Bad Luck in the Outfield

[rdg515]

Over the past decade we looked forward to watching uberprospects Alex Ochoa and Fernando Martinez become stars and Brian Cole (R.I.P.) or Jay Payton take the third spot. When all four never made it big we signed Beltran and wrapped Cameron and Pagan and Francouer and Bay and Duda around him trying to create a solid outfield. Now we are back to Square One. Do we get Gose from Toronto this week? Sign Bourn to anchor CF for the next five years? Try Duda and Flores in left hoping they can field the position? Wait three more years for Nimmo to arrive? SA has an option to go for stopgaps or build long term....I'm rooting for the latter.

[The-rock-man]

We wish we had an outfielder with Beltrans talent. Even today he would still be our #1 outfielder by a country mile.

[fanofclendennon]

Over the past decade we looked forward to watching uberprospects Alex Ochoa and Fernando Martinez become stars and Brian Cole (R.I.P.) or Jay Payton take the third spot. When all four never made it big we signed Beltran and wrapped Cameron and Pagan and Francouer and Bay and Duda around him trying to create a solid outfield. Now we are back to Square One. Do we get Gose from Toronto this week? Sign Bourn to anchor CF for the next five years? Try Duda and Flores in left hoping they can field the position? Wait three more years for Nimmo to arrive? SA has an option to go for stopgaps or build long term....I'm rooting for the latter.

on the other hand, they chose Steve Chilcott over Reggie Jackson in the 1966 draft, trade Amos Otis for Joe Foy, Kevin Mitchell for Kevin McReynolds, and Jason Bay (when he could hit) for Steve Reed.

They've cursed themselves.

[rdg515]

Chilcott was suppsoed to be the next Johnny Bench and he got hurt so that's not theri fault...trading Otis for Foy and adding Leroy Stanton to the Ryan for Fregosi disaster was just unforgiveable. Singleton netted us Staub so that was worth it but imagine the 1970s into the early 80s with Jones, Agee, Shamsky, Swoboda followed by Stanton, Otis and Singleton in the outfield and Seaver, Ryan, Koosman, and Matlack as the staff....but then we had the DeRoulets. Mitchell for McReynolds was a fair trade but they gave away Mookie, Dykstra and let Straw walk for nothing. Starting outfield 1993 ASG was Mitchell, Dykstra and Straw----and Cone and Aguilera and Gooden were traded or lost for almost nothing. The 1990s would have been a lot different too. Hopefully SA is starting a new decade of strength through a good Dickey deal and a farm system that has a plethora of pitching on its way to New York.

[Dugmet]

Chilcott was suppsoed to be the next Johnny Bench and he got hurt so that's not theri fault...trading Otis for Foy and adding Leroy Stanton to the Ryan for Fregosi disaster was just unforgiveable. Singleton netted us Staub so that was worth it but imagine the 1970s into the early 80s with Jones, Agee, Shamsky, Swoboda followed by Stanton, Otis and Singleton in the outfield and Seaver, Ryan, Koosman, and Matlack as the staff....but then we had the DeRoulets. Mitchell for McReynolds was a fair trade but they gave away Mookie, Dykstra and let Straw walk for nothing. Starting outfield 1993 ASG was Mitchell, Dykstra and Straw----and Cone and Aguilera and Gooden were traded or lost for almost nothing. The 1990s would have been a lot different too. Hopefully SA is starting a new decade of strength through a good Dickey deal and a farm system that has a plethora of pitching on its way to New York.

I always defend criticism of the Mets taking Chilcott. All teams in baseball had Chilcott and Reggie rated the top two prospects in the draft. The Mets went for the catcher--a harder position to fill. Plus he hit something like 7 HRs in 11ABs the weekend Casey Stengel went to scout him. It was a good pick that didn't work out.

I never liked the deal for Staub. I liked Singleton, and I think Foli was in my dad's Marine Corp battalion or something...kinda foggy on that one.

[kmo429]

We already are building/have built for the future. We need OF right now.

Duda will have to play left. His bat is too dangerous to take out. Left is the least dangerous for him to play. I am confident Niewenhuis will have a good season> Good enough to be a soild 6-8 hitter. Baxter is no more than a 4th or 5th OF either. People have talked about re-signing Hairston but he's a 4th OF too. We need a really solid OF. Signing Bourn for 4 years will not delay our rebuild. Signing Cody Ross, or trading for a solid OF, wont put a delay to our rebuild. It will just make us better now, a 2nd WC contender, and will make us think that the rebuild is doing EVEN BETTER than we thought. It will make it come faster, by making us good now. Once Wheeler and Harvey and Niese andFamilia/MEjia are ready to be atop pitchers, Davis is in his prime, Niewenhuis is broken out, Duda has gained consistency, TDA is beasting, Wright is still an elite player, ETC>

Rebuild doesnt need to eb done the way the Marlins do it. It should NEVER be done the way the Marlisn do it.

[ThisIsTheYear]

With all this bad luck you are talking about, we are bound to string a couple good OFers together eventually.

Hopefully the time is soon

[StoicSentry]

Here's hoping D'Arnaud and Snydergaard aren't busts like F-Mart. Yes, I know, different positions. But no prospect is a sure thing.

[kyubi256]

I'm pretty sure that Beltran would be a #1 outfielder in most teams lol...

[RangersMets]

Here's hoping D'Arnaud and Snydergaard aren't busts like F-Mart. Yes, I know, different positions. But no prospect is a sure thing.

Snyder could end up the route of F-Mart due to an incomplete resume. F-mart was incredibly hyped by us when he was at a young age and his development was mostly projected, similar to what Snyder is now.

D'Arnaud on the other hand is a completely different realm. Think Harvey/Wheeler level of certainty.

[Zmaster52]

Mike Cameron, Cliff Floyd, Ryan Church...

Why'd all of these names pop into mind?

[IAmARanger18]

Duda in LF all year should be quite the site to watch -_____-

[rdg515]

[QUOTE=kmo429;24751619]We already are building/have built for the future. We need OF right now.

Duda will have to play left. His bat is too dangerous to take out. Left is the least dangerous for him to play. I am confident Niewenhuis will have a good season> Good enough to be a soild 6-8 hitter. Baxter is no more than a 4th or 5th OF either. People have talked about re-signing Hairston but he's a 4th OF too. We need a really solid OF. Signing Bourn for 4 years will not delay our rebuild. Signing Cody Ross, or trading for a solid OF, wont put a delay to our rebuild. >QUOTE]

That's my thinking...Duda has too much pop to give up on so quickly...he could be another Kingman or better...30 homers from your #6 hitter is a great way to score runs in bunches. We need a solid CF/leadoff hitter---if Gose isn't in the deal I still say sign Bourn....he's in his prime and could be a big part of our future....5 years at between $12-16M is his price range....what we may have spent on Reyes and didn't. If they go with Tejada as leadoff hitter it's a weak hand to play. And with a projected payroll now of $70M plus Bay payout we have room to add one big FA and still keep the payroll at 2012 levels....backloading slightly will improve the team now and down the road as Santana's $24M comes off the books and Wright's full $16+M kicks in.

[SILVER SEAVER]

on the other hand, they chose Steve Chilcott over Reggie Jackson in the 1966 draft, trade Amos Otis for Joe Foy, Kevin Mitchell for Kevin McReynolds, and Jason Bay (when he could hit) for Steve Reed.

They've cursed themselves.

Mitchell had an MVP season but overall McReynolds was the best player. I liked K-Mac. More than Strawberry in '88, McReynolds should have been the NL MVP with all due respect to Kirk Gibson who was a great player and leader of men.

[SILVER SEAVER]

Duda in LF all year should be quite the site to watch -_____-

Gee Toronto didn't want him I wonder why? Maybe because they actually want to win. lol