Value Comparison of four AL Central Outfielders, 2005-2008, using FanGraphs' Wins Above...

Value Comparison of four AL Central Outfielders, 2005-2008, using FanGraphs' Wins Above Replacement.

If this doesn't seem very interesting for the Royals fan, you probably need to look more closely...

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9 months ago devil_fingers 23 comments 0 recs |

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Sign Damon Now!

It can be a feel-good pick up for KC. – TL

by timlacy on Jan 23, 2009 10:58 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I loved Johnny Damon

and i’m not afraid to admit it. I didn’t notice he had such a good season last year though. Oh Ángel, where art thou?

The Allard Baird of incisive internet discourse.

by kcbottom9th on Jan 23, 2009 10:58 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

the angels are just a well-run ballclub

I’m glad our FO is emulating them

by royalsreview on Jan 23, 2009 1:08 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I thought people would be excited

(or at least surprised) to see that while DDJ is only the best of the 4 (in 2005), he was second every other year. And in the past three years, each of those “big names” only outperformed him once. I did another one with this years FA sluggers that is pretty interesting, too…

So, yeah, how can Torii Hunter be considered one of the best CFs in baseball when he wasn’t even close in his own division when he was in the AL Central?

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by devil_fingers on Jan 23, 2009 1:10 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

b/c torii hunter is vastly overrated...

b/c he’s very personable and jumps over walls to make catches….

ive been saying since day 1 that as awful as guillens contract is, id much rather be stuck with that than with Hunters

TPJ...you're dead to me

by billybeingbilly on Jan 23, 2009 1:24 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I thought it was because he played for the Twins for a long time

and therefore learned to play the game the right way!

"Things could always be worse." - Buddy Bell

by buddyball on Jan 23, 2009 2:55 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

And he's such a goofball!

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Jan 23, 2009 3:00 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

You can't possibly be suggesting....

that Torii Hunter is overrated, can you? That’d be heresy.

DDJ rules!

Stathead, Zack Greinke fan, and Rock Band 2 singer extraordinaire.

by NHZ on Jan 23, 2009 2:17 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

what happened to vernon wells?

I wanna know what love is, I want you to show me

by LeoBloom on Jan 23, 2009 2:30 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

injuries and decline

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by devil_fingers on Jan 23, 2009 2:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

And then if you plot WAR per dollar paid...

…DeJesus would be head and shoulders over all of those guys. DDJ is on of the best post-arbitration eligibility bargains in baseball.

The immoderate moderator

by NYRoyal on Jan 23, 2009 2:31 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

and he is all ours

I hope that the Royals front office looks at things like this instead of going on perceptions.

"Things could always be worse." - Buddy Bell

by buddyball on Jan 23, 2009 2:56 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Given this offseason...

it doesn’t appear very likely.

I know there is the “security” angle and all, but if DDJ and his agent look at charts like this, they must be beating their heads against a wall. The Royals still should be paying more than they are on his deal. I think this was the biggest “win” of Baird’s tenure, hands down.

"Now…put that in your [BLEEP]ing pipe and smoke it."
I'm puffing away, Hal.

by Sweep_the_Leg on Jan 23, 2009 3:09 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I'd vote for "Mark Redman, All-Star," but ymmv

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by devil_fingers on Jan 23, 2009 3:10 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

also, to be fair

few baseball teams even now really take “total value” seriously (just look at some of the signings, and not just KCs). A guy like DDJ, who isn’t awesome at any one thing (especially not hitting homers and RBIs), but is average or above average in a lot of things, is almost always undervalued in the FA market.

Bringing you more-or-less replacement level analysis and commentary since sometime in 2008.

by devil_fingers on Jan 23, 2009 3:11 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I think thats right

Also the same with trivial things like All-Star games. The huge contact hitters get picked, the huge sluggers get picked, random over rated Yankee gets picked. A really good all around player like DDJ doesn’t get a look in. And i will say this right now, i’d rather have DDJ than a lot of guys on either All-star roster.

The Allard Baird of incisive internet discourse.

by kcbottom9th on Jan 23, 2009 3:16 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

yup

as you can see, over the last four years, even leaving money aside, DDJ has delivered the goods more than three other periennal “All-Stars.”

He’s also been better than some of the “sluggers.” Better than Ibanez, of course. But also been comparable or better in value the last four years that Bobby Abreu (who was once an underrated guy himself), better 3 of 4 than Adam Dunn, and, get this, better the last two of four than Manny.

Bringing you more-or-less replacement level analysis and commentary since sometime in 2008.

by devil_fingers on Jan 23, 2009 3:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

how do these calculations figure into fantasy baseball value

is it better to have a team of DDJ’s or a couple of stars and scrubs?

"Things could always be worse." - Buddy Bell

by buddyball on Jan 23, 2009 3:43 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I dunno

that’s why I haven’t won fantasy

It depends on your league. I just to traditional 5×5 roto.

A lot of DDJ’s superior vale is in his (former) position, which doesn’ t matter in most leagues that just do OFs, and also his excellent defense when he does play the corner, which also doesn’t count.

I’m sure you have access to a site that does custom calcs. DDJ isn’t great in fantasy because he sucks at stealing (although the CSes don’t hurt in most roto leagues), doesn’t hit many homers, and is usually at the top of the order, so he doesn’t get many RBI opps, and most of the guys behind him aren’ t good enough to take advantage of his OBP and drive him in. His average is above average, but he’s not really a .300 hitter. Again, in real baseball, who cares, but in fantasy leagues, it makes a difference.

So, yeah, Hunter, Damon, and Wells, considered individuall, are better fantasy players…

Having said that, that’s only true in isolation. I favor not overpaying for my total roster, so having a bunch of $15-$20 players in my auction league makes me less risk-average than a guy who has Carl Crawford, Vlad, and a bunch of scrubs… so DDJ can be a bargain in an auction. This season was the first in a while that I didn’t have him.

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by devil_fingers on Jan 23, 2009 3:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs