Today’s theme is … well, nothing. Random observations and such on this April Saturday:
* When I first read about the contract the Indians gave Jake Westbrook -- three years, $33 million -- I didn’t like it. I’m not a big Westbrook guy. His 4.64 K/9 and 109/55 K/BB last year make me shudder. Pitchers with such poor strikeout rates always scare me, no matter how many ground balls they induce.
But the more I think about the contract, the more I like it. Three years at $11 million per isn’t that much these days. Heck, Gil Meche got five years at $11 million a season, and he’s been far more inconsistent than Westbrook over his career. Vicente Padilla also signed a three-year, $33 million deal during the offseason, despite a poor track record healthwise.
I guess it’s all relative. $33 million seems a bit much for Westbrook, but it isn’t when you compare it to what everyone else is making.
* I actually took a chance on Carl Pavano in a couple of my leagues. Hey, he was cheap, and I figured if he could stay healthy, he’d win plenty of games with the vaunted Yankees lineup behind him.
Now he’s battling tightness in his forearm, and today’s start was pushed back to Tuesday.
Something tells me this isn’t going to end well. But I’m not going to complain, because I’m getting what I deserve.
* Adam Lind got The Call yesterday, as Toronto promoted him after putting Reed Johnson (back) on the DL. By all means, pick up Lind -- I just did in an AL-only league -- but keep your expectations in check for now. He’s not a fantasy savior … at least not yet.
The reason for my semi-pessimism is his batting eye. Last year at Double-A, Lind had a 87/25 K/BB in 348 at-bats. Contact was an issue, and he didn’t boast the walk rate you want to see a young power hitter possess. He could struggle in the bigs if he can’t improve here.
I know some will point to Lind’s batting eye at Triple-A last year (18/23 K/BB) as a sign he improved, but I don’t think that’s the case. Lind saw just 109 at-bats at that level last year; he did his damage and left before pitchers got to face him a second or third time. On the other hand, Lind received 348 at-bats at Double-A. His skills at that level are far more meaningful.
* Maybe C.C. Sabathia and Torii Hunter are right about the Jackie Robinson commemoration and celebration being watered down. But even if they’re correct, I’m disappointed in them. Our focus now should be on Jackie Robinson. That’s it. We should be celebrating the man and all he accomplished. We should be hearing stories of his great courage. We should be showing our gratitude to a brave man who made the baseball world -- and the whole world -- a better place.
The Sabathia/Hunter story takes away from that. It’s too bad. I wish they had spoken after the festivities -- that’s the time to discuss such things. By talking about them beforehand, all they’ve done is deflect attention from the great No. 42.
And that’s sad.
