Two motivations for this current poll set:

1) There's been a lot of very negative commentary recently about Koskie. Some seem ready to ignore Corey's career track record of very solid all around performance, focusing instead just on this current season with its more than usual amount of time lost to injury and a huge dropoff from established levels in his hitting ratios. The conclusion seems to be that Koskie is an albatross, a piece of toast to be discarded if at all possible. I think this is nuts, and I'm wondering if the sentiment is just coming from a vocal minority or if I'm the one out to lunch.

2) Using OBP & SLG & AB, one can come up with a rough estimate of Runs Created. Using ERA & IP, one can come up with a pretty good estimate of Runs Allowed. Do these for every member of a team and you've got yourself a crude Won-Lost estimate. If Bauxites find this to be an entertaining exercise, I'd like to run through the entire Blue Jay roster in the new year, generating a Box community projection for each player on the team and for how many games they'll win as a whole. CK is the test balloon, I'd like to hear if you're all interested in doing this.

This second part is partially inspired by John Sickels and his MinorLeagueBall.com blog, where he collects community projections on various young players.

Richard Griffin had a column that grabbed my interest this morning, suggesting that Ricciardi will attempt to deal Koskie back to the Twins, along with some cash and a prospect, for Morneau. Apparently, the Twins felt Koskie's absence in the clubhouse was a significant reason for their post-All Star Break malaise and realized they erred in not making a more serious attempt to retain him. Similarly, the Jays are regretting the decision to sign him now that he's blocking Aaron Hill at third, where the Jays evidently want him to play. I don't know if there's any fire to support Griffin's smoke, but it's interesting nonetheless.

I think Koskie is done. I was worried that he'd be done when the Jays signed him, and his play in '05 has done nothing to reassure me. If the Jays can move him for anything, they should leap at the chance.

Not mentioned in the Richard Griffin article or by Four Seamer is the fact that Morneau and Torii Hunter were in some kind of scrap last week Hunter said:

"Some of the things I just don't like in the clubhouse. I can't handle it. Some things are going to have to change. If it doesn't change, I don't want to be around that clubhouse. The young guys should respect the veterans. I'm talking about some guys, not all the guys".

So the clubhouse issues Mr. Griffin mentions appear to be well grounded. Perhaps there is something to this.

Morneau had the season from hell this year, during the offseason he had mono and pneumonia or something. Came late to camp and was completely out of shape. I think it was May and he was beaned in the head and suffered concussion. Then he hurt something else and then finally it was discovered he had bones spurs or chips in his elbow.

Presently he and the team are deciding whether he will under-go surgery to remove the chips.

After going .239 .304 .437 his value may never again be lower. Unless he does a Phelps of course.

Morneau also had chicken pox in the offseason, but even if turns into Phelps it would still be worth getting rid of Koskie if the twins are willing to take on most of his salary imo. I do believe he will get back 20-25hr and put together 1 or 2 good years, but is that really worth the 11 million or so he's due. Plus he only plays 120 games a year so you need a good 3b backup, and that backup wont be Hill. Not that the jays need the payroll flexability, but it never hurts any team to shed a bad contract.

The Jays this year scored on avg. almost 4.8 runs a game this year. The biggest offense, in Boston scored about another run a game. I think most fans here are having a knee jerk reaction by one run losses or whatever. "WE NEED A BAT!!!!" or two. What we need is what JP has done well, patiently improve the club all over. Upgrade at any point, but within reason. The Jays are in a much better to continue spread the distribution around.

I'm with Jonny, a lot of this Koskie bashing is unwarranted and ubsubstantiated.

You can use Pecota any way you want, in fact his blurb in BP this year states the following, "He's relatively athletic, which encourages PECOTA to see a lot of potential for bounceback."

In terms of injury, I think concern is somewhat legitimate, He plays the game hard and injury may be a by product of such an attitude. Still, his main injury in 2005 was the result of a fluke and not a chronic malady. If your going to call Koskie injury prone, you'd have to hang Halladay with the same moniker given his history of ailments.

My own view of Koskie is that he should be more strictly platooned at this stage of his career. He's always had huge L/R hitting splits. In 2005 he again struggled with left handed hurlers, maintaining a .581 OPS vs. a rather solid .802 OPS against righties. His 3 year(2002-2004) splits show this to be no short term anomaly, hitting lefties at a .647 OPS/and righties a .892 OPS. I'd use him like they use the Cat , although I'd probably keep him in defensively late in the game if the team had the lead.

I'm giving the guy a mulligan this year for the hand injury. I see know evidence of a precipitious decline.

These polls will be coming down shortly, so for the record here is the consensus:

424 AB (90 votes)
.349 OBP (73 votes)
.443 SLG (80 votes)

Why the vote totals aren't virtually identical is a mystery.