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This sounds like a wonderful idea. I hope the chances of it coming to fruition are more than slight.
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JUST THE FA'ACTS, MA'AM
BaseballHQ listed a dozen Pacific Rim prospects for 2016, including Kenta Maeda, Seung-hwan Oh and Dae-ho Lee. All HQ has on Lee is the stuff you'd get on RotoWorld or somesuch:
1) Dominated Korean baseball hilariously, including a 9-game HR streak that, um, broke Griffey's record
2) Transferred quite well to Japanese baseball, becoming a .280/.370/.525 hitter even in the Japanese "deadball era"
3) Has elevated his game in international contests (against new pitchers)
4) At age 33, it's now or never
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FOR THE MARINERS
Several sites are conjecturing the 3 teams have made him offers - the Cardinals, Mariners, and already I forget which other. You wanna talk short-term memory problems ... one thing I do remember, 90 seconds on, is that Lee would weigh his offers based on playing time. Sigh.
Here, check this video, wherein Lee makes baseball look like a first-person shooter video game. We'll comment on a few of the taters as they side-scroll across your screen.
HOMER ONE this guy is listed at 6'5", 286 but looks more like the largest human to have played rounders. Don't worry, he starts looking bigger shortly. HERE, gentlemen, is the Boog Powell you thought you were getting ....
HOMER TWO (0:30) so he puts the "airlift" into his swing, as though he were a tennis player guiding the ball where he wants it, topspun over the guy at the net. In this case, he wants a home run with hang time. This is the intriguing thing about Lee for us here at SSI: Japanese and Korean players do get their AVG's and OBP's to translate over; it is their SLG that drops 100 lbs. in the sauna. So here could be the guy who's got his SLG smuggled into America under his shirt. That, or something far more nefarious.
HOMER THREE (0:50) you start to see his "ability" to step into the bucket, a la Carlton Fisk. AARP brothers can I get an Amen from the congregation? Fisk and a couple others stepped left in order to clear their hands on a jam pitch. ... on this one he looks like he weighs 340 lbs. if he weighs an ounce. Gotta love it :- ) and he gets voted best First Baseman in Japan.
HOMER FOUR (1:15) steps into the bucket but, last second, takes his weight more into CF. Result, moon shot up the middle.
HOMER FIVE (1:40) shows that he can get to the outside pitch in an, um, big way.
HOMER SIX (2:10) is Dr. D's personal favorite; is his footwork legal? Serious question. HEH
HOMER SEVEN (2:40) let's go the other way on a ladder fastball. He also manifests the quickish bat that often results from massive strength (less coil required for the same result).
We'll let you take the rest from there ...
.....
Spotted against LHP's with Adam Lind murdering the righties most foully? Yes please. Baseball is for fun, you know. I read that on the internet. ... Lind is here on a 1-year rental, so the M's approach could be a guarantee of 300 AB's in 2016 morphing into an audition for a fulltime job in 2017. Or, not.
BABVA,
Dr D
Comments
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Love the video...hitting bombs to all fields on pitch locations all over the plate...breaking balls, fastballs, change-ups...
Looks like a hitter to me.
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He has that easy power you see sometimes off of the bigger guys. Like hitting it over the fence just isn't a big deal.
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Doc,
I hadn't read your post beond the video link. I saw the first homer (on a "plump" pitch, to say the least) and almost said, "That's enough! Get him!" The slide/ mini-pose on the back leg was pretty dang sexy, in and of itself. I already wanted the guy in camp. I had to watch it again to even realize he was facing a lefty who threw some bendy pitch right into his wheelhouse. Made no difference, it was Lee's move I loved.
On pitch two, I started to get a bit lusty. Kind of like the first time I met my wife. Where that pitch went and the easy "Let me swat it to CF" whack he took at it was more than pretty dang sexy, he was venturing into Lauren Bacall territory. And your tennis comparison was right on.
Then when he cleared everything out of the way and killed the third pitch, up and in, I dialed 1-800-FLOWERS and sent him some roses, along with some kimchi. Will let you know how the relationship progresses.
I didn't watch any more of the video. Didn't need to. How could I dance with another, when I saw him standing there? With apologies to the guys from Liverpool, of course.
I should do this, but lack the time this morning: But which bonking, big bodied, Japanese or Korean stars have totally failed in MLB? How many haven't?
This guy is a pretty fair bet to do some damage. Even at 33.
You would have to move Montero elsewhere if you keep Lee, of course. Montero is out of options. Are you all done with him? That may be a tough call. But for the few gabillion yuan it would take to get him here and see what ST might bring, I'm in. He's a much better bet than Gaby Sanchez, I think. One problem is that the M's would hope to get him on the cheap....and there are other teams who might play that game, as well.
$1 = 1,209 yuan this morning, btw.
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You had me laughing out loud on pitch two and shaking my head at pitch three. :: ah, man ::
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If they did somehow reel in Lee then they'd have a surplus asset there. We're all assuming that Montero's trade value is through the floor, which it may be. But I wouldn't rule out the possibility of another club being intrigued enough to send us something quite interesting, though not an immediate impact on the 25-man. Perhaps a Boog Powell / Evan Scribner type.
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should shrink Safeco substantially. The Tapemeasure Twins.
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Over a month ago at this very site I brought up the acquision of Bob/Bubba/Mr. Lee as he had shown up at the winter meetings.
Then news coverage went down like a submarine both in the U.S. and in Asia.
Three weeks ago Pittsburgh was mentioned as a destination. No follow-up.
Two weeks ago he (or his agent) said if he can't get a decent contract he's going back to play in Japan.
But, repeatedly, he has said the bigs have been his dream for a long time, and his time is running quickly.
He is the perfect companion for Lind at 1B, and for the Asian faction as buttzz in the seattzz and headlines for Nintendo in Japan.
Makes all the sense that the M's would be in on him ... unless DePoet and staff REALLY BELIEVE in Montero.
So, give Dae-Ho Lee, or Lee Dae-Ho, take your pick, an incentive laden with option contract with a base high enough to save face. C'mon, Gabby Sanchez and Gabby Hayes ain't nothing but sidesaddles.
And it is difficult to believe how a guy this large can move like a bear as a ballerina.
It's more than "The Way I Swing", with tribute to Mr. Griffey Junior as a rapper.
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I couldn't quite make out that first pitchers name on his jersey. was it "Takedeep"?
But if things go the way we'd hope at that point it seems you're pushing on trading Montero who is the best young potential at the position currently, to get. ..a 2 year younger Cruz who can't play the OF at all? Or you're trading Cruz and his decent ability to play the OF to get 2 years younger. You can't trade Lind out of that, having just signed him. So what's the offer for Cruz that you're ready to move on? Otherwise I don't see the fit.
Istill have hope that Montero can secure the 1b position for a few years at least and this situation seems right for him to do so. Cruz (sometime OF) and Lind seem very good partners for Montero to get enough opportunities. Montero starting vs LHSP and PH vs LHRP (potentially just a plus bat off the bench later this year regardless of pitchers side) plus Lind on the bench when Montero gets the start vs LHSP to ph vs RHRP is a situation that puts them both in better situations to excel.
As much as I like the idea of Lee DH (how cool does that look on his jersey?), the 5-10 year period where he would have been a no-brainer addition ended with the acquisition of Lind. 2005 combination of Sexson/Ibanez 1b/DH was the first year looking back that I had trouble saying, "Yup, over him...". He could have even fit into that team so maybe the last year of Edgar/Olerud is the first time before now I'd have more trouble seeing a playing time fit, all things considered. Although hindsight would suggest, "Yup, over Olerud."
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On a POTD like this we are just posting a stub for roundtable, which you delivered. Gracias.
Whether you'd actually prefer Lee over Jesus Montero I dunno. It'd be fun, though, and like Billy Zoom sez the marketing doesn't exactly argue against it :- )
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if you signed Lee to a MLB contract you would have to move a body off the 40-Man. I would prefer it not be Montero at this point, really. Hedgin my bets, you understand. Although, as we sit right now, you could almost see Montero and Romero bashing it out for that final 25-Man spot. Is Romero any worse of a fallback position than Montero, really?
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Best case, the import proves this year he can hit MLB pitching, and becomes our regular next year--at age 34. And Montero disappears in the process.
Montero is 26. In a 'flop' of a career to date, he's 292/341/429 against lefties. Are we sure the new guy could match that?
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What a blast watching him. Somebody sign him.
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I see on HR #12 (4:58) we get a congratulatory 'cheers' from a fan fav on the looonnng flight of the ball. He likes the signing.
Hey, this Dipoto guy will not be satisified...and I like it. If you see an opportunity to make the M's better, take it. Somewhere, down deep in 'the pile', a bunch of people just went huuuuuuuuuuuuu. :)
Spring training has some interesting battles lining up. Now lets hope this guy doesn't get Petagine'd.
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As usual, I get my 'hard' Mariners news off the SSI website :- )