04-20-2009, 12:12 PM
Good point savant, although it wasn't really a scouting thing, per se; Wilkerson just fell off a cliff, <i>completely</i>.
When it's in such a surprising fashion, you have to wonder if steroids were involved (although his main strength was getting on base...not the usual thing helped tremendously by bulking up).
It's pretty rare for a 28 year-old star to just completely stop hitting, ever again.
Also, if you look at Alf's career stats, they look like a reverse Bell curve. In his late 20's (usually a hitter's prime years), he had his two worst seasons. That's off-the-charts rare. Those were his only years in Texas, so you can see how they thought he wasn't that great. Like many ballplayers past and present, the trade shook him up, and he responded with an MVP-calibre year in Washington.
When it's in such a surprising fashion, you have to wonder if steroids were involved (although his main strength was getting on base...not the usual thing helped tremendously by bulking up).
It's pretty rare for a 28 year-old star to just completely stop hitting, ever again.
Also, if you look at Alf's career stats, they look like a reverse Bell curve. In his late 20's (usually a hitter's prime years), he had his two worst seasons. That's off-the-charts rare. Those were his only years in Texas, so you can see how they thought he wasn't that great. Like many ballplayers past and present, the trade shook him up, and he responded with an MVP-calibre year in Washington.
There's nothing better than to realize that the good things about youth don't end with youth itself. It's a matter of realizing that life can be renewed every day you get out of bed without baggage. It's tough to get there, but it's better than the dark thoughts. -Lance