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 Duc
a, 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…
