Buster Posey is good. Real good. Real good especially because he plays a position that doesn’t often lend itself to offensive production, which just so happens to be what ol’ Buster does best.
Bengie Molina, well, he’s not so good. He’s old, slow, doesn’t throw all that well anymore, doesn’t hit all that well anymore (ignore the batting average for a moment and get with the new century), and the last time he saw a pitch he didn’t feel fit to swing at was when little brother Yadier was throwing to him in the backyard.
Molina also makes $5 million this year. Posey? Let’s just say he’s slightly under that.
The paying, and subsequently playing, of an older, unproductive, and expensive player is the thing that can show the ineptness of an organization quicker than anything else. The defending of such moves because of those pesky little things unseen (he’s a leader!)shows the real ignorance of generations past in how they view baseball and how they choose to construct a roster. It’s sad really.
Teams all over baseball do this. Well, not necessarily the winning teams. Funny how that works out.
The Royals do it. They signed and continue to play Scott Podsednik even though his already empty batting average is proven to be more the byproduct of an unreal, unsustainable, start to the season, rather than his talent.
The Cubs are doing it because they signed Bob Howry instead of bringing up either Jay Jackson or Andrew Cashner.
The Astros do it, although by not really blocking a well-known prospect, by electing to pay Pedro Feliz to play perfectly average defense and little else.
The Royals do it. (See a pattern with this franchise?) They signed Rick Ankiel which meant pushing a younger, better, cheaper player in Mitch Maier to the bench before Ankiel got hurt. Thankfully.
Why do teams do this? It must be something in the comfort of the name. Organizations that are strapped for money, or organizations that constantly lose, must feel like they can’t afford to not sign these guys. I mean, they’re names. Some are relatively big names. Not big names like Pujols, or A-Rod, or Mauer mind you, but big enough names that the fans know who they are. And thus, the organization knows who they are.
So I suppose that’s it. It’s the fear of the unknown in the young players. I would contest the fear shouldn’t be in the “what if Buster Posey doesn’t perform?” camp, but rather the “what if Bengie Molina performs exactly how he’s proven he’s going to?” camp.
The numbers can be pretty.
Molina hit 20 homeruns last year and drove in 80. He’s good!
Feliz had 82 RBI last year. What other third baseman on the market will give us that kind of production? He’s good!
Rick Ankiel used to be a pitcher. Now, he’s an outfielder! He’s good!
However each of these players when put in the correct context should only be seen as struggling to be average and nothing more. Unfortunately for the teams that employ them though, they are not paid like average players.
Molina has a .323 wOBA (an average wOBA is about .340) which would be a perfectly acceptable number from a catcher if he were making say, what Posey would be making, league minimum.
Feliz has a .548 OPS so far this year. .548! Let’s pause for a moment to let that number sink in. That’s bad. That’s phenomenally bad. It’s so bad in fact that the Astros are willingly paying him $4.5 million this season. Well, you say, that’s because he had a good year last year and they’re paying on past performance. Okay. Last season, Feliz had a .694 OPS. Yeah, that’s really bad too.
For some teams, and I suppose the Giants would consider themselves in this category, keeping a player down to hold back his service time which means delaying arbitration is a big issue. It could mean the difference between 2, 3, maybe even as much as 5 million dollars a few years down the round. That’s quite a lot of money that could be used on other good players to surround someone like Posey in a couple of years.
Then again, if Posey is the player everyone thinks he is, or at least the hitter everyone thinks he is, the difference between the playoffs and not for a franchise like San Francisco means a heck of a lot more than the possibility of $5 million three years from now.
‘Til next time.
Just think, if the Giants didn’t resign Molina in the first place, well heck, there’s that $5 million right there.Posey is good. Real good. Real good especially because he plays a position that doesn’t often lend itself to offensive production, which just so happens to be what ol’ Buster does best.
Bengie Molina, well, he’s not so good. He’s old, slow, doesn’t throw all that well anymore, doesn’t hit all that well anymore (ignore the batting average for a moment and get with the new century), and the last time he saw a pitch he didn’t feel fit to swing at was when little brother Yadier was throwing to him in the backyard.
Molina also makes $5 million this year. Posey? Let’s just say he’s slightly under that.
The paying, and subsequently playing, of an older, unproductive, and expensive player is the thing that can show the ineptness of an organization quicker than anything else. The defending of such moves because of those pesky little things unseen (he’s a leader!)shows the real ignorance of generations past in how they view baseball and how they choose to construct a roster. It’s sad really.
Teams all over baseball do this. Well, not necessarily the winning teams. Funny how that works out.
The Royals do it. They signed and continue to play Scott Podsednik even though his already empty batting average is proven to be more the byproduct of an unreal, unsustainable, start to the season, rather than his talent.
The Cubs are doing it because they signed Bob Howry instead of bringing up either Jay Jackson or Andrew Cashner.
The Astros do it, although by not really blocking a well-known prospect, by electing to pay Pedro Feliz to play perfectly average defense and little else.
The Royals do it. (See a pattern with this franchise?) They signed Rick Ankiel which meant pushing a younger, better, cheaper player in Mitch Maier to the bench before Ankiel got hurt. Thankfully.
Why do teams do this? It must be something in the comfort of the name. Organizations that are strapped for money, or organizations that constantly lose, must feel like they can’t afford to not sign these guys. I mean, they’re names. Some are relatively big names. Not big names like Pujols, or A-Rod, or Mauer mind you, but big enough names that the fans know who they are. And thus, the organization knows who they are.
So I suppose that’s it. It’s the fear of the unknown in the young players. I would contest the fear shouldn’t be in the “what if Buster Posey doesn’t perform?” camp, but rather the “what if Bengie Molina performs exactly how he’s proven he’s going to?” camp.
The numbers can be pretty.
Molina hit 20 homeruns last year and drove in 80. He’s good!
Feliz had 82 RBI last year. What other third baseman on the market will give us that kind of production? He’s good!
Rick Ankiel used to be a pitcher. Now, he’s an outfielder! He’s good!
However each of these players when put in the correct context should only be seen as struggling to be average and nothing more. Unfortunately for the teams that employ them though, they are not paid like average players.
Molina has a .323 wOBA (an average wOBA is about .340) which would be a perfectly acceptable number from a catcher if he were making say, what Posey would be making, league minimum.
Feliz has a .548 OPS so far this year. .548! Let’s pause for a moment to let that number sink in. That’s bad. That’s phenomenally bad. It’s so bad in fact that the Astros are willingly paying him $4.5 million this season. Well, you say, that’s because he had a good year last year and they’re paying on past performance. Okay. Last season, Feliz had a .694 OPS. Yeah, that’s really bad too.
For some teams, and I suppose the Giants would consider themselves in this category, keeping a player down to hold back his service time which means delaying arbitration is a big issue. It could mean the difference between 2, 3, maybe even as much as 5 million dollars a few years down the round. That’s quite a lot of money that could be used on other good players to surround someone like Posey in a couple of years.
Then again, if Posey is the player everyone thinks he is, or at least the hitter everyone thinks he is, the difference between the playoffs and not for a franchise like San Francisco means a heck of a lot more than the possibility of $5 million three years from now.
Just think, if the Giants didn’t resign Molina in the first place, well heck, there’s that $5 million right there.Posey is good. Real good. Real good especially because he plays a position that doesn’t often lend itself to offensive production, which just so happens to be what ol’ Buster does best.
Bengie Molina, well, he’s not so good. He’s old, slow, doesn’t throw all that well anymore, doesn’t hit all that well anymore (ignore the batting average for a moment and get with the new century), and the last time he saw a pitch he didn’t feel fit to swing at was when little brother Yadier was throwing to him in the backyard.
Molina also makes $5 million this year. Posey? Let’s just say he’s slightly under that.
The paying, and subsequently playing, of an older, unproductive, and expensive player is the thing that can show the ineptness of an organization quicker than anything else. The defending of such moves because of those pesky little things unseen (he’s a leader!)shows the real ignorance of generations past in how they view baseball and how they choose to construct a roster. It’s sad really.
Teams all over baseball do this. Well, not necessarily the winning teams. Funny how that works out.
The Royals do it. They signed and continue to play Scott Podsednik even though his already empty batting average is proven to be more the byproduct of an unreal, unsustainable, start to the season, rather than his talent.
The Cubs are doing it because they signed Bob Howry instead of bringing up either Jay Jackson or Andrew Cashner.
The Astros do it, although by not really blocking a well-known prospect, by electing to pay Pedro Feliz to play perfectly average defense and little else.
The Royals do it. (See a pattern with this franchise?) They signed Rick Ankiel which meant pushing a younger, better, cheaper player in Mitch Maier to the bench before Ankiel got hurt. Thankfully.
Why do teams do this? It must be something in the comfort of the name. Organizations that are strapped for money, or organizations that constantly lose, must feel like they can’t afford to not sign these guys. I mean, they’re names. Some are relatively big names. Not big names like Pujols, or A-Rod, or Mauer mind you, but big enough names that the fans know who they are. And thus, the organization knows who they are.
So I suppose that’s it. It’s the fear of the unknown in the young players. I would contest the fear shouldn’t be in the “what if Buster Posey doesn’t perform?” camp, but rather the “what if Bengie Molina performs exactly how he’s proven he’s going to?” camp.
The numbers can be pretty.
Molina hit 20 homeruns last year and drove in 80. He’s good!
Feliz had 82 RBI last year. What other third baseman on the market will give us that kind of production? He’s good!
Rick Ankiel used to be a pitcher. Now, he’s an outfielder! He’s good!
However each of these players when put in the correct context should only be seen as struggling to be average and nothing more. Unfortunately for the teams that employ them though, they are not paid like average players.
Molina has a .323 wOBA (an average wOBA is about .340) which would be a perfectly acceptable number from a catcher if he were making say, what Posey would be making, league minimum.
Feliz has a .548 OPS so far this year. .548! Let’s pause for a moment to let that number sink in. That’s bad. That’s phenomenally bad. It’s so bad in fact that the Astros are willingly paying him $4.5 million this season. Well, you say, that’s because he had a good year last year and they’re paying on past performance. Okay. Last season, Feliz had a .694 OPS. Yeah, that’s really bad too.
For some teams, and I suppose the Giants would consider themselves in this category, keeping a player down to hold back his service time which means delaying arbitration is a big issue. It could mean the difference between 2, 3, maybe even as much as 5 million dollars a few years down the round. That’s quite a lot of money that could be used on other good players to surround someone like Posey in a couple of years.
Then again, if Posey is the player everyone thinks he is, or at least the hitter everyone thinks he is, the difference between the playoffs and not for a franchise like San Francisco means a heck of a lot more than the possibility of $5 million three years from now.
Just think, if the Giants didn’t resign Molina in the first place, well heck, there’s that $5 million right thereBuster Posey is good. Real good. Real good especially because he plays a position that doesn’t often lend itself to offensive production, which just so happens to be what ol’ Buster does best.
Bengie Molina, well, he’s not so good. He’s old, slow, doesn’t throw all that well anymore, doesn’t hit all that well anymore (ignore the batting average for a moment and get with the new century), and the last time he saw a pitch he didn’t feel fit to swing at was when little brother Yadier was throwing to him in the backyard.
Molina also makes $5 million this year. Posey? Let’s just say he’s slightly under that.
The paying, and subsequently playing, of an older, unproductive, and expensive player is the thing that can show the ineptness of an organization quicker than anything else. The defending of such moves because of those pesky little things unseen (he’s a leader!)shows the real ignorance of generations past in how they view baseball and how they choose to construct a roster. It’s sad really.
Teams all over baseball do this. Well, not necessarily the winning teams. Funny how that works out.
The Royals do it. They signed and continue to play Scott Podsednik even though his already empty batting average is proven to be more the byproduct of an unreal, unsustainable, start to the season, rather than his talent.
The Cubs are doing it because they signed Bob Howry instead of bringing up either Jay Jackson or Andrew Cashner.
The Astros do it, although by not really blocking a well-known prospect, by electing to pay Pedro Feliz to play perfectly average defense and little else.
The Royals do it. (See a pattern with this franchise?) They signed Rick Ankiel which meant pushing a younger, better, cheaper player in Mitch Maier to the bench before Ankiel got hurt. Thankfully.
Why do teams do this? It must be something in the comfort of the name. Organizations that are strapped for money, or organizations that constantly lose, must feel like they can’t afford to not sign these guys. I mean, they’re names. Some are relatively big names. Not big names like Pujols, or A-Rod, or Mauer mind you, but big enough names that the fans know who they are. And thus, the organization knows who they are.
So I suppose that’s it. It’s the fear of the unknown in the young players. I would contest the fear shouldn’t be in the “what if Buster Posey doesn’t perform?” camp, but rather the “what if Bengie Molina performs exactly how he’s proven he’s going to?” camp.
The numbers can be pretty.
Molina hit 20 homeruns last year and drove in 80. He’s good!
Feliz had 82 RBI last year. What other third baseman on the market will give us that kind of production? He’s good!
Rick Ankiel used to be a pitcher. Now, he’s an outfielder! He’s good!
However each of these players when put in the correct context should only be seen as struggling to be average and nothing more. Unfortunately for the teams that employ them though, they are not paid like average players.
Molina has a .323 wOBA (an average wOBA is about .340) which would be a perfectly acceptable number from a catcher if he were making say, what Posey would be making, league minimum.
Feliz has a .548 OPS so far this year. .548! Let’s pause for a moment to let that number sink in. That’s bad. That’s phenomenally bad. It’s so bad in fact that the Astros are willingly paying him $4.5 million this season. Well, you say, that’s because he had a good year last year and they’re paying on past performance. Okay. Last season, Feliz had a .694 OPS. Yeah, that’s really bad too.
For some teams, and I suppose the Giants would consider themselves in this category, keeping a player down to hold back his service time which means delaying arbitration is a big issue. It could mean the difference between 2, 3, maybe even as much as 5 million dollars a few years down the round. That’s quite a lot of money that could be used on other good players to surround someone like Posey in a couple of years.
Then again, if Posey is the player everyone thinks he is, or at least the hitter everyone thinks he is, the difference between the playoffs and not for a franchise like San Francisco means a heck of a lot more than the possibility of $5 million three years from now.
Just think, if the Giants didn’t resign Molina in the first place, well heck, there’s that $5 million right there.