Oh yeah, I have no opposition to keeping Cameron in CF. I’m just saying, if you’ve got those two, you could probably just flip a coin each day and make your decision that way. Or let them rochambeau for it.
Actually, an interesting idea might be to put them both in the corner slots. You may not actually need a centerfielder if you did that.
I certainly agree with this. Finley was a darn good CFer and a stand up guy. And he’s still a good centerfielder nowadays, he’s just not that much above average anymore.
I would agree and I can understand the bias. I’ll argue til I’m blue in the face that Ryne Sandberg is better than Joe Morgan even if the stats don’t necessarily back me up. Part of the fun of being a fan.
Your argument would have been much tougher to fight if Finley weren’t so old and likely to have the wheels fall off. Of course, 3 years from now Finley may have had a late career burst while Beltran blew out his knee and you could ultimately have been correct in your sentiments. Again, that’s what makes this fun.
4th on the Mets’ depth-chart in the OF is Victor Diaz, a good hitting rookie who will probably move into left as soon as Floyd goes down. He may even start the season in right field because Cameron’s on the DL through early May at least.
I’m not an expert on all the stats, but they were not just good for him - although I do know he had a career-best range factor - they were actually good. It was not a shocker of a pick.
Depends what measure you’re using. I assume you are using BP’s FRAA/FRAR numbers? I happened to be looking at Win Shares numbers yesterday and Jeter was ranked as superior to both Tejada and Guillen; only Cristian Guzman and Crosby was rated higher in the AL, and Crosby only by the slimmest of margins.
He wouldn’t have been my pick, but he was one of the better defensive shortstops in the league, so it’s not in any way the same as picking Palmiero for a position he barely played.
You’re right, they were pretty good, but certainly not great. Was he the best shortstop in the league defensively? Nope.
The numbers I’m about to quote you come in the form xx/yy, where xx = the number of runs saved above a replacement level (or AAAA) player, and where yy = the number of runs saved above the average shortstop. It uses a formula called “runs against” which is essentially range factor, but adjusted for park effects, the type of pitching staff, etc., etc.
Frankly, Tejada should have taken this by a landslide. Unfortunately, you’re right that it wasn’t a shocker that Jeter took the award, but not because Jeter actually came close to deserving it, it’s just that we all know by now how the Gold Glove awards work - and merit usually has only a bit to do with it.
That’s interesting… for who (not a name, but a position)? I’d keep Cameron because he isn’t making that much and will be a great defensive LF/RF, with a slightly above average bat (104 OPS+, IIRC).
As for Floyd’s backup, yeah Diaz may do it. McEwing (Super Joe!) is also someone who may take the job for a bit if Diaz needs a bit more seasoning (though he did have an impressive September call up this fall).
Meanwhile, somewhere in Tampa, Steinbrenner sits and plots. “The Mets are looking to trade Cameron? They need a first baseman! Cashman! Trade Giambi to the Mets for Cameron!”
$17m/yr is a lot of money for someone with Beltran’s offensive stats, but the contract value also reflects Beltran’s defensive position, his post-2004 image as a big-game player, and the expectation that, at his age (27), he has room for improvement. If over the next seven years he averaged .280/28/100, then the contract was too much. If, however, he continues to improve to the tune of .300/35/110 while playing good defense in centerfield, then this will look like a great deal.
An integral factor in this deal and the Mets’ reason for paying Beltran so much is that Omar Minaya is trying to tell the rest of the league and the players in it that the Mets are not in a rebuilding process but trying to compete right now, and signing the top free agent and top free agent pitcher (Martinez) says that. Also, Beltran’s Puerto Rican background is a significant factor, as NYC has a large hispanic population, cross-town rivals the Yanks have stars like Williams, Posada and Rivera, and Minaya, born in the Dominican Republic, is using his background as a draw to sign Latino stars that will lure Latino fans. That’s why Sammy Sosa and Carlos Delgado have also been discussed as Met acquisitions.
The money involved in this deal was only partly based on Beltran’s stats. What the Mets are really doing in signing Beltran, as they were in signing Pedro, is giving a new face to the team to replace that of aging star Piazza.
Are you sure about that? I do see that he had surgery and may not be back until late April. Anyway, they said may try to trade, so I don’t see why that contradicts the DL thing. It’s one of their featured Insider stories now. If I had that, I’d let you know what it says.
Maybe “may try to trade Cameron” means that when he comes off the DL, they’ll try to do a deal or something, but for now they’re just talking about it.
If I was the GM of a New York based team and you told me that for $17 million a year, you could give me a player and you could guarantee .2800/28/100 every year, seven years, with great D and baserunning, I’d just have to know where to sign. For a large market some things are worth more than they might be in small markets.
Would you pay that much for a 27-year-old Bernie Williams? Because his numbers from age 27 to age 34 are very similar, except with fewer stolen bases and a higher BA.
