Yardbarker: Richie Sexson

Did SeaTown Sports Curse Seattle Sports?

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 19:00:47 -0500

It's official. The city of Seattle has dropped to No. 32 in the Top 400 sports cities. In 2006 we were 15th. Things are going downhill for sports in Seattle. This year has probably been the most depressing year for the Seattle sports scene in a very long time. I sure hope that Big Lo isn't going through depression or anything, because I am. All our teams suck!

The Seahawks have completely been embarrassing and the injury bug is haunting this team like no other. There has yet to be a game where all the key offensive positions have been healthy. The one team that was supposed to save Seattle sports has completely failed us thus far.

I wish I could talk about the basketball in this town, however not only did the Seattle Supersonics have one of the worst records in the NBA, they're now for some reason called the Oklahoma City Thunder.

I'd be a crime not to mention the Mariners, right? Their season was a complete ship wreck. Erik Bedard = FAIL, Richie Sexson = FAIL, Bill Bavasi = FAIL....How the hell did the Mariners go from world series contenders to Stephen Strasburg contenders?

And finally, Tyrone Willingham and the Husky Football team, I've always been under the impression that he'd be able to turn it around. But after four years he has been a complete joke. No bowls, no winning records, and not even a win this year. Things are getting worse and worse as a new coach after this season will have to try to ressurect the dead dawgs that have been this football team for the past eight years.

One good thing about 2008 in Seattle Sports...SeaTown Sports! Or not. Ever since we started this blog in March things have gone completely south for every sports team in Seattle. EVERYTHING. Even the Storm couldn't make it past the 1st round of the playoffs this year.

No. You Can't Put the Blame on Us.

WHEN WILL THINGS TURN AROUND! Do you have any hope at all?

Photo Source: [Flickr]

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Abreu to Athletics?

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 21:49:12 -0500

Athletics GM Billy Beane said the Athletics would like to add a power bat that could help the team for at least two years, opening up the speculation of who that may be. The Athletics are not known to spend big on their players, so they will likely enter 2009 with their young players hoping they will improve. However, if the Athletics offered a two year deal worth about 10-12 million dollars annually to Bobby Abreu, he could be the player that makes a big difference. Carlos Gonzalez, Aaron Cunningham, and Ryan Sweeney will likely lead the way of young outfielders, while Barton and Suzuki in the infield.A

Adding Abreu and resigning Mark Ellis would make this team a whole lot better. If the Athletics take the route of going after veterans looking to bounce back, they could go after Jim Edmonds, Jose Vidro, Richie Sexson, or maybe Garrett Anderson.A

This story was approved by MLB Rumors.

Failure: The 2008 Mariners' Opening Day Lineup

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:31:11 -0500

Now that the season is over (not that it hasn't been for the past 2 months), it's appropriate to start looking forward to the 2009 MLB season for the Seattle Mariners.

For the first part of the season recap, we'll take a look at the opening day lineup along with analysis on the Opening day starters and their offensive and defensive performances this season.

Opening Day Roster: (2008 AVG/OBP/SLG)

CF-Ichiro (.310/.360/.385)

2B-Jose Lopez (.297/.322/.443)

LF-Raul Ibanez (.297/.362/.485)

~~1B-Richie Sexson (.218/.315/.381)~~ FAIL

3B-Adrian Beltre (.266/.327/.457)

~~RF-Brad Wilkerson (.232/.348/.304) ~~What a Joke~~~~

~~DH-Jose Vidro (.234/.274/.338) ~~FAIL~~~~

~~C-Kenji Johjima (.223/.272/.322) The epitome of underachieving~~

~~SS-Yuniesky Betancourt (.274/.293/.382) BAD DEFENSE~~

Analysis:
When looking at this opening day lineup it's hard to believe that some thought it would be able to compete for a playoff position (including me)..There was really no established power going into this season, along with that, everyone was mediocre going into this season except for the first three hitters.

Ichiro's move to right field in the middle of the season was the right move. Jeremy Reed playing center field is much more valuable to the Mariner outfield defense. Along with Reed's defense at center, Ichiro back at right field is the perfect home for his cannonball arm.

Jose Lopez at first base? Not a good long-term solution. Offense is hard to find at 2nd base. Although his defense is suspect, Jose Lopez is one of the best offensive 2nd baseman in the American League. Moving him to 1st base moves the Mariners' 1st base position below or at average in the American League.

Raul Ibanez is likely gone after this season. He improved his numbers from last year, but his defense at left field killed this team. Richie Sexson's comeback attempt failed miserably. Once he started making contact, he lost all meaning of the word power. The whole reason he came to Seattle was to bring punch to the lineup, not to be a semi-threat against left-handed pitching.

Adrian Beltre is being praised all around by the sabermetric community for being underrated. I agree with them, his defense and his bat (unlucky) have been a valuable asset to this baseball team.

Can you believe Brad Wilkerson was our starting right fielder? That is simply unbelievable. He's terrible. I don't want to go on a rant about Jose Vidro. All I got to say is he will go down as one the worst Mariners of all-time. He provided no power at all at the DH position, and couldn't even hit for average.

Kenji Johjima had a tough season this year, he's been receiving a lot of criticism from fans for being signed to big bucks but not performing up to par. Finally, Yuniesky Betancourt. Yuni's defense reached an all-time low this year, he had a down year offensively.

What it all boils down to is that there were only four players this year from the opening day roster that performed up to their expectations. Even with that, Ichiro had a "down" year, Jose Lopez' defense hurt this team at the 2nd base position, Raul Ibanez was one of the worst defenders in the American League, and Adrian Beltre had one of the most unluckiest seasons ever (considering his offensive production).

Everyone else just plain sucked.

Who do you think was worst? Jose Vidro or Richie Sexson?

Coming Soon: Recapping the 2008 Offensive Depth Chart...

Photo Source [Flickr]

Congratulations Kenji Johjima, This Year's AL LVP

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 21:40:44 -0500

Jayson Stark of ESPN has declared Kenji Johjima, catcher for the Seattle Mariners, the Least Valuable Player in the American League. Along with that, former Mariner Richie Sexson was an honorable mention for the same award. Here is what Stark had to say about Johjima :

There were 124 AL hitters who got 350 at-bats this season. Johjima ranked 119th in on-base percentage (.272), 119th in OPS (.594), 118th in slugging (.322) and 114th in batting average (.223). Now add in all the issues he had with assorted members of his pitching staff, and this was a vintage LVP kind of year. Oh, by the way, did I mention that his three-year extension doesn't even kick in until next season?

I couldn't agree with Stark more, except for the fact that Jose Vidro warrants at least an honorable mention like Richie Sexson within the same category. Kenji has been a disappointment this year. Will he move to DH or 1st base next year?

I believe Jeff Clement is the right guy behind the plate for the Mariners next year. The Nintendo mandated extension makes me angry. We need real baseball ownership if anything is going to happen with this team...if not, we'll keep on racking in the LVP awards :(...

Jayson Stark also included the top three Ichiro quotes of the year. Here they are in order of pure awesomeness:

1. "Playing on this team and seeing what is happening around me, I feel that something is beginning to fall apart. But, if I was not in this situation, and I was objectively watching what just happened this week, I would probably be drinking a lot of beers and booing. Usually, I enjoy Japanese beer, but given the situation, if I was objectively watching the game, I wouldn't care if it was Japanese beer, American beer or beer from Papua New Guinea."

2. (On Bret Boone)

"When I met him, he was kind of a human being that you would never meet in Japan. So whenever I was around him, I almost felt like I was witnessing a creature, not a human being."

3. "All my teammates don't think what I'm wearing is good fashion. A lot of times, they can't believe what I'm wearing. But if you ask me, what they're wearing is a crime."

Seriously. What kind of sick monster would want to knock out this quote machine??

photo source [Flickr]

Congratulations Kenji Johjima, This Year's AL LVP

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 21:40:44 -0500

There were 124 AL hitters who got 350 at-bats this season. Johjima ranked 119th in on-base percentage (.272), 119th in OPS (.594), 118th in slugging (.322) and 114th in batting average (.223). Now add in all the issues he had with assorted members of his pitching staff, and this was a vintage LVP kind of year. Oh, by the way, did I mention that his three-year extension doesn't even kick in until next season?

Jayson Stark also included the top three Ichiro quotes of the year. Here they are in order of pure awesomeness:

2. (On Bret Boone)

"When I met him, he was kind of a human being that you would never meet in Japan. So whenever I was around him, I almost felt like I was witnessing a creature, not a human being."

3. "All my teammates don't think what I'm wearing is good fashion. A lot of times, they can't believe what I'm wearing. But if you ask me, what they're wearing is a crime."

Seriously. What kind of sick monster would want to knock out this quote machine??

photo source [Flickr]

Mariners Players Supposedly Wanted to Beat Up Ichiro Suzuki

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 04:35:17 -0500

Dude, I know things got pretty bad for the Mariners this year, so much so that Richie Sexson had to do some mound charging to help everyone forget how much he sucked, but infighting? Ganging up on a teammate? Seriously? This tid-bit from the Seattle Times via the wealth of news that is [...]

Giambi to Jays?

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 21:52:57 -0500

Several days ago, ex-Jay and current Jays broadcaster Rance Mulliniks said that Jason Giambi might be willing to sign with the Jays as the permanent DH and speculated that it might cost the Jays around 12-15 million dollars a season over a course of a 2-4 year contract. Giambi, who will be 38 by next season, is hitting .251 with 30 Home Runs and 92 RBI's. A signing like this would likely prove costly considering Giambi's age and declining production(his OBP has gone from a .440 in 2003 to a .377 in 2008 and his average has hit .270 once in the last 6 seasons). A cheaper option for the Jays may be to re-sign current back up outfielder Brad Wilkerson or re-sign current pinch hitter/spot starter Kevin Mench to an incentive laden deal with a base salary of around 750K. Both Mench and Wilkerson have shown they have Home Run pop in the past(Wilkerson has hit 20+ Homers 3 times in his career while Mench has done it twice before) but neither has been able to make quality or consistent contact over the last few seasons. Another cheap option would be to sign current Free Agent Richie Sexson to a 1 year incentive laden deal and have Jays hitting coach Gene Tenace work with him on his swing. One other option would be to use a rotating tendem between Left Field and DH using Adam Lind and Travis Snider.

Posted by Will M.

Giambi to Jays?

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 09:32:02 -0500

Posted by Will M.

Beau Mills Takes MVP Honors

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 09:55:16 -0500

Thanks to a huge second half that saw Beau Mills hit .327 with an OPS just shy of 1.000, the 13th overall selection in 2007 definitely lived up to expectations this season and is taking home the Carolina League MVP award. Check out some of these numbers:

Yankees Demote Melky | Release Sexson

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 19:54:18 -0500

From being protected from a blockbuster trade to being demoted in the middle of August Melky Cabrera has taken quite a step back this season. The Yankees demoted the struggling 24-year-old center fielder today and in his place called up Brett Gardner who will likely take his place as a starter. Cabrera made Yankee general manager Brian Cashman look smart early this season when he hit .299 and a .864 OPS this April. It's all been down hill since then for the Melk-man. In May Melky hit .234, in June he hit .206. Since the all-star break things haven't gotten better either. He's been batting .244 with a .566 OPS. His power numbers have disappeared since an April surge. In April he hit five homers and since has only three. He has also only picked up one triple this season after picking up 10 over the past two years. This move is a long time in coming really. Gardner didn't exactly light up the Bronx when he was here, hitting only .153 with a .397 OPS. However it was just his first cup of coffee at the big league level and deserves a better shot to prove he can stay. Meanwhile Melky showed no signs of improvement. During the month of July when Gardner was in the bigs Cabrera hit .272, but had mostly singles and only a pair of walks which translates into a measly .653 OPS. Melky was surprised by the demotion saying, "I never thought this was going to happen. That's the manager's decision." Really? What did he expect to happen to a center fielder hitting .115 this month when his team in desperately trying to make the playoffs. On the other hand Gardner has been playing his best baseball of the year since his demotion from the Bronx. He finished July with a decent .714 OPS before putting up strong numbers in August. This month he has been hitting .366 with a .864 OPS. Also getting the axe on the Yankees was Richie Sexson. Sexson was brought in to provide some right handed pop off the bench for the Yankees. It's a limited role that he is unaccustomed to and he hit .250 with one homer in 28 at bats. "We really appreciate (him)," said Cashman. "The guy came and accepted the opportunity to do something that's foreign to him, and that's a part-time role. He was working on his swing, and at the same time, sporadic play - I don't think - is conducive to him at his stage of his career." Releasing Sexson doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but they did pick him up before trading for Xavier Nady and Pudge Rodriguez who are both right handed hitters. So in a sense Sexson became a further spare part. Replacing Sexson is 32-year-old utility-man Cody Ransom. He has played at the major league level a few times between 2001 and 2007. During that time he has gotten 140 at bats with a .696 overall OPS. This season he has been one of the leading offensive players on the light hitting Scranton Yankees. In 116 games he was hitting .255 with 22 homers, 71 RBI's and a .820 OPS.

Yankees Demote Melky | Release Sexson

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 19:49:33 -0500

Yankees Cut Richie Sexson, Slap Melky Cabrera, Announce "We're DONE!"

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 18:15:03 -0500

Boston fans and Rays fans and Yankees haters: rejoice! The Yankees have officially given up as there is no way to read these two moves by the New York Yankees as anything but giving up hopes on the 2008 season… right?! The strange part is that just a few weeks ago, Steinbrenner et al were confident enough in the AL East standings and their team to chase down Richie Sexson, grab Ivan Rodriguez (who isn't exactly free) and steal Nady from the Pirates.

Yanks Making Moves Y'all

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 18:07:54 -0500

According to Pete Abe's blog, the Yankees made some moves today. Melky Cabrera was optioned to the minors and Richie Sexson was released. The Yanks recalled Brett Gardner and also Cody Ransom.

I've made it perfectly clear here that I'm not a big Melky fan. He's nothing more than a 4th OF at best. I never understood why he got as much love from the Yanks as he did. Don't get me wrong, he was good out of the box, but his value has been rapidly declining ever since. It was time to move him out, but I'm not sure that bringing Brett Gardner up does the team any better. They're pretty much the same type of player. I'd almost argue Melky has more value. For one he's a switch hitter whereas Gardner strictly hits from the left. Melky probably also has a leg up on Gardner defensively, definitely having the better arm. I would assume that this means Johnny Damon is the new everyday CF, with Nady taking over the full-time gig in LF. If it's not that way it should be. Like I said, having Gardner in the lineup is almost like playing Melky. Unless they're trying to send a message to Melky, or give him time to figure things out int he minors, I don't quite get it. (edited to add @ 4:45- Gardner is the starting CF tonight. Now I really don't get this move??)

As for Richie Sexson getting released? I'm a little surprised by that too. I thought he's done alright for the Yanks, better than expected. He hit .250 with an OBP of 371 as a Yank. Not superstar numbers, but not bad. He was pretty much there to hit against lefties, which he seemed to be doing a good job of for the Yanks. He was hitting .273 with an OBP of .393 and a SLG of .455 against LHPs. Seems decent to me. Ransom has some OK #s this year for Scranton. Overall, he's hitting .255 with an OBP of .338 and a SLG of .482. Against LHPs, he's .203/.303/.520. Nothing to excited about. So again, this move, like the other one, not making a whole lot of sense. It's not like Sexson was making millions.

These 2 moves aren't going to do much to improve the Yankees chances at making the postseason. It makes me wonder if something else is on the horizon?? Cough, cough, Barry Bonds. Don't forget to vote in the "should the Yanks sign Bonds" poll in the upper left.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

ps- if the "plagiarizer" reads this, that's how you do it. Credit the source and expand on it with your own insight. Not too difficult.

Contrasting the '01 and '08 Mariners

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 17:00:57 -0500

The 2008 season for the Seattle Mariners could end up to be the worst team ever in franchise history. The 2001 season for the Seattle Mariners marked the best regular season mark for the team in franchise history, and in baseball history. By no means is this a fair comparison, but for the Mariners to reach the playoffs in the near future they need to see similar production to the 2001 team. What will the two teams look like, side by side, comparing offensive position by position? Let's see:

Note (I have bolded each player who is the better out of the two)

Stats (Average/On-Base Percentage/ Slugging Percentage)

Catcher- Dan Wilson '01 (.265/.305/.403)

Catcher- Kenji Johjima '08 (.216/.257/.301)

1st Base- John Olerud '01 (.302/.401/.472)

1st Base- Richie Sexson '08 (.218/.315/.381)

2nd Base- Bret Boone '01 (.331/.372/.578) Ridiculous

2nd Base- Jose Lopez '08 (.309/.330/.442)

3rd Base- David Bell '01 (.260/.303/.415)

3rd Base- Adrian Beltre '08 (.251/.318/.422)

Shortstop- Carlos Guillein '01 (.259/.333/.355)

Shortstop- Yuniesky Betancourt '08 (.259/.273/.358)

Left Field- Al Martin '01 (.240/.330/.382)

Left Field- Raul Ibanez '08 (.287/.351/.482)

Center Field- Mike Cameron '01 (.267/.353/.480)

Center Field- Ichiro '08 (.311/.367/.392)

Right Field- Ichiro '01 (.350/.381/.457) Ridiculous

Right Field- Wladdy '08 (.216/.274/.366)

DH- Edgar Martinez (.306/.423/.543)

DH- Jose Vidro (This isn't fair) (.234/.274/.338)

What can we draw from this?

There are only three players from the 2008 that are better than their 2001 counterparts, Ichiro in Centerfield, Adrian Beltre at 3rd Base, and Raul Ibanez at Left Field. I'd also give credit to Jose Lopez who is up against the best offensive 2nd baseman season ever. Other than that, there are five slots with outright awful offensive performances that will need to be fixed. Here's what I would do to the current lineup:

At catcher, Jeff Clement would eventually put up better numbers than a 2001 Dan Wilson, however he is a defensive liability behind the plate. How about Kenji? The pitching staff doesn't work well with him and he has not bat. I'd start the move of Jeff Clement to 1st base and have the new manager work things out between Kenji and the pitching staff.

We're also screwed at DH, the Jose Vidro experiment or project didn't work too well..Here's an idea, move Ibanez to DH where his horrid defense won't play a factor and keep Wladimir Balentein there. After that, you keep Ichiro in Right Field and keep Jeremey Reed where both have great defense.

The last thing you need to do is trade Yuni. Betancourt doesn't fit for the club, bad defense and a bad bat won't work. I'd totally support having Mike Morse take his position where he could play some solid shortstop.

Vidro a free agent, would he make sense for the Mets.....

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:53:46 -0500

On August 5 the Mariners placed Jose Vidro on outright waivers ( not trade waivers) meaning they had 10 days to trade him or grant his release. After being unsuccessful in trade attempts Seattle has granted him his outright release. The Mariners are now on the hook for his 8.5mil. salary while another team can sign him at league minimum without it costing any prospects. Back when he was placed on waivers I posted why I thought he might come to the Mets, he might be a nice lefty veteran with power off the bench. Before you say he's only hitting .234 I believe that entire team went into an offensive slump much the same as we did last year in Sept.. Vidro, a switch hitter is a lifetime .298 hitter and batted .314 last year. Richie Sexson was hitting only .218 with Seattle and with protection is already hitting .250 in NY which is close to his .261 lifetime BA. While I like seeing the kids getting a chance, I'm a firm believer in having veterans down the stretch on the bench who can handle the pressure of pinch hitting in clutch situations during a pennant race.

Designated hitter Jose Vidro, designated for assignment Aug. 5, was officially granted his unconditional release Wednesday after the Mariners failed to trade him.

"We looked into working a deal with some teams, but it just wasn't there,"Pelekoudas said. "I'm sure he'll hook on with somebody." source Seattle
PI