Live and Let Dye?
Posted by metro on 12:28pm, Friday November 6th 2009
As we all know the Mets BADLY need offensive (and pitching) help. While much of the focus in LF has been on the two highest profile players (Matt Holliday and Jason Bay) there are in fact some other (albeit less appealing) options. Jermaine Dye is one such option. Dye has averaged 30 homers and 99 rbi over his 14 year big league career. Dye posted an .885 OPS in 2008 and was well on his way to having another very good season in 2009 (.942 OPS first half) when the wheels fell off (2nd half .590). Is this a case of a player being “done” or simply a bad second half? The positives with Dye are that he is considered a “good clubhouse” guy, as I said averages about 30 homers a year and would likely take only a 1 year deal (potentially with an option). The downside is a) is he about to turn 36 years old b) He had a full no-trade to both NY teams suggesting he may not be a fan of (or scared of) the NY media (well aware that Robin Ventura also had a similar no-trade) and finally even in his recent “good” years his home OPS was MUCH better than his road suggesting big-time help from his home field
I don’t know the heck will happen with Dye. The wheels really did fall off, but he’s not necessarily “done”. I think he’ll go to a lesser team that can afford to put him out there everyday to see if his bat can recover.
Or he could be the Yankees answer to LF and DH?
Could be, but I tend to agree with Mike Francesa on this point, which is the Yankees need to essentially keep their DH spot “open” for the next few years as all their star players with big contracts get older and will need to “rest” by getting some DH time.
Yeah true, but if Dye is one year?
I’m just going to agree with you because I simply have no energy or desire to dissect the Yankees right now.
LOL, agreed.
Sounds like Raul Ibanez of last year
I want to be very careful how I put this. I know nothing of what Jermaine Dye does or doesn’t do to “keep in shape.”
But I am wary of anyone who, in this new era of more stringent PED testing and punishment, suddenly falls off the face of the earth.
Obviously there are many other potential reasons for his decrease in production, I am simply saying I’m wary. It could just as easily be that he has been a clean player his entire life and as happens to many pro athletes, the mid 30’s are a demarcation point afterwhich healing takes longer and reaction times are slower.
Whatever the reason, I’m wary.
Or he could’ve played with an injury.
Yup, that could be one of the “many potential other reasons” I alluded to. But at his age that he may have been injured is a concern in general, more so given what happened to the 2009 Mets.
I know we won’t be able to find a guy who we can guarantee won’t get injured. But asking 36 year old sluggers to cover Citi OF may be asking too much. I’m trying to look up his UZR now but having trouble getting fangraphs to load.
I’m hoping there’s a better solution but it may turn out Dye is the perfect compromise of expected production versus reasonable cost.
How’s his D? I really don’t want to sacrifice D in the expanisve OF.
Terrible in RF but who knows in LF?
But it’s not like Bay or Holliday are defensive wizards. Although Bay did not commit an error in Fenway so he is a VERY good defender. LOL.
From what I recall, Holliday is a pretty good fielder in LF, unlike Bay.
I can’t look up any of these defensive stats, fangraphs is just not loading at my end. Perhaps their servers are being overwhelmed by people asking these same questions.
great time for fangraphs to go down
If I remember correctly he was bad this past year after being average in previous years.
I can’t open fangraphs now either. But my recollection is that Holliday has been average the last couple of years after a couple of very good seasons in the equally large Coors outfield.
Yeah, I think that’s right but for some reason I reacall this year not being very good.
Holliday was still above average this year, I think his UZR was +2.9 while Bay’s was -10+
I was wrong, his UZR/150 is above average and has been for 3 years now.
However, I am concerned now about the use of the stat.
This is the same stat that has Jeter near the top and Tex near the bottom.
It also has JD Drew and Juan Rivera as the #3 and #4 best OF in the MLB.