November 8, 2009
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John Barten Brian Borawski Craig Brown Evan Brunell David Gassko Jonathan Hale Brandon Isleib Chris Jaffe Max Marchi Bruce Markusen Harry Pavlidis Jeff Sackmann Dave Studeman Steve Treder Bryan Tsao Tuck! Dan Turkenkopf Colin Wyers Geoff Young John Brattain And here's the full roster.
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Baby Picturesby John BrattainNovember 03, 2006 When I was moving last spring I found a blast from my past in my attic. At first blush it seems unremarkable. It’s the 1994 Baseball Almanac. What makes it fun is that it contains write-ups of prospects. Naturally some of these prospects have since become stars, superstars, or future Hall-of-Famers. How were they regarded ‘back in the day’? At the moment I found it I thought it would be fun during the offseason when I'm suffering from writer’s block or chronic procrastination (such as this week) to see how various prognosticators viewed today’s elite. So without further ado, this week’s foursome: Bobby Abreu, Edgardo Alfonzo, Chris Carpenter and Johnny Damon…
I’d say Abreu exceeded expectations. The article suggested “some power,” and we were told not to expect “dominating power;” however his career OPS+ is a fine 137 and he has blasted over 200 home runs. Granted he isn’t “a burner,” but 271 bases is 13th among active players. Although he wasn’t projected as much of a fielder “left field might be pressing it,” he does own a Gold Glove as a right fielder. The summation “Clubs can always use a reliable left-handed bat, and Abreu has enough tools to fill into a ball club as long as he hits” was clearly left in the dust by Abreu.
I’d say for the most part they nailed this one. Fonzie enjoyed OPS+ seasons of 120, 127, 150 and 130 between 1997 and 2002. During that span only Jeff Kent was measurably better offensively in the National League among second sackers. (Craig Biggio was slightly better.) Considering that Biggio and Kent are likely Hall-of-Famers I’d say he ‘dominated at the plate’—for a time anyway.
Oh what could’ve been: 49-50, 4.83 ERA in Toronto and was released in 2002. The Cardinals took a chance and signed him. He sat out all of 2003 and has starting in 2004: went 51-18, 3.10 ERA, won a Cy Young, will get serious consideration for second, and he has a World Series ring. For the most part this was spot on except for two points: One, they said he couldn’t race through the system, but he made the varsity in his fourth year of pro ball which is pretty good. Second, he fulfilled his promise in St. Louis, not Toronto (throws up, throws chair, throws cat, throws tantrum).
This one is a bit of an enigma. On the one hand Damon has had a fine career. Since 1999 he has been a well above league-average hitter every year but two; when you’re playing a key defensive position, that’s very valuable. Damon has 361 doubles, 85 triples, 154 home runs, and 306 stolen bases in fewer than 7000 at-bats. He’s been on five postseason teams with three different clubs and was a major reason the Red Sox broke their long World Series drought in 2004. Damon is third among active players in triples. On the other hand, the blurb also noted: “can't let hoopla hurt him.” There was a lot of hoopla around Damon at this time. He was being touted as the second coming of George Brett as a hitter by some. Obviously that’s a pretty high bar to set for anyone, even the erstwhile Son of God. A 104 OPS+ over 6770 AB is a far cry from Brett’s 135 OPS+ over 10,349 AB. Still for the most part I’d say they pegged Damon pretty well. So I’d give the writers an A-. They:
Our good friend, and THT stalwart, John Brattain passed away on March 24, 2009. John was a prolific writer, whose work can also be read at Sympatico/MSN Sports and Baseball Digest Daily. John's work was also featured at USA Today, MLBtalk, ESPN Insider, Baseball Prospectus, The Baseball Analysts and The Baseball Journals. Never afraid to express himself in any medium, he was also a frequent radio speaker. Commenting is not available in this weblog entry. Do you have a general question or comment for one of THT's writers? Send it in to our weekly mailbag We also welcome unsolicited op-ed pieces of approximately 500 words for consideration. We reserve the right to edit for length, clarity and consistency of style. Please include your whole name and location to be considered. If you have a comment about this specific article, please email the writer. Next Article: Business of Baseball Report>> <<Previous Article: Batted Balls in 2006 |
