Posts tagged JuanPierre at FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

Maybe not really. But it's a pretty catchy headline, no? Best part? Not even really mine. Besides, even if Juan Pierre actually did read FJM, there's little to no chance he would admit it. That would be like people who revel in his speed and gutsiness and whatnot actually saying "WOW! Juan Pierre is a better batter when he is patient at the plate and attempts to draw walks and thereby raising his OBP. Shock! And awe!"

Apparently though, that is what happening -- Pierre being patient. Not reading FJM. From Buster Olney:

'He's picking through pitches,' said one talent evaluator. 'I think with the competition going on' -- with four Dodgers outfielders competing for three spots -- 'he had to re-think a little bit the way he was playing. In the time I've seen him, you can really see him trying to get on base, in a way that's different from in the past. There's a deliberate thought process going on there. His at-bats look different.'

That's because they are different, so far. Entering Wednesday's game, Pierre is averaging 3.67 pitches per plate appearances, more than a quarter of a pitch better than the 3.40 pitches per plate appearance he averaged last year, and he is hitting .316, with a .388 on-base percentage. He's never had an on-base percentage of greater than .378.

You know what the funniest and most ironic thing about this is? Juan Pierre, bastion of Moneyball haters everywhere, saw four men competing for three jobs in the Los Angeles Dodger outfield. And he realized that the key to getting more playing time was to get on base more -- i.e. exploiting a market inefficiency being better at someone else in a particular area that is more valuable to his team. Even if it's small in market and sample size, he's still using the failing of others to secure more playing time.

Cheap Yard Work takes a look at unheralded hitters who are raking and helps you plan your starting lineup each week.

Jose Bautista, 3B, PIT
Stats: .417/.444/.875, 3HR, 7RBI, 2BB, 1SB

I was going to make a Pirates joke, but you know, they haven't been that bad this year, at least from a fantasy perspective. Bautista has accrued almost all of those above stats over the weekend, so he might seem like too aggressive of a start. How-EVA, he's killing lefties this year, hitting .346/.419/.808. And given that four of the six guys the Pirates will face this week are lefties, he makes a pretty nice spot start in deep leagues.

Juan Pierre, OF, LAD
Stats: .563/.611/.688, 0HR, 3RBI, 1BB, 3SB

Okay, I dislike Pierre as much as anyone, but someone drafted him looking for those elusive steals. And have probably dropped him since. But he's getting decent AB's (16 over the last week) and producing big time with them. If he gets on base over 60% of the time, Joe Torre will play him, especially with Andruw Jones stink-bombing it up. (Although it's worth noting that Matt Kemp is even hotter right now). But if you're ever gonna use him to get those swipes, now is the time.

Nomar Garciaparra returned to the starting lineup last night, for the first time this season. He was slotted at third base and took the spot of Blake DeWitt, who later pinch ran for the oft-injured No-mah. Garciaparra's return was a little surprising, if only because most people thought he would join the Blue on Friday instead.

The sight of Mr. Mia Hamm's moniker on the card threw all press types for a loop, as word on the street was Friday as a target date. The front office consensus, however, is that Garciaparra won't be any healthier in 48 hours than he is right now, so there's no real harm in tossing him back into the fray.

Nomar went one for two with a pair of walks as the Dodgers throttle-jobbed the Pirates, and his return, especially with Andy LaRoche still on the mend, has to be somewhat comforting to Dodger fans. However, two quick points. First, Nomar is not going to solve the offensive quagmire in the outfield (Andruw Jones is still in a funk and Juan Pierre is still on the roster; it really is more "boggy" than "giggity" in every sense of the situation).

Second, this guy just can't win. Regardless of Mia Hamm and piles of money. We're talking about the face of the Red Sox and their losing ways ... until Theo Epstein shipped him out and they won a championship. And whether or not he has a 2004 championship ring (I think he does), well, it doesn't really matter since that's like catching the garter belt at your ex-wife's wedding reception. In other words, I think expecting a full, healthy and productive season is a bit of a reach.

Bonus Fantasy Spin: Nomar is not a prime option for fantasy owners. However, he can still hit for decent average and a little pop (roughly .290 something and 27 homers over his 800 odd at bats with the Dodgers) so I suppose you could do worse. Not by much, but you could do worse. But if you're stuck with a 3B or 1B option that's not cutting it right now, he's at least worth a look.

I'll admit it. I drafted Andruw Jones in one of my fantasy baseball leagues. It was stupid, I know. But when that Gold Gloved donut-destroyer fell to me in the third fourth fifth ... yes, fifth ... round, I couldn't help it. Jones, at his peak (which he should still be reasonably near), reminds me, as a Braves fan, of some great baseball. Plus, I thought a shorter contract would mean two monster years in Los Angeles. I really had no clue how freaking fat he is though.

According to T.J. Simers of the L.A. Times, Jones weighed in at a deuce and a daggum half yesterday. And Simers let him know, too, calling him funny fatness-related names in the paper while asking him when he was going to start making contact with the ball again.

Before I get into specific player analysis, a brief explanation of what Slump or Suck is supposed to be. (First off, it's a cute name, isn't it? Everybody doesn't just love Raymond, they love alliteration. ) But to clear up any confusion, the purpose of the column is to look at players who are under performing their historical performance and/or the expectations most folks had for them this season. If I think he's going to right the ship, then he's just in a Slump. If, however, I think that what you see is what you're gonna get ... well, then the player Sucks.

Get it? Got it? Good.

Today's post looks at Dodgers outfielder Juan Pierre. Why do folks like Juan? (Hint: It's not just because his batting helmet always looks giant on his head, making him look like a toddler.)

Well, dig these numbers:

46-47-65-45-57-58-64

Yep, those are his stolen base numbers from the last seven seasons. That averages out to about 55 bags a season, which is indeed pretty darn good. We all know that Pierre has almost no power (and with 12 career homeruns, it's would be fair to remove the word 'almost' from that phrase), but the bags, runs scored (historically, a safe bet to exceed 90 R/season) and a career .301 batting average make him worth the power gap.

Don't they?

Hm.

Apparently, Joe Torre is trying Andre Ethier out at first base. Ethier is cool with this, and I have to imagine that Juan Pierre is pretty cool with it too, since he would get additional playing time and/or starts in left field as a result. Not that Ethier is expected to displace James Loney at all (unless one of them can play third) but Torre is claiming that it would give him a lot of "roster flexibility". Hmm. I imagine it has nothing to do with Ned Colletti putting the screws down on Pierre getting playing time.

Congestion in the outfield is also a reason for the experiment.

'Especially when you have the four outfielders and you have somebody that does something else, it gives you another opportunity to get [everyone] at-bats,' Torre said. 'It's not something we're planning on doing that will be a regular scheduled thing.'

For whatever it's worth, Ethier told the Times he took "grounders" when he was at Los Angeles' double-A team in Oklahoma but that he had not actually played the position since he was at Arizona State. So at least he's got some experience, if not practice.

But scheduling it regularly would be silly, so it's nice to know that's not happening. And while I still stand adamantly by the fact that Ethier is vastly better than Pierre in most aspects of the game, it certainly does not hurt to have someone that can step in for Loney should he get hurt. Or you know, Nomar Garciaparra doesn't get healthy enough to play the backup.

In a victory for rational thought and statistical based analysis, a.k.a. common sense, Joe Torre announced that Andre Ethier, and not Juan Pierre, would be starting in left field for the Dodgers come Opening Day (which is .... tomorrow, he said giddily rubbing his hands together). Torre had claimed he might not know who was starting until Monday, but he was kind enough to drop the bomb, gently we hope because his tiny little frame is quite fragile, on Pierre this evening.

'I just feel I want to start that way and see,' said Torre. '[Ethier] had an outstanding spring. Sometimes you don't make enough of Spring Training, sometimes you make too much of it. I'm curious. I want to see more. He's had a number of home runs, he's hit off left-handers and right-handers.'

Torre said the 30-year-old Pierre, in the second year of a five-year, $44 million contract, was disappointed.

'He's a professional,' Torre said of Pierre, who was displaced from center field by the signing of Andruw Jones. 'Before it's all said and done, he'll be contributing. I wouldn't want anybody on the bench accepting of it.'

And that's very true. Pierre will most certainly be contributing. But, as the contract numbers above indicate, it will be in one of the more expensive pinch running roles in the history of baseball. Fortunately, man, is he fast. And goshdarn, doesn't he play the game the right way!

Seriously though, if Torre had gone with Pierre over the a) better, b) younger, c) more prone to clogging up the bases player in Ethier, it would have been quite the ominous early season sign for the Dodgers. You hate to pay a guy 44 million bones and not play him, but that's not as bad as letting strong potential rot on the bench behind inferior talent.

I can't tell if a lack of sleep is just taking hold and everything on television is funny or not, but I actually snickered pretty heavily when I watched this video, via Blue Notes, that is an Easton commercial called "Hardball Made Easy". This is lesson number 36, called "Blocking the Plate", and there's some sweet montage/intro music to kick off the video plus some quasi-funny names for stances to block the plate. But the real humor comes about two minutes in, when Matt Kemp charges the plate, although I'd recommend watching the whole thing to really get the feel for it.



What? Until Joe Torre figures out that Juan Pierre stinks (ETD Monday) this is all the Dodger outfield news you're gonna get.

Remember when the third base situation seemed like it couldn't get any worse for the Dodgers -- right after Nomar broke his hand and Andy LaRoche shredded a ligament in his hand? Well, the news did get worse, as Tony Abreu has been placed on the disabled list with a strained right groin, paving the way for Blake DeWitt, who has zero major league experience, to begin the season as Los Angeles' starting third baseman.

Torre said Abreu would miss two or three weeks because of a strained right groin, adding to the list of ailing third basemen that already includesNomar Garciaparra and Andy LaRoche.

When Torre was asked if the 22-year old DeWitt was the favorite to start on opening day, he replied, 'People keep falling down besides him.'

A confident statement, indeed. Although it's probably true that Torre doesn't want to deal with this rash of injuries at the hot corner and would probably just prefer to have Beautiful somehow manage to stay healthy and take the reps. As Fornelli pointed out, there are third base options that the Dodgers could purse, but plowing through prospects -- when you clearly need them to fill some spots -- doesn't seem like the best plan for a third base rental. Unless, of course, Detroit (Brandon Inge) is interested in super-sensitive OBP machine Juan Pierre ...

The Red Sox and Athletics are kicking off the 2008 baseball season even as we speak -- you better be reading the live blog -- but for the rest of the major leagues it's still spring training. Just a few more days to figure things out, assess talent, send players up or down in the system, and finally, mercifully bench Juan Pierre. Wait, that doesn't sound right (via BBTF):

Juan Pierre sat in the clubhouse before Monday's game, appearing to stare glumly into space. Nearby, a lineup card was posted without his name on it for the second time in five days.

"I'm not talking," he said quietly.

"He's not fine," Torre confirmed. "He wants to play. He doesn't like not playing, and I understand that. I'm sensitive to it, but I'm trying to find out as much as I can."

What's Juan so upset about? It's not as if Torre's benched him for the beginning of the season -- he's merely trying to "see what he has" in Andre Ethier. Joe, let me save you the trouble: In Ethier, you have someone better at baseball than Juan Pierre in nearly every single way. Play the man. Play him. Please.

Oh, and if Pierre reacts this way during a spring training bench, who knows what's going to happen in May when the Dodgers finally just eat his contract. He and Jeff Kent are going to form a "The Kids Aren't Winners" PAC or something. At 3 a.m., who do you want in left field? Someone inferior with experience, that's who!

Usually when a player finds himself compared to Juan Pierre it means one of two things. It could mean that he's ridiculously overpaid or it could mean that he's nearly devoid of attributes desired by clear-headed baseball organizations. You'd certainly guess the latter when it is Brian Cashman of the Yankees doing the comparing. For years, the Yanks have been committed to hitters who work counts, take walks and run up high on-base percentages, yet Cashman invoked Pierre's name to the New York Times while praising minor leaguer Brett Gardner.

Cashman compared Gardner to Juan Pierre, a .301 lifetime hitter with 389 stolen bases, with the added asset that Gardner walks a lot.

The added asset? Cashman went on to compare Nelson Mandela with Idi Amin. African leaders both, Mandela has the added asset of not being a brutal dictator who dabbled in cannibalism. Gardner may be a no-power center fielder with great speed but the fact that he can recognize good pitches from bad makes any comparison to Pierre a particularly sloppy one.

Reading some of the other praise of Gardner, it seems another player would have been a better fit. It's said Gardner loves to bunt, chase fly balls and, generally, hustle his way all around the field. That sounds like a scrappy player to me and when it comes to scrappy, you can't beat David Eckstein.

The Los Angeles Dodgers went out and overpaid picked up Andruw Jones following his worst year in Atlanta and he will absolutely be starting in center field for the Dodgers come Opening Day. This makes sense. Jones is the best option they have available for the spot. He's also -- in theory -- the best hitting outfielder they have and, well, you get the point. Druw is going to play. Joe Torre's decision on how to fill the remaining two slots in left and right field is coming down to three players though: Juan Pierre, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier.

'They've all shown enough to warrant playing every day,' said Torre. 'It's something I'll fiddle with and rotate. There's always the danger in doing that, as much as you get to keep everybody involved, you don't want to take away from someone who won't be as good when he doesn't get the at-bats.'

At least now we get to find out what kind of managerial acumen Torre has when his lineup isn't already completely stacked. The fact of the matter is that Pierre is not good. The arguments for playing him are his speed and defense. His speed is null and void because he doesn't get on base enough to make it worthwhile -- what are 64 stolen bases worth when you can't score more than 100 runs, really?. And his defense -- I'm willing to just concede the point that he might be good for the sake of moving along, even though his arm makes Johnny Damon look like Wilie Mays -- isn't worth the offensive sacrifice that failing to use Kemp or Ethier would be.

HT: Blue Notes

Spring training has its pluses and minuses. For example, the actual act of attending spring training looks awesome. The fact that baseball is back on sports networks in semi-earnest is awesome. Increasingly warm weather feels awesome. Reading a Bill Plaschke column about the reasons Juan Pierre is going to be the star of the Dodgers this year? Not awesome.

If you'll notice, what I did just there in the above paragraph is write a series of sentences with the same structural composition. Builds momentum, you see. I actually learned it from Plaschke, who learned it from Mastercard commercials, and whose taste for structural composition is sure to be studied in literary circles for ages to come. Go on. See for yourself:

There's a boxer in the house. [...] There's defiance in the house. [...] There's resolve in the house.

Groan.

Fans don't appreciate him. Statisticians can't calculate him. Bloggers downright brutalize him.

Double groan. And yes, Bill, statisticians can calculate Juan Pierre. Calculations: Not very good. And so on:

If there is one player in the major leagues that retains his inflated status better than anyone else, it's ... OK, it's David Eckstein. But if there is a player other than David Eckstein, it's Juan Pierre. No matter what Pierre does -- post a .330 OBP in the leadoff spot, slug .353, fire off a 75 OPS+ -- no matter what Pierre does, he seems to retain his defenders.

With the signing of Andruw Jones in the offseason, it looks like the Dodgers have acquiesced to the fact that Pierre was a mistake. They've moved on. And now Juan wants to take his "value" elsewhere:

Monday, he stood in front of a group of reporters describing a situation that was "out of my hands" and hinting that his future could include a move to another team.

"I'm quite sure there are some people in L.A. who don't like my game and you have some people who do like it," Pierre said. "I know my game's not pretty. I know it's not going to be in the box scores, I'm not going to be the guy all over 'SportsCenter.' Some people value it and some people don't. Hopefully, the people that make the decisions do."

What's even funnier than listening to a player explain away his lack of production is listening to a player saying production doesn't matter. Unfortunately for Juan, his numbers do show up in the box scores, and those numbers are horrendous. Even if Andruw Jones has another career-low year, he'll be an improvement over Pierre in nearly every way. Now that's "value."

Since about, oh, July, when it was pretty clear that Andruw Jones wasn't planning on coming out of a year-long slump anytime soon, Jones' potential contract has been an intriguing topic. After all, just how much do you pay for a still viable former All-Star coming off an abysmal year?

Last night, the Dodgers answered that call: you pay him $36 million over two years. And then you let the people argue.

Rob at 6-4-2 had one of the earliest reactions, and he was not happy. After all, $36 million is a lot of dice to roll to assume a player is going to have a bounce-back season. But Joe Sheehan at Baseball Prospectus (subscription required) took an entirely opposite tact. He says it's the best signing he's seen this offseason:

One year or two, this is a fantastic deal for the Dodgers, who get back-end-of-peak years from a Hall of Fame player without committing to his decline phase. Jones will bounce back in 2008, and he'll be a seven-win player over the two years of the deal. That's an enormous addition for a team that has been shooting itself in the foot for too long. What it means for Ethier or Matt Kemp is something that can be hashed out, but again, the player in the way isn't Jones, it's Pierre, who was a bad signing at the time, and remains so today. [...]

I love this contract. It will be far and away the smartest thing any team does this winter, and it pushes the Dodgers up a little bit closer to the Diamondbacks in the 2008 NL West race.

A ringing endorsement, and probably an accurate one. So long as the Dodgers are not thinking of moving Matt Kemp to make room in the outfield for both Jones and Pierre -- if Jones is going to assume Pierre's starting role in the outfield -- then this deal is one that genuinely makes the Dodgers better at very little, if any, risk.