Sizzlers and Fizzlers, IF
=== Russell Branyan, Sizzling 1B ===
Y'might not have noticed just how much of an experiment this is going to be. Russ Branyan, for six (6) years in a row, has had fewer than 250 at-bats a season. The man just hasn't played.
And it's one of sabermetricians' (that includes me, now, so don't write in!) worst foibles that they assume every benchie who runs nice stats in 175 AB's can do the same thing in full-time exposure. Remember after 2006, when David Dellucci was going to be the next value "promotion" to starting status? The Seattle blog-o-sphere debated that one relatively even-handedly; D-O-V's warning was that a couple of years of .500 SLG's in carefully-spotted play weren't going to transition to a .500-SLG'ing regular. Check the results. That's what you're asking for when promoting a productive benchie to a starting slot.
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Still, Russ Branyan is lookin' lean and mean, getting way on top of those pitches with vicious pull and topspin. He is VERY quick to the ball, at the age of 33.
Branyan's skill set is walks and HR's, and it says here that in Branyan's specific case, the productivity exchange rate will be 1:1 as he crosses the border into prime time.
Jack Zduriencik, who was Branyan's GM last year, thinks exactly the same thing. And that should get you a lot more excited than my $0.02 :- )
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It says here, that all that ever happened to Russ Branyan, was that he got Cust-labeled as a whiff king (as happens to most TTO players). And that he got stuck behind the Prince Fielders and Jim Thomes who played 1B on his teams. First base is a tough position to crack in the big leagues.
The M's don't have a first baseman. What they do have, is a short porch in RF, and a GM who knows that Branyan can hit. Let's hope Branyan finally gets a couple of years in the sun. He could become Capt Jack's Bret Boone :- )
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=== Yuniesky Betancourt, Fizzlin' SS ===
Betancourt's natural game is to attack the pitch. Wednesday night "he only saw six pitches in 4 AB's;" it was incidental to the M's that two of those were turned around for a homer and a triple. Sigh.
So tonight he went up there, bat glued to his shoulder for several pitches, to please the coaches. We almost hate to point out that Yuniesky Betancourt can't hit that way, any more than Ichiro can.
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Still and all, the good news is, the coaches are getting into Yuni's head, making him bear down. I'd like to see what would happen if you crossed [Yuniesky Betancourt] x [Fear of failure].
Cheers,
Dr D