11. DFA by Washington 7/27/11. Released 8/1/11.
1 year/$0.7M (2010). Signed by San Diego as a free agent 1/25/10 (minor-league contract). Contract purchased by San Diego 4/4/10.
2 years/$3.25M (2008-09). Re-signed by Toronto as a free agent 11/2/07. $1.25M signing bonus. 08:$1M, 09:$1M. Performance bonuses based on PAs. Acquired by Philadelphia in trade from Toronto 8/28/08 after being claimed on trade waivers.
1 year/$0.85M (2007). Signed by Toronto as a free agent 12/06 (minor-league contract). Contract purchased by Toronto 3/07.
1 year/$1.35M (2006). Signed extension with Kansas City 9/05. Performance bonus: $50,000 for 400 PAs. Acquired by Texas in trade from Kansas City 7/06. Claimed by Detroit off waivers from Texas 9/06.
1 year/$1.2M (2005). Signed extension with Kansas City 9/04.
1 year/$1M (2004). Signed by Kansas City as a free agent 12/03. Performance bonus: $0.1M for 375 PAs.
1 year/$0.9M (2003). Signed by Pittsburgh 12/02.
1 year/$0.5M (2002) (Milwaukee)
1 year/$3.2M (2001) (Chicago Cubs)
signed 1989 as an amateur free agent

2019 Preseason Forecast

Last Update: 1/27/2017 12:35 ET

PCT	PA	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	DRC+	VORP	FRAA	WARP
Weighted Mean	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	0	0	?	?	.000	.000	.000	0	0.0	?	0.0

BP Annual Player Comments

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BP Articles

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BP Chats

Date	Question	Answer
2015-10-22 14:00:00 (link to chat)	With the ever expanding bullpens around baseball (and short benches), it seems like defensive versatility is becoming much more important, and teams can't really carry a bat-only PH type any more, a la Matt Stairs. Is that right? Are teams really prioritizing that now in player development? (Hail Theo from North Side)	I wrote about this w/r/t Carlos Quentin back in March: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=26010 I know the Cubs' player-dev team is now emphasizing versatility. I'm not sure any team is so concerned about it that they're about to start slowing down guys' offensive progression to make sure they learn a second position. (Matthew Trueblood)
2014-06-11 12:00:00 (link to chat)	Maybe a bit of a reach, but Schwarber sure seems like a nice lefty bat to go with Bryant's righty bat in the middle of the lineup. He's got both the hit tool and the power tool. If he's another Matt Stairs, it's a wasted opportunity, but if he can hit, that's a nice pick. (Brad from Chicago)	You might be underselling Stairs here. I'm sure he's not their ideal outcome, but 17 WARP isn't anything to sneeze at (though it came over parts of 20 seasons so maybe achoo). A quick aside: I wrote a piece for Sports on Earth about the best hitters against every team and Stairs, as it turned out, was one of the best hitters against the Rockies. He's a broadcaster for the Phillies now and they mentioned the piece on the broadcast. Even though I made slight fun of his physique, he laughed and took it in good fun. Therefore, I now love Matt Stairs. (Matthew Kory)
2014-01-27 13:00:00 (link to chat)	I'm basically Matt Stairs, right? (Dan Vogelbach from Mashville)	What if you are Prince Fielder with a little less game power? (Jason Parks on the Top 101 Prospects)
2011-02-22 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Just because I don't look like Carl Crawford doesn't really make a difference, does it? I can still hit like Matt Stairs. (Jaff Decker from Lake Elsinore)	Yes. No. (Jason Parks)
2010-11-16 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Which team grossly over pays a free agent after missing out on Werth/Dunn/Crawford, and who is the luck fourth man? (John from DC)	Definitely Matt Stairs. Maybe Ordonez, though he could end up being a bargain. Re: Beane, I meant to say "get the whole gang back TOGETHER," but I guess "there" was pretty close. (Ben Lindbergh)
2010-10-14 13:00:00 (link to chat)	I felt old when I compiled this list in April. Tweleve 2010 MLB players were older than me. How many will be back next year? 1 Jamie Moyer -- Phillies --18-Nov-62 2 Tim Wakefield -- Red Sox --2-Aug-66 3 Omar Vizquel -- White Sox --24-Apr-67 4 Trevor Hoffman -- Brewers -- 13-Oct-67 5 Matt Stairs -- Padres -- 27-Feb-68 6 Brad Ausmus -- Dodgers -- 14-Apr-69 7 Arthur Rhodes -- Reds -- 24-Oct-69 8 Ken Griffey Jr. -- Mariners -- 21-Nov-69 9 Mariano Rivera-- Yankees -- 29-Nov-69 10 Takashi Saito -- Braves -- 14-Feb-70 11 Jim Edmonds -- Brewers -- 27-Jun-70 12 Mark Grudzielanek -- Indians -- 30-Jun-70 (ted from the cubicle)	Most of them, I think. Next year is Wakefield's last season though. Matt Stairs wants to come back for one more year, at least. Arthur Rhodes is a reliever, so he'll pitch until he can't. (Marc Normandin)
2010-09-21 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Screw Zeppelin. Forget the Stones, AC/DC, even Radiohead, Oasis, Clapton, everyone. We are Nickelback. We. Are. Nickelback. (Nickelback from Musical Olympus)	I feel like Matt Stairs is ashamed to be from the same country as Nickelback. (Marc Normandin)
2010-08-26 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Wouldn't a change in coaches/team have to factor in a player coming from nowhere? Matt Stairs, Jeff Kent, Ryan Ludwick, Joes Batista all went from one team to another. Not only do they get playing time but a new coach that could correct a defect. (Bob from DC)	It's tough to measure that sort of thing, but it's something to look out for when it does happen. Ludwick had the benefit of being healthy as well. Bautista actually started hitting for more power before he went to Toronto--had a huge September in 2009. Coaches tend to get too much or too little credit it seems. There are times where they definitely make a difference with a player though. (Marc Normandin)
2010-03-03 14:00:00 (link to chat)	Geovany Soto lost 40 pounds. Matt Stairs is in the best shape of his life. Even Charlie Manuel is making waves with weight loss. So which BPer is coming into the season in the best shape of his life? (Mike from Chicago)	Having seen many recently for book tour stuff or the winter meetings in December, nobody really stands out. I remain a fat man of rock. (Kevin Goldstein)
2010-01-26 14:00:00 (link to chat)	So I read that Geovany Soto lost 40 lbs in the off-season. So did Matt Stairs. Is Jenny Craig the new steroids? (Zeus from Olympus)	I dunno, you're the king of the gods, you tell me. After what Charlie Manuel did on Nutrisystem, though, I have to think that's the diet method of choice. (Tommy Bennett)
2009-11-24 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Does Jack Cust make any sense for the Mets? What would be Oakland's asking price, maybe Daniel Murphy in a straight swap? (Robin from NJ)	I have no idea why the Mets would want Jack Cust. He can't play the outfield, the NL doesn't have a DH, and unless they were going to use him in a Matt Stairs with the Phillies type of role, it makes no sense. And even if they did want him to be their Stairs, there are plenty of freely available guys like Andy Tracy who could do the same thing without expensing much. (Eric Seidman)
2009-10-23 16:00:00 (link to chat)	How does Torre not pinch hit Thome for Martin? Defend this decision in 10,000 words or less. (aaronbailey52 from Alaska)	I can't, and that's without even adding in my disgust for Russell Martin over the last two seasons, but that's a story for another day. You get Jim Thome for that specific situation. Do you think the Phillies traded for Matt Stairs to let Pedro Feliz hit in a spot like that? Even if the Phillies counter with Eyre, I'll trust Thome against Eyre more than Martin vs Madson any day of the week. It was just a very poor decision and an example of planning ahead at the expense of the present moment. (Eric Seidman)
2009-08-25 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Which current MLB hitter would get the fewest # of wins in our scenario? John MacDonald? Matt Stairs? (Jim Clancy from Exhibition Stadium)	Bengie Molina. (Joe Sheehan)
2009-04-10 16:30:00 (link to chat)	Hey CK! Just counting down hours until my flight up to Oakland for Opening Night. So far this season, A's hitters seem to really be focusing on going up the middle and to the opposite field. Is this early-season noise, or a product of new hitting coach Jim Skaalen? (ashitaka from long beach, ca)	Hope you have a great time at the ballpark; I know it's not really the same thing now that the Coliseum's been mauled beyond recognition, but I sort of feel about the A's home park the way some Mets fans feel about Shea--sure, it's a pit, but it's our pit. I don't think we can put this on Skaalen just yet; this isn't quite like Rick Burleson jumping on Mark McGwire to hit singles to right, and getting the single worst season of Mac's career for his troubles. It's important to keep in mind the talent that's on this year's roster, never mind that we don't have Emil Brown to kick around any more. Adding hitters like Orlando Cabrera and Nomar Garciaparra gives you a lineup with people who put the ball in play a lot more often than those of us who still treasure the memories of watching Olmedo Saenz or Matt Stairs or Ben Grieve (at his best) taking their cuts. (Christina Kahrl)
2008-10-17 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Can we start calling matt stairs, Matt the Hitter? (Tony from Albuquerque)	Matt Stairs, Professional Hitter. (Will Carroll)
2008-06-24 13:00:00 (link to chat)	The Nationals have many, many problems, but one seems to be Lenny Harris, whose biggest accomplishment as hitting coach seems to be convincing Wily Mo Pena that a low average without power is preferable to a low average with power. Obviously, there are calls for Lenny to be kicked to the curb, like, now. What's your take on how influential/positive/negative a force a hitting coach can be? (Shaved Youppi Lincoln Freak from DC)	I will always take questions from "Shaved Youppi Lincoln Freak." I LOVE that. Please come out the next time I'm in DC doing a signing at Politics & Prose - the first coffee is on me. The impact of hitting coaches varies by club and situation, but clearly they can be quite influential, as a generation of Royals and White Sox doing helicopter swings will attest (have those completely vanished from the game now?). We also see Mickey Hatcher with the Angels, who was a low OBP contact hitter who seems to train a lot of low-OBP contact hitters. Just yesterday, Matt Stairs was criticizing the departing hitting coach of the Jays. I don't think the coach can ever shoulder the full blame for a team's problems, but he hasn't helped and a change might be beneficial. (Steven Goldman)
2008-06-02 12:00:00 (link to chat)	Matt Stairs: first-ballot hall-of-famer, or will they make him sweat an extra year? (Matt from Mt. Albert, Ontario)	As a person, Stairsy a first-ballot Hall of Famer as he's one of my favorites. As a player, well ... (John Perrotto)
2008-05-27 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Did the Tigers make bad deals or are the players just underperforming? (tiger fan from MI)	Whatever winds up happening, the Cabrera deal was still way too attractive to them to pass up. I wasn't a fan of having anything to do with Jacque Jones at the time, but at least they've cut bait on that one pretty quickly. Really, the only transaction where I've strongly disagreed with the Tigers is signing Gary Sheffield to a three-year deal last winter. I'd rather have spent that money on a closer, and gotten a Matt Stairs type to play DH if you need one. But all of this is much easier to say in hindsight, and it's still way too early to be writing the Tigers' obituary for this season. (Nate Silver)
2008-05-09 14:00:00 (link to chat)	So at what point do the nay-sayers admit that Jack Cust is "for real" and that he should have gotten a shot years ago? (Alex from SF, CA)	Good question, Alex, in part because there's still a body of opinion that says he's a one-year wonder (our own Kevin Goldstein, for one), and another that feels he's as much of an outfielder as Kevin Reimer ever was, and a third that thinks he'll be able to do this for another year or two, tops, but that his window's already closing. All of that said, I'd lean towards that latter school; he's more Russell Branyan than Matt Stairs, but he certainly isn't Jim Traber. (Christina Kahrl)
2008-01-28 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Please settle an argument for me. Based on their pure hitting abilty and nothing else, Travis Snider's ceiling is as good as Jay Bruce's. True or false? Thanks! (Ken from Albany)	False. Snider's build leaves his power potential a little behind Bruce. Snider is really built like Matt Stairs, and while his potential is certainly higher than that, it's a frame that is limiting. Jay Bruce is the top guy in the minor leagues, though, and there really aren't many more that Snider's offensive ceiling comes behind. (Bryan Smith)

BP Roundtables

Date	Roundtable Name	Comment
2009-11-02 17:00:00	2009 WS Game Five	No. Jack Cust is the poor man's Matt Stairs. Matt Stairs is the poor man's Hank Sauer. (Jay Jaffe)
2009-11-02 17:00:00	2009 WS Game Five	Pop quiz: Matt Stairs is the poor man's [blank]. (Dan Malkiel)
2009-11-02 17:00:00	2009 WS Game Five	Was that Matt Stairs sitting in the bullpen? "Get out the tape measure." Or, we could use this newfangled FoxTrax+ that uses something called "radar." I hope we can get those guys back. It was a good interview that my hard drive decided to eat ... (Will Carroll)
2008-10-22 16:30:00	World Series Game One	The fact that it was Matt Stairs who hit the big home run against the Dodgers in Game Four significantly lessens the pain of that blow. I'm happy to see him in the Series. (Jay Jaffe)
2008-10-13 17:00:00	NLCS Game Four	"Mike (Chicago): So is tonight the night Brad Lidge turns human? Be a shame to waste the Matt Stairs homerun. forget I said anything... " Mostly doing that because I'm curious about how many people will be on PHI-->ORD flights tomorrow morning should it happen... (Joe Sheehan)
2008-10-13 17:00:00	NLCS Game Four	Matt Stairs is cool. I once joked after he strained a calf that "Matt Stairs has muscles?" and he sent me a picture of his calves. And the video screen at Dodger looks like an iPhone. (Will Carroll)
2008-10-13 17:00:00	NLCS Game Four	Well, Weaver was in that game because Torre had more lefty relievers than the Marlins had left-handed hitters. Not that I'm still bitter about his roster construction that year... I can't say it any better than you did, though--Torre has struggled with his bullpen whenever it hasn't been push-button. Just as a fan, I'm thrilled. I love Matt Stairs. Love him. (Joe Sheehan)
2008-10-13 17:00:00	NLCS Game Four	Matt Stairs' career is really a good story. And the story just got a lot better. Wow. (David Laurila)

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