2010 MLB Season Thread: August

[Ramp]

Brewers lock up Corey Hart for the next 3 years for about $26mil

[TealMonster08]

I feel like that is not going to be a smart investment. I do not have reasons why I feel this way, I just do.

[Metes]

He's definitely an up and down player. But his peaks are nice and he's entering his prime.

He's certainly not the 4.3 WAR player he was in 2007, but he's also not the 0.7 player he was in 2009. He probably projects to be in the neighborhood of the 2.1 WAR player he's been this year.

[FishFanInPA]

Following the best half-season of his career, Josh Willingham is officially slumping to start the second half of this season. Since the all-star break, Willingham is 9 for 50. He has five walks and 14 strikeouts, including six in his last nine plate appearances. His only three extra-base hits have been doubles, and he has not hit a home run since July 2, some 75 at-bats ago.

It says a lot about the quality of Willingham's season that, despite his funk, his on-base percentage still ranks fifth in the National League despite sitting at .390, 21 points lower than it was at the all-star break and a season low point for Willingham. Opposing pitchers still respect him enough to pitch to Adam Dunn, who has eight walks in the 16 games since the break.

His rough patch, though, continues a trend for Willingham. During every full season of his career, Willingham has skidded at some point after the all-star break:

In 2006, he went 7 for 45 in the second half of July.

In 2007, he went 6 for 40 during one July stretch.

In 2008, he went 7 for 47 to start August.

In 2009, he went on a tear in July and August but went 14 for 90 (.156) from September on. (The black-and-white numbers don't do Willingham justice in this case, as he played under trying circumstances following the death of his brother and his grandfather.)

Now, 57 plate appearances are not enough to derail any season. But, for now, the stretch has turned Willingham's season from an obvious career year to basically in line with his career averages. In his career, Willingham has hit .264 with a .362 on-base percentage and a .478 slugging percentage with a home run every 21.3 at-bats. This season, his totals are .266/.390/.462 while hitting a homer every 22.1 at-bats.

He'll be trying to put his season back on course while the Nationals ask him to carry a larger load than ever. Willingham has never played in more than 144 games in one season; he's on pace to play 157. Willingham insisted to Manager Jim Riggleman his back, which ailed him in the past, could hold up for a whole season. It has so far; there's no indication his slump owes to anything aside from the struggles any hitter will fight through in a given season.

Willingham made a case in the first half of the season that, at 31, he had reached a new level in his career. If by the end of the season he can recapture that pace, it will come at a crucial time. Willingham is entering his final season before free agency. Mike Rizzo has said Willingham is "part of the family" and he wants him to stay in Washington for the long term. Remember, Willingham's on-base percentage remains outstanding, and not making outs is the valuable commodity in baseball.

It stands to reason Willingham's production will be closer to his first-half hot streak than his second-half slump, which should mean his numbers at the end of the year will give him the career year he was on track for. As well as Willingham performed in the first half of the season, one slump won't stop him from doing it.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/nat...er_year_i.html

[Bobbob1313]

He's pretty streaky.

[Ramp]

dreamy

[Metes]

McCreamy

[Fritz]

Jeremy Hellickson starting for the Rays tonight. He's supposed to be the shit.

[Ramp]

just a 1 and done for him supposedly

1-2-3 inning in his debut

[Fish and Chips]

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?co...me_pk%3D265386

yikes

[Miamarlin21]

Ouch.

That's almost as bad as Sean Livingston.

[Metes]

Owwwwwwwwwieeeeeeeeeeeee

[Branch]

I don't like (or understand why) that the crowd was clapping as he was getting driven off. It wasn't a life-threatening injury or anything, it's obvious he wasn't gonna die. So now you've got a bunch of people applauding the fact that he's getting driven off in an inflatable leg brace. I mean, obviously he's not OK. His leg is busted to shit. So why you clappin'? Cuz he ain't dead? Cuz his leg didn't fall off? If I were him I'd not like those people much.

Makes sense why people don't like Boston fans.

[MiamiHomer]

Hellickson looked good yesterday.

[Mainge]

That happens literally everywhere. At all levels.