Cavaliers vs Pistons: Blogging With The Enemy
April 17, 2009Lakers and Cavs: Numbers for the NBA Finals
April 17, 2009While the Indians were dropping a game to the Yankees today in the Bronx, a small email conversation broke out talking about Tony Graffanino and Josh Barfield. TD and I will always agree that David Dellucci should never be chosen over a young guy. Trevor Crowe is in Cleveland right now, but not based on good decisions by Eric Wedge and the front office. Seemingly, David Dellucci would have made the club over Trevor Crowe. So, today, it occurred to me that Tony Graffanino was in the starting lineup, and Josh Barfield was sent down after a single pinch running appearance. Here is how the convo went down.
Craig: “Would you rather see Graffanino at age 37 or J-Barf? Wedge never ceases to amaze in his choices for vets… Dellucci, anyone?”
TD: “Barfield cant be trusted. You could have said the same thing last year about Jamey Carroll and he turned out to be very solid. Choosing DD over Crowe is hardly the equivalent of choosing Graf over JB”
Craig: “Barfield can’t be trusted? How would we know after his one pinch running appearance? It isn’t the same thing, but Barfield isn’t over the hill and he hasn’t had an at-bat yet, and he got sent down in favor of Tony Graffanino at age 37. I would rather have Barfield going 2-12 than Tony Graffanino.”
TD: “This is Barfield’s third year here. They went out and signed Jamey Carroll last year and DeRosa this year. Obviously they dont think he can hit. Not like Graf is any better, and Im all for younger legs, but I dont think they think Barfield can hit in the majors.”
Craig: “I guess my point is why keep a guy like Barfield around at all if you are going to choose guys like Graffanino over him… I am not vouching for him, but at 26 and coming off an injury-plagued season, I might have given him those AB’s. He can handle the defense.”
TD: “I see your point … I do … but I think the brass doesnt like Barfield. Makes a lot of sense seeing as they though they gave Marte 8000 chances…”
So WFNY readership, we leave it to you. Not that it is an important season-making decision, but what of this? Is it part of a organizational character flaw that they can’t seem to straddle the line of young guys and worthless journeymen? Is it a complete waste of breath to talk about this? Should Barfield have been kept and given a chance to play in the spot where Graffanino has been filling in?
13 Comments
Barfield
Barfield!!!
Barfield certainly should’ve been given the shot rather than Graffanino, and the suspicion that the brass just don’t like Barfield seems warranted. I, too, don’t think that Barfield is all that trustworthy, but he deserved the chance over Graff.
Barfield.
Side note: Went to Clippers game in Toledo tonight and Brantley is a BEAST. Got a single, then stole 2nd and 3rd easily and went on to score. LaPorta on the other hand failed to impress, but I’m chalking it up to a bad night. Aubrey on the other hand went 4 for 4 and seems to be on track for a call-up soon.
None of these guys are everyday players. Not Josh, not Graffanino, not Dellucci, and, all things considered, probably not Trevor Crowe (he should be showing a lot more at 26, and, anyway, he’s only up over LaPorta and Brantley because he’s already 40-manned).
So we’re not thinking “breakout prospect” or even “more athletic fellow” so much as we’re asking that these guys–Crowe (when Dellucci stayed up) and Barfield (now, with Graf)–get as many game-situation ABs as they possibly can. So that’s in AAA. They’re young, they’re not great, and you’re trying not to compound that by getting them too far removed from seeing 20 real pitches every day. I think the FO is making smart moves.
Maybe also worth mentioning that DD and Graffanino are both known for being clubhouse guys (indeed, they both grow facial hair from time to time), and when you’re not talking about very many ABs–i.e., you’re talking about guys who can’t really hurt your baseball team on the field–leadership and hustle is a fine thing to consider.
Also–and I know this will be moot when Jamey comes back–either Crowe or Barfield will stay active so that we’ve got a passable PR.
As for why they don’t trust Josh, just the typical stuff, right? Can’t field, can’t hit. Couldn’t even hit in AAA last year before we gave him the chance to fail in the Majors, which, I mean, wouldn’t have happened if AC hadn’t been hitting 185.
I don’t mean to rip him. I like him in the organization. But, like Crowe, he’s old, and we haven’t seen all that much (Crowe’s probably better, but that’s neither here nor there). And he’s never had anybody excited enough to warrant all the second chances and finger-crossing that Marte got. (And again, if we HAD seen anything–and really, I don’t mean to put down Barfield/Crowe–Columbus might well be the better option for the time being.)
And to spend 30 more seconds avoiding work… “Countdown To The Title”?!?! Honestly I was pretty taken aback when I saw that. The 16 is slick and interesting; the “t” word–in the banner!!–makes me downright uncomfortable. WFNY trying to prove that superstition won’t stop LBJ?
[Just showed it to a (Hawks fan) coworker: “That can’t end well.”]
And another coworker: “Shrewd of [them] to protect [their] branding.”
I thought the whole reason they kept Barfield is because of his speed, defense and ability to play new positions. That’s what utility players are all about. Doesn’t make sense that they sent him down again when he did exactly what they asked of him.
Except hit!
GMH… I think the bottom line is this… we can count on Lebron to not look ahead and take anything for granted. We are free to just be fans and root for it all. It is a bit off-topic here, but I think that is the thought.
As for your thoughts on Barfield, I don’t agree that Barfield can’t be trusted in the field. He is fine defensively. Also, he is 26 and had a tough first campaign here in Cleveland, and then he got hurt. He hasn’t been given another chance since he got hurt. I know he might not be a chipper prospect at 26, but he is hardly over the hill. Graffanino is fine if he is a BETTER option than Barfield. He has played a bit and from what I can see, he is NOT any better than Josh. Let Josh play until Carroll gets back.
Totally agree Craig. I don’t remember anyone complaining about Barfield’s defense before Cabrera took over for him. But now that he can’t hit, people are claiming he can’t field either. He’s a good defensive player who has added multiple positions to his resume. Why not give the young guy a chance to grow; it’s not like Graf will be around for more than a year or 2. Let’s see if Barfield will be.
BRef shows Barfield with the lowest fielding percentage of all qualified 2Bs. (In ’07, when he last played regularly.) Hard to compare him to Graff because Barfield has only ever played at 2B (Graffanino had 1B/2B/3B/SS/OF in 2007, so the samples are obviously smaller. But in the 35 games he did start at 2B, he was much much better than Barfield).
So, whether or not we remember thinking of him as pretty bad in the field, he was. He was the worst, in fact.
Anyway, again, you’re not losing anything with Graffanino, (Crowe’s still your PR, and Graf’s got more versatility otherwise), and because we’re all right that 26 isn’t absolutely over the hill (that is, Barfield is the more viable actual replacement), it is much much much much much better to give him 30 plate appearances per week against AAA pitchers than 5 or 7 per week in the Majors.
And about the Cavs thing, I don’t mind it, and I agree that LeBron doesn’t care. It just makes me feel funny. There’s an implicit presumption there to which, maybe as Cleveland fans, we’re not usually entitled.
[…] WFNY writer Craig for getting into what has turned out to be a completely idiotic argument over keeping Tony Graffanino over Josh Barfield a few weeks ago. JB could hit .130 in his sleep the way Graf has thus far, has more speed, has the […]
[…] that are just as long as our actual journalistic articles. Take a look at a few examples here, here and here. I know it is often difficult for me to always contribute to our random side notes and […]
[…] average glove. It has gotten so bad for Barfield in the Indians organization that 37 year-old Tony Graffanino has 23 ABs in the stat sheet for the Indians this year in seven games. And that dude was completely out of the majors last […]