CIN releases Jorge Cantu

[Brian the Automator]

Weird... he gets called up by Cinci and mashes, then gets released. If the Brewers are looking for a reserve infielder (or even perhaps a starting 3B), they could do worse then 25y/o career-ops .762 Jorge Cantu.

[Chkyhks2and0]

I've always like Jorge, I agree the Brewers could do worse.

[GenoSeligPrieb]

Count me in too.

 

It's mysterious why he'd bounce around, despite his production.

 

Could it be that Cantu can be outed by George Mitchell in a few weeks? And by "outed" I don't mean he dates men or anything like that....alright, you probably already knew that...

[davebobn]

....but onnce again that OBP stat rears it's ugly head.

[qrk10000]

Ha ha ha... it is dangerous to read posts like this at work, Geno.

[TooLiveBrew]

What's funny to me about the Mitchell Report is that it's going to essentially amount to a token survey of a handful of players. There's such a ridiculous amount of players abusing HGH/PEDs right now that this 'official' list will only mean 'Here's a handful of guys that we actually caught.'

 

In no way will it be directly cleaning up the sport, just handing out some 50-gm. suspensions to a few guys, while the far more numerous others are not suspended. I can't think teams can factor it into their plans, unless they have inside info that a certain player's on the list.

[MillerParkSouth]

he did put up a .382 OBP in 57 at bats with Cincinnati last year (small sample, yeah I know). Can he play 3rd? I'd probably rather have him than the likes of Boone/Crede.

[Brian the Automator]

....but onnce again that OBP stat rears it's ugly head.

Bench players usually have warts. He's versatile, and he can slug... Not a bad guy to have when you need a base-knock as a pinch-hitter.

 

[And That]

Cantu isn't good defensively at third base. I'd give him a flier for not a lot of cash, but to expect him to be a starting 3B for the Brewers is pushing it.

[Brian the Automator]

he did put up a .382 OBP in 57 at bats with Cincinnati last year (small sample, yeah I know). Can he play 3rd? I'd probably rather have him than the likes of Boone/Crede.

He can play 3rd... Haven't see him do it in person, but it's a possibility.

 

[MoneyballMan]

This would be a nice pick-up - certainly could do worse than having him as your 23rd, 24th or 25th player! And could certainly fill in at 3B if something else doesn't work out or we're forced to move Braun to LF mid-year or something.

[Big Reed]

I have a feeling bud is going to have a very hard time giving 50 game suspensions to anybody named in the report. most of their use of steriods would have predated the ban of it. You can't suspend somebody for using HGH or steriods if it's not in the work agreement.

 

as for cantu, as i've said in other threads, OBP is perhaps not always the best measure of a baseball player. There was a reason Tampa bay benched him this year after he had a mediocre year last year. part of it was his attitude and being totally out of shape in spring training. There was also a reason they waived him. There was also a reason Cincy waived him. OBP is a nice stat. But sometimes there are other qualities that can't be quantified in a stats. Cantu is not a winner like crede is. and he isn't scrappy or gritty either.

 

his hands are made of sandstone. Spiderman 3 comes to mind.

[Giraldo8]

Reed, If A-Rod was playing 3B for Rays last year they would not have made the playoffs. I'm not sure if your post was supposed to be in blue but I'm guessing it wasn't.

 

As for me, I'd sign him in a heartbeat as a versatile backup in the infield. Not so sure about starting at 3B however.

 

EDIT: Why didn't Crede win last year with the Sox? You can't use the injury excuse either because if he was a "gritty, battler" he would have found a way to play through his pain and lead them back to a World Series.

[Big Reed]

I thought about using blue, but you can't use it in quick replies. if i say something really stupid which is often, I have to stand by it no matter how stupid it seems for at least a month before admitting it was stupid. Rolen and crede are winners. I'm standing by that statement.

 

Cantu's biggest deficiency is his fielding ability. The rays tried him at both second and third trying to hide his fielding miscues. Upton wasn't a tremendous infielder either. When his hitting went under .250, and his power left the building, he became too much of a liability for the rays.

 

I'm not sure why the reds dumped him, although I don't believe his fielding improved any as a red.

 

I recall when Tony Oliva retired. he could still hit well over .300. but his legs no longer could catch up to the ball. I know, 3/4th of you are now asking your dad, who was tony Oliva? Ask Dadofandrew, he knows.

 

Cantu would make an Ok dh. The rays dropped him because they wanted their dh to hit over .250 with power. las t yea r i thought he'd be a great addition at little cost to the brewers. but the brewers don't need a dh, and his fielding skills are not better than the current players. With the players the brewers currently have, they need somebody who is a slick fielder.

[Brian the Automator]

Rolen and crede are winners.

What constitutes a "winner"?

[brettac1]

"winner" (w?n'?r); noun: someone with a World Series ring.

 

Example: Gary Bennett is a winner, just like Tim Spooneybarger.

[dadofandrew]

I like Cantu as a reserve. His career sure has gone down the dumper in a short time.

[Brian the Automator]

"winner" (w?n'?r); noun: someone with a World Series ring.

 

Example: Gary Bennett is a winner, just like Tim Spooneybarger.

Snap, I just got Spooneybargered.

 

[TooLiveBrew]

Rolen and crede are winners. I'm standing by that statement.

 

Big Reed, in the nicest way possible, can you please give up the "winner" thing? It's just not legit. If Crede's such a "winner," why'd the CWS stink so badly this year? Because it's a team - not individual - sport? Why didn't the Rolen-infused Cards make the postseason? What would've happened if the CWS met the Cards in the World Series - one team obviously has to lose. Is there a 'Winner Quotient,' whereby you can determine if Rolen or Crede is more of a "winner," thereby deciding the WS title?

 

You stand by this statement with no way of justifying it, and no way to counter the numerous factual indications why it's simply untrue.

[Brian the Automator]

Is there a 'Winner Quotient,'

Yes, it's:

Number of dirt stains * parts per million of mud on cap * playoff games appeared in * number of fans wearing shirt / plate appearances

[SmartBall]

Don't forget amount of misplaced pine-tar, because Biggio is a huge winner and I suspect its mostly due to the pine-tar.

[TooLiveBrew]

Right - the infamous pine tar + tobacco modifier. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[flosses like fossas]

wow. i agree that using the term "winner" doesn't smack of the kind of anal-retentive sabermetrical rhetoric that some of the more nit-picky members of this board are given to, but there's something to be said for a player's character and reputation, and that seems to be what reed is getting at. further, it stands to be said that reed has admitted an occasional proclivity to making statements on a whim (which i think is commendable, as very few bf.net members would deign to admit that the might actually be wrong every now and again), though i for one think he's onto something here. i don't particularly want rolen, nor do i think all that highly of crede, but i acknowledge both to have somewhat distinguished reputations as clubhouse presences and the like, and therein lies the concern with cantu. is he a bad player if he has a shaky disposition? not necessarily. can that be a huge liability? most definitely. the point here is that the brewers are a young team and the addition of another veteran "character guy" who has been around successful major league teams (a la suppan, counsell, etc.) would be a welcome addition to this team, and a poor attitude could be especially detrimental to a young team who will still certainly have their ups and downs.

 

i don't actually feel to strongly on this cantu topic, but i chose to post here because this thread seems to be going down a somewhat familiar stream on this board. one where established members have a good laugh at the expense of another member's comments - too often because they've taken out of context or blown out of proportion what was originally said. good-natured fun is a good thing, but something about the tone of threads like this strike me as being just above the kind of mockery that gets other, less familiar posters (myself in the next few posts?) reprimanded for chastising their fellow members' ideas. is high-brow, baseball-educated-condescension ok because of its in-crowd sensibilities?

[mothershipconnection]

but there's something to be said for a player's character and reputation,

 

For sure. All else equal, you want the good team mate who works his butt off to improve. However, being fortunate enough to be on winning teams doesn't make you special - it means you and 24 other guys combined to win games.

[Big Reed]

ok, the real story on cantu. he can't catch. he makes a lot of mistakes in the field, and he lost his juice- I mean his power stroke. The Rays replaced him at third with Iwamura and at second with Ty Wiggington. For you stats geeks. look up their numbers and you will see how badly the Rays thought of Cantu. His fielding stats for tampa bay are kind of misleading as he played in only 25 games and didn't play any games at third and only one game at second. Tampa sent him down to the minors to get his swing back, and he created a few attitude problems about being being a major league player who was better than several guys on the major league team and how he shouldn't have to go to the minors because he wasn't injured. In other words, he cried, whined and pouted too much for tampa's taste. So they unloaded the ungrateful player.

 

Cantu batted .278 at AAA with 3 homers in 48 games with a .332 OBP. I couldn't find his position games played.

 

Cincy picked him up, and he played 27 games for cincy. he played 1 game at second and 1 game at third and 14 games at first. he had a nice OBP of .382. that is true. he also had 1 homer- probably against a brewer reliever.

 

the plain facts about Cantu is that he can no longer play either third or second base. Tampa knew this and released him. Cincy knew this and released him. if a team needs a dh or first baseman or pinch hitter with little power and a really bad attitude, Cantu is your man!