Baseball Prospectus - Chat with Marc Normandin

Chat: Marc Normandin

Welcome to Baseball Prospectus' Tuesday October 07, 2008 1:00 PM ET chat session with Marc Normandin.

"Prospectus Preview" contributor Marc Normandin is here to talk about the Division Series and the upcoming LCS.

Marc Normandin: Hello folks, glad to be here on this Tuesday afternoon. We saw two more teams eliminated from play yesterday, with the Rays and Red Sox vanquishing the Pale Hose and Halos, respectively. Today, we take a look at the upcoming Championship series, but we've got some time to work with, so let's go off-topic too. I'm listening to the new Metallica album, and hey, it's pretty good.

Tony (Brooklyn, NY): Hey Marc, At what point this season should I have cut bait with Nick Swisher and Chris B. Young? Thanks!

Marc Normandin: I wrote a piece in July saying that maybe it was time to give it up on Chris B. Young for 2008, and though he improved a bit after that, overall he wasn't of much use for anyone until then. As for Swisher, I kept thinking some of that lost power would come back, and though his homers did, nothing else picked up with it.

It's tough to cut guys who you think are going to do well, especially when you are making them freely available for someone else to possibly benefit from. Both of those guys fit into that category of "come back to haunt you" players, but sometimes you can't just keep underperforming guys around.

BigOwe (SF): Hi Marc, Given that the two of the top teams from the regular season have already been eliminated, I think there may be a problem with the current (5-game) playoff format. Trouble is, I can't think of a better set up. Simply switching to a 7-game in the LDS seems unappealing, as the playoffs are long enough already, and there's little chance of convincing the networks to condense the schedule. Any ideas?

Marc Normandin: I'd like to see the Division Series go seven games rather than five, but that's just the structure of the playoffs in general. If these series were all 25 games long, we'd still have lesser teams coming away victorious a percentage of the time.

Let's not forget that the Angels were ranked behind the Red Sox in Hit List pretty much all year, despite the better actual record, and that they had 84 third-order wins while the Red Sox had 102. I'd hardly say the Angels lost to the worse team, as John Lackey so sour-grapingly put it after yesterday's finale.

Mrs. Chavez (Venezuela): Senor: We just got internet in Venezuela and I finally read the terrible things you wrote about my boy Endy that everyone has been telling me about. My question is a two-parter: Why do you hate Endy Chavez, and do you think the $700 billion bailout will provide our failing economic system the support it needs to help us avoid a prolonged recession?

Marc Normandin: I can't escape that Endy Chavez profile...I love Endy! And that's in spite of what he can't do. As for the bailout, I'll answer it as if I was in a political debate, by answering another question you didn't ask!

Frank Senbeenz (Tampa): Open-ended question time: Why will the Sox beat the Rays?

Marc Normandin: Only if injuries and the ineffectiveness of certain key regular season contributors doesn't come back to haunt them. The Sox, even with their problems, are capable of beating anyone left, or are at least capable of putting a scare in the Rays. The Rays, on the other hand, are as healthy and productive as they have been all year, with Crawford and Longoria back and Edwin Jackson out of the picture. The Sox may be outmatched if Beckett can't get it together.

Brian (brooklyn): Given the contracts that they would be looking to sign would you rather sign Pat Burrell or Manny Ramirez this offseason?

Marc Normandin: Manny Ramirez, and I love Pat Burrell as much as the next fan of his. I don't expect Manny to slug .700 forever, but there's not an NL team that can't use someone that can tear apart inferior pitching like he can.

Mike (The Bronx): For all the talk of how fundamental the Angels are, they sure didn't look it, what's up with that label?

Marc Normandin: It's a label. To borrow a Sheehan-ism, the Angels usually win when they hit .280, and lose when they hit .260, and they can sneak them out on occasion because of the little things they do, but in this series, they were getting hits from the middle of their lineup and failing to drive anyone in, and they couldn't seem to do the little things right. Torii Hunter getting tossed out on a stupid extension of a single, everyone failing to get to that dinky popup that eventually turned into multiple runs for the Sox...it just wasn't a pretty series for the Angels, and the Sox didn't win because they were the better team, they won because they managed to avoid screwing up as many times as the Angels did.

DNolan (So Cal): Statistically speaking...Should Scioscia have gone for the squeeze play? What percent of his called squeezes are successful vs. the percentage of time Aybar is able to put the ball in play that would get the runner home? Personally, regardless if the squeeze was successful or not, I hope that the odds were in the Angels favor before Scioscia made that call.

Marc Normandin: Off hand, I don't know how successful it should have been, statistically. I can tell you that given Aybar is a guy who puts more than half of his balls in play on the ground added to the fact that Willits sure can run, it was contextually awkward. They gave up an out to push him to third, and everyone and their grandma knew that Scioscia was going to go for the squeeze there after giving up the one out. My favorite part about it is that the ball Aybar hit to first base would have scored Willits if he had been leading and running on contact. I'll see if someone can pull up the number you're looking for.

Tom (Boston): wtf was Francona thinking bringing Masterson to star the 9th last night??? was he the only one who didn't know that sioscia was going to use Morales (a lefty, Masterson's weakness) as a pinch hitter?

Marc Normandin: Francona was thinking he may be headed for another extra-innings affair, and that he needed to keep some bullets in the chamber for if/when that happened. It's a tough decision to have to make, balancing the needs of the moment versus what you're going to need in 10 minutes.

Also, we're not exactly talking about a great lefty hitter here. Morales hit .213/.273/.393 this year, and is at .249/.302/.408 for his career in the majors (407 PA). Small samples, yes, but it's one of the things Francona may have been weighing when balancing the now and the later./

Aaron (YYZ): Thoughts on the new Nintendo DS rev? It doesn't seem like a device intended for the existing DS audience, which appears to have upset many of said audience.

Marc Normandin: Bigger screen is a plus. Lack of GBA slot is a minus. Potential for downloading Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games much like the Wii's Virtual Console is a plus times ten. If they implement the cameras for future games--and if anyone can pull that kind of thing off and make it fun, it would be Nintendo--then it's a very solid addition to their handheld library. I know the cosmetic changes may not seem like enough, but on board memory, a shop for downloading games and an SD slot that may someday lead to my playing Virtual Console titles from Wii on my DS is too much good to not eventually pick up.

Joey Fatone (Hollywood): Why will my Dodgers beat the Phillies in the NLCS? Who would you rather have long-term: Billingsley or Hamels?

Marc Normandin: The Dodgers are a much scarier team than their record indicates, thanks to their midseason additions and the return of Rafael Furcal to the fold. I think they have the better and more complete team right now, so I'm looking for them to come away the winners.

As for Billingsley versus Hamels, I'm a big fan of the Cole Train, but Billingsley's grew a lot as a pitcher this year. I think long-term, I'd go with Bills.

Bill (CT): When will announcers for these types of games stop talking about non sense like how teams need to be able to 'manufacture' runs? Are we doomed to listen to this garbage indefinitely?

Marc Normandin: Yes.

ericssimon (Jersey): Can a legitimate case really be made for C.C. Sabathia to win the NL Cy Young? Surely his half-season isn't more valuable than full seasons from Tim Lincecum or Johan Santana?

Marc Normandin: Since Lincecum and Santana have essentially the same SNLVAR (8.6 to 8.5, respectively) I'm going to give the nod to Lincecum, because he has a higher K rate, and that's what I love.

Bill (CT): That's dissapointing. At least the tbs guys are better than Joe Morgan.

Marc Normandin: I like the team that worked on the White Sox/Rays series, but I also like Don Orsillo a lot. Buck Martinez needs to find a new line of work though, preferably one where he isn't allowed to think or speak.

Brandon Wood (3rd fairway): If I'm not batting for Erick Aybar close and late, why am I on the post-season roster at all?

Marc Normandin: For the taunting, haunting feeling of what could have been.

Warren (Bethesda, MD): Marc, best two keeper options for '09 only out of this bunch -- McLouth, Wieters, Dukes, Cliff Lee, Soria? Thanks!

Marc Normandin: I'd definitely go with Lee, and as much as I hate to keep a closer, Soria is awesome. I think he's capable of being a reliever who puts up those kind of numbers every year, and those guys are very rare. I struggle with the idea of keeping a reliever though...

Eric Simon (Jersey): Umm, you didn't say anything about Sabathia. *I* realize he's not a viable candidate, but why do so many people think he is?

Marc Normandin: There's the perception that he single-handedly carried the Brewers to the playoffs, the fact that his NL record looks so incredible due to a half-season of awesome data...it's just like Randy Johnson in 1998, all over again. Randy didn't get much support for that though, so I think we'll see Sabathia lacking by the time the votes are counted up for us to see.

Ted (Jacksonville): My daughter and I love Professor Layton on the DS, thanks to you. Anything else like that out there?

Marc Normandin: No problem, Ted! Glad to be of service. If you just want more point-and-click adventures, the Ace Attorney series is one of my favorites for any system. EA is coming out with another game like Professor Layton this fall I believe, Henry Hatsworth and the Puzzling Adventure. It's supposed to be an action and puzzle title at the same time. For now, you can't go wrong with any of the Phoenix Wright games.

I'm going to get into a little self-promotion here and tell you guys that I've started writing about video games in a few places, and I hope to do a bit more of that this winter. Chibi Gamer is my personal gaming blog that I've started posting on more often lately, and I'm writing video game reviews for Blast Magazine. My first review, for the Dragon Quest IV remake on DS, went up last week. I'd appreciate it if those of you who come here to talk about that stuff checked them out!

Michael Ian Black (Des Moines): Whither the Cubs? Do they even need fixing, or did they run into some bad luck (and good pitching)? Where could they stand to improve for next year?

Marc Normandin: Three games. If they played three more right now, the Cubs could just as easily win all of those as they lost the previous set. Like Joe said, this isn't the first three game set they've dropped this year on their way to being the best team in the NL, except this time you get eliminated for it.

I like them next year too, if they can keep their starting pitching strong and their bullpen solid.

Ken Marino (Walla Walla): Do you ever get sick of writing player profiles?

Marc Normandin: Nope. I love the Player Profile series. It's something I was writing before I even came to Baseball Prospectus, and I brought it with me when I was asked to come up with a column. Now we've changed the format a bit and added in Eric, with an assist from Will and/or Kevin to boot. I love the way they are produced now, since we all take a piece and make it our own.

I was a sad panda when I wasn't writing Player Profiles, I'll tell you that much. I'm very thankful to be writing them again, and I'm glad that you guys enjoy them.

David Wain (New York): David Wright or Evan Longoria? Evan Longoria or Eva Longoria?

Marc Normandin: That's a great question, if only because my point of reference for explaining how good Evan Longoria is going to be is David Wright. Longoria's younger, and has a better contract, so I'll go with him. David Wright is sooooooo 2007.

Tony (Brooklyn, NY): You need instant polls to see what % of the people here can correctly pick the show that "sad panda" comes from. I'd put it at 90%, and suspect that 95% of BP readers know how many hit die a carrion crawler has.

Marc Normandin: Let's throw that out there now, and I'll see what percentage answers correctly in the queue. Annnnd go!

Nick ((austin)): Who are you taking, Red Sox or Rays? Everybody says that the Red Sox are a better team but I have a hard time buying that.

Marc Normandin: I'm taking the Rays. They were my pre-postseason pick thanks to Shields/Kazmir/Garza, with Sonnanstine thrown in. The Sox are hurting, and though Kotsay can do a good job at first, they're hoping for a lot of things to go in their favor right now. It's obviously not impossible, but I'm thinking Rays right now.

Jeff Nelson (Philly): Marc, I would donate my organs for the Phils to win the World Series. Can you give me any hope so I don't have to do this?

Marc Normandin: Uh, well, Kyle Kendrick isn't in your playoff rotation! You guys can hit at home! It's only seven games, so anything can happen, right? I guess until you come up against the Rays or Red Sox. If the Sox win and are healthy by then, I don't think it's going to look good for Philly, but we'll see. The beautiful/horrible thing about the playoffs is just how open the competition is. If we threw the Royals in here right now, I bet they would have a better shot at being World Series winners than we give them initial credit for. It's the getting here that's difficult.

Sandy Alderson (SanDi Ego): There's 100,000 IQ points in my front office. We've been lukewarm on Khalil Greene for a couple of years. How did we not sell high on him after 2007? More generally, how does such a smart front office oversee such a disastrous season? Shouldn't there have been better plans for mitigating the problems?

Marc Normandin: There aren't a ton of shortstop options out there, and it was pretty obvious the Padres were going to be in an extremely uncomfortable place (What...like the back of a Volkswagen?) during the '08 and '09 seasons, so I think they were hoping he'd keep it up, and/or not keeping it up would not have hurt him that much. Let's remember that Greene isn't exactly loved by the rest of the league, either, and was mostly talked about in San Diego for being good. Tough to sell on someone no one else wants.

Michael Showalter (Cleveland): What happened to the Indians this year? In 2007 it looked like they were ready to explode. I realize they traded C.C., but the season had already fallen apart at that point. What gives?

Marc Normandin: The bullpen exploded, except not in the way that makes for productive, winning baseball. The Indians picked up about +3 wins of WXRL in the second half of the season after being around -4 up to that point in the season. If they had been at that pace all year, they very well could have won the AL Central, in spite of the injuries, the lack of Victor Martinez' production...lots of things had to go wrong to make this team miss out, and hell, there's a chance they could have won with a bad bullpen if they had held onto Sabathia. Now they find themselves with Laporta though, and if the bullpen can avoid another catastrophic meltdown, they are actually looking pretty good for 2009.

They don't need to make as many changes as some people think they do, I'd say, though some changes--Hafner comes to mind, as does shoring up the pen some more to make sure this doesn't happen again--should be considered.

ericturner29 (Chicago): South park, and I'll guess 1d6

Marc Normandin: 90% for sad panda may have been lowballing it, though you are the only one to answer the Carrion Crawler question. As for your other question in the queue, I think that was a typo or my brain just deciding to change history without notifying me, but thanks for the heads up.

mike (chicago): It's south park, right? the cubs have 3 years and a lot of money invested in fukudome. sunk cost? salvageable? move him to CF? Bench? Iowa? Never saw a guy go from two really good months to not being able to hit anything ever so fast.

Marc Normandin: Our own John Perrotto seems to think it's likely Fukudome will be dealt this offseason, and with the money he's owed, chances are good we can file this under the "sunk cost" category, at least for Chicago. I'm interested in seeing how he performs in year two; maybe a Hideki Matsui-esque turnaround, though without the power?

I didn't get to see a lot of Fukudome this year, certainly not enough to make this canon without further evidence, but I get the sense that pitchers started to challenge him more and take away his walks, much like they did to Jacoby Ellsbury.

You don't know how much I want to type "Tacoby Shellsbury" every time I mention his name.

Peter (Beyond the Boxscore): Hey Marc, how's it going? I know I still owe you that $20...it's coming. Anyway, I wanted your take on the Cleveland Indians. It seems that Mark Ellis would be a fantastic fit (with Peralta moving to third and Cabrera at short). Do you agree? What else would you do to send the Tribe to contention in 09?

Marc Normandin: Getting a second baseman who can improve their defense while not hurting them on offense is a solid idea, especially if it also fixes their third base situation somewhat. What do you do about shortstop then though? I mean you specifically, Peter.

I don't think the Indians were nearly as bad as they played during the first half--that bullpen was atrocious, and on pace to meet up with some of the worst Royals' bullpens in recent memory before they changed their tune midway and started earning their keep and then some. Because of this, I don't think they need to make any major moves, just work on the margins to improve their chances at the AL Central title.

Matt (A science lab near you): You're trapped on a desert island, and you can only bring one console and your current catalog of games for said console with you (apparently on this island you have electricity). Which console and game catalog is making the trip with you?

Marc Normandin: My Nintendo DS. Between the puzzle games, various Mario outings, Pokemon, Advance Wars, Mario Kart, the space shooters and Lock's Quest, I'd never be bored. Well, with my games, anyways. I think I'd be bored of the sand. And the lack of human interaction. But hey, at least I wouldn't have to work retail anymore.

Tony (Brooklyn, NY): If you granted every pitcher a year of health in '09 (they still lose late inning effectiveness to fatigue but don't break down), would Joba be the single pitcher most likely to win the AL Cy Young?

Marc Normandin: I swore I answered this, but I apparently forgot to hit submit. I'm interested in seeing what Joba Chamberlain can do with a full season as a starter, but I think with no injury repercussions, the Cy goes to Roy Halladay. He's already efficient enough to throw a ton of complete games, and if he isn't missing any time and there aren't worries about him breaking down, he's going to throw 250 innings easy like this year.

R.J. (Beyond The Boxscore): Your SoSH account just got nuked.

Marc Normandin: Hey now, he didn't ask who I *wanted* to win, just who I *thought* was going to win.

...uh, hey guys, please don't make my SoSH account implode. Go Sox!

y2joelicho (New Prague, MN): Hi Marc, Thanks for chatting. Do Adam Dunn (assuming they move Fielder) or O Dog Hudson make sense for the Brewers?

Marc Normandin: I like the idea of Hudson, though he's nowhere near as good offensively outside of Arizona. Adam Dunn would be a fine choice for most teams in the majors, and if the Brewers move Fielder as we keep hearing they may, he'd more than fill in for him.

james (bk): Marlins outlook next year and the year after?

Marc Normandin: If they can keep the rotation healthy for once, this is a team that can do some serious damage. Ricky Nolasco is true ace material, and Josh Johnson's pretty damn good himself. If Anibal Sanchez can at least settle in as a #3, the rotation will be an improvement on this year's mess, one that started with Mark Hendrickson involved. Hanley Ramirez improved on his defense, making him even more valuable, and is one of the top players in the game--possibly #2 in overall production next to the peerless Albert Pujols. I like them more for 2009 than I did for 2008, given the problems and injuries in their rotation. That's the key to the whole team. as their lineup is good enough to be carried by a great set of starters.

Ameer (Bloomington, IN): Since you mentioned Fukudome - I watched a LOT of him this year and his troubles were ALL about the outside corner. With the drag-step, he couldn't make good contact on balls in that part of the zone and pitchers POUNDED him there. My question is this - I didn't really see much of the beginning of Hideki Matsui's career (just didn't pay attention), so I don't know what went into his second-year turnaround. Was it a completely different approach (which might actually be what Fukudome needs, unfortunately) or minor adjustments?

Marc Normandin: Thanks for clearing that up, Ameer. Matsui began hitting far more flyballs during his second year in the majors, eschewing groundballs (he had a 2.3 G/F ratio his first year, 1.0 the second) and that did wonders for his power. He jumped his HR/FB up just a little bit, from 12.4 percent to 16, but with almost a 16 percent increase in his flyballs, that seemed even larger.

Matsui is one of the few Japanese imports who doesn't use the drag-step to the same degree as an Ichiro, or Iwamura...not that Fukudome is going to turn into a power hitter, but maybe trying to level out his swing some and add some liners to his output would help.

blaseta (Calgary): What do you see the Cards doing this offseason. Is Furcal a good fit there, or is he out of their price range? What about a trade for Cano (maybe involving Ludwick...)?

Marc Normandin: Ew. I'd rather have Ludwick, honestly, but you may be asking the wrong person. I'm not a fan of Robinson Cano, who seems to take half a season to get his swing in order so he can finish with an average line. I'd go for Furcal, because in spite of his price tag, he's the perfect kind of player for that lineup. He gets on base, and with the middle of the order sluggers they rely on so much, they could use the baserunners.

Brodie (Dirt Mall): Was that a Mallrats reference? Shame on you! How close are the Orioles from being relevant?

Marc Normandin: Depends on when they realign the divisions. The Jays have a better team, and they can't catch a break, never mind the O's.

Ben Garant (Austin): If you were Brian Cashman, what would you do to make the Yankees competitive in 2009 and beyond?

Marc Normandin: Try to tell your bosses that spending as much money as possible isn't always the answer. Remind them that building from within and adding complementary pieces was what brought you the dynasty you're always referring to in the first place. Sign Teixeira to take over at first, because it will improve the offense and the defense. Don't sign Sabathia, because the money and years won't be worth it if he does indeed break down because of his body in the future. Make Phil Hughes grow a Jason Giambi 'stasche so he too can be invincible.

aaron (NJ): I caught the last game at Shea and was impressed by Maybin. Physically he's imposing, athletic, fast-- made a couple great plays, but is he ready to contribute and how much of an upgrade will a full season of Maybin be over... whoever they played in CF this year? Also what do the Fish do about the logjam of mediocre corner bats?

Marc Normandin: Maybin's a tough read. He's got a ton of talent, but he didn't exactly rip Double-A to pieces, and he's going to be just 22 years old next year. I think they should start him out in Triple-A, see how he reacts, and then bring him along accordingly.

The Marlins ran Cody Ross out to center for 109 games this year (97.1 adjusted games) and he hit .260/.316/.488. That's an EqA of .276, but there's plenty of room for improvement given the low OBP. Maybin should be capable of surpassing that once he is ready.

stinkypete (Connecticut): What would you think of the Mets dealing Luis Castillo to the Dodgers for Andruw Jones in an exchange of bad contracts?

Marc Normandin: Luis Castillo played better defensively in the second half of the year, whereas Andruw Jones did his best to prove that 2007 was no fluke, and he in fact was capable of playing even worse. The Castillo contract is bad because they signed him and shouldn't have; they should have gone for a one-year stopgap. The Jones contract is beyond bad, more in the realm of terrible, so the Mets would be insane to swap.

wayne (Lincoln): The guy that Carlos Quentin was traded for, who subsequently went to the A's in the Haren package, hit over 40 home runs in the minors this year. Does the Quentin trade make sense today?

Marc Normandin: Considering Quentin was just 25 this year, I think we can give them a free pass. The White Sox needed someone who could help them right now, as they have an aging roster that may not be relevant without a major overhaul by the time their departed prospects are ready to face major league pitching successfully. That's my take on why they did what they did, anyways. You could argue they should have tried to run with what they had and play out one of the last year's the offense may be relevant, but with the division so easily within reach, why not give it a shot?

MannysBBQ (Pittsburgh): What kind of ceiling do you see Ryan Zimmerman having, and will he begin to approach it in 09'?

Marc Normandin: I don't think Zimmerman is a Wright/Longoria level player, but he's below that, and if he could produce consistently for a change, we would see that. I don't like the dips in his plate discipline, and I would like to see him either hit more liners or more flyballs, but between the offensive potential and his defensive skills, he's a very good, potentially great guy at the hot corner.

Andy Depper (Bellingham, WA): What are your three favorite baseball video games of all time?

Marc Normandin: MLB Power Pros
MLB The Show
MVP Baseball, the 2005 edition.

Tim (DC): Carlos Quentin & the 2008 White Sox World Series chances <==> Jim Rice & 1975 Red Sox World Series chances.

Marc Normandin: I'll buy that. The Red Sox came pretty close even without Rice though, while the White Sox kind of left as quickly as they came in.

Lightning round time, folks, as I have some things to get done today in preparation for the upcoming series.

Jack (LA): Seriously, isn't it time to give Brandon Wood the starting SS job in 2009 and just let him play everyday? Is there one decent reason not to? The Angels pretty much have the 2009 AL West wrapped up right now...

Marc Normandin: I see what you're saying, as the Angels as of now are still the favorites in a division with no other contenders, but I think the Angels problem is that Wood has failed to do anything worthwhile in the majors. You can argue that Wood hasn't been given a shot to adjust, and you'd more than likely be right, but it seems like the Angels want him to prove that he's worthy of being given a shot to prove that he's worthy. Pretty awesome logic, if you want to make your fan base sad.

They should probably just let him play, as you said. I'm for it. At worst, you give him the PA and find out that hey, he actually can't deal with major league pitching, or hey, this Wood kid is pretty good, why didn't we start him sooner? Only way to find out if he's ready is to let him play.

ekanenh (Capitol City): Do you prefer the player who puts up 6 straight months of 280/380/480; or alternating months of 180/280/380 and 380/480/580?

Marc Normandin: I don't think there are a ton of guys who put up the same kind of line every month, but I'd lean towards him rather than the boom/bust guy.

The Moose (Moose Lodge): Do you like Mike "Moose" Mussina next season?

Marc Normandin: I kept hearing whispers that this would be Mussina's last season. It would be a shame, but he's finally picked up that 20 win season to silence some critics who need that sort of thing from their heroes. Good for him though, if he goes out on top like that.

Dan (NYC): Garza, Scherzer or Josh Johnson as my 10th and final keeper in a 6x6 dynasty league?

Marc Normandin: I really, really like Garza, and you know he'll have a spot in the rotation in front of a quality defense. Scherzer was great in his limited duty this year, but for a keeper...tough to justify that over another young guy who is also capable of some great things.

MannysBBQ (Pittsburgh): Another lightning quick 3B question...Thumbs up or down on Alex Gordon in 09'?

Marc Normandin: He made a few small strides this year. I'll give him a thumbs up in 2009, with the assumption that he puts some more together and starts to bump that ISO up.

harry (PHX): Projection for Justin Uptin, 2009?

Marc Normandin: .250/.340/.475 in the first half, .285/.375/.550 in the second, thanks to fewer strikeouts.

Tim (DC): Wright/Longoria > Zimmerman. So what about Zimmerman <==> Alex Gordon?

Marc Normandin: I think Gordon has the potential for the better bat, but if his power doesn't show, he doesn't have the glove that Zim has.

Lincoln (Dallas): No Question...just started reading the chat and noticed the "sad panda" question. SOUTH PARK!! Yay for sexual harrasment mascots!!

Marc Normandin: That's as good a place as any to stop for today.

Marc Normandin: Everyone, spend some time relaxing in mental preparation for what should be an excellent set of LCS. You'll be seeing plenty of me here at BP over the next few days, as we continue our Playoff(?) Profile series. Thanks for coming, and good luck for your teams in the next few days!