The rumors are abuzz as we approach the MLB trade deadline. Many sources have said that the Kansas City Royals are very interested in trading one (or both) of Jeff Francoeur and Melky Cabrera.
The decision with Francoeur seems more straightforward for the Royals on its face. He is only under team control until the end of this current season. His peripheral stats are largely the same as they have always been, the one difference for him this season has been increased power output. Francoeur is going for extra bases at a rate similar to that of his second season in Atlanta when everybody thought he might be a breakout player for the Braves. Francoeur has demonstrated this type of power before, and has fallen off this level of power production before. Unfortunately, because Francoeur does not hit for a high average or take many walks, his value is pretty much entirely tied to his power output, which largely cannot be trusted at its current level. Especially when you consider that his production since the first month of the season has fallen off dramatically. As such the decision for KC is easy, with no team control and a player who is not all that valuable going forward, trade him for whatever you can get and move on.
Showing posts with label Andruw Jones. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Andruw Jones. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Friday, April 23, 2010
Andruw Jones Destorying Opposition
I have held off on posting this piece for as long as possible but after this, I'm no longer able to hold back.
Andruw Jones was left for dead. For good reason too, his career had taken a serious nose-dive over the past three seasons with his OPS plummeting from .894 in 2006 to .724 in 2007, his final with the Braves. Scott Boras somehow got the Dodgers to sink 36.2m into him.
For their 36 million dollars the Dodgers got 209 at-bats of a .505 OPS during 2008. Not quite what they had been hoping for. In 2009, they released him, eating the remainder of his contract and the Rangers signed him to a minor league deal. He had a solid season for them, hitting .85 at the friendly confines of the Ballpark in Arlington. He wasn't nearly as good away from home however, posting an OPS of just .705.
The Rangers obviously weren't impressed enough with him to ring him back, instead choosing to sign free agent Vladimir Guerrero. That's worked out extremely well for them so far. But what many in the national media seem to be missing, is just how phenomenally well it's worked out for Jones.
The trade of Jim Thome last season to, surprising, the Dodgers, opened a hole at DH for the White Sox. They decided to go with a committee approach, bringing in Mark Kotsay to split at-bats with Jones. The early season returns with Kotsay have been, um, underwhelming. But that's ok I suppose because Jones has been amazing. In just 41 at-bats Jones has lashed out a .293 average and six home runs for a 1.164 OPS. The latest blow being a bottom of the 9th blast to left that let the White Sox walk off against the visiting Mariners. Did I mention it was his birthday?
For a team in desperate need of offense - the White Sox have scored the 5th fewest runs in all of baseball before tonight game - Andruw has been a god send. The question that begs asking of course, is can it continue? Jones got off to a similarly hot start last year for the Rangers, posting an OPS of 1.304 in April before falling off in May and June, and then having a strong July. He then faded for the remainder of the season.
So has Jones turned a corner? Or is this simply another blip on the radar? It's tough to tell. Clearly some of the talent that made him such a star for so long still exists. But there have been issues for years with his legs and back, and their ability to hold up. If Jones can stay healthy, I'm tempted to say that he could continue to produce at a solid level for the White Sox. Not a 1.000 OPS+ level, but a .800 one perhaps.
Either way, the White Sox desperately need his bat right now to continue to try and tread water until their pitching gets back on track. The Sox aren't going to win because of Jones' bat, in 2009, but he can help to keep them from losing too.
Andruw Jones was left for dead. For good reason too, his career had taken a serious nose-dive over the past three seasons with his OPS plummeting from .894 in 2006 to .724 in 2007, his final with the Braves. Scott Boras somehow got the Dodgers to sink 36.2m into him.
For their 36 million dollars the Dodgers got 209 at-bats of a .505 OPS during 2008. Not quite what they had been hoping for. In 2009, they released him, eating the remainder of his contract and the Rangers signed him to a minor league deal. He had a solid season for them, hitting .85 at the friendly confines of the Ballpark in Arlington. He wasn't nearly as good away from home however, posting an OPS of just .705.
The Rangers obviously weren't impressed enough with him to ring him back, instead choosing to sign free agent Vladimir Guerrero. That's worked out extremely well for them so far. But what many in the national media seem to be missing, is just how phenomenally well it's worked out for Jones.
The trade of Jim Thome last season to, surprising, the Dodgers, opened a hole at DH for the White Sox. They decided to go with a committee approach, bringing in Mark Kotsay to split at-bats with Jones. The early season returns with Kotsay have been, um, underwhelming. But that's ok I suppose because Jones has been amazing. In just 41 at-bats Jones has lashed out a .293 average and six home runs for a 1.164 OPS. The latest blow being a bottom of the 9th blast to left that let the White Sox walk off against the visiting Mariners. Did I mention it was his birthday?
For a team in desperate need of offense - the White Sox have scored the 5th fewest runs in all of baseball before tonight game - Andruw has been a god send. The question that begs asking of course, is can it continue? Jones got off to a similarly hot start last year for the Rangers, posting an OPS of 1.304 in April before falling off in May and June, and then having a strong July. He then faded for the remainder of the season.
So has Jones turned a corner? Or is this simply another blip on the radar? It's tough to tell. Clearly some of the talent that made him such a star for so long still exists. But there have been issues for years with his legs and back, and their ability to hold up. If Jones can stay healthy, I'm tempted to say that he could continue to produce at a solid level for the White Sox. Not a 1.000 OPS+ level, but a .800 one perhaps.
Either way, the White Sox desperately need his bat right now to continue to try and tread water until their pitching gets back on track. The Sox aren't going to win because of Jones' bat, in 2009, but he can help to keep them from losing too.
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