If It Walks Like A Duca, And Talks Like A Duca, It Must Be A Duca!
Nothing gets me more excited in the off season than a great trade. Well I don't really mean nothing, but you know what I mean. Last night's trade for Johnny Estrada came out of left field. I mean there was not even a hint of that going down. So much for all these experts who think they're in the know...
Hey listen, I know that most of us wanted Paul Lo Duca back in the worst way... Well, maybe not most of us, but at least a majority of us...
Well, guess what?
We did get Paul Lo Duca Back! Okay, not in the physical sense but take a closer look at Estrada vs Paul Lo Duca...
2007 | Lo Duca | Estrada |
Games | 119 | 120 |
AB | 445 | 442 |
Avg | .272 | .278 |
Runs | 46 | 40 |
Hits | 121 | 123 |
HR | 9 | 10 |
RBI | 54 | 54 |
Fielding | .989 | .994 |
Errors | 9 | 6 |
Remarkable isn't it? If it walks like a Duca, and talks like a Duca, it must be a Duca!
Let me tell you all something... That Torrealba deal falling apart, was a gift from above. That's not to say that Johnny Estrada is perfect. Not by a long shot... He has his flaws too. For one thing his on-base percentage is an abysmal .297, and second, he had an atrocious year throwing out runners last season. Supposedly that was due to an elbow problem which he just corrected with surgery. However, despite the flaws, he is as good if not better than Yorvit Torrealba who we were about to commit to for four years!
Let's count our blessings...
Comments
The fascinating part is that the Bewers' GM called the Mets offering Estrada for any of 6 players, so Omar didn't exactly make a great deal - it fell into his lap.
Posted by: Barry D. | November 21, 2007 10:36 AM
hmmm, the .297 OBP is ridiculous, esp for a guy without serious power. that's gona be like batting two pitchers back to back. after seeing that, maybe it would be better for the mets to just let this guy become a free agent.
you know, minaya should read a book on sabermetrics. he's too old school - e.g. thinking castillo is a good number two hitter, when his OPS is atrocious. i remember in 2005, the mets were batting reyes and matsui 1-2 in the lineup, despite the fact that both had OBP under 300 (!), and neither hit for power. Reyes only became a legit leadoff hitter in 2006 (fortunately).
Posted by: zach | November 21, 2007 11:06 AM
Those numbers are uncanny...
I agree Joe, counting our blessings is a good thing,,,especially when it involves Mota leaving Shea for good. One unidentified teammate said that Mota was uncomfortable at home, and that the booing got to him. Well, if he didn't suck, he would not have been booed. Pretty simple really...unless steroids make you ultra sensitive to boos!
Posted by: Adam Baker | November 21, 2007 11:19 AM
It's actually better than Paulie, because it lets you platoon Estrada and Castro. Estrada is an even better LH hitter, and Castro is a better bat than Paulie RH. With Estrada catching 100 games and Castro catching 60, it makes for a very very good situation.
Posted by: Mike | November 21, 2007 11:42 AM
Barry, there's nothing better than a good lap dance...
Zach, very good points. In his defense, I prefer a guy who makes his decision on gut instincts rathern than just crunching numbers. Plus it makes for good blogging when he makes a wrong decision, lol
Adam, it's a known fact that one of the withdrawal symptoms to getting caught cheating is a hyper-sensitivity to booing!
Mike, I never considered that, but you are absolutely dead on accurate.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Posted by: Joe D | November 21, 2007 11:47 AM
Adam - Steroids can lead to depression so booing can affect depression, but even with that said its a proven fact that booing has negative impact on a players performance, unfortunately thats one thing east coast fans can actually learn from the rest of the country. Don't boo your own players, its common sense people common sense...
Posted by: Christian (MetsMan) | November 21, 2007 1:20 PM
screw em...they're millionaires. i'm a booer and proud of it.
also nobody out west can match the passion for their times like the east coasters. we just care more.
Posted by: nate | November 21, 2007 1:25 PM
also nobody out west can match the passion for their times like the east coasters. we just care more.
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That is a bunch of BS, anyone who seriously believes that is a fool and has no sense of reality.
Posted by: Christian (MetsMan) | November 21, 2007 2:04 PM
Thats just a theory christian, not a fact. The thing about theories is, that everybody has one.
Posted by: chris | November 21, 2007 3:13 PM
The one stat you didn't compare is, Estrada sucks at calling games. He has been ripped by managers for this reason. Loduca on the other knows how to use his pitchers that's the stat that seperates the two.
Posted by: Tony | November 21, 2007 7:12 PM
The one stat you didn't compare is how they call games. Estrada sucks at calling games. He has been ripped by managers for this reason. Loduca on the other hand knows how to use his pitchers that's the stat that seperates the two.
Posted by: Tony | November 21, 2007 7:12 PM