WGOM Radio

WGOM Radio – CarterHayes BKaC

Audio 29 Comments

CH

Welcome back to WGOM Radio. Our next episode is a discussion between CarterHayes and me, MagUidhir. I've already apologized to CH directly about the audio quality. We had a great discussion, but I feel like I let him down by not capturing his input very well. I obviously didn't set up the settings correctly after reinstalling everything on my new hard drive And now I apologize you, the listener, for the jarring transitions between speakers. I promise future episodes will be better. Come for the comparison between Mike Trout and Jason Tyner, stay for the rundown of the 1998 Royals roster.

To join us, email me at acm006 [at] [g]mail and we'll set up a time.

29 thoughts on “WGOM Radio – CarterHayes BKaC”

  1. This is where I talk about how ridiculously proud I am of my husband; of who he is, of how he's survived everything he's been through, of everything he's chosen to accomplish, and of everything he has yet to achieve.

    Thanks for letting me listen in, fellas.

  5. A couple things we didn't fully develop in the conversation:

    Who is the most underrated Minnesota Twin of my lifetime?

    I think there's a strong argument that can be made for Shane Mack as the key player on the 1991 Twins, at least in the regular season and through the ALCS. Mack was a perfect #2 hitter: a guy who routinely achieved a well above-average OBP, and with the added bonus of a .200 ISO. Not only that, but he was an above-average defender capable of playing any position in the outfield. I believe an important part of a player’s value is the roster flexibility or depth they create, the cascading effect on the 25-man of a player who can play three positions well, or even serviceably. In Mack's case, he allowed the Twins to have three CF-capable defenders in the outfield without losing any production at the plate since both he and Puckett hit like corner outfielders. Gladden had poor defensive years in 1989-90, but recovered briefly in 1991. Puckett was probably no longer an elite center fielder by then, and probably could have been moved to right field in favor of Mack in center had he not been a franchise player.

    Do you have a favorite type of baseball player?

    I tend to particularly favor above-average defenders w/ doubles power & decent speed who can play OF, C, 3b or 2b. Most of them tend to be guys you go “He was that good?!” when looking at their career WAR. Some guys like that:

    Randy Winn
    - Winn played above-average defense in over 3400 innings in LF, over 5600 innings in CF, over 4200 innings in RF. He stole 200+ bases over his career with a success rate right around 72%, and while he had only two particularly impressive seasons, he was a doubles machine who managed a 99 OPS+ in 6800+ PA. David DeJesus and Mark Kotsay both seem to have been on the Randy Winn program - both had fine careers. Steve Finley's probably the gold standard of this type of player, but with a bit more power. FanGraphs suggests he was nearly as valuable as Johnny Damon, which should be interesting when that HoF conversation begins.

    Jason Kendall
    - Because he played for so long, I think we tend to forget how good All-Star Jason Kendall was before his injury. Kendall had pretty good chance of being a HoFer - Mauer just passed Kendall (& Posada) this year in bWAR (in 2100-3700 fewer PA!) Kendall also seemed to master the delayed steal - I saw him pull one off when he was playing in Milwaukee in 2008 or 2009. It was a thing of real beauty.

    Jose Vidro
    - Vidro is kind of the opposite of the "He was that good?!" thing: I remember him as better than WAR says he was. I guess this is because Vidro just wasn’t a good fielder at 2b, and because he was done at 30, no real surprise based on his body, position, & the turf in Montreal that also claimed Andre Dawson's athleticism. The guy sure could hit, though.

    Jeff Cirillo
    - Twins fans belatedly found out that Cirillo was essentially done by age 32. But he was pretty darn good for a stretch of the mid-90s.

        1. BRadke also remains very unappreciated. He was the ace of some lousy teams, he was overshadowed by Johan on the good ones, and he pitched in very high-scoring eras and had the first inning issues, and those collectively add up to a misunderstanding of his value.

          1. I always rated BRadke highly for his throwing with a torn labrum. I tore mine in my non-dominant shoulder and it sucked. I can't imagine pitching without one.

  6. My favorite players aren't the player I would be if I were a player.
    I'm not a lefty and I never pitched.
    But then again I felt best about my teams' games when I wasn't playing and Lefty relievers are rarely in the game.

    1. Like I said in the pod, I have big aspirations to make this into a regular thing. Any and all interested parties should email me at the address above.

  9. When you were talking about DeGaulle and airports, I would throw in the airport at Victoria Falls. Now, obviously you shouldn't expect much landing at a random airport in Zimbabwe, but the runway wasn't paved, there were warthogs grazing on the runway, and you're not allowed to leave the airport until you pay the staff $50 American cash.

  11. Finally got a chance to listen to this. It looks like I was also in Winona while you were tending bar, but I didn't drink in college, so I doubt I ever ran into you unless you bought something at Target from me while I was cashiering.

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