Game 1 is in the books. Sox lose but it wasn't a complete disaster.
Danks was good. I'd almost be willing to say very good. If it weren't for Kinsler he would have been unreal. 2 runs created single handedly by Ian and the other run should have never been out there had Morel not botched that double play. Danks mixed it up, struck some guys out, got the big out when he needed it, and really never faced a tough inning. Hard to take a loss when you pitch pretty well, but that's Opening Day sometimes.
Adam Dunn goes yard in the first game. His 8th career Opening Day homer tying him for the most in MLB history. Pretty impressive. But what I liked was the day as a whole he had. Walked in the first, struck out on 6 pitches, homered, and lined out hard to first. Sure it's 1 for 3 with a K, but the HR and the would be double are some very positive signs.
The goat of the game is definitely Brent Morel. Morel struck out, and badly, all 4 AB's. He looked completely lost the entire afternoon and seemed like he had no idea what he was doing up there. Then to botch the DP ball which led to the winning run and the error in the 8th. All in all pretty horrendous day for him.
The worst part of the day for me was the strikeouts. Way, way, way too many. The Rangers set an Opening Day record striking out 13 Sox hitters. Morel's 4 led the team, but De Aza and Alexei also struck out multiple times. A portion of that has to be credited to the mammoth strike zone for Ron Winters, but no matter what the size of the zone, you have to get some contact. Especially on Opening Day when errors are a little more common.
Bullpen was good. Thornton and Addison. Hits for 7 different players. Only the 1 error. Not good, because we lost, but all in all not to bad.
Can't be too disappointed with a loss against arguably the best team in the AL. But, we really do need to get out of here with at least one win. Then we can go take care of some business in Cleveland. I'd really just like to see 3-3 by the time we return home in a week.
Showing posts with label Alexei Ramirez. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alexei Ramirez. Show all posts
Friday, April 6, 2012
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Breaking Down the Alexei Deal
The Sox and Alexei Ramirez agreed to a 4 year deal worth $32.5 million with a team option of $10 million for the fifth year. Never are these deals broken down evenly over the 4 years, but for those of you who struggle with mathematics, it's around $8.1 million a year.
Now this is not cheap for a guy who is expected to hit 9th in the Sox lineup, but it also can look like a steal when you look at Alexei as the reigning Silver Slugger and a true candidate for a Gold Glove next year and beyond.
Let's take the time to compare him to some other players at his position.
Tigers Jhonny Perralta makes just short of $5 million per year.
Red Sox Marco Scutaro just over $5 million.
Phillies Jimmy Rollins makes $8.5 million.
Yankees Derek Jeter, $22.6 million.
Alexei is certainly more talented than the first two, and definitely more talented than most of the guys I left off this list that also make less than him.
Comparing him to Jimmy Rollins is tough. Rollins has won an MVP, 3 Gold Gloves, a Silver Slugger and has been to All Star Games. Meanwhile Alexei has just his Silver Slugger and a second place showing in the 2008 ROY running. But their career numbers are astoundingly similar. Rollins .272 AVG, 17HR, 72RBI, .328 OBP per year to Alexei's .283 AVG, 20HR, 79RBI, and .321 OBP.
Is Alexei going to turn into Jimmy Rollins? I don't know, but there's no doubt he's on pace to at least be close.
But the question remains, is your ninth place hitter worth $8+ million a year?
Alexei now ranks in as the 6th highest paid player on the White Sox, which seems a little high to be hitting that low in the order.
But the fact is, Alexei is the perfect fit for the projected White Sox style of baseball. He hits for power, average, has speed, unbelievable defensive ability, and he's a spark plug. He's everything Ozzie and Kenny can ask for in a ball player.
$8 million dollars worth? I think yes. And I can't wait to see him continue to prove how good he's going to be as he gains more and more big league experience.
Now this is not cheap for a guy who is expected to hit 9th in the Sox lineup, but it also can look like a steal when you look at Alexei as the reigning Silver Slugger and a true candidate for a Gold Glove next year and beyond.
Let's take the time to compare him to some other players at his position.
Tigers Jhonny Perralta makes just short of $5 million per year.
Red Sox Marco Scutaro just over $5 million.
Phillies Jimmy Rollins makes $8.5 million.
Yankees Derek Jeter, $22.6 million.
Alexei is certainly more talented than the first two, and definitely more talented than most of the guys I left off this list that also make less than him.
Comparing him to Jimmy Rollins is tough. Rollins has won an MVP, 3 Gold Gloves, a Silver Slugger and has been to All Star Games. Meanwhile Alexei has just his Silver Slugger and a second place showing in the 2008 ROY running. But their career numbers are astoundingly similar. Rollins .272 AVG, 17HR, 72RBI, .328 OBP per year to Alexei's .283 AVG, 20HR, 79RBI, and .321 OBP.
Is Alexei going to turn into Jimmy Rollins? I don't know, but there's no doubt he's on pace to at least be close.
But the question remains, is your ninth place hitter worth $8+ million a year?
Alexei now ranks in as the 6th highest paid player on the White Sox, which seems a little high to be hitting that low in the order.
But the fact is, Alexei is the perfect fit for the projected White Sox style of baseball. He hits for power, average, has speed, unbelievable defensive ability, and he's a spark plug. He's everything Ozzie and Kenny can ask for in a ball player.
$8 million dollars worth? I think yes. And I can't wait to see him continue to prove how good he's going to be as he gains more and more big league experience.
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