8/15/05 - Brewers(Big Ben) @ Rockies(Cook) - 8:05 pm CST

[dogs with bees in their mo]

Actual lineups:

 

Rickie Weeks 2B

Bill Hall SS

Lyle Overbay 1B

Carlos Lee LF

Geoff Jenkins RF

Corey Hart CF

Russell Branyan 3B

Damian Miller C

Ben Sheets P

 

Larry Bigbie CF

Luis A. Gonzalez 2B

Todd Helton 1B

Matt Holliday LF

Garrett Atkins 3B

Dustan Mohr RF

Omar Quintanilla SS

Danny Ardoin C

Aaron Cook P

[bucksman4]

Say what you want, but I know I'm not the only one in here who's borderlined shocked when he comes up with a 2 hit night. He just doesn't hit the ball hard enough...it seems like 90% of his outs are weakly hit infield ground outs. At least when Weeks hits the ball and makes an out, you can see potential there because of the muscle that he puts behind each swing and the pure hitter within him.

 

I'm sorry, but statistics back up what I am saying. People do not like to hear it, but Hardy was a below average minor league hitter as well. I don't remember him ever cracking .300 or getting anywhere close. I measure people on results...not what I "hope" and pray they will end up being. I see a Royce Clayton-like career for JJ. I'm sticking with that prediction.

 

Sidenote: If he is our #2 hitter next year...we're in BIG trouble.

[NlGHTWlNG]

Sweet, Branyan and Miller tonight. And Mr. .313 OPB batting second?

[rluzinski]

I don't remember him ever cracking .300 or getting anywhere close.

 

Is BA the only thing you look at? Fielder isn't a prospect either than. Hardy is a SS; only catchers hit worse. I hope you don't expect him to hit like a 1B.

 

Why does Hall HAVE to start every game? I don't get it.

[Diskono]

In his last full season, Hardy put up a .796 OPS in the pitcher-friendly Southern League - at age 20. That's actually better than what Weeks did there, and Weeks was a year older.

[JoeH33]

I'm sorry, but statistics back up what I am saying.

 

 Team AVG OBP SLG OPS G AB R H HR RBI BB SO SB MLB .206 .306 .307 .614 93 257 28 53 3 27 37 33 0 AAA .277 .336 .495 .831 0 101 17 28 4 20 9 8 0 AA .266 .344 .394 .738 38 561 81 149 13 75 67 73 7 A+ .293 .331 .409 .739 84 335 53 98 6 48 19 38 9 R+ .248 .329 .336 .665 35 125 20 31 2 15 15 12 1 R .250 .286 .450 .736 5 20 6 5 0 1 1 2 0

[brewers19]

Is anyone else getting really tired of Hardy riding the bench again? It was one thing when Hall was batting .300, but he's not anywhere near that currently.

[bucksman4]

Thank you for posting those numbers to back my points wonderfully.

Besides A+ ball where he hit .293, where do you see impressive numbers?

 

If you are all happy with the resurrection of Royce Clayton #2, then by all means, stand up and cheer because that's what you're getting in Hardy.

[brewers19]

If you are all happy with the resurrection of Royce Clayton #2, then by all means, stand up and cheer because that's what you're getting in Hardy.

 

That's hardly a fair comparison. I mean, Royce's hair was an abomination. Give Hardy some credit.

[RoseBowlMtg]

I for one am glad Hall is in that lineup since I think he is going to get a ball in the air and fly the Colorado thin air way way out of there!

[pogokat]

those numbers represent the total number of ab's he had per level, not the actual seasons he spent there...

 

 279 .367 .428 .795 

 

Jj's actual number's from 2003...

 

which were very comparable to the numbers that won corey hart an MVP award

 

and JJ would have certainly put up huge numbers at High Desert just like everyone else if he hadn't been bumped up so quickly

[ThePurpleStorm]

I guess I have to agree. I mean, Billy Hall is still young. He's 25. Right now he is hitting better than most people think JJ Hardy will hit in his prime. I really want Hardy to succeed, but look at his past stats in the minors. Nothing really points to Hardy being anything better than a below average to average hitter.

[pogokat]

I think JJ could and will definitely have a line at .800 ops in his career..maybe even next year...Billy is gonna have a real hard time keeping his numbers as good as they are without any strike zone judgement at all..

[no19no1]

Correct my if I'm wrong and I could be, but I seem to recall Jay Bell being considered an

excellent # 2 batter as a mid average - no power SS.

[ja002h]

Besides A+ ball where he hit .293, where do you see impressive numbers?

 

Since when is .277 ba, .820 ops bad for a SS??

[ja002h]

In other news, it's gametime!

[nullbyte]

According to the Rockies guys, Richie Weeks is playing tonight! Woot! That guys rocks!

[ThePurpleStorm]

Play ball!

[bsglorydays]

Play Ball!

 

Jump on this guy early.

[batman]

I have something of a man crush on Aaron Cook... I think he can be Derek Lowe or Brandon Webb down the line. He basically just throws a sinker over and over again, and hitters tend to pound it into the ground.

 

If his heart is okay and he's healthy, I'd like to see the Brewers try to rescue him from Coors Field.

 

EDIT: And I didn't mean for the "heart" thing to be a pun... although given the other thread, it's pretty funny. I mean the red muscle in his chest, not his will to win. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/happy.gif

 

~Bill

[bsglorydays]

Cook doesn't throw anything that doesn't move.

[RyDogg66]

Holy smoke. Colorado is closer to first (14.5 back) than we are (17 back).

 

They truly are better than we are.

[JoeH33]

Nice Billy lets get something started

[Weirdos19]

Seems to me that when Hall looks the other way, early in the count, he is hitting well. When he looks to pull it, he stinks.

 

He seems to only look the other way with two strikes. I think that's a little to late.

[bsglorydays]

Wow... how "big" is the crowd in Colorado tonight? Lots of fans disguised as empty seats.