The LTJ Editorial
Author: Luis Tirado Jr.
Date: 11-26-13
Twitter: @LTJ81
Website: http://www.TheNYExpress.com
"What Chris Young brings to the Mets"
As I'm sure you've already heard, free agent Center Fielder Chris Young has agreed on a one-year deal with the New York Mets for about $7.25 million. Last season, every baseball analyst figured the Mets outfield would be one of the worst in MLB but they surprised everyone, they exceeded expectations. With solid hitting from Marlon Byrd, the highlight creating defensive machine of Juan Lagares, and the speedy base-stealing of Eric Young Jr., it was entertaining to watch. Once Byrd was traded though, the trio was missing that offensive punch that Byrd provided so nicely. One of the needs the Mets needed to fill this offseason was to try to find a solid free agent to fill the void Byrd left. They hope they started to fill that void with their latest acquisition. Let's take a look at the pros and cons Young will bring to the table once he puts on his first ever Mets uniform.
Overall, Young's career hitting average is at a low .235 and he is known for striking out.... a lot. It's more of the fact that he swings at pitches he really shouldn't swing at but I'm sure with patience and coaching he will fit in just fine with the Mets. Despite this, remember, he brings something that the Mets have been lacking, power hitting. I've seen plenty of highlights of the time he spent with the Oakland Athletics and boy, does he hit with such raw power. It'll be great to see the damage he is going to cause in Citi Field. The Mets need it because their home winning record last season was absolutely horrible. They looked anemic at home and didn't hit that many homeruns. Perhaps Young will fix that with hitting balls out the ballpark so much that maybe the fan attendance will improve too.
I'm sure most of you diehard baseball fans out there enjoy a great baseball move, right? I'm sure you have seen or at least heard of the movie "Moneyball" right? Well, a part of me loves the theory crafting of the fact that if you have players that can get on base, you are statistically proven to have a better chance to win. Some agree, some disagree, all I know is, the Mets need to score more runs than they did last year. Another good attribute that Young brings is that he has a very good walk rate which is one of the aspects to Moneyball. Over the past few seasons of his career, a few times he was among the top 20% of all MLB hitters to walk in at-bats, pretty impressive if you ask me. So even though he strikes out a lot, he kind of makes up for it by at least getting walks to get the ball rolling on scoring runs. He is also very good at stealing bases, with over 120 in his career. So now if you have a threat to steal bases with someone who is very good at getting on base from walks, better scoring games are ahead of us!
Now the best part about Young is his defense in the outfield. It's probably one of the big reasons why they brought him in. In his career, Young has been ranked one of the best Center Fielders in Defensive Runs Saved. He has a keen eye when fielding and a decent arm to prevent bases and runs from the opposition. He is a quick decision maker and makes the right call most of the time. I don't really see the Mets moving him to the corners of the outfield since his most experience comes from center field. It would make sense to keep him there, keep Eric Young Jr. at left field, and move Juan Lagares to right field. Of course I still think the Mets should add one more free agent outfielder to the mix for depth and insurance in case of any unforeseen injuries.
Overall I like this signing as it's going in the right direction. I've always said that the Mets are really just a few missing pieces away from having a contending team. Realistically I think this signing is one of many more to come but I don't see them bringing any crazy big free agent to the team for insane amounts of money. I think they will sign a handful and bring in low-key players who will contribute and be productive. I'm sure they are doing all their research and doing their best to do what's right for this team. They have a long way to go to reach that goal but I'm patient, after all, it's still quite some time before Spring Training opens up again. Still have lots of free agents up for grabs and mark my words, the Mets are planning something big via trade. I sense it!
What do you think? Please leave your comments below and let's get some intelligent sports discussions brewing!
5 comments:
Luis -
I appreciate and enjoy your optimism on this site. God knows we need more of it.
I'll give you this... he does bring a power bat to the Mets that will match the home runs lost with the Marlon Byrd trade...
And, his defense will create a (current) starting outfield that will easily support a pitcher based team.
Young will make a great #5 or #6 hitter, but, if he's the best the Mets sign to back up Wright, there won't be enough offense to help the pitching staff. Remember, we lost a lot of output from Buck and Byrd that still has to made up.
This is something I want to read!! I can´t read this pessimistic Mets posts all over the internet anymore! This Chris Young is a nice little addition and this post just says it! Thank you! Of course 7 million are too much but who else should we sign for 1 year if Peralta or Vagas get 4 year deals in this crazy free agent market!?
I like the positivity. I gotta think that Having C. Young and Lagares in the OF makes the possibility of a guy like Nelson Cruz in RF easier to swallow. Two solid OF gloves and a big bat.
Still think Granderson makes a lot of sense for this team. He's not a liability in the OF like Cruz. He's left handed with decent speed but he's not a speed guy.
Problem now becomes who hits leadoff if E. Young isn't starting. Maybe a trade for Alexei Ramirez since free agency doesn't look too kind for shortstops.
Ramirez
Murphy
Wright
Granderson
Duda/Davis/Flores
C. Young
d'Arnaud
Lagares
You do realize that Oakland, the incubator of the "Moneyball" theory of operations, let this man walk away, right? :)
I hadn't thought about one of the salient points you raised -- that Young is likely to replace or exceed the home runs hit by Marlon Byrd. I, like many others, were bashing the Mets for the acquisition and price paid, but many were ready to canonize Byrd for what he did. Why then should similar production with superior defense and baserunning not be lauded when he came at a lower annual cost and only a one-year commitment? Thank you for making me see that much of the light.
I guess the problem is that the team always seems to go in the direction they need to move but never quite far enough. Some of it is financial, of course, but I think a bigger portion is turning out to be a risk-averse personality that's overwhelmed the front office. Jorge Toca and Alay Soler were busts, so we can't have any Cuban players. Kaz Matsui and Tsuyoshi Shinjo underperformed so we'd better not take a chance on any more Japanese imports. Jason Bay has come to epitomize the failed FA contract so we can only assume every other ballplayer will have a similar fate.
Instead they go for the tried and true -- truly mediocre or awful -- such as Terry Collins, Rick Ankiel, Shaun Marcum, Ronny Cedeño, etc. Never give a young player a chance unless/until ALL OTHER OPTIONS are exhausted, Then set him up to fail by batting him 8th with no protection behind him and routinely bench him after he has a good game.
There are ways to improve this team without paying a king's ransom but they don't seem to have the creativity or cojones to do so.
Thanks for all your comments guys! It truly means a lot to me, I always try to find the positive in everything and I'm glad I brought some into your daily readings on our beloved Mets!
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