The 2015 Hall of Fame voting results are in and Darin Erstad failed to convince a single voter to check his box. The reason is obvious: he wasn't anything like a Famer.
But for one season, and one season only, Darin Erstad was chocolate cake with fudge topping.
Erstad, then 26, was coming off a .253/.308/.374 season in 1999 for the Anaheim Angels. The former Nebraska punter, Erstad had been selected by the then California Angels with the first pick of the '95 draft.
And then, in 2000, he justified his selection. Already an outstanding outfield glove man, Erstad busted out in a nearly unprecedented way. He set career highs in AB, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, runs scored, runs batted in, total bases, walks, stolen bases, batting average, on base, slugging and little old ladies helped across the street. He hit .355/.409/.541, gaining 270 points of OPS.
The 2000 performance wasn't just better than any other Erstad season; it was like he was a different guy. In a 12-year career, he hit a fifth of his homers (25) in 2000. He scored 121 runs, the only 100+ run season of the 12. He hit for a higher average than his lifetime OBP. He got on base at a higher rate than his lifetime slugging percentage. He earned a third of his lifetime offensive wins against replacement that one year.
For his career, Erstad was a below-average hitter in a corner outfield spot. He flashed the defensive web gems, six .280+ batting averages and 179 career steals, but little power, on base skills or durability.
And certainly not that. That was Albert Pujols. The rest of his career he was Omar Infante.
Erstad crashed right back to earth the following year, posting a .258/.331/.360 line in 2001 that was nearly identical to his 1999 season. And after a better 2002 campaign, in which he helped the Angels win their only World Series, Erstad's wall-crashing ways caught up to him. In the seven years after '02, he averaged four homers, an 80 OPS+ and less than a win against replacement per season.
But for that one year, the Cornhuskers' punter was a Hall of Famer.
Showing posts with label Omar Infante. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Omar Infante. Show all posts
14 January 2015
22 July 2014
Marlins Get A Good Laugh About Dan Uggla
Were the Florida Marlins really smart when it comes to Dan Uggla or just really lucky?
The squat keystoner was released by the Braves last week after a year-and-a-half of hitting your IQ. With no takers on the market and a solid replacement in rookie Tommy LaStella, Atlanta dumped Uggla and will eat the $18 million left on his contract.
The Uggla whom Atlanta swapped infielder Omar Infante and lefty reliever Mike Dunn to acquire in 2010 appeared only in brief flashes, mostly during his first season in a tomahawk uniform. Whereas he batted .263 with 31 homers per 162 games for the Marlins, he slumped to .209 and 26 homers per 162 with Atlanta. Since moving north, his batting averages have headed south -- .287-.233-.220-.179-.162. That is what we call "trending poorly."
To make matters worse, Uggla is slow-footed and iron-gloved. Without his stick working, he's a muscled beer vendor.
Drafted by Arizona in '01, Uggla didn't make the Majors until he burst on the scene with Florida in 2006, hitting .282 with 27 bombs. Four similar seasons followed, exposing him to free agency as the fastest second baseman in history to reach 100 home runs and the first keystoner ever to smack 30-a-year for four consecutive seasons.
It's not like Miami brass knew Uggla had peaked, offering him a four-year, $48 million deal, which he wisely rejected. That's when they shipped him to Georgia.
Following a fifth straight 30+ home run season in Atlanta, Uggla inked a four-year, $52 million contract with the Braves at the age of 31. But the Marlins had sucked out all his talent had to offer, enjoying 19 wins against replacement over five years for the MLB equivalent of a dinner and a movie ($14.2 million).
For $61 million, the Braves salvaged 2.4 wins against replacement of value from him, worse than any one of his three best seasons in Miami. So today, at 34 and without a team, Dan Uggla will be some contender's pinch hitter, hoping a few well-timed hits, particularly in a playoff situation, can earn him another year in The Show.
For the Braves, the only salvation is that by paying Uggla not to play, they maximize his value (i.e., minimize his damage) and open up a roster spot. And the Marlins get to laugh and wipe their brows in relief.
The squat keystoner was released by the Braves last week after a year-and-a-half of hitting your IQ. With no takers on the market and a solid replacement in rookie Tommy LaStella, Atlanta dumped Uggla and will eat the $18 million left on his contract.
The Uggla whom Atlanta swapped infielder Omar Infante and lefty reliever Mike Dunn to acquire in 2010 appeared only in brief flashes, mostly during his first season in a tomahawk uniform. Whereas he batted .263 with 31 homers per 162 games for the Marlins, he slumped to .209 and 26 homers per 162 with Atlanta. Since moving north, his batting averages have headed south -- .287-.233-.220-.179-.162. That is what we call "trending poorly."
To make matters worse, Uggla is slow-footed and iron-gloved. Without his stick working, he's a muscled beer vendor.
Drafted by Arizona in '01, Uggla didn't make the Majors until he burst on the scene with Florida in 2006, hitting .282 with 27 bombs. Four similar seasons followed, exposing him to free agency as the fastest second baseman in history to reach 100 home runs and the first keystoner ever to smack 30-a-year for four consecutive seasons.
It's not like Miami brass knew Uggla had peaked, offering him a four-year, $48 million deal, which he wisely rejected. That's when they shipped him to Georgia.
Following a fifth straight 30+ home run season in Atlanta, Uggla inked a four-year, $52 million contract with the Braves at the age of 31. But the Marlins had sucked out all his talent had to offer, enjoying 19 wins against replacement over five years for the MLB equivalent of a dinner and a movie ($14.2 million).
For $61 million, the Braves salvaged 2.4 wins against replacement of value from him, worse than any one of his three best seasons in Miami. So today, at 34 and without a team, Dan Uggla will be some contender's pinch hitter, hoping a few well-timed hits, particularly in a playoff situation, can earn him another year in The Show.
For the Braves, the only salvation is that by paying Uggla not to play, they maximize his value (i.e., minimize his damage) and open up a roster spot. And the Marlins get to laugh and wipe their brows in relief.
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