Pagan traded to the Giants.

[Guest attgig]

alrighty. we got the clubhouse leader, but we still need a leadoff hitter...

[MFS62]

attgig wrote: alrighty. we got the clubhouse leader, but we still need a leadoff hitter...

I think we have one in Tejada. He hit .289 as a 19 year old in AA and .280 in his last full year in AAA at age 20. Then he had a .360 OBP last year for the Mets.
He's getting better and better. Who knows?

Later

[Lefty Specialist]

Ruben has no speed to speak of. He's not an ideal leadoff guy.

Just like every Met catcher they trot out there is no Piazza, Tejada will always suffer the unfavorable comparison to Jose Reyes.

[Vic Sage]

An ideal leadoff guy gets on base. Speed and power are gravy.
The notion of using Torres to bat leadoff, he of the sub .320 OBP, simply because he's fast is quintessential Terry Collins... i.e., stupid.

Also stupid would be choosing not to bat Tejada leadoff simply because your trying to protect him from Reyes comparisons. The manager should put the guys in the best possible order to create the greatest number of runs per game. period. then he manages the issues that may arise from that. Not the other way round.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Torres steals bases and walks enough to bump .260s BAs to the .340s, OBP-wise (although he does whiff a bunch). If you like your on-base-y types with speed, he's an option.

Torres-Tejada might be an interesting 1-2 opener.

[Edgy MD]

Enjoy bunting much, Ruben?

[Guest attgig]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Torres steals bases and walks enough to bump .260s BAs to the .340s, OBP-wise (although he does whiff a bunch). If you like your on-base-y types with speed, he's an option. Torres-Tejada might be an interesting 1-2 opener.

if we're talkinga bout 2010, yes. last year's obp was down at 312. not so good. I'm guessing he gets the nod to be the leadoff guy here, but I'm afraid that his obp will be closer to 312 than 340.

either way, it's a far cry from the 350-380 's that reyes gave us pretty consistently.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Reyes has never topped .358 in a season, and has a lifetime .341 OBP.

Torres missed a ton of time-- and played a ton of the time he did play-- with an Achilles strain/calf bruises last year which seemed to affect his driving the ball; he walked just as much as he has throughout his career, but made LOTS more weak contact (career low LD%, career high GB%, career low-- by a ton-- HR/FB%).

[Guest attgig]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Reyes has never topped .358 in a season, and has a lifetime .341 OBP. Torres missed a ton of time-- and played a ton of the time he did play-- with an Achilles strain/calf bruises last year which seemed to affect his driving the ball; he walked just as much as he has throughout his career, but made LOTS more weak contact (career low LD%, career high GB%, career low-- by a ton-- HR/FB%).

except for last year. but that said, he's gone now, and i shouldn't compare the new kid in town to reyes. if last year was indeed a fluke (never saw those stats before. thanks for pointing those out), and he can get us 340, I'd be more than happy.

[Vic Sage]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Torres steals bases and walks enough to bump .260s BAs to the .340s, OBP-wise (although he does whiff a bunch). If you like your on-base-y types with speed, he's an option.

He's got a career .318 OPS, over the course of 1400+ ABs, with 3 teams, over 7 years. Yes, he did peak at .343 OB with the Giants 2 years ago, but now, at age 34, even that meager number will likely a stretch.

Not only did Tejada put up a .360 ob% last year, his lack of power (certainly less than Torres) would make him the better candidate to bat 1st, with Torres (a switch-hitter to boot) batting behind him or lower in the order, where his power could be more useful than hitting behind the 8-9 hitters.

ultimately, i think lineup construction makes a less than significant difference in overall run production, beyond revealing whatever the manager's thinking is in these areas.

[ashie62]

Ashie62 wrote: I guess Nieuwenhuis has a real shot.

Yes he does

[ashie62]

I liked Tejada 2 years ago and still do. He is eager and aggressive with good baseball sense and a degree of cockiness that may work to his benefit.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Ashie62 wrote: Ashie62 wrote: I guess Nieuwenhuis has a real shot. Yes he does

It's nice to see that Ashie agrees with himself.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Ashie62 wrote: Ashie62 wrote: I guess Nieuwenhuis has a real shot. Yes he does It's nice to see that Ashie agrees with himself.

Yes, I think so too.

[Frayed Knot]

Good shot to be a ML player at some point this year? - Yes. Would have been better still had he not missed the last few months of last season but whatyagonnado.
Still some question as to whether he's got the goods to be a true CF though.

[ashie62]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Benjamin Grimm wrote: Ashie62 wrote: Ashie62 wrote: I guess Nieuwenhuis has a real shot. Yes he does It's nice to see that Ashie agrees with himself. Yes, I think so too.

As do I.

[Vic Sage]

as yet another LH bat, Capt Kirk will be competing with Baxter and F-mart for backup OFer duty in the spring. The winner goes north. But we still need a RH bat in the OF; preferably one the can play CF, unless Kirk is the LH Ofer (in which case, a corner RH OFer would be ok).

what about bringing back Scott Hairston? He wasn't too bad. a veteran OFer with RH pop and CF ability.

[Edgy MD]

Supposedly there's a PtBNL or cash going to the Giants in this trade as well.

[ashie62]

Edgy DC wrote: Supposedly there's a PtBNL or cash going to the Giants in this trade as well.

So now the Mets have cash?