Feliz Navidad!
[editor's note, by dajafi] Promoted from the diaries, mostly so I don't have to write anything more about this travesty of a mockery of a sham. Don't expect this to end other than in a blazing firestorm of shitty at-bats and a plethora of outs.
3b Pedro Feliz (he of the .288 career OBP) will provide some much-needed discipline on the right side of the infield.

It's a 2 year deal.
Is this in any way shape or form an upgrade?
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3219098 On the plus side... Well, I don't know what the plus side is. 20 HRs from 3b from one guy? That should be something kinda new. Maybe Manuel can work his man-magic and turn Feliz into the superstar his tools suggest he oughta be. Get that .288 OBP up to a .388, and he'll be mashin 40 HRs in no time.
0 recs |
36
comments
Comments
My ringing endorsement
by taco pal on Jan 28, 2008 4:36 PM EST 0 recs
Re: Feliz Navidad!
by schrifty on Jan 28, 2008 4:59 PM EST 0 recs
Re: Feliz Navidad!
This is a horrid signing... If this team thinks David Bell was blamed for horridness...
by Homer on
Jan 28, 2008 8:05 PM EST
up
0 recs
Re: Feliz Navidad!
by schrifty on Jan 28, 2008 5:07 PM EST 0 recs
Re: Feliz Navidad!
I personally think it's at least a decent stop-gap while the Phils try to find a real third baseman, whether in the draft or via trade or whatever. Feliz should be tradeable if an opportunity presents itself next year.
by phatj on
Jan 28, 2008 6:14 PM EST
up
0 recs
Helms wasn't exactly Barry Bonds in the OBP dept.
by Chris R on Jan 28, 2008 6:05 PM EST 0 recs
Re: Helms wasn't exactly Barry Bonds in the OBP
If you look at ALL the evidence, I don't see any way to conclude that Feliz is anywhere near as good of a hitter as Helms. In fact, Feliz is much, MUCH worse.
Feliz is a better fielder though, so like I said, neither a huge upgrade nor a huge downgrade. $8.5 million is too much though, and so I am pissed, if only moderately so.
I hope he bats eighth, but even if he does he'll still probably walk fewer than 30 times.
by taco pal on
Jan 28, 2008 7:57 PM EST
up
0 recs
Re: Feliz Navidad!
by FuquaManuel on Jan 28, 2008 6:14 PM EST 0 recs
Re: Feliz Navidad!
by phatj on
Jan 28, 2008 6:19 PM EST
up
0 recs
Re: Feliz Navidad!
by FuquaManuel on
Jan 28, 2008 6:26 PM EST
up
0 recs
Re: Feliz Navidad!
by taco pal on
Jan 28, 2008 7:54 PM EST
up
0 recs
Re: Feliz Navidad!
by JasonB on
Jan 28, 2008 7:22 PM EST
up
0 recs
Re: Feliz Navidad!
Then again, we all thought they'd trade Lieber last winter. So who knows.
by dajafi on
Jan 28, 2008 8:16 PM EST
up
0 recs
Re: Feliz Navidad!
by David S. Cohen on Jan 28, 2008 8:39 PM EST 0 recs
Re: Feliz Navidad!
The move was simply superfluous. They had three third basemen and little cap room, and an obvious need for another starting pitcher with Kyle Lohse's price dropping with every passing day.
Gillick just spent $8.5 million over two years to add a fourth third baseman to the Phillies' roster. And Adam Eaton will get the ball once every five days. =/
by Baerwcb on
Jan 28, 2008 9:37 PM EST
up
0 recs
Re: Feliz Navidad!
Well, and the fact that the "cap" is totally self-imposed. Those jackasses...
by dajafi on
Jan 28, 2008 10:15 PM EST
up
0 recs
Re: Feliz Navidad!
If this does prevent the signing of Lohse, it is foolish. It ultimately depends on the opportunity cost.
by MattS on
Jan 29, 2008 12:34 AM EST
up
0 recs
Re: Feliz Navidad!
by David S. Cohen on
Jan 28, 2008 10:18 PM EST
up
0 recs
Re: Feliz Navidad!
by Neduol Caz on
Jan 28, 2008 11:02 PM EST
up
0 recs
Re: Feliz Navidad!
But, by the same token, I don't think you're fully appreciating how god-awful his hitting skills are. Yeah, he has pop, but that doesn't make up for the fact that he's an out machine -- much more so than Helms, Nunez, or Dobbs. He doesn't help to create runs -- he sucks them out of the lineup at a prodigious rate.
Just check out the RCAA column in his stat line here (from Lee Sinins):
YEAR AGE RCAA OBA SLG OPS OWP RC/G AVG HR RBI SB G TEAM
2005 28 -19 .295 .422 .717 .384 3.85 .250 20 81 0 156 Giants
2006 29 -28 .281 .428 .709 .346 3.75 .244 22 98 1 160 Giants
2007 30 -22 .290 .418 .708 .368 3.90 .253 20 72 2 150 Giants
CAREER -103 .288 .433 .721 .377 3.92 .252 109 418 12 874
LG AVG 0 .341 .435 .776 .500 5.22 .270 94 388 50
POS AVG 23 .347 .451 .797 .523 5.51 .274 105 431 26
by David S. Cohen on
Jan 29, 2008 9:21 AM EST
up
0 recs
Re: Feliz Navidad!
Also looking at their insider scouting report he kills (sorta) fastballs but flat out stinks against any other pitch. He's a mistake hitter that kills a fastball down the middle but will swing at things out of the strike zone. I'm not a fan of this signing at all, but throw him in the 8 hole... our bench and line up do improve slightly. Maybe in the 8 hole he can figure out to take pitches from time to time. Hmmm actually the games Eaton pitches I think we should hit him 8th.
As long as this doesn't take money away from a possible pitching improvement, I GUESS its ok.
by Homer on Jan 28, 2008 11:57 PM EST 0 recs
Re: Feliz Navidad!
by dajafi on
Jan 29, 2008 12:43 AM EST
up
0 recs
Re: Feliz Navidad!
Thanks for the reality check
by Homer on
Jan 29, 2008 9:26 AM EST
up
0 recs
Re: Feliz Navidad!
this isn't supported by his history: over his career he draws a walk per 23.6 PA hitting 8th in the order, compared to 20.43 PA/BB hitting 7th and 18.63 PA/BB hitting 6th.
(don't misinterpret this as support for moving him up in the order, believe me.)
by perfectdepth on
Jan 29, 2008 11:29 AM EST
up
0 recs
Re: Feliz Navidad!
Did you look at his minor league walk rates.... :(
Seriously.. sit him next to Eaton to learn how to take a walk.... Or make him watch Adam pitch and advise him not to swing at anything that resembles Eatons pitches.
by Homer on
Jan 29, 2008 12:00 PM EST
up
0 recs
wasting millions
8.5 for Feliz for two years (3 million more to (presumably) get rid of the 5.5 million wasted on Helms)
While Feliz may be better than the Helms/Dobbs combo, it's not like it's a significant upgrade. This nibbling around the edges with a couple million here, a few million there....what good has come of this strategy in the last few years?
On a different note, Feliz may just be the perfect example of how strikeouts aren't necessarily worse than other outs. How can you be a feast-or-famine power hitter, only strike out 70 times, and post a .290 OBA?
by Alex Falzone on Jan 29, 2008 11:00 AM EST 0 recs
Re: wasting millions
by David S. Cohen on
Jan 29, 2008 11:15 AM EST
up
0 recs
Re: wasting millions
I like this signing. I see some folks mentioning that Feliz doesn't get walks - but neither does Rowand. Feliz's career numbers aren't actually real far behind Rowand's (he knocked in 92 runs in 2006)....Posted by Steve | January 28, 2008 8:24 PM
Now there's logic for you.
by taco pal on
Jan 29, 2008 3:00 PM EST
up
0 recs
Re: wasting millions
by Homer on
Jan 29, 2008 12:01 PM EST
up
0 recs
From a Giant's fan
Oh and the reason the Giants didn't resign him is because he wanted too much money from us. It wasn't like we didn't want him back at all over here in the bay. It was more like 50-50.
by jt_7241 on Jan 29, 2008 7:30 PM EST 0 recs
Re: From a Giant's fan
by taco pal on
Jan 29, 2008 7:41 PM EST
up
0 recs
JT has a point
Right!?!?!?!
Ah well. Maybe he'll bring over some of that Bonds-cream.
And lord knows I don't want to think of Julio Friggin Lugo. Did you really just compare Feliz to a .237/.294/.349 hitter last year and expect us to see it as a compliment?
I'll think of Feliz as a significant upgrade if all Giants fans think of Bonds as a significant cheater.
by Alon on
Jan 30, 2008 12:15 AM EST
up
0 recs
Re: From a Giant's fan
by Baerwcb on
Jan 30, 2008 3:19 AM EST
up
0 recs
Re: From a Giant's fan
by Baerwcb on
Jan 30, 2008 3:19 AM EST
up
0 recs
Re: From a Giant's fan
Feliz had the 39th-most AB with runners on base of any hitter in the league, with 239: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/batting?sort=atBats&split=38&league=nl&season=2007&a mp;seasonType=2&type=reg&ageMin=17&ageMax=51&minpa=0&hand=a&pos=all
He led the Giants in the category. He was surrounded by a bunch of other folks who struggled when made to hit without runners on base: Prince Fielder, Adam Dunn, Lance Berkman, Josh Willingham, Brian McCann, Russell Martin.... it was killing those folks, too, obviously.
What's even cooler is that he was 11th in the league in 2006 - and, boy, did he take advantage, raking to a .246 / .290 / .449 monster.
And he was 13th in the league in 2005... and hit .232 / .270 / .416
And 27th in the league in 2004! .254 / .290 / .395
So, not only was what you said not true... the OPPOSITE of what you said IS TRUE. It's so rare that I get a chance to respond to a post that's so incredibly wrong! Thank you! This is great.
Every year, there are 150 or so players that get at least 100 PA with runners on base... and he's been in the top 25% or so EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR.
by Shore on
Feb 4, 2008 11:58 PM EST
up
0 recs
Re: Feliz Navidad!
Sadly, there is no chance he hits 8th unless he is really god awful and I'd rather that not happen.
by jonk on Jan 30, 2008 7:13 AM EST 0 recs










