Woot!!! No traffic Saturday!!! Time to break out with the esoteric pointy-head intellectual numbers that would normally drive off my base!
Alright, some food for thought: Ian Stewart currently has a higher VORP (18.4) in 191 PA's at third base than any other third baseman in the division, including what Garrett Atkins gave the team in 539 PA's at third (16.6). Stewart's EQA of .317 is .020 points higher than the .297 EQA his 90th percentile projection saw him have at the most optimistic reach for this season. So correct me if I'm wrong, but there are a couple of conclusions we can draw from this:
1. Stewart is a much better player than the numbers were thinking he'd be
AND
2. Stewart is incredibly lucky this season and is destined for a Tulo-esque nosedive in 2009.
I think it should probably be pretty clear at this point that it's a combination of the two and not an either/or proposition, but the question is where in that spectrum he's actually at, and how far will he come to earth in 2009?
Other notes: Braves sign Rodrigo to minor league contract with 2009 option. This actually bums me out. I'd much ratehr suffer through Rodrigo's rehab right now than Livan's denouement.
Could Holliday go to the Phils this winter after a Howard trade? We haven't seen the media trying to devalue Holliday yet, as this Rosenthal article implies a healthy multi-player haul still, which is good even if the particular trade premise proposed is a little too complicated and needs too much to fall in line to be considered realistic at this point. I wouldn't take specific rumors seriously until after Thanksgiving, but do keep an eye on the basic parameters being mentioned.