12-16-2008, 11:19 PM
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->If people would shut up about him, I'd be like, "Yeah, unbelievable power and gets on base a ton. Nice combo. He strikes out way too much, doesn't really enjoy playing the game, will struggle against good pitching, and is a train wreck in the outfield, but he'd be a very good addition to most lineups, especially for those looking for power." But yeah, he's an awful, awful fit for our team.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Not to pick on my good buddy Clappie, but let's go over his points about Dunn, one-by-one:
1. Unbelievable power and gets on base a ton. Nice combo. (it's a spectacular combo, perhaps the absolute best combo a baseball player can have)
2. He strikes out way too much. (95% irrelevant, because strikeouts have EXACTLY the same effect on scoring as a regular out does most of the time. Occasionally it's worse (like with a fast runner on 3rd and less than 2 outs) occasionally it's <i>better</i> (as Butch pointed out, double-play balls are game-killers), but usually, an out is an out.
3. doesn't really enjoy playing the game (totally and completely irrelevant.)
4. will struggle against good pitching (so has every hitter in baseball history. Hank Aaron played in about 24 All-Star games and hit about .180 in them. Ted Williams hit .200 in the World Series. And those guys were magnificent hitters, much better than Dunn. But I haven't seen anyone present a stat that says Dunn performs any better or worse against anyone...it's all been complete conjecture.)
5. and is a train wreck in the outfield (well, I can't argue with that. Although in 2008, he had his best year fielding of the past 4 years, significantly better than in previous years. Was it a real change, or was he just ratcheting things up in a contract year? I can't say, but his trajectory is at least going in the right direction.)
6. but he'd be a very good addition to most lineups, especially for those looking for power. (Uh...what team, including the 1927 Yankees, wouldn't benefit from a guy who's a lock for 40 homers and a .385 OBP? Maybe the Red Sox, who are set at DH, 1B and both corner OF spots wouldn't need him, but he'd be a blessing to most any other team.)
7. But yeah, he's an awful, awful fit for <b>our</b> team. (he'd be a splendid fit for the Cubs. Not perfect, I admit. But our lineup would definitely score more runs, <i>many</i> more than his mediocre defense would give up).
There...now it reads much better. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif[/img]
Not to pick on my good buddy Clappie, but let's go over his points about Dunn, one-by-one:
1. Unbelievable power and gets on base a ton. Nice combo. (it's a spectacular combo, perhaps the absolute best combo a baseball player can have)
2. He strikes out way too much. (95% irrelevant, because strikeouts have EXACTLY the same effect on scoring as a regular out does most of the time. Occasionally it's worse (like with a fast runner on 3rd and less than 2 outs) occasionally it's <i>better</i> (as Butch pointed out, double-play balls are game-killers), but usually, an out is an out.
3. doesn't really enjoy playing the game (totally and completely irrelevant.)
4. will struggle against good pitching (so has every hitter in baseball history. Hank Aaron played in about 24 All-Star games and hit about .180 in them. Ted Williams hit .200 in the World Series. And those guys were magnificent hitters, much better than Dunn. But I haven't seen anyone present a stat that says Dunn performs any better or worse against anyone...it's all been complete conjecture.)
5. and is a train wreck in the outfield (well, I can't argue with that. Although in 2008, he had his best year fielding of the past 4 years, significantly better than in previous years. Was it a real change, or was he just ratcheting things up in a contract year? I can't say, but his trajectory is at least going in the right direction.)
6. but he'd be a very good addition to most lineups, especially for those looking for power. (Uh...what team, including the 1927 Yankees, wouldn't benefit from a guy who's a lock for 40 homers and a .385 OBP? Maybe the Red Sox, who are set at DH, 1B and both corner OF spots wouldn't need him, but he'd be a blessing to most any other team.)
7. But yeah, he's an awful, awful fit for <b>our</b> team. (he'd be a splendid fit for the Cubs. Not perfect, I admit. But our lineup would definitely score more runs, <i>many</i> more than his mediocre defense would give up).
There...now it reads much better. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif[/img]
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