That’s when you see people assigning meaning to ST stats…at the extremes.

I’m sure that’s true. However, it doesn’t make it any more rational.

No, they aren’t. Just because they ratify one’s preconceived opinions on a player doesn’t mean they are any more meaningful. I’m sorry, but we can’t base sound opinions on meaningless stats.

I predict he will make one start before injuring himself.

even if we choose to agree that the ST stats mean nothing in terms of the players’ true performance during the ensuing season, we know that the players ARE being evaluated to some level on those stats by the home team. Aren’t they? So, the makeup of the opening day roster is influenced by them.

I think the players are more evaluated in a tools-based scouting way than by A-game stats. These guys are playing everyday in workouts, A-games, B-games, simulated games, and minor league games. There’s no reason to just look at A-game stats for all of the reasons I’ve discussed. I think they are evaluated on how good they have been in recent history and how they look this spring (pitch recognition, bat speed, foot speed, stuff, control, etc.).

Also, even if these stats were important to how the FO and manager evaluates the players (and I don’t think they are), then they would be relevant to predicting who will be on the roster and in which roles, not how worried or excited we should be about their 2009 seasons.

I like the impressionistic posts, keep them up, everyone

I wasn’t referring to anyone’s subjective scouting opinion from having seen these guys play in spring training (either on TV or in person). I like hearing about how a player is “looking” in spring training. It isn’t going to radically change my opinion of a player, but it is interesting. I’m talking about people talking about and worrying over ST stats. I’ve read several comments in which people first say that ST stats are meaningless and then go on to express varying degrees of concern about a player or players because of his ST stats. It’s like someone saying that he doesn’t believe in astrology but he’s worried because somebody ran the 2009 Royals astrological charts and found them all to be in a down cycle with their moon in Capricorn.

He does talk about how having a lefty starter would be really good in the AL Central. Often, of course, the quote is something like: “You need your best five starters in the rotation, but you’d really like to have at least one lefty starter, particularly in this division.” What exactly that means with regard to how highly he values a LHP in the rotation is up for interpretation.

Or was that Livan? Or both? It was extremely depressing.

the question was who i think it will be

Yes I think you might be onto something there. I guess I still think we’d simply be better off pitching our 5 bestest pitchers whether they be all lefties, all righties, or whatever.