Why? He's actually having a really good spring. The 5th starter is probably between him and Astacio. I wonder what Quintero means for Raul Chavez? Nick- I think this just means Gimenez is not on target for next year. I think Giminez may repeat AA ball, and this may be Ausmus' last year. Quintero should provide a stop gap, potentially more.
Yea... that may be the only regret I had... any pitcher with decent stuff can get away with much more there, despite Redding's awful location at times (mistake pitches can still end up being outs, whereas at MMP, mistakes most often = HR's). But... he does have to pitch more games in Coors, and ultimately if he fails in a ballpark like Petco, and a low-pressure town like San Diego, where can he do well?
Screw Redding. Let's look at the stats of our newest Astro: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=7235
The problem with Quintero is that he is a 26-yr old clone of the 35-yr old version of Brad Ausmus, not the 30-yr old version of Ausmus that had some semblance of an offensive game. Quintero doesn't draw walks and he doesn't have any power - he's had only one season with a SLG > 0.400 in the minors. Luckily for the Padres, that was last year, so they were able to parlay that into Redding (who will be pitching in a good ballpark for a rebound), as well as $$$. Quintero has a reputation as a solid defensive catcher, but how much is that worth really considering the way the game is played today, with stolen bases at a minimum? I'm not saying the Astros should have kept Redding, they obviously didn't have much of a choice. What I am saying is that they probably would have been better off cutting him instead of trading him (plus cash!) for Ausmus v2.0.
Because I believe 300+ career innings (with an ERA over 5) is more indicative of future results than 14 innings in spring training.
Quintero's still 25, not 26. I don't think he's more than a stopgap, but that still makes him a better backup than Chavez (who himself is 32). Quintero, with little major league experience, doesn't make anything really. If we'd cut Redding, we'd still be paying his salary (which I assume is equivilent to the cash we sent the Padres). So we're doing the same thing as cutting Redding, except that we pick up a decent stopgap catcher for free.
"I still get annoyed watching Scott Linebrink out there pitching like he is knowing how terrible he was for the Astros. " Good ole linestink.
He'll turn 26 at mid-season, so we're both right. You're right in that the cash they paid will probably to cover Redding's contract for the season. You're also correct that it may not be that bad of a deal if Quintero truly is a stopgap. There is no better way to judge a franchise than by its past decisions and the club has stuck with Ausmus and Chavez at catcher - two frighteningly similar players - because of their 'defensive prowess'. Quintero is in that same mold, so I wouldn't assume so quickly that he is a temporary fix. I guess most of it depends on Gimenez's development.
Good all-around, defensive catcher = good team The catcher position has never been one that a team has to rely on getting offense from. The Javy Lopez's & Rodriguez's of the world are far in between. The catcher is supposed to be your PG on the field if you will. A coach on th field. A good catcher not only stops potential baserunning threats and doesn't allow anything to go to the backstop, but he helps direct the defense and does whatever he can to help his pitching staff out, whether it be framing corner pitches, working the umpire or keeping thier moral up. Anything offensive is a bonus. A solid move my the 'Stros. You can never have enough quality defensive catchers in your organization.
Stone is about the only one that didn't work out for them. Think about it. We've traded the Padres Cammy, Finley, and Nevin, all of which were or are great players for them. Even Scott Linebrink had a big year. I don't really care about any of that. I'm just glad Redding is gone. Maybe it's a change of location thing for him. Either way, he's gone. Bye Bye Timmah.
Awesome...He had more than enough time to prove himself and he sucked ass each and every time...He'll probably do better with a change of scenery...Buh bye ass whip...
I guess it all depends on where you place your value. The average starting catcher in the NL last season had an OPS of around 0.750. Ausmus's OPS was 0.631, which made him look like Superman next to Chavez (0.515 - the lowest of any catcher in the majors with >100 AB). The only NL regular who was worse in 2004 was Brent Mayne of the Dodgers. So if you think that list of intangibles is worth 0.120 points of offensive production, more power to you. I personally don't think it is, but some people do (see Mike Matheny's new contract with the Giants). Ausmus probably wasn't pulling his own weight years ago when he was a great defensive catcher, but he certainly doesn't come close now that he's a shell of his former self.
....like the lion's share of MLB GM's. Excellent example. It is erroneous thinking to look at Ausmus's throwing numbers and believe that he is not what he was defensively. Pitchers are "run on" much more often than catchers. In Ausmus's heyday of nailing runners, he had fast workers like Reynolds, Hampton, and Lima. The current crop of pitchers--though more dominant, are slower to the plate and easier to run on. If you want to quantify how good a catcher's defense is, look at: 1) The way he RECIEVES the ball, including the timing and placement of the target. This is paramount and absolutely the hugest defensive tool a C has. 2) Look at how he stops the ball. Are his knees apart, mitt to the ground, can he quickly position himself directly in front of the ball, never back-handing. 3) Is he a good field general, which necessitates a good rapport with his teammates. 4) Can he call a good game, and more importantly, can he calm a rattled pitcher or point out simple mechanics like arm slot and release point that can stray during a game ("you're underneath your fastball, bro"). 5) A good gun doesn't hurt. Is all that worth 0.120 OPS? Damn right it is. (IMO, of course)
Am i the only one that doesn't like this deal? I thought we could have at least got some bullpen help in exchange for Redding. Or combo'd him with Burke or someone else for a nice bat. Teams will always trade for pitching potential, which as arrogant as Redding was, he had.
