Friday, February 04, 2011
Vladimir Guerrero is an Oriole
Posted by Ben PritchettVladimir Guerrero has signed a one-year, $8 million contract with the Orioles of Baltimore. According to Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes, the deal includes performance incentives and is still pending a physical.
The Orioles have loaded up on practically every power-hitting free swinger available to them on the free agent market this offseason. The question is where Guerrero will fit into a lineup that has already added Derrek Lee and Mark Reynolds this winter. With Nick Markakis in right and Adam Jones in center, Vlad’s playing destiny will most likely be in left field or as the designated hitter in Luke Scott’s stead.
If you can’t beat ‘em, sign them for $8 million. Guerrero has enjoyed more success against Baltimore than any other team in baseball. Over the last three years, he has nine homers and 30 RBIs in 98 at-bats against the Birds. Both of those numbers were the most Vlad had against any team. He’s no slouch at Camden Yards, either; he’s hit .389 there from 2008 to 2010.
Will Guerrero make the Orioles better? After shattering expectations for him in Texas, Guerrero came back to reality in the second half (.270 average/11 homers/ 45 RBI). He’s no spring chicken, either (he'll turn 36 Wednesday), so assuming he’ll replicate last year's 643 plate appearances in 2011 is being way too optimistic. His production is real, and the Orioles will give Vlad some good players to get on base in front of him. But living by “the three run homer” philosophy isn't always the best strategy, and the Orioles pitching is not ready to compete in the AL East. One must wonder if all these moves are a vain attempt to appease a fan base that is desperate for the days of Cal Ripken
Fantasy impact: Vladimir Guerrero: .288 BA/ 24 HR/ 93 RBI/ 76 R/ 3 SB. Of all the places Vladimir could have landed, Baltimore seems like the best fit. They’ll let him swing until he can swing no more, and who knows, Vlad might surprise again in 2011.
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Not quite sold on the fact that Vlad wont get the same number of at-bats. There is no logic to assume he won’t bat the same number of times or any reason to believe his at-bats will fall off. There is no relation to at bats and aging one year. He showed no sign of falling off, and I think claims that he will are based on hot-air predictions. If You are going to make the point that he mashes at camden yards, why would you go on to make a point to devalue his contribution by saying his numbers will fall off? His age? Some injury we dont know about? Is there a relation to at-bats and aging from 35 to 36? Yes, people who get older tend to not produce as much, but given his DH position, why would you assume he wouldn’t be able to fulfill a complete season? If you are going to make a point about his contribution then do so, dont speculate that he might or might not do what he did in the past. You can do that about every player in MLB.