Super agent Scott Boras trying to get Jason Varitek a four-year deal is like a used car salesman trying to sell Steve's Grand Marquis for more than a sack of potatoes and a pat on the back. That said, the Sox are exploring their (limited) options. They've landed on the best potential prospect out there. A guy named...whatever...just read.Now Salta...damn it. This guy is supposed to be pretty good. He didn't have a great season, splitting time behind the dish with Gerald Laird. But he's 23 and has a great upside. Not that great defensively though. His numbers through 61 games were:
BA: .253
HR: 3
RBI: 26
OBP: .352
SLG: .364
OPS+: 91
Not great, but his most important stat is at home. This guy married his high school sweetheart. She was also his GYM TEACHER. Good for you Mr. Saltalala...aw hell...Jarrod.
3 comments:
That low contact rate is a big red flag. He struck out in 37% of at-bats in 2008. He hasn't been that bad in the past though, so maybe he's due for a rebound.
In any case, this would be much better than re-signing Varitek. Can you believe he was an All-Star last year? That may be worse than the Bartolo Colon Cy Young a couple of years ago.
there is an argument here that points out a positive correlation between strikeouts and runs created.
http://www.dugoutcentral.com/blog/?p=2023
I don't have the statistical chops to argue this on stat grounds, but I will attempt to do so on logical grounds...
Ceteris paribus, striking out is prerable to not striking out. But the fact is that it is very rare that a player not named Pujols is able to simultaneously support 90% contact rates while hitting for power.
I definitely buy the argument that as you move from 90%+ contact rates down to 80% and even into the seventies, the power gained from striking out more but hitting balls further is a positive trade-off. But it's at the extreme end of the spectrum where high strikeout totals could really hurt you (see: Mark Reynolds, Ryan Howard). You'd be hard-pressed to find many All-Stars with Salty's 2008 contact rate of 63%.
And if you look at Salty's 39% hit rate on balls in play, his '08 stats start looking even worse.
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