Juan Pierre anyone?

[TURBO]

http://mlb-rumors.blogspot.com/2007/11/pierre-drawing-interest.html

[trwi7]

Pass. His only asset was getting on base and he doesn't even do that anymore.

[Scooter1027]

Pierre is terrible. I'd rather have Gwynn.

[TURBO]

Pierre is terrible. I'd rather have Gwynn.

 

ditto

[Invader3K]

I'm not as down on Pierre as some around here...but I don't see the Brewers having any use for him. Gwynn is basically a younger, cheaper version of him anyway.

[DuWayne Steurer]

I like the bit where it says the Dodgers are looking for a CF with "more power".

 

Well, I have to wonder if that's the case, what they thought they were getting when they signed Juan Pierre for 44 million dollars.

 

No thanks.

[JohnBriggs12]

"I'd rather have Gwynn".

 

I don't think Tony Jr is a threat to put up 200 hits in a season or steal 60 bases, so I think Pierre is a little better than Gwynn as an offensive player. He doesn't walk very much but let's face it, whoever bats in front of Braun/Fielder is not going to be pitched around anyway, and at least Pierre can hit/bunt his way on fairly well. Plus his strikeout rate is about as low as it gets (batting behind Weeks, you could do a ton of hit and run stuff). Not to be discounted at all is his durability. He's an iron man (played every game for 5 straight seasons).

 

The problem with Pierre is his contract and his arm. He's owed $36.5 million over 4 years which is roughly $12-15 million more than he is worth. There are plenty of other options out there worth exploring ahead of him but I wouldn't cross him off the list entirely if the Dodgers are willing to eat contract.

[Tbadder]

That's a great point Briggs. He'd absolutely inmprove our situational offense. I wonder if he's one of those takes-4-pitches-per-at-bat guys?

 

But in the end there's that contract; I just gotta believe that money is best spent elsewhere.

[brettac1]

No, he doesn't see anywhere near 4 P/PA. He's not a patient, work the count guy. The first pitch he sees that he can make an out on, he jumps all over it and hits it to the second baseman.

 

I don't think he qualifies as a "professional hitter".

[aracko]

He is a great hitter at Miller Park I think. .365 or something?

 

But to answer your question - no he is NOT even close to a 4 Pitch per plate appearance guy at around 3.4 or so. Honestly I bet its lower than that. I think thats Pierres main problem, but the other issue is pitchers have no fear of him, so he HAS to swing cause the balls coming over the plate.

[twobrewers]

The first pitch he sees that he can make an out on, he jumps all over it and hits it to the second baseman.

Very nice. Him and Estrada can form a club!

 

Bag O' Balls > Pierre

[trwi7]

Pierre's career p/pa.

 

2000- 3.26

2001- 3.19

2002- 3.25

2003- 3.44

2004- 3.51

2005- 3.69

2006- 3.48

2007- 3.40

[endaround]

Juan Pierre is the worst starter in the major leagues. Gwynn could get 600 hits too if a team was foolish enough to have him lead off and he swung at everything. And Gwynn can actually play defense. He's overpaid by closer to $28 milion than $12 million

[Big Reed]

I like Pierre. I think if he was making $5-8 million , more brewer fans would like him as well. but the fact remains, he's a singles hitter.

 

on the positive side for brewers fans, he makes more than $10 million a year, so the brewers would never consider trading for him. Vernon Wells makes the same amount of money. Would he be a better acquisition?

[trwi7]

Vernon Wells makes the same amount of money. Would he be a better acquisition?

Vernon Weels is a bargain through 2009 making only 500,000 this year and 1.5 million next year then in 2010 his salary goes to 12.5, then to 23, then to 21 for 3 years. Both are/will be overpaid very soon.

[chadomac]

i would say pierre was the worst FA signing of last year. i'm so glad we didn't get him.

[gregmag]

Based on Gwynn's performance last year, his minor league numbers, and a normal development curve, he looks like he could very easily match Pierre over the next few years given the same playing time, probably with somewhat fewer singles, somewhat more walks, and better overall defense: .330 OBP, no power, enough steals to help a little. Gwynn at least has a chance to get better than that at some point, while Pierre has settled in comfortably to his status as one of the worst regulars in baseball.

 

Yes, Pierre gives you close to 200 hits -- and close to 500 outs. It's the old "give a monkey a typewriter" scenario; lots of people can put up huge counting stats -- or at least one -- if they're constantly batting. Pierre does have an incredible health record, but given the damage he does, that isn't a plus. IMHO, bringing him in as NRI insurance against failing to find anybody better would be a questionable move; anything north of that would be indefensible.

 

Greg.

[RyDogg66]

Look at the guys that got the big money last year, Pierre, Dave Roberts and Gary Matthews, Jr. and that pretty much sums up free agency in my mind. It's almost as if GMs dont have the ability to see who will be available via trade of the FA market the following seasons (i.e. why pay Pierre, Matthews and Roberts insane amounts of money when guys like Tori Hunter, Aaron Rowand and Andruw Jones would be available).

 

Sometimes it seems GMs make their jobs harder than they need to be.

[SoCalBrewfan]

From the blog:

 

The Orioles and Brewers are both looking for center fielders and do have the young pitching that would entice the Dodgers.

 

I can't imagine a universe in which the Brewers would be willing to send a young pitcher of any kind for Pierre, unless it's for Broxton or Kemp plus Pierre...Pierre being the medicine and the other guy the sugar (booze?) to help you swallow the icky stuff. Pierre by himself has negative trade value right now...way negative. Were he 24, a solid defender, and making the minimum he'd have some value in a Gwynn / Bourn / Tavares kind of way...but none of those are true any more.

 

Even the Orioles aren't that dumb, are they?

[RyDogg66]

That quip seems to indicate that the Dodgers would need enticing to get rid of Pierre, his weak bat, terrible arm and even more terrible contract. Comical.

[1e Corbeau]

Yeah, if you're talking about they mlb-rumors blog, I, too, chuckled at the notion it would take "young pitching" and that we're "looking for a CF" or, per the "Brewers Looking for CF" post, that we're looking for an outfielder who can produce, coupled with Pierre's counting stats and the "Dodgers looking to unload his contract."

 

I'm really not thinking this mlb-rumors blog is more than a guy like me with significantly more time to waste...

[JohnBriggs12]

Pierre the worst in baseball?

Please. His .331 OBP is about league average. While his slugging of .353 is well below average, if you add his net stolen bases (SB-CS) of 49 to his 236 total bases, you'd get a slugging percentage of .427 which is again around league average. Throw in 20 sacrifice bunts which led the league by a wide margin, and you up his value a little more. Ability to score from first on a double or second on a single? There aren't stats that show that.

Worth what he makes? Not even close but at least he doesn't take days off. Worst in baseball. No.

[And That]

if you add his net stolen bases (SB-CS) of 49 to his 236 total bases, you'd get a

virtually completely meaningless number. Stolen bases aren't added into slugging for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that a CS is around twice as bad as a SB is good.

 

Pierre may not be the worst starter in baseball based on offensive statistics. However, his defense and contract push him much closer to that dubious honor.

 

[dadofandrew]

Pierre would fit into many teams that don't need power, and the Crew would fit that description. Briggs did a good job of selling him, and he does have benefits. But, a lot of warts as well. I worry about how he'll age as well.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Please. His .331 OBP is about league average. While his slugging of .353 is well below average, if you add his net stolen bases (SB-CS) of 49 to his 236 total bases, you'd get a slugging percentage of .427

 

 

Or, I can take the caught stealings out of his OBP, which drops it to a replacement player level of .311. Adding stolen bases to SLG% simply doesn't correlate, because part of SLG% is the ability to move runners around. A single and a stolen base (especially a bunt single) doesn't move runners the same as doubles, which will often score a man from first.