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Q.  Lot of smoke around this fire.  Think the M's are serious?

A.  Dipoto has been saying a lot of nothing, which is fine.  "We'll continue to refine based on the parameters we set in place last offseason..." meaning what?  Continue to drive a stake through the heart of any possible corner OF defense?  Take a special interest in 282-lb. "athletes" based on their wives' baseball faces?  Use twenty or thirty fairly-promising relievers in a systemic rotation?

Dipoto uses whichever of the top 100-200 James Themes applies at the moment.  Of course, he should.  That's what a chessmaster does.  Mike Napoli can do nothing but assist us in our quest to become younger, more athletic, and above all in touching home plate more times.

The "smoke" includes Scott Servais' positive relationship with Napoli back in Texas.  As well as Dipoto's stated goal to become more right-handed.

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Q.  What is the basic analysis of Mike Napoli?

STRENGTHS:

Yes

WEAKNESSES:

No

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Q.  How do you think he'd fare in a slasher flick?

A.  Presumably he would offer to spot the baddie that part where the "victim" is strapped into a chair first.

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Remember, this came out of a "vanity shoot" and a table of burritos was within easy reach at the time.  How do you think he reacts when somebody points a power tool at him?

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Q.  It's true he'll be 35.  How were his late-season splits in 2016?

A.  He SLG'd .463 first half, .466 second half.  Oddly, his EYE got much better later in the year, 75:39 as against 119:39 in the first.  James was asked, "Napoli or Bautista?" and he had that little quip about "Did Mike get a good night's sleep?"

You'd probably already noticed the 34 homers and 101 RBI; let's try to complete our Publishing Clearing House Chess Set of 30-100 men.  Jack Zduriencik woulda loved this team.

He played 98 games at 1B, 52 games at DH for the Indians last year.  

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Q.  Isn't there something vaguely familiar about all this?

A.  In the 2012 offseason, Fangraphs was jumping up and down on the snowy runway, furiously waving GM's off a 3-year deal for Mike Napoli.  Dr. D was using his much smaller little flags to direct the M's plane in, based on some aiki principles that have long since gone out of* fashion in the Western Hemisphere ... long since, like since the Mayan Empire.

Point is, if you're in the mood to read 5,000 words on Mike Napoli starting with "Keep Weight Underside," it's on SSI speed dial for yer.  As you guys liked Seth Smith long before, Dr. D liked Mike Napoli long before.  Here is the first of a 6-part SSI series back in 2012.  We think the series is still close enough for government work.  (Ouch!)

BABVA,

Dr D