2014 IPP: Chris Young

[Benjamin Grimm]

It was moderately popular last year, so we'll try it again this year. IPP stands for Individual Player Predictions. These will be threads where we share our expectations of how a player will perform in the current year. Feel free to make your predictions as specific or as vague as you like. (You can find a listing of the 2013 IPPs here.)

I think I was the only one to pick Chris Young as the "key Met" for 2014. If he has a bounceback season for the Mets, hitting 30 or more homers, it will make a huge difference for the team. But I don't think he's going to do that. I'm going to say 15 homers, .220, traded by July 31 or benched in August.

He'll be a one-year Met.

[Ceetar]

.255/.340/.430 24 HR.

Plays mostly left field.

Steals more bases than Eric.

Gets 2 outfield assists in April at the plate. Mets win both those games by 1 run.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Have nothing beyond blind faith and belief in the egghead front office to predict we can get $8 million worth of production out of this guy. I'm not even sure if his acquisition was more a matter of saying "we don't believe in Lagares' bat" or "we don't believe in Eric Young's overall game." I mean, the latter is probably true. So much depends on the Spring Training Blockbuster.

I'm looking at his career and scratching my head.

.235/.315/.430 20-70 20 steals.

[Ceetar]

I think you're overestimating what $8 million production is. It's not very much in this market.

[MFS62]

Better than what we might expect, based on the past few years.
Not as good as we might hope.
.245- 17- 71.

Later

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Ceetar wrote: I think you're overestimating what $8 million production is. It's not very much in this market.

Yeah, I didn't phrase that well. I am assuming the Mets are bargain shopping as usual and have expectations of more than $8 million in production.

[Ceetar]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Ceetar wrote: I think you're overestimating what $8 million production is. It's not very much in this market. Yeah, I didn't phrase that well. I am assuming the Mets are bargain shopping as usual and have expectations of more than $8 million in production.

pretty much, though I like the price/risk for Young better than say Nelson Cruz and I think I agree with the one solid/one gamble OF acquisitions. Both Granderson AND Choo would've perhaps been too much.

[Edgy MD]

I'm very curious as to what the outcome of training with Rod Carew will be.

1) He won't be particularly more of a contact hitter, but will bring more polish to the power hitter he was/is.
2) He will be more of a contact hitter, and it will up his game considerably.
3) He will be more of a contact hitter, but it will get him away from what he does best and make him less effective.
4) No discernible difference. His decline continues apace.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Hoping to be surprised by him, suspect a little above ex-
pectations and hope he can fetch us some more young
talent from a contender.

[Edgy MD]

I was impressed with how early in the offseason the Mets landed him. And I imagined some application they concocted displayed projected-cost/projected-value ratios and had just been plugged in when his name exploded to the top with off-the-chart numbers.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Friend, you are impressed by unusual things.

118 G, 449 PA, .232/.314/.418, 53 R, 15 HR, 54 RBI, 40 XBH, 13 SB, more boos than he deserves, probably

[Lefty Specialist]

MFS62 wrote: Better than what we might expect, based on the past few years. Not as good as we might hope. .245- 17- 71. Later

This is kind of where I am. He won't hit .200, but he won't be spectacular either.

[smg58]

.230/.310/.390. Average range with a below average arm.

[Edgy MD]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Friend, you are impressed by unusual things.

Well, I don't necessarily mean "impressed" in the delectable sense. It made an impression on me.

When the Mets were serious about re-signing Scott Hairston, were serious about re-signing Scott Hairston, and then announced that they were going in a different direction, even though Hairy's eventual pricetag wasn't a big spike from where the negotiations were at, it told me they saw something they thought was for reals in their analysis of the different direction, which turned out to be Byrd.

Which isn't to say that I think Young is going to be awesome, only that I think the Mets think they spotted a value they believe the market wasn't reflecting, but might if they left him out there too long. An impression, for lack of a better word, was left. And it's only grown deeper amid the subsequent hay that's been made of the market receding on the likes of Cruz. And maybe Byrd, I guess. Alderson and his friends have publicly put it out there that they think they see things the marketplace doesn't see.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Yes, that's what I was getting at above too. Maybe it's something as simple as an adjustment, or awaiting more injury recovery time, or maybe it's something more. Maybe it's totally undetectable drugs.

[ashie62]

450 AB 15 HR 50 RBI 20 SB .220

[Benjamin Grimm]

It will be interesting to see what happens in the Mets outfield when Chris Young comes back. Assuming he lasts more than one inning next time around.

I just hope that Lagares keeps playing. (And keeps producing, of course.)

[Ceetar]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: It will be interesting to see what happens in the Mets outfield when Chris Young comes back. Assuming he lasts more than one inning next time around. I just hope that Lagares keeps playing. (And keeps producing, of course.)

Eric Young Jr to the bench where it belongs. It's not really an issue.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Yes, but you're not the manager. It's well known that Terry likes Eric.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I think EYJ will sit, but in the event he cannot sit, maybe get traded for a leadoff hitter who plays SS. That would be the ultimate solution.

[ashie62]

Chris Young is going to have to work his way into an effective OF....

[Frayed Knot]

Ashie62 wrote: Chris Young is going to have to work his way into an effective OF....

Of the current OF, really only Lagares can make any kind of claim at being "effective".

Yes, but you're not the manager. It's well known that Terry likes Eric.

I think it's possible that Terry only likes EYJ as compared to the alternatives since he arrived last summer.
If C. Young ever shows up healthy and ready to go and Granderson actually starts hitting at some point, TC might find himself falling out of love rather quickly.

[ashie62]

I still believe EY is the best Young on the team...

[Frayed Knot]

Well currently he's the only Young on the team, so that's some low-hanging fruit there.

[ashie62]

Can't they just rotate them as best they can...

Chris Young could get hot out of the box and make it easy....

[Zvon]

Ashie62 wrote: I still believe EY is the best Young on the team...

I can't say because C Young is in the process of showing me nothing.

But EY...if he could just bat .270 and cut down on the Ks he'd fill that lead off spot fine. The stolen bases. We can't just gloss over the stolen bases he brings. I suppose that could play just as well off the bench (pinch running) but I dunno, I think EY is the closest thing we have compared to what we need in a lead off guy. If he starts suckin eggs then do what ya gotta do, but I for one am glad that C Youngs out and we get an extended look at EY.

Too bad Lagares don't have his legs.

[Frayed Knot]

EYJ is hitting .200 while striking out in 1/3 of his PAs
He's good at making things happen when he actually does get on base, but it's not like his overall performance is throwing up a roadblock to any and all challengers.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

He's also... um... well, he's not exactly good with the glove. While the other Young is, even in his current form, still a potential asset there.

[Frayed Knot]

I don't have a problem w/EY's glove. Yeah he plays too deep and doesn't have much of an arm, but he runs well and catches everything he gets to.

On the plus side, Chris Young is 5-for-5 so far at his Las Vegas stint including 2 doubles and a HR

[Edgy MD]

Yeah, that's the way you rehab. I'm kinda hoping he's in the lineup tonight.

I was a little surprised the Mets didn't elect to trade high on EY. I think the team loves his habits hustle and intangibles, but his skill set is quite distinct from what they Mets are reportedly looking for.