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Community Projections: Steve Kline

I'm on very limited time today, but it works out because there isn't too much to read into Steve Kline. He's a left-handed reliever, and, uh, you know, he'll do all the little things to help a ballclub win. He'll, uh, be brought in to face lefties, and perhaps give 110%.Or something. And we're all looking forward to it. Turning Jerome Williams into Steve Kline bothers me more than getting rid of Francisco Liriano and Joe Nathan for a decent catcher.

Steve Kline

G: 78
IP: 58
ERA: 3.45
K: 39
BB: 28

It's tough for a true lefty specialist to have a high ERA, because he isn't really going to be around to allow a whole mess of baserunners. He's not going to be given many chances to allow three straight hits or walks, so it would take a combination of Kline suckitude and repeated awful performances from the guy brought in after Kline to inflate the ERA much past 4.00. Kline has only had one year with an ERA above league average (2005), but it might be a bit hard to gauge his effectiveness with the typical stats. His Baseball Prospectus card doesn't look too much different, though.

Trivia: I always thought Kline was Australian until he joined the Giants.

More trivia: Kline is a switch-hitter.

Statement of fact: I hope I never have to see him hit.

0 recs  |  Comment 33 comments

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Re: Community Projections: Steve Kline
I thought you were Australian until we got Kline.

by dangjackson on Feb 22, 2006 3:42 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

Re: Community Projections: Steve Kline
Grant:

Your numbers look about right.  I agree that his ERA will be hard to pridict and really won't matter much.  What will matter but you left out is his WHIP.  You gave us his BBs but did not estimate the hits he would give up.  So, here is my estimate:

45 Hits and therefore a 1.26 WHIP.

 

by giantsrainman on Feb 22, 2006 3:56 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

Re: Community Projections: Steve Kline
Trivia that exists entirely in your head... I like it. Maybe you should have a trivia contest consisting entirely of "Which current Giant did I always think was Australian?" type questions. Winner gets a t-shirt and a restraining order.

G: 66
IP: 57
ERA: 3.69
K: 35
BB: 25

"Robb Nen is going to get you" - Benito Santiago to Chipper Jones, 10/7/02

by Pants Man on Feb 22, 2006 4:19 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

Re: Community Projections: Steve Kline
How many meltdowns?  I'm counting down until the meltdowns commence.

Kline's just another piece of, well, pass.  For all the injuries and age issues, the season hinges on two in particular:  Bonds' knee and Schmidt's comeback.  If both can even perform relatively well, the Giants should be in good shape.  Then again, we probably know this by now.  

(Can't tell you how ready I am to watch Barry play again.)

by Kent on Feb 22, 2006 5:18 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

Re: Community Projections: Steve Kline
I agree that this series of trades was worse than the nathan for aj trade. Especially since Hawkins is a much better pitcher than Kline, and I believe actually had better numbers against lefties than Kline had last year. I know Hawkins didn't get much love around here, but if he got a chance to pitch a full, healthy season as a set-up guy he would have been significantly more valuable this year than kline will be. Baseball prospectus has Hawkins weighted mean VORP at 8.9 for next year, Kline at 3.5, meaning Hawkins will be more than twice as valuable. Nice move Sabes...

Kline:

Games: 59
IP: 52
ERA: 3.97
Whip: 1.48
K: 31
BB: 25

My VORP is higher than your VORP.

by Poe on Feb 22, 2006 5:20 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

Re: Community Projections: Steve Kline
Oh, and Kline is 2 for 13 lifetime with the bat, including a double. He can mash, let's give him a try at first base.
My VORP is higher than your VORP.

by Poe on Feb 22, 2006 5:21 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Re: Community Projections: Steve Kline
Grant,
Why don't you want to see Kline Hit, huh?  Did you see the year he put up in 2003?  .500 .500 1.000  Those numbers are eye-popping!  Oh sure, go ahead and argue that he did that on just two ABs, but I'll tell you that you wouldn't know efficiency if it bit you on the butt.  And it was no fluke; in 2001 he went .500 .500 .500!

He got hosed in 2004 with zero ABs, but still managed to score a run.  The man (like George Micheal's butt) is a force to be reckoned with!

Goofus
Founder, GBKBITLEDM*

(*Get "Babe" Kline's Bat In The Lineup Every Day Movement)

www.waitingfortbg.com (under contstruction)

by Goofus on Feb 22, 2006 5:28 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

Re: Community Projections: Steve Kline
You know, I figure if a pitcher makes the effort to actually switch-hit, he probably has some idea of what to do at the plate. I almost didn't include the snarky comment.

Plus, Australian coaches tend to emphasize offense more than pitching.

by Grant on Feb 22, 2006 5:33 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Re: Community Projections: Steve Kline
If he's not Aussie, does that mean we have to stop calling him "Crocodile" Kline?

by EliminateMe on Feb 22, 2006 5:50 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Re: Community Projections: Steve Kline
I have no predictions for Steve Kline, but George Michael's lefty-specialist butt is going to have a mediocre spring, go on the DL (the down-low?) in June, and lose its job to Jack Taschner's washboard abs down the stretch. Still, you gotta have faith-uh faith-uh faith-uh.

G: 47
IP: 33
ERA: 4.23
K: 21
BB: 14

"Jefe, would you say I have a plethora of piñatas?" - El Guapo

by leftymalo on Feb 22, 2006 5:37 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

How can I put this delicately...
your comment is so homoerotic its ON FIRE. Does La Fancherita know?
there's no fun in fundamentalism

by kenshin1 on Feb 22, 2006 6:00 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Uhhh..
Perhaps we should leave the description of Jack's washboard abs to cirquegirl or giantscatcher. As for Kline, the only prediction of any real interest is how long it'll be before he gets into his first public shouting match. I'll go with June 2nd. I foresee the Klinemeister dancing his way right off the team by August, because, you know, guilty feet have got no rhythm.

by Lyle on Feb 23, 2006 5:22 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Re: How can I put this delicately...
actually it was a response to Goofus's first reference to George Michael's butt as a force to be reckoned with. It got me thinking: what if homoeroticized body parts became key elements of the Giants' 2006 bullpen? Given our city's demographics, it wouldn't be the worst marketing move.  
"Jefe, would you say I have a plethora of piñatas?" - El Guapo

by leftymalo on Feb 23, 2006 12:44 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I totally...
missed the first comment(and was kidding of course)

PS: I agree by the way.  Taschner has FABULOUS abs.

there's no fun in fundamentalism

by kenshin1 on Feb 23, 2006 1:17 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Re: How can I put this delicately...
For the record, my reference was a reference to Dana Carvey's George Micheal impression on SNL.  (All he did was talk about his butt.)
www.waitingfortbg.com (under contstruction)

by Goofus on Feb 26, 2006 6:35 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Re: Community Projections: Jerome Williams
Games: 31
Games started: 30
IP: 186
ERA: 4.01
K: 120
BB: 64
Wins: 14
Losses: 8
Saving countless runs with my defense

by lyricalkiller on Feb 22, 2006 5:45 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

Re: Community Projections: Steve Kline
Whatever magic potion Eyre found here in SF, I hope there's some left for Kline.

There are a lot of parallels; they're both lefties, the same age and have really goofy mannerisms. I'll predict an ERA of 3.05.

www.waitingfortbg.com (under contstruction)

by Goofus on Feb 22, 2006 5:52 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

Re: Community Projections: Steve Kline
Seriously!  Just give Kline some of Scott's Ritalin whether he needs it or not!

Moises can administer it urino-digitally if need be.

by dangjackson on Feb 22, 2006 7:11 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Re: Community Projections: Steve Kline
Don't take the exit of Williams so hard. I mean, he would have been awful expensive to re-sign after those couple of World Series titles he would have led us to. He had no long-term future with the Giants--be realistic!

All sarcasm aside, I was pissed for quite some time after the Jerome Williams trade. But I'm still bothered more by the Liriano/Nathan/Pierzinski trade. Sabean has already been proven famously and fabulously wrong for that one, and will even more for the next few years.

by Blake on Feb 22, 2006 6:52 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

Re: Community Projections: Steve Kline
Yeah, and the Atlanta fans should take their GM out and tar and feather him, after the Dan Kolb trade.  And Yankee fans should start car-pooling to Boston after the Kevin Brown fiasco.
  Give Sabean a break.  He rescued us from years of 3rd place teams, brings us, consistently, winners - all on a 3rd place budget.

by allfrank on Feb 22, 2006 8:42 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

Re: Community Projections: Steve Kline
c'mon: it doesn't get worse than joe nathan for pierzynski.

http://zachls.blogspot.com/

by zachls on Feb 22, 2006 10:33 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

Re: Community Projections: Steve Kline
Agreed.. Jerome is pretty insignificant compared to Nathan and Liriano. And at least the Giants still have something to show for the Jerome trade.

by mxmob33 on Feb 22, 2006 10:55 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Re: Community Projections: Steve Kline
I'll qualify it a bit.

At the time, the trade was:

Young reliever with great stuff and sketchy injury history coming off a suprise season.

Mid-level pitching prospect, still promising, but coming off a mediocre AA season.

Low-level pitching prospect with great stuff, but also with a crazy injury history.

for

Arguably one of the ten best offensive catchers in the game, at the time.

Whereas LaTroy for Jerome was:
Former all-world pitching prospect experiencing the first baseball-related struggles of his life.

First round pick falling out of grace.

for

An expensive setup man chased out of Chicago by a pitchfork-wielding mob.

I can't imagine a trade that turns out worse than the A.J. trade, but I will always maintain the Jerome trade looked worse the day it was made. Eventually flipping Hawkins for Kline just pours salt in the wound.
 

by Grant on Feb 22, 2006 11:01 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Re: Community Projections: Steve Kline
Agreed. At the time I thought that Sabean was "selling high" with Nathan... I didn't realize that Nathan hadn't reached his ceiling yet. Boof bothered me a little, but he seemed to be in line with the Bumps and Grillis that we had traded in the past without regret. There are a few brave souls here who claim that they lamented the loss of the injured Liriano right away... more power to 'em, but this clearly wasn't the prevailing opinion at the time. I didn't love the trade (Pierzynski was an above-average hitting catcher, but that didn't make him a particularly great hitter), and the botched arbitration process wasn't one of Sabean's highlights, but I never imagined that it would turn out this badly.

The Williams trade burned right from the beginning... Sabean sold VERY low on Williams... he essentially dumped him. The organization gave up on him, and even if they are proven correct in doing so, they vastly underestimated his trade value. They bought low on Hawkins... the Cubs would have been happy just to unload his contract. Hell, Aardsma straight up might have been enough to get the job done. Meanwhile, while our bullpen needed help, this trade was made at a time when Schmidt obviously wasn't right, Lowry was struggling, and Rueter was getting shelled. Twenty boring, consistent solid starts like the ones Williams gave the Cubs would have helped the Giants much more than any set-up man could have.

It was a bad trade for 2005, and for 2006, it left us with a $5M set-up man with a shaky reputation (who had to be packaged with cash to obtain a run-of-the-mill veteran lefty reliever) instead of a solid young starter with a high ceiling making less than $400K.

"Robb Nen is going to get you" - Benito Santiago to Chipper Jones, 10/7/02

by Pants Man on Feb 23, 2006 1:55 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Re: Community Projections: Steve Kline
How about Ryan Vogelsong and Armando Rios for journeyman OF and Jason Schmidt?  I thought that one was pretty lopsided.
Go Giants!!!

by Martin BiasedGiantsFanatic on Feb 23, 2006 9:36 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I don't think so
Schmidt would have been a FA after the season anyway. The AJ trade sent multiple good young players that the Twins control for multiple years for one shitty year of an asshole catcher. However, I thought Ellis Burks for Darryl Hamilton was pretty one sided.
I blame Tomko.

by The Balls of Summer on Feb 25, 2006 12:32 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Apropos of nothing...
My first entry in a Fark Photoshop contest, with the theme being how you'd spend $350M won in a PowerBall drawing:

Not very good, but I couldn't resist sharing....

by Grant on Feb 22, 2006 11:18 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

Re: Apropos of nothing...
At first glance, I thought John Candy had fallen, drunk, across Candlestick circa 1962. But upon closer inspection, it appears you're advocating a nuclear strike on Los Angeles. Get me Jack Bauer on the phone!
David
Sportszilla & the Jabber Jocks - KICKASS SPORTS WRITING

by David Arnott on Feb 23, 2006 1:26 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Re: Apropos of nothing...
Sorry, but Jack Bauer is not available at the moment.  Samwise Gamgee is trying to have him arrested, or something...

by Skaldheim on Feb 23, 2006 11:09 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Re: Apropos of nothing...
Thanks for the heads-up and the clarification. I'd heard rumors Rudy was somehow involved.
David
Sportszilla & the Jabber Jocks - KICKASS SPORTS WRITING

by David Arnott on Feb 23, 2006 12:38 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Re: Community Projections: Steve Kline
G: 71
IP: 59
ERA: 3.29
K: 34
BB: 25
HR: 6
W-L: 3-3
"Baseball is life, the rest is just details."

by nick on Feb 23, 2006 6:59 AM PST reply actions   0 recs

Re: Community Projections: Steve Kline
Obviously, I agree with you Grant.  I think a lot of the Sabean criticism is based on things wholly undredicted at the time.  I don't remember reading one word at the time of the trade that AJ was a head case and a poor teammate.  And I don't remember anything that would indicate that he would lead the universe in GIDP.
  I also agree the Hawkins trade seemed at the time to be a panic move to try to save the 05 season, which, looking back, couldn't have been saved.  Even with Nathan.
  I just think Sabean gets roughed up because he isn't perfect.  Imagine that.

by allfrank on Feb 23, 2006 12:48 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

Eine Kline Nachtsituationalpitcher
Eh.  But I had to get it in.
"When I think of how many times the Enemy has tried to kill Gary Busey..."

by multiphasic on Feb 23, 2006 3:36 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

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