You Make the Call: Jason Bay

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I don't think his problem was the fences.

[metirish]

.256 - 16 HR - 69 RBI SO Over 100


and an attainable option to work on

2014 option guaranteed with 600 PAs in 2013 or 500 PAs in both 2012, 2013 full no-trade clause

[Ceetar]

I haven't really believed in the fences argument much either, but I do hope he'll just pull the ball more normally this year. I dunno..at least he finished strong right?

I'm been..I guess hoping more than predicting, that he can have a 33% bounce back from his 2011 career low, towards his career averages. That'd give him about a .750 OPS.

.260/.350/.400, 21 HR, 101 RBI (batting 5th or 6th), 10 SB and 10 SF.

[Edgy MD]

There's two fences arguments. The first was the notion that the ballpark is holding in his best efforts. The second was that the ballpark dimensions so threatened to hold in his best efforts that he changed his mental and physical approach from what was working for him and never found another.

I know I don't believe in the first. The second is annoying, but is harder to dismiss, as a few players seemed to give voice to it after the team announced they were bringing the walls. in.

.271-22-88.

[smg58]

I hope he proves me wrong, but I'm not expecting any improvement.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Maybe a little improvement, but not nearly enough to come close to justifying his salary.

If he plays more or less every day, I'm figuring about 15 homers, .250 batting average and 70-something RBI.

He'll have a few hot streaks, but for the most part, the disappointment will continue.

There's virtually no way that the Mets will allow that 2014 option to vest. The only scenario I can see where that would happen is if Bay is playing like a superstar in 2013 and the Mets are strong contenders. But that seems to be very much a longshot.

I'd like to think that it's possible that Bay will lose his starting job before the year is out if he continues to muddle along as he has been, but I'm not sure how likely that is to happen. It seems that the Mets rarely (if ever) cut bait while there's more than a year remaining on a contract.

[Edgy MD]

I'm not going to get too vest-conscious at this point. Certainly no fun rooting for a guy to stay off the field. They dodged the Rodriguez option and it wasn't worth the drama around it.

[Vic Sage]

it ain't gonna get much better.

With a decent glove, good base-running instincts, and a positive clubhouse presence, nonetheless Bay's .250/15hr/70rbi/10sb line (while a slight improvement over last year) will remain an anchor dragging down the Met offense. We need more production from a LFer than that.

When Mets fall out of contention early and Sandy wants to see more Captain Kirk, hopefully Bay gets relegated to the bench to prevent the option from vesting and we can divest ourselves of this bad deal with minimum machinations.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

260/340/390 15 dings, 60 ribs, loses job

[batmagadanleadoff]

Edgy DC wrote: Certainly no fun rooting for a guy to stay off the field.

I dunno. Playing time's a zero sum game. Every PA Jason Bay takes is a PA someone else isn't taking. Root for Bay and you're rooting against every other LF'er. If Bay's not the best LF'er on the team, he should sit.

[Edgy MD]

Root for Bay and I'm rooting for homeruns and stolen bases, doubles to the power alley and great jolly catches at the fence.

If I want somebody else there, I'll root for him directly, not for Bay's demise but for the ascendancy of another.

But 40 homers from Bay or 40 from Cesar Puello will thrill me either way.

[Vic Sage]

the ascendency of another can only come if (1) another gets playing time to produce, and (2) Bay underperforms (yet again), getting either benched or platooned to allow for another's playing time, so i don't get the distinction your making.

I mean i GET it, i just think it's a distinction without a difference.

If Bay is playing at replacement level yet again, and if there is another possible option with which to replace him, then it's in the Mets long-term interest (and mine, as a fan) for them to try out such other option(s), while minimizing Bay's chance to do further harm to the payroll and roster, thereby making the most rational distribution of limited resources.

I don't root for or against Bay per se... he's just another guy whose passing through Queens wearing the orange an blue. I'm rooting for good management, which has been so hard to come by around here (rarer even then a slugging LFer), but can ultimately yield our best chance for a winning team.

[Ceetar]

But rooting for Bay means rooting for a full LF season of productivity, rooting for another means ~half a season of crappy Bay, and then plugging in an unknown.

The first wins more games.

[ashie62]

.265 18 hr 67 rbi 9 sb 2 trips to dl.

[Edgy MD]

I think you understand me perfectly well. Enough goofiness.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

450 PAs, 17 HR, 31 XBH, 49 R, 61 RBI, .268/.344/.418

[Vic Sage]

Edgy DC wrote: I think you understand me perfectly well. Enough goofiness.

you constantly overestimate my understanding and underestimate my goofiness.

[MFS62]

Bay will like the new home field dimensions.
.275 - 23 HR - 78 RBI.

Later

[Lefty Specialist]

Fences won't help Bay much as he's developed a disturbing tendency to beat the ball into the ground.

Traded back to Boston mid-season where he enjoys a career renaissance.

[Theoldmole]

.280, 25 HR, 85 RBI

[Theoldmole]

something good about Jason Bay.

[metirish]

TheOldMole wrote: something good about Jason Bay.

Haven't clicked on the link yet but I'm guessing the something good is not him forfeiting his contract?

[MFS62]

Let's put the chances for trading Bay in the proper perspective.


Which of the following doesn't belong with the others?
A) AIDS
Herpes
C) Gonorrhea
D) Jason Bay.


The answer is "C".
You can get rid of Gonorrhea.

Later

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Ranier Wolfcastle, ladies and gentlemen.

The article details how Bay earned superior scores over Alfonso Soriano in a metric ranking outfielders by poor plays committed (for example, failing to properly field a single in front of him etc). Makes sense to me as an eyewitness; Bay makes up what he may lack in spectacular plays or great range by reliably making the plays he ought to.

[Edgy MD]

Maybe the Mets did such good work scouting his defense that they didn't put enough thought into the long-term viability of his bat.

I just sometimes wonder if concussions just take the fire out of your punch.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: The article details how Bay earned superior scores over Alfonso Soriano in a metric ranking outfielders by poor plays committed (for example, failing to properly field a single in front of him etc).

"He's better than Soriano" : Defensive evaluation :: "At least you're not dead" : Health evaluation

[Edgy MD]

Well said, and the Wolfcastle line is one I was really grasping at, but in fairness, the article had Bay as the best leftfielder in beesball, according to that metric.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Non-news from Mike Puma in the New York Post:

PORT ST. LUCIE � Jason Bay won�t lose his starting job this week or likely even this month, but it doesn�t mean the Mets left fielder is untouchable. Though the idea has not yet reached the discussion stage among team executives, a club official yesterday floated the possibility that if Bay is struggling six or seven weeks into the season, the Mets could explore other options, including a platoon in left.

Nobody's talking about it, but maybe it will happen.

Was anybody thinking that Jason Bay was untouchable?

[Edgy MD]

I can't imagine why they wouldn't. Go, Puma.

[Fman99]

Batting .197 this spring, with no RBI's. NONE. Jesus H. Tap Dancing Fucking Christ, that's bad.