2010 F

Pure BABI here. If you’re looking for the brilliant stuff, keep looking.

Our champion sent me an email asking for the Prestigious Pickled Pecklers’ annual roster analysis. OK, as soon as Dr. Tailgate writes it, I’ll edit and post it.

Don’t hold your breath.

I don’t have time to write stuff like that at this time of year. If I’m going to waste time during the tax season, I’m going to pick a subject I’m curious about. Here’s one.

One of the better rules changes we’ve passed was to increase extended farm contracts to $15 rather than $10. It’s not at all what I really want or wanted, but it’s a step in the right direction. A small step.

I’d like to eliminate the farm draft entirely. I don’t think that one is going to pass.

I’m a believer in eliminating any keepable contracts that are not created by some kind of auction, either a draft day auction contract or a FAAB bid, open to all. I think great farm players absurd contracts screw up the league. Of the 101 keepers last season, 30 had F contacts.

And I hate that I will not have a shot to own Ryan Howard until he’s 31 years old.

Kenny 9 has taken a lot of crap for the 30-2011F contract he slapped on Howard 3 years ago. If he doesn’t trade him, he’ll have owned Howard for 6 seasons. So far, it’s been pretty damned glorious*.

* This is from Vision Quest, a great, great movie about high school wrestling. J.C. Quinn, a character actor, has a brilliant soliloquy about seeing Pele on TV. It ends, “It’s not the 6 minutes. It’s what happens in those 6 minutes.” If you’ve read this far and have not seen Vision Quest, put it RIGHT NOW on your Netflix list. Hey, Madonna was in it, her 1st movie. Well, she sang in it.

I know Larry Dot Net and Boof insist Kenny 9 was an idiot for extending him so far, thereby ruining his trade value. I’ve felt all along that it was a great move, though I’m not sure I’d have had the stones to do it. Here is what he’s gotten for only $30 ever since he locked in that 2011-F contract:

2007 – 47/136/1/.268
2008 – 48/146/1/.251
2009 – 45/141/8/.279

He was 2nd, 1st and 3rd in homers in these years and 2nd, 1st and 1st in RBIs. Top 5 all three years in the MVP voting. He’s 243rd on the career homer list, and he’s only played 4-1/2 seasons. He’s 47th on the active list, ahead of J.D. Drew, Raul Ibanez, Miguel Cabrera and Jason Bay. He’s just behind Derek Jeter (46th), Nomar Garciaparra (44th), Cliff Floyd (43rd) and Mark Teixeira (41st). He’s averaging 49.5 homers and 143 RBIs per season during his 4 full seasons. Crazy, baby!

Kenny 9 locked him in at only $30, and now he’s got a big jump in the power categories. Who cares if he’s minimized his trade value? Kenny doesn’t plan to trade him. Ever. That would be my bet, except possibly as a dump trade in the summer of 2011. And hold on there – do you think he can’t trade him at 30-2011F right now?

One more thing – if he’d only raised him to $20, he’d be back in the pool now. Instead, he’s got 2 more of those potentially glorious years at only $30. Larry Dot Net stopped at 20-2011F on the other Ryan, Braun. In the first of his 3 contract years, Braun put up this line:

2009 – 32/114/20/.320

Look at that line! Now that is a true 4 category player. He’s superb in all 4 categories. Hell, he could improve all of those numbers in 2010 (except maybe BA). He’d go for $50 in the auction, easy. I’d say Larry screwed up by not locking him in longer. Do you think if Braun was 30-2013F that Larry couldn’t trade that contract?

That’s because Larry and others only see the $30. Kenny9 sees the 2013F, years of bargains, years of stats, years of competing his ass off. For him.

A number of farm players are now in their extension year. $5? $15? $20? More?

Here are the 2010F players:

Any 9 – Joey Votto
Bums – Clayton Kershaw
Cappers – Ian Stewart
EB Padres – Andy LaRoche and Chase Headley
Pecklers – Jay Bruce

They may all be extended, though I’m less excited about those 2 Padres. Thornton Melon would trade those guys in a heartbeat if he could. Bruce and Stewart both showed big power and lousy BA. Kershaw is a pitcher, and though he’s good, it’s always scary. It will be interesting to watch the owners make their decisions.

And then, of course, there is Kenny 9, with Joey Votto, the best of them all by far. Will he go balls out? Votto’s only 25 and he put up these numbers last season:

2009 – 25/84/4/.322, in only 131 games.

He did have those problems with depression, and it cost him games. I don’t know how to value that, but he did have a great excuse – he was a member of Any 9. He was afraid he’d get locked up in a 30-2014F contract, and like Ryan Howard, he’d have to live up to it. That’s pressure! Kenny had better hope Votto loves old beer cans.