Baseball thread No. 7: Somebody slip the pinstripers a Mickey

From Baseball America's Jim Callis:

Attending a junior college is the most likely choice. A lot of the reaction I've heard from fans is that Washington was a big loser yesterday, not signing with the Rays and not being able to get into Florida. I don't know about that. If his shoulder is fully healthy and he plays to his capabilities, he could be one of the first JC/college position players taken next year and get more money than he would have this year.

 

If Boras is truthful when he says his clients always have the final say....I know, I know.....then the kid, knowing he's academically ineligible, should have taken what he was offered. Either that, or deal with the consequences.

It seems, as cranberry points out, there won't be many consequences. He might end up with more money in the long run. Good for him. But he definitely was not screwed by Boras on this one, unless Boras ignored the kid's wishes to take what was offered.

 

Morgan is 29 years old and nothing in his background suggests that he can maintain what he has done this year. The speed is obviously real, but he has very little power and doesn't walk much, so he has to hit .300 to be worthwhile. At best, he's a poor man's Juan Pierre.

 

During last night's Angel game:


Mickey Hatcher = best hitting coach in baseball!

 

Morgan walks at a very decent rate, always has.

Career OBP-BA: .059
Juan Pierre: .037

That's a significant difference. As long as he keeps doing that and plays fantastic CF defense, he's got some value even if his average drops to .270 or so. Can't go much further than that.

 

OOP....Morgan is hitting .310 for the season. And I did not realize he was 29. Had no idea he was that old. Still, I can see T Plush doin' his thang for three or four more years. I'll take it. Kid bring an energy that the club was sorely lacking. He brings a lot more than stolen bases and quick feet. That counts for something, especially with the Nats.

 

Morgan is hitting .310 right now. He won't likely continue to do so. *warning, stathead alert, look away if you don't want to read it*

He's got a .420 batting average on balls in play with the Nationals, and a .365 for the season. It's impossible to sustain either of those numbers in the long run. (A reference I like to use to put that into perspective is Tony Gwynn, Sr. He had a career BABIP of .341. That's pretty close to as high as a modern ballplayer can ever hope for in the long term).

The hits will eventually stop falling in and he'll come back to earth. But with his defense and walk rate, I think he still has some value even at .270.

 

Agreed. I wish he was still with the Pirates. Not even for his numbers, but for the attitude he brought every day to the ballpark. People loved him. I know you can't measure intangibles, but there's something to be said for that.

 

And Pujols will eventually stop hitting home runs. And Hallday will eventually stop throwing complete games.

Again, Morgan is the best thing to happen to the Nats this year, IMO. I'll continue to enjoy his presence until it's time for him to move on. Us Nats fans have to take what we can get.

 

Ryan Church calls Jerry Manuel's statement about Church's concussions last year a low blow.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?num=0&id=4408393

Which means I was wrong. I figured he'd call it a blow to the head.

 

Well, there's a difference between proven ability and something that's provably unsustainable.

A power-hitter hitting 40 HRs a season is provably sustainable for years on end. Pitching well is sustainable for years on end.

Hitting .310 with a .365 BABIP is not sustainable. Nobody can do that for years in a row. He's been hella lucky to do it for 2/3rds of a season.

But like I said, he's definitely got some value and I like him quite a bit. There's nothing wrong with letting him be your starting CFer for the next few years.

 

It's hard to say he has always done anything since the guy had 267 at-bats before this season. He also hasn't shown the ability to sustain the high average, something Pierre did in his prime.

Either way, at 29 with a game that relies heavily on his speed, I'm not sure he is the kind of guy you want your organization counting on in the long term.