Quote:
Originally Posted by mstupp
LaRoche only has 93 MLB AB's which is too small a sample size to draw any conclusions. Pedroia batted .191 last year in 89 AB's.
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Exactly. Some players just take a year or so to get acclimated to the league - look at Pedroia, Hanley Ramirez, Grady Sizemore, Kevin Youkilis, Nick Swisher. Not all players are Jacoby Ellsbury or 1998's Nomar Garciaparra and are just outstanding right out of the gate. That being said, I wouldn't be shocked if Ellsbury's 08 was a letdown and then he ended up having an all-star 09. Of course, I won't be surprised if he ends up winning ROY next year...
I will be so relieved once A-Rod signs with NY. I hated the idea of "the Lipglossed One" in Boston red-white-and-blue. It's a weird situation when nobody wants the best player in baseball on their team, but the track record is showing that he's simply not a winner. He will never come up big in the style of Jeter, Ortiz, Damon, Guerrero, Holliday - or Reggie Jackson, for that matter, the obvious contrast - et al.
One of my close friends is a hard-core Yankee fan - he is flat-out obsessed with baseball. This time of year, football isn't even on his radar, he's all Hot Stove (although the Celtics are piquing his interest...). Well, he's one of these Yankee fans that is all soft and gooey for the stars of 10 years ago - Mariano, Jeter, Bernie, Posada. He's the kind of fan who thinks Posada's (4 years at $52 mil) and Mariano's (3 years at $45 mil) are GOOD deals because, hey, they are Posada and Mariano! Never mind that Mariano is showing serious signs of decline and Posada is a year away from turning into... well, Jason Varitek. Anyhow, this Yankee fan, who HATES A-Rod, came up with an interesting scenario: NY signs A-Rod and then they turn around and trade him to Florida for Cabrera and pitching. It would be funny, but Florida is a notorious salary-dumper, much like Oakland but a bit more extreme with their tendencies to blow up a roster and rebuild from scratch. No, the best player in baseball is remaining a Yankee. What a relief!