Comments on: Top 40 VORP: Steve Braun http://stickandballguy.com/blog/2007/01/11/top-40-vorp-steve-braun/ Your Daily Source for Half-Baked Crap Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:23:05 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Miller Man http://stickandballguy.com/blog/2007/01/11/top-40-vorp-steve-braun/#comment-36293 Miller Man Mon, 15 Jan 2007 17:30:27 +0000 http://stickandballguy.com/blog/2007/01/11/top-40-vorp-steve-braun/#comment-36293 I enjoy reading about the Twins from the '70s. That's when I first started following the Twins. My buddies & I would bike to the Met to watch practice since we only lived 3 miles from the stadium. We'd sneak into the Met and go to the outfield seats and get as many "homeruns" as we wanted during their batting practices. And I too was one that would get Braun & Brye confused. Keep up the great work, SBG! I enjoy reading about the Twins from the '70s. That's when I first started following the Twins. My buddies & I would bike to the Met to watch practice since we only lived 3 miles from the stadium. We'd sneak into the Met and go to the outfield seats and get as many "homeruns" as we wanted during their batting practices.

And I too was one that would get Braun & Brye confused.

Keep up the great work, SBG!

]]> By: SBG http://stickandballguy.com/blog/2007/01/11/top-40-vorp-steve-braun/#comment-36012 SBG Fri, 12 Jan 2007 17:25:47 +0000 http://stickandballguy.com/blog/2007/01/11/top-40-vorp-steve-braun/#comment-36012 I intended to point out that Gleeman had Braun 35th in his list. I don't know how much interest there is in guys like Braun in Twins fandom. Probably not a lot. Part of the reason I haven't moved on the list in a while is because, no offense, Steve, I really didn't want to spend the time to chronicle his career (add to that the fact that searches provide very little data). The list will get a whole more interesting shortly. I intended to point out that Gleeman had Braun 35th in his list.

I don't know how much interest there is in guys like Braun in Twins fandom. Probably not a lot. Part of the reason I haven't moved on the list in a while is because, no offense, Steve, I really didn't want to spend the time to chronicle his career (add to that the fact that searches provide very little data). The list will get a whole more interesting shortly.

]]> By: brianS http://stickandballguy.com/blog/2007/01/11/top-40-vorp-steve-braun/#comment-36010 brianS Fri, 12 Jan 2007 17:08:12 +0000 http://stickandballguy.com/blog/2007/01/11/top-40-vorp-steve-braun/#comment-36010 Seems to me that Braun didn't get the playing time he probably deserved, perhaps in part because the value of OBP was not fully appreciated. But then (see below), maybe it had more to do with platoon splits. Eric Soderholm at 3b and Braun in the OF probably made more sense than Braun at 3b and Jim Holt/Bobby Darwin in the OF. Too bad the Twins let Soderholm escape to the BitchSox via free agency (a year or two too soon). Braun wasn't going to get playing time ahead of Larry Hisle, Lyman Bostock or (small gulp) Danny Ford in the OF. He <i>probably</i> should have gotten more PA at DH in front of the hobbled Tony O, but that would have been awfully difficult to do at home. And he wasn't going to get the DH gig in front of Kusick in 1976 after Carew moved to 1b. The Mariners grabbed Braun in the expansion draft in November 1976. After a hot April, 1977 with the Mariners earned him the starting LF position, he absolutely stank the rest of the year. Braun was a classic platoon guy. He hit a respectable 279/383/378 against righties but only 238/317/318 against lefties for his career. I suppose that, as much as anything else, limited his career opportunities. A low-power, high OBP guy who can't get on base against lefties isn't much good in those situations (duh-uh). Seems to me that Braun didn't get the playing time he probably deserved, perhaps in part because the value of OBP was not fully appreciated. But then (see below), maybe it had more to do with platoon splits.

Eric Soderholm at 3b and Braun in the OF probably made more sense than Braun at 3b and Jim Holt/Bobby Darwin in the OF. Too bad the Twins let Soderholm escape to the BitchSox via free agency (a year or two too soon).

Braun wasn't going to get playing time ahead of Larry Hisle, Lyman Bostock or (small gulp) Danny Ford in the OF. He probably should have gotten more PA at DH in front of the hobbled Tony O, but that would have been awfully difficult to do at home. And he wasn't going to get the DH gig in front of Kusick in 1976 after Carew moved to 1b.

The Mariners grabbed Braun in the expansion draft in November 1976. After a hot April, 1977 with the Mariners earned him the starting LF position, he absolutely stank the rest of the year.

Braun was a classic platoon guy. He hit a respectable 279/383/378 against righties but only 238/317/318 against lefties for his career. I suppose that, as much as anything else, limited his career opportunities. A low-power, high OBP guy who can't get on base against lefties isn't much good in those situations (duh-uh).

]]> By: SBG http://stickandballguy.com/blog/2007/01/11/top-40-vorp-steve-braun/#comment-36001 SBG Fri, 12 Jan 2007 14:27:50 +0000 http://stickandballguy.com/blog/2007/01/11/top-40-vorp-steve-braun/#comment-36001 The Cuddyer reference was to his moving around the diamond. Plus, I think Cuddy will probably get 600 PAs next year unless he gets hurt. The Cuddyer reference was to his moving around the diamond. Plus, I think Cuddy will probably get 600 PAs next year unless he gets hurt.

]]> By: bjhess http://stickandballguy.com/blog/2007/01/11/top-40-vorp-steve-braun/#comment-36000 bjhess Fri, 12 Jan 2007 14:26:17 +0000 http://stickandballguy.com/blog/2007/01/11/top-40-vorp-steve-braun/#comment-36000 When I read the title I confused him with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd_Braun_%28Seinfeld%29" rel="nofollow">Lloyd Braun</a>. :) When I read the title I confused him with Lloyd Braun. Smile

]]> By: Rhubarb_Runner http://stickandballguy.com/blog/2007/01/11/top-40-vorp-steve-braun/#comment-35994 Rhubarb_Runner Fri, 12 Jan 2007 13:29:47 +0000 http://stickandballguy.com/blog/2007/01/11/top-40-vorp-steve-braun/#comment-35994 What little I remember of Steve Braun as a kid was that he had a pretty good eye at the plate (<strong>not</strong> like Cuddyer), and that we would confuse him with Steve Brye. What little I remember of Steve Braun as a kid was that he had a pretty good eye at the plate (not like Cuddyer), and that we would confuse him with Steve Brye.

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