Matt LaPorta Makes Beijing Olympic Team; Mat Gamel Does Not

[Mass Haas]

Matt LaPorta Makes Beijing Olympic Team; Mat Gamel Does Not

 

Just announced on BaseballChannel.TV -- details later...

[Chkyhks2and0]

I guess Cleveland got the better end of the deal

[battlekow]

Complete USA roster

[Crewin06]

Gamel should have swung the bat in the Futures game. The scouts must not have been impressed by the 0-0 with 2 BB's

 

I guess I wouldn't want one of the best hitters in the minors on the team either.

[Herm]

Is it possible Brewers nixed his consideration before it was announced due to possible Sept (or earlier) call up? I don't know the protocol on this - do ML teams have veto power?

[sbrylski]

I would have taken LaPorta over Gamel too, easy. Gamel's defense isn't ready for meaningful games, and LaPorta is probably the better hitter as of right now.

[BillScottCanRake]

Is it possible Brewers nixed his consideration before it was announced due to possible Sept (or earlier) call up? I don't know the protocol on this - do ML teams have veto power?

 

I wondered about that, too, but I thought other players had already been pulled from the game for that very reason. That doesn't meant the Brewers didn't ask for him to be removed from consideration, tho...

[JoeHova]

They'll still have Lawrie, right? Isn't he on the senior Canadian team? Or maybe he's just on the junior team. OTOH, I don't even know if the Canadians qualified, so maybe it's moot anyway.

[battlekow]

They'll still have Lawrie, right? Isn't he on the senior Canadian team? Or maybe he's just on the junior team. OTOH, I don't even know if the Canadians qualified, so maybe it's moot anyway.

This is the US team we're talking about. Lawrie did make the Canadian team.

 

[TheCrew07]

In Lawrie's case I'd much rather was playing minor league ball as I'm biased and don't care at all about Canadian Pride, I want him working on his catching!

[Postseason2006]

I would have taken LaPorta over Gamel too, easy. Gamel's defense isn't ready for meaningful games, and LaPorta is probably the better hitter as of right now.

LaPorta has better numbers based on what, home run totals?

[DHonks]

Barden is a non-prospect and is going to presumably play 3rd. Seems like they wanted a veteran or two, which the 2000 team had plenty of

[JoeHova]

They'll still have Lawrie, right? Isn't he on the senior Canadian team? Or maybe he's just on the junior team. OTOH, I don't even know if the Canadians qualified, so maybe it's moot anyway.

This is the US team we're talking about. Lawrie did make the Canadian team.

 

 

 

Yeah, I thought it was obvious I knew that Lawrie was Canadian when I used the word "Canadian" twice. I was pointing out that Brewer fans will still have someone to cheer for in the Olympics, the title of the thread refers to the Beijing Olympics, not the US team. I'm not so xenophobic that I can't enjoy the performance of foreign athletes in the Olympics.

 

[BrewCrewForever]

Gamel=Robbed! Congrats to LaPorta though.

[GB12]

I like LaPorta and want him to do well. Just not so well that we're really kicking ourselves about trading him.

[JoeHova]

I like LaPorta and want him to do well. Just not so well that we're really kicking ourselves about trading him.

 

 

So what is that, Raul Ibanez level or so? I personally hope he becomes a star (which would lend more (some?) credence to the idea of the Brewers developmental machine), but you're right, if he becomes a Jim Thome or a Frank Thomas, that would be hard to swallow.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Gamel left off Olympic roster

Stars third baseman not headed to Beijing, but LaPorta will be

By SKIP VAUGHN

For The Huntsville Times, skip.vaughn@htimes.com

 

Huntsville Stars third baseman Mat Gamel isn't devastated about missing out on the ultimate road trip - the Beijing Olympics.

 

"I don't really like flying as it is," Gamel joked, "and being stuck on a plane for that long is not really my cup of tea."

 

Gamel wasn't selected Wednesday to the U.S. baseball team headed to Beijing. However, the roster does include former Stars outfielder Matt LaPorta, traded by Milwaukee to Cleveland this month in the CC Sabathia deal.

 

Davey Johnson will manage the squad of mostly minor leaguers.

 

"I know there's a reason I didn't make it," Gamel said while dressing before the Stars' 3-1 loss to the Tennessee Smokies. "I'd just as soon stay here the season with these guys, finish with them, see if we can win a (Southern League) ring.

 

"It would've been a good opportunity, but it's still a good opportunity for me here."

 

Asked to describe his disappointment, Gamel said, "I'm not heartbroken. I wasn't really getting my hopes up for it. I would've loved to go, but in the same breath I'd love to be here with these guys, too."

 

Gamel, 22, from Neptune Beach, Fla., plans to watch the games on television. The team's first game is against Korea on Aug. 13. Team USA, which won gold in Sydney in 2000, is back in the Olympics after missing out on a bid in 2004.

 

"I think it's better for me to be here," Gamel said regarding his baseball development. "To stay and keep working with (Stars manager) Don Money."

 

Entering the five-game series against Tennessee, Gamel was leading the Southern League in batting (.375) and RBIs (81). He also had 15 home runs.

 

Gamel went 1-for-4 in the series opener as the Smokies beat the Stars 3-1 before an announced crowd of 1,711 at Joe Davis Stadium. Brae Wright (6-8) took the loss for Huntsville (14-12) against first-place Tennessee (17-9).

 

Money was asked about Gamel's non-selection to the U.S. team.

 

"Put it this way, it's good for us," Money said. "When I say us I mean organization and team and Huntsville.

 

"To me it's a shame because I think the man's leading all minor leagues, maybe all of baseball, in hits. I feel bad for him because I know his name's been surfacing the last month or so. But you never know. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise. You just never know. He'll be with us all year now. We might win a championship. You never know. I mean I know he would've loved to be on it but it didn't work out this time."

 

Money praised Gamel's offense but said he needs more work on his defense.

 

"I think he's made tremendous progress," Money said. "It still at times seems he falls into funks sometimes. You've got to feel that every ball's coming to you.

 

"Offensively he's ready to go (to the majors). Is he a .300 hitter? I wouldn't doubt it one bit."

[lexi881]

I would have taken LaPorta over Gamel too, easy. Gamel's defense isn't ready for meaningful games, and LaPorta is probably the better hitter as of right now.

 

Really? Based on what, Home Runs?

 

LaPorta

2008 Season
Team	League	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	OPS
HUN	SOU	.288	84	302	56	87	23	2	20	66	174	45	63	2	1	.402	.576	.978
AKR	EAS	.375	4	16	2	6	0	0	1	4	9	0	4	0	0	.375	.563	.938
Minors		.292	88	318	58	93	23	2	21	70	183	45	67	2	1	.401	.575	.976

Gamel

Team	League	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	OPS
HUN	SOU	.374	93	385	77	144	33	6	15	81	234	39	70	5	6	.432	.608	1.039
Minors		.374	93	385	77	144	33	6	15	81	234	39	70	5	6	.432	.608	1.039

[JoeHova]

Really? Based on what, Home Runs?

I can't speak for sbrylski, but I would think he's basing the assessment that LaPorta is probably a better hitter than Gamel on their respective IsoD's and IsoP's. LaPorta's isolated discipline is .109, while Gamel's is .058 and LaPorta's isolated power is .283 versus Gamel's .234.

 

However, if a person thinks Gamel is legitimately a guy who will have a batting average 80 points higher than LaPorta's, then those things are irrelevant. I don't think that will be the case, though it's definitely possible that Gamel will be a high BA guy while LaPorta will be a low BA guy. However, the gap in their batting averages on balls in play is over .130 points, which seems unlikely to be sustainable.

 

I think it's pretty defensible to say that LaPorta is probably the better hitter right now, despite Gamel's superior BA and OPS. I wouldn't argue too much with someone who said the opposite though. I think both positions are defensible.

[DHonks]

Maybe I'm the only one here, but I look at LaPorta and view him as eventually being a Pat Burrell-type. That is a 1b/LF with 30-35 hr power, iffy defense, and a .270 or so average. That's something that has impacted my impression of him.

[cwolf2012]

I agree that LaPorta will be like Pat Burrell. Pat Burrell is really good, though, so I'm content with that.

 

I would guess anything that LaPorta will be a better professional hitter than Gamel. High average in the minors with significantly less discipline will tranlate to an OBP of 60 points lower when you reach the pros (at least).

 

I see Gamel as a Braun type with probably a little better discipline and a little less power. LaPorta is more of a Prince Fielder or Burrell type.

 

EDIT: Even though he's not a Brewer, I can see myself rooting for LaPorta throughout his entire career. With him and Sizemore on Cleveland (and them playing games at Miller Park during snowouts), they might become my AL team.