Adopted: Matt den Dekker

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Despite having to pay full-price for both Tater Skins AND Loaded Nachos, our oh-so-Floridian hero seems to be settling in on the ballfield quite nicely, going .375/.500/.750 over his last seven games (30 PA, 9-for-24, 6 XBH), culminating in yesterday's 2-for-2, five-times-on-base-in-five-trips, four-runs-scored Reyes impression at New Britain.

He's up to .238/.337/.388 in Binghamton, with 10 walks in 90 PAs (!) so far. All numbers are trending very steadily upward, like his ardor for fish.

[Edgy MD]

Amazin' Avenue inexpiclably put their farm report today in Ring Lardner-era sportswriter prose:

BINGHAMTON 9, NEW BRITAIN 4 (Box) The game was: Club Matt Den Dekker Home. Allan Dykstra had the first whack (1st Inning) and sent Matty spinning in from 1B. Then Valdespin took his turn (3rd Inning, from 1B), selected "try again" (5th Inning, from 2B), and proved himself master indeed. So Josh Satin wanted a go (7th Inning), and Matty obligingly measured his lead at first. Crack! Oh how the Dutchman huffed and puffed around the bases. Then in the 8th, John Henry-like, Matthew G. Den Dekker died on the bags. Fourth straight B-Mets victory. Wally tossed.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

6-for-19 in the last four... with three of those leaving the park. (1 BB vs. 6 K over that same period; I'm guessing he's been swinging a bit harder.)

.244/.279/.585 in the last 10.

[Ceetar]

This tweet amused me. Feels like both the appropriate and inappropriate venue for it.

Hooters with the boys for the WNBA all star game

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Saw that. (Also, he's a fantasy football guy, it seems.)

Also also, hit his fourth HR in three games Friday, before taking an oh-fer-- but with a walk!-- last night.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

2-for-4 in each of the last two games, with a steal last night.

After a wretched start-- damn you, Binghamton Chili's-- he's chugging along at .281/.358/.552 clip through 25 games in July (.250/.327/.463 overall, with 6 HRs and 7 2Bs in 149 PAs). At this point, he's looking like Pridie, but with plus-plus defense.

[Edgy MD]

Do you say DEN Dekker or den DEKker?

I do the former.

[Ceetar]

Edgy DC wrote: Do you say DEN Dekker or den DEKker? I do the former.

former. Trying to remember if i've heard it spoken anywhere official. in Spring Training probably. They must announce each player coming to bat right?

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Edgy DC wrote: Do you say DEN Dekker or den DEKker? I do the former.

I go latter. (The Twitter handle makes more phonetic sense that way.)

And speaking of Twitter...

Watching Spartacus on the bus, makes me wanna go buy a sword 8 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone

GOD, NO! I'm raising two self-destructive children all of a sudden.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

After a slow, SLOW week (1 R, 11 K, 5-for-29 with just 2 XBH over the last nine games), 2-for-5 with a three-run HR and a steal.


Still, hitting .234/.318/.422 with 7 HR, 20 BB and 65 K in 212 PAs at Binghamton, he's looking very much like a Pridie-type, only with a better glove and less off-field coordination:

@UpperDekker wrote: damn you steps to my house, my toe is throbbing!!! 8 Aug via web

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

6-for-13 (with 1 BB) in the last three games, with four of those for extra bases (2 HR, 2 2B).

[Edgy MD]

If you read Wally Backman's post-game statements recently, he's clearly falling in heart with Den Dekker.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

1-for-3, with a HR and no strikeouts (!).

His .314/.381/.657 over his last ten (with 3 HR over that same span) buoys his AA numbers to .243/.327/.446, with 9 HR and 74 K (yowza) in 60 games (just under 250 PAs).

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

1) Hey! Camp invite! (This, after ending the season .265/.337/.460, w/17 HR, 60 XBH, 51 B-to-156(!) K*, 24-for-34 steals between A+ and AA.)

2) Hey! Pit bull puppy!

*OE: Had it backwards. THAT would be impressive.

Edited January 18, 2012 by Guest

[Benjamin Grimm]

Paul DePodesta (in an e-mail to Andy Martino of the Daily News) wrote: �We had high expectations of Matt going into the season, but he exceeded those expectations. He was in his first full-season of pro ball, so we were hopeful that maybe at some point he'd be able to advance to AA just to get a taste of that level before heading into 2012. As you know the A to AA jump is known as the most the difficult, so getting a little bit of experience heading into the off-season can be valuable. Matt surprised us first by showing his readiness for AA just halfway through the season and then surprised us again that his production was basically the same at AA than at the Florida State League - he didn't miss a beat. The only thing that dropped off was his singles rate and he struck out a few more times, but he maintained his power (in fact, some doubles and triples in the Florida State League turned into homers in the Eastern League) and his walk rate. Matt has the chance to be a complete player. He already excels defensively in CF - that part of his game is Major League ready. Offensively, he has the chance to play with both power and speed. This year we'd just like to see him continue his path. He simply needs at-bats against higher level pitching, so that he can begin to make adjustments to how the better pitchers are going to pitch him.�

[nymr83]

156 walks?? wow.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Nymr83 wrote: 156 walks?? wow.

Had it backwards. (The "!" was meant to be a negative "!")

[Ceetar]

#NW top 10 centerfielders right now on @mlbnetwork gonna have to get on this list soon.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

My boy really needs to learn not to swing at pitches outside his strike zone. It makes him look bad.

@UpperDekker wrote: Shouldn't cost $53 to fill up my car. Thanks for nothing Obama

[Ceetar]

Here's Matt with his mother.

[Ceetar]

His (sister?) Jess. (middle)

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Jessmaam.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

3-for-10 in 5 ST games (with a couple of extra-base hits against lefties), making the expected sweet catches, and drawing some positive compliments from Guys/Keith/Ron... and even Sherman. Even drew a walk (against decent Cards LOOGY Rxxzycepinski, no less).

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

After being sent down to minors camp initially, got the call back up due to balky legs from the presumed starters... and with a week to go, he can smell the Shake Shack.

Although neither Torres nor Hairston expects to miss significantly more time than they already have, their absences have created the chance for others to audition. den Dekker, who hit a combined .265 last year, with 17 home runs between Single-A and Double-A, impressed the front office enough to earn an invitation to big league camp. Now he is back, and Terry Collins said that den Dekker �is a legitimate consideration� to make the team. �I try not to think about it too much, but it is exciting,� said den Dekker.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Yeah, that didn't happen.

But he's making better contact down in Binghamton (.279/.319/.439 with 8 XBH over 71 PAs) while displaying his customary defensive acumen... sometimes in defense of others.

J Bay robbing a bomb only #10 on top plays are you kidding me??!! 11:59 PM - 16 Apr 12 via Twitter for iPhone

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Even after dipping a bit over the last two weeks (.250/.323/.420 in the last ten games), he's hitting a robust .281/.348/.488 with 16 XBH in 139 Binghamton plate appearances.

But man, if he's not going to walk/take more (9.4% career, 7.9% this year), those strikeouts (33 in 139 PAs for 24%) need to come down.

[Edgy MD]

I dunno. I don't think that walk rate is anything to break a career over.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

I shouldn't have left the "if he's going to be more than a backup" end of that sentence implied. He's already major-league-worthy with the glove, but he doesn't make an extraordinary amount of hard contact, so that BA/slugging are going to come down a bunch, in all likelihood (even his improved line this season is roughly equivalent to a .217/.275/.359 line in the majors, which doesn't play for 400 PAs even WITH Garry Maddox-y defense). If he's going to be an average-y offensive player in center, he'll probably need to walk a little more OR strikeout a little less.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Doubled yesterday to extend his hit streak to 8, and stole a base. Up to .291/.359/.500 on the season.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

3 for 4 with two more doubles in a romp against. Maybe he doesn't need to cut down on the Ks/walk more after all: he's at .305/.363/.543 (or .250/.299/.421 on the Minor League Equivalency Calculator), and leading the Eastern League with 23 extra-base hits.

He IS still more than a little iffy against lefties (.243/.333/.351, w/11 K and 1 BB in 38 PAs).