Montz+LeFave

[PANatsFan]

Interesting.  From the player perspective, Montz is worth a lot more as a catcher, since a good hitting catcher is an average hitting 1B at best.  Catcher's obviously a much more demanding position defensively, and Montz seems to be a very good defensive catcher.  I don't see 1b at all.

Right now, today, we sure could use him, especially since Belliard hurt his special area. If he can hit major league pitching, he could beat out Casto for next year and stick with the big club.

[PANatsFan]

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/nationalsjournal/2008/09/belliard_likely_done_for_seaso.html

My 1B obsession quest will have to continue I think that Casto and Montz would be cheaper than Boone next year, and under control a hell of a lot olonger.

[sportsfan882]

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/nationalsjournal/2008/09/belliard_likely_done_for_seaso.html

My 1B obsession quest will have to continue I think that Casto and Montz would be cheaper than Boone next year, and under control a hell of a lot olonger.

Damn, that sucks. He was one of our hottest hitters.

[wisefan11]

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/nationalsjournal/2008/09/belliard_likely_done_for_seaso.html

I think that Casto and Montz would be cheaper than Boone next year, and under control a hell of a lot longer.

You're not seriously suggesting we use Casto and/or Montz as our 1B next year, are you? Debbi Taylor would give us a better chance of winning (she would induce nausea and vomiting as any batter entered her radius of hideosity.)

[PANatsFan]

You're not seriously suggesting we use Casto and/or Montz as our 1B next year, are you? Debbi Taylor would give us a better chance of winning (she would induce nausea and vomiting as any batter entered her radius of hideosity.)

Bench utility guy.

[BBQ]

Interesting.  From the player perspective, Montz is worth a lot more as a catcher, since a good hitting catcher is an average hitting 1B at best.  Catcher's obviously a much more demanding position defensively, and Montz seems to be a very good defensive catcher.  I don't see 1b at all.

If he is gonna play first base he has way less value.

[wisefan11]

Bench utility guy.

Dmitri and Nick are both making $5mm next season, and it's going to be practically impossible to unload their contracts.

[BBQ]

it's going to

have to

  happen

to

winning team

[mikehughes]

GLUE

[daveb32]

GLUE

QFT

[agent39]

Been a while since I posted here. I still represent Montz, Adrian Nieto and I have since signed JR Higley.  My blog is still alive and well and recently I was hired by Baseball Prospectus to be a columnist. Just wanted to inform everyone I am still quite accessible and if anyone has any questions I answer all my pm's and emails. Also as an FYI Andrew LeFave retired and Luke Montz has signed with the Mets.

hope all is well

J

http://39ontheline.blogspot.com/

JoshuaKusnick@aol.com

[tomterp]

Been a while since I posted here. I still represent Montz, Adrian Nieto and I have since signed JR Higley.  My blog is still alive and well and recently I was hired by Baseball Prospectus to be a columnist. Just wanted to inform everyone I am still quite accessible and if anyone has any questions I answer all my pm's and emails. Also as an FYI Andrew LeFave retired and Luke Montz has signed with the Mets.

hope all is well

J

http://39ontheline.blogspot.com/

JoshuaKusnick@aol.com

Welcome back Joshua.  Remember, as our only known posting players' agent here in WNFF, you represent the entire genre in our eyes!

Any thoughts you'd care to share with us on Higley?  We'd love the agents' scouting report version.....

[agent39]

Higley plays at 200mph, an insanely intense competitor,runs well, great hitting instincts and is probably the best defensive OF in the system.

[PANatsFan]

Looking for a strong year from Adrian to give the Nats some breathing room at catcher.

[agent39]

Adrian will bounce back, he's worked hard this offseason

[tomterp]

Agent39's column has been posted on BP.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=10133

Crisis Management
by Josh Kusnick

Josh Kusnick is a Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based agent who will periodically write about his experiences representing professional baseball players and media personalities.

Everyone has an idea of what it is that I do. People have a perception of what all agents do. Some people think we're monsters ruining the purity of America's Past Time while others don’t know we exist. Just about everything valuable that I have learned in this business has come from good old-fashioned experience. There are certain things that I have learned by people teaching me directly while there are other things, valuable things, that I have been forced to learn on the fly. One example is crisis management. Unless you have advised someone in a major crisis situation, you wouldn't have any idea. This is not something you learn in school. It is something born from experience.

During the 2009 season, I had a client suspended for failing to comply with the minor-league drug testing program. This was not the first time this player was suspended for this offense and, from my perspective, this could potentially be an atomic bomb to his career. Fans rarely get to see the human impact of things like this but tend of primarily think about the impact they have on their favorite team. There are lives and families at stake, and as an agent, it is my responsibility to make sure that the family and the player are calmed no matter how bad the situation may seem. Think Phil Ivey pushing all in with 7/2 off suit at the final table at Binions. It's that serious, because a young man's career is at stake and, to some degree, so is mine.


continued.....

Josh, any objections to posting your whole article here?

BP has fairly liberal policies towards enforcing its copywrite rights.

[agent39]

I personally dont care, but IDK what the sites policies are

[agent39]

bump my older post...............



I run a blog as everyone knows and recently I was hired to write a monthly column over at baseball prospectus. I am currently taking topic suggestions via email for future columns. So if anyone has any ideas please contact me. Also, if anyone has any questions in general I respond to all my emails. Thanks for the help and good luck this year

J

JoshuaKusnick@aol.com
http://39ontheline.blogspot.com/

[tomterp]

I have a couple of thoughts.

First, from the Nats Journal:

All spring, it has been assumed the Nationals will keep Stephen Strasburg out of the majors until June both for reasons pertaining to his development and the business of baseball. By keeping Strasburg in the minors until June, the Nationals would pause the clock one year for when he becomes eligible for free agency. Rizzo shot down that notion.

"That has nothing to do with it," Rizzo said. "It's the development of the player, for the long-term success of him and for the franchise. Those things, when you're trying to win ballgames, they don't enter a general manager's mind. Believe me."

Rizzo’s strikes me as a load of BS.  GM's manage rosters within the rules of the CBA in order to balance long term desires for player control, with a need for maintaining a current competitive team on the field.  So it begs the question - just who are these GM's afraid of offending?  Their very short sighted fans, who want wins and want them now?  The players themselves, who seemingly never fail to be shocked at the criticism leveled against their performance in arbitration hearings?  Or is it the all powerful agents the GM’s really fear antagonizing, thinking that next time the player may be steered elsewhere?   

This whole avoiding of the subject seems such a transparent charade, as if players, fans, agents, and media are too simple to grasp the real factors at play.  I am not suggesting you comment on Rizzo’s comments specifically, but am using them to illustrate my contention that GM’s are often far less than forthcoming about their real motivations, but for reasons to me that seem rather silly. 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Next, I wonder how agents are able to deal with the conflicts of interest that arise when they represent multiple players who are legitimate candidates for the same open position.  This past offseason, Boras represented a number of outfielders (Damon, Holliday for two) who might have been marketed to the same team.  If I am Damon, for example, how am I being served by my agent marketing Holliday’s services to the team I want to sign with?  How can I be assured my agent’s goals and incentives are aligned with mine?