“Since the worst player in the majors plays with more skill and grace than 99 of 100 people do anything at all, it feels rude and boorish to point out that someone has to be that worst player” writes the New York Sun’s Tim Marchman, who goes on to identify his Least Valuable Player of 2008 just the same. “To be really awful you need not just to be bad, but to be bad in many opportunities ” and, I would argue, bad to no purpose…as stupid as many fans take their team to be, not many clubs are dumb enough to waste hundreds of at bats to no end.” Please take note, ladies and gentlemen, Andruw Jones has compiled 205 at bats this season.
Twenty-four-year-old Atlanta outfielder Jeff Francoeur, for instance, is hitting .233/.293/.356. Should he be written off or not? The Braves did send him down to the minors earlier this year, and he’s shown exactly no improvement since. However much potential he may have, it isn’t showing up on the field, and at some point any playing time given him has to be said simply to have been wasted. The same might be said of Houston center fielder Michael Bourn, 25, who has the absolute worst OPS among players with 400 or more PA, at an appalling .583, and he’s an outrageously bad fielder. Are at bats given such players investments in youth, or just good money thrown after bad players? Presumably the last three weeks will tell, but given how atrocious both these two have been lately ” Bourn hit .137 in August before being moved up to the leadoff spot for the stretch run ” one tends to think it’s the latter.
For my money, though, the one player who seems to be nearing a lock on the title of the least valuable in baseball has to be Gary Matthews Jr. of the Los Angeles Angels. The players mentioned above, and others such as Oakland’s Jack Hannahan, are young enough that any at bat they’re given can be at least theoretically written off as an investment in the future. This is not so of the wretched Matthews, who’s 34, hitting .236/.314/.344 with at best passable defense, and raking in $9.4 million this year. He may be better at playing ball than most anyone you’ve ever met is at doing anything, but anyone who makes $9.4 million for hitting like Melky Cabrera and playing much worse defense certainly deserves an award of some sort.
Indeed, though the Signature Pharmacies loyalty card probably can’t be traded in for anything of value at this point — much like Matthews himself.
Isn’t this the same guy that wanted the Mets to cut Delgado in June?
from Marchman’s Sun column, 4/25/08 :
“No one else on the Mets roster or in their system is capable of playing first base full time while hitting at all respectably. (Neither Moises Alou nor Ryan Church has ever played a major league game at the position, for the curious.) Even if they were inclined to make a trade, it’s unclear how they could do so — the farm system is barren, and few teams are ever looking to do a New York team a solid. For the present, and likely the rest of the year, Delgado it is. One just hopes that the fans and even the writers keep in mind that baseball is hard. Don’t get down on the man: Even if it isn’t enough, he’s doing what he can.”
I think you’re mistaking Tim for another writer.
Eh…well he didn’t say they should cut him but he certainly insinuated that Delgado was officially done (from the same column- in late April, for christsakes):
“There is an argument to be made that Delgado isn’t done. Last year, he hit a disastrous .242 AVG/.305 OBA/.435 SLG in the first half, which inspired much wailing even if it didn’t inspire him to keep a watch over his shoulder for shadowy, Wilpon-funded hit men. And then he hit a respectable .285/.375/.469 the rest of the way. He might see a similar improvement this year, the line goes, and so he shouldn’t be considered toast.
I don’t buy this, for two reasons. The first is that, given Delgado’s atrocious defense and baserunning — he’s among the worst in the league in both areas — even that second-half performance is totally inadequate. Last year, National League first basemen hit .284/.365/.481. The second is that he’s not going to repeat it. Going into last night’s game, he was hitting .208/.303/.286, and while that will improve with time, it’s not the biggest possible exaggeration to say that it’s probably closer to his true abilities at this point than even a league-average batting line would be.”
well, other than questioning Marchman’s overall competency, I’m not sure what your point is. He was hardly alone in pointing out Delgado’s struggles during the first half of the season, yet took a reasoned stance against a) waiving the first baseman and b) booing him.
seriously, Andrew if you predicted Delgado was gonna resurrect his career in such dramatic fashion, I’d like to put you in charge of all of my business affairs. Or at least my gambling. But given that Marchman neither touted Carlos D. as the season’s LVP nor the MVP, I dunno what this has to do with anything. Unless you just think he’s fulla shit routinely.
I didn’t predict such a turnaround, but I also think it’s beyond stupid to hint/believe that someone is “done” in late April. But yeah, this has little to do with LVP, I was just wondering if this was the same guy. I will gladly handle your business affairs, be warned however I have a severe gambling problem with debts that need to be paid immediately.