3
2011
Build A Bench Workshop: It Takes A Milledge?
An article by Craig Lerner
Remember our first teenage hitting machine? No, not F-Mart, the one before him, Lastings Milledge.
According to MLB Trade Rumors, Milledge is currently the youngest free agent on the market. Of course that alone would not be a good enough reason for putting Milledge back in a Mets uniform, but there are some compelling reasons to consider such a possibility.
As Mike Axisa points out, it wasn’t that long ago that Milledge was one of the game’s very best prospects. Baseball America ranked him as the ninth best prospect in baseball prior to the 2006 season, a year after they dubbed him the 11th best.
His attitude and ego definitely impacted his stay with the Mets and not long after his first cup of coffee, he was shipped off to the Nationals in return for Brian Schneider and Ryan Church, neither of whom made a significant impact during their time with the Mets.
Milledge is only 25 and one could argue that his best days are still ahead of him, but more important than that comes the hope his attitude and respect for the game has changed. There’s a great chance that he can still blossom into the type of player many scouts expected him to be in the coming seasons.
Considering how little it would take to sign him, it might be a worthy gamble for the Mets, and if he did step up his performance, how fitting would it be if he did it with the team that selected him in the first round of the 2003 Amateur Draft?
Milledge can play all three outfield positions, which is exactly what the Mets need from their fourth outfielder. He has a nice combination of some speed and some pop and in about three seasons worth of at-bats he has posted a .269 average and a .723 OPS. Numbers that are certainly not bad for a fourth outfielder, but also numbers that can get even better given he is still a player with great upside.
He’s certainly worthy of consideration when you look at the Mets current options of Jason Pridie or worse.
What do you think?
Here is a video from SNY, of an interview Kevin Burkhardt did with Milledge at the end of last season.
About the Author: Craig Lerner
I'm a data analyst and researcher for a leading news agency who loves life and is hooked on the Mets. I love following the Amateur Draft and have a particular fondness for the Mets Minor Leagues who I follow each day. Give me a cold beer, a summer day, and a Mets game, and I'm good to go.
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Pass. He technically has played each OF position, but he doesn’t play any of them well. He also hasn’t shown much of a bat, and seems to have a lousy attitude to go along with it.
The attitude is the thing that concerns me. He is a talented player, still only 25. Does one thing well which is hit LHP which would help Wright not be pitched around. Right now Beltran, for as long as he’s here and Wright are the only ones that hit LHP well.
Moving Beltran from RF to CF against LHP and starting Milledge in RF and then bringing in Pagan to replace him could work out very well but would Milledge become part of the solution or would he just become one more problem?
he would be a cheap FA signing. If he “clicks”, you have a useful player on the cheap for a few more years (one that got the growing pains out of the way on some other team).
If he doesn’t work out, you drop him and move on. Next to no risk, but some upside potential.
If he were willing to sign for 600k or less this would be a smart move for the Mets. He may actually be motivated by playing with guys like Ike Davis, Jon Niese, Bobby Parnell and Josh Thole who were all drafted after him and now are here to stay. He was often comapred to a young Darryl Strawberry when he was drafted and I wonder if the Mets could possibly ask Darryl to work with him in spring training if the they did decide to sign him.
I’d sign him if I was the man. He still has plenty of upside and shouldn’t cost much. I think he got a raw deal so that might weigh in on my decision more than his actual capabilities.
I agree, they could get him cheap for one year and see what happens. Everyone grows up, and he wasn’t a “bad” guy to begin with. I say sign him.
A team needs high end subs in order to win. Omar Miniya proved that when he transported a bus load of scrubs from the sandlots of the D.R. in 2009.
Lastings Milledge is a high end sub whom I would consider.
High end subs who can not only do something but do something different, even better, than the guy(s) their backing up. That way they get some semi regular play to stay sharp and the regular gets an ample amount of rest which not only helps his play but also guards against him getting hurt and even taking for granted that he’s going to start every game.
Getting contributions from everyone on the team is the biggest component toward achieving some team chemistry. If your bench can really help you in a few different specific situations that can go a long way towards a Pennant or wild card.
Having 25 guys everyone has some confidence in is vital. Rounding out the roster with 8 – 10 freaks on it like Omar did the last couple of years gives you no chance.
he has pretty good split #s vs. LHP, so from that standpoint, he is a nice compliment to Pagan.
real question might be, does he bring anything more to the table than Nick Evans, who might be the odd man out if they do bring in lastings?
at this point, Milledge might have to take a MiL/ST invite deal, and if that is the case, they certainly should consider grabbing him.
Nextyear, I think Milledge is a far better option than Evans. His age, speed, flexibility and the little bit of pop he has. I like this idea if the price is right.
I think Milledge would also bring something this team sorely needs
like it or not……….ATTITUDE!
Let’s face it….
Watching the Mets play these last few years has been like watching
paint dry.
Toward the end of his brief time with the Pirates, he lost his starting job and was relegated to being a pinch hitter against lefty pitchers. He hasn’t shown good defensive skills in the outfield. Lastings was a defensive disaster with the Nationals. He was unable to go back on hard hit drives, so he played the deepest center field I’ve ever seen. Admittedly, I haven’t seen him play in about a year.
He outgrew CF a while ago and his bat never played enough for COF. He also acted like he had already established himself and that couldn’t have led to his working on his game the way he should have. He’s a guy who has gotten by on natural talent most of his life and should be better than he is by now. At 25, having been traded twice and then given up on he still has time and may be wiser now then before. Late bloomer or Elijah Dukes? Tough call especially since he’s not being brought into the most stable situation.
If Milledge is the answer…I don’t want to know the question.
Absolutely – bring him ‘home’. He will be a welcome addition to the team, both on and off the field.
I can still see him smiling and waving to the crowd after a home run……he’s all personality and baseball charm.
Youngest son of a Florida State Trouper and his school teacher wife – he put them through the wringer, but I haven’t heard any ‘news’ about Lastings in a long time. I’m sure that means he has settled down to play the game he loves.
Lastings Milledge has been a problem wherever he has played. He had difficulties at his Bradenton, FL high school, then he was known as a problem with each major league team he played :the Mets, the Nationals, and the Pirates.
Adam Rubin reports that Milledge got into an on-field brawl in mid-December while playing in the Venezuelan winter league. “Lastings Milledge involved in big team fight in winter ball. Venezuelan friend says: Heated game. After he doubled in 4th, he made like he was throwing grenade to his dugout. Other team didn’t like. Hit him in 7th. Then he took 2B. Other team went after him. BOOM-Big Fight.”
Here is thee video of the melee:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS8ZbEYLNjc&feature=player_embedded
There is nothing wrong with a little tussell.
He was pushed by that thug 2nd baseman…AFTER being hit by the pitcher for his BOOMING double.
What was he supposed to do? Stay punked like Rubin Tejada after he was up-ended by Mr. baseball Chase Utley?
I’ll take number 41 on my team…he showed leadership skills during the tussell.
No harm no foul…all the millionaire ball players stayed in the back.
The Sissyfication of the Mets must stop.
Milledge is a hot dog who has the mustard but not all the meat. Sometimes he’s really funny at his own expense. In a game between the Pirates and Cubs, Lastings drove the ball deep into left field. The crowd cheered, the fireworks went off, and Milledge eased into his home run trot. But Milledge didn’t hit a home run. He had knocked it off the left-field wall and was tagged up after casually rounding second. Isn’t it kind of low to shoot off a sarcastic fireworks display?
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100506&content_id=9846888¬ebook_id=9858286&vkey=notebook_pit&fext=.jsp&c_id=pit
Yeah, he’s a regular Al Capone. He’s so bad he got into a fight in Venezuela! OMG! Stop the presses! Like no one gets into fights in this country during a baseball game? I think Lastings has grown up as a person and a player and he still has a lot of talent, plus he comes cheap. It’s a no-brainer, sign him.
Who was # 41 on his team? He was holding two guys by himself after 2nd fight.
I don’t recall him having attitude issues in Pittsburgh
I wouldn’t mind having him back
Sign him for Buffalo if you really want to.
How quickly everyone forgets that he was terrible defensively for the nats and Pirates. And his defense has gotten progressively worse.
Take out his prior connection to the Mets, and there isn’t a compelling case for him.
He’s a risk with upside…what other kind of players are we in the money for this off season? And he’ll play the 2011 season at 26 years old. i say bring him in for a good price, but will Sandy & Co accept his low OBP, or think he’s worthy of ‘coaching’?
I like the minor league deal\spring training invite. Sign him to small $$ and give him a chance without being obligated to have him on the roster. If he makes the team as a 4th outfielder or pinch hitter/runner, then it pays off. If he still has his old problems and you have to part ways, then you haven’t lost a lot.
I’d take Milledge back and sign him to a minor league deal. He needs work against RHP as well as go back to the drawing board on defense. He’s better than what his numbers show & has Delmon Young-like potential. Sadly, it hasn’t come to fruition yet. Maybe some time in AAA will help.
On a side note, I find it amusing that some people here say at times “We need someone with fire, grit, toughness, etc.” and then when someone who has that “OH NO HE’S A CANCER! HE HAS ATTITUDE PROBLEMS!” Uhh, isn’t that what you asked for? Make up your mind please.
A wise man (and Hall of Fame manager) once said, “Nice guys finish last”.
Love the Mets.
One small fact that almost everyone is overlooking: he hasn’t done poop in MLB!
Why bring back a player who cannot even show himself to be a very good player in either D.C. or Pittsburgh?!
Bringing him back makes no sense to me.
I think the idea is that he is still young and could get better. However, I doubt a disciplinarian like Collins will want a guy with his history