FIRE JOE MORGAN: Steve Phillips: Moron

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Wednesday, May 04, 2005

 

Steve Phillips: Moron

Steve Phillips has written an article for ESPN.com Insider, where he names his "All-Underrated Team." The whole thing is pretty stupid, but take a look at these excerpts. Remember, it's the all-underrated team.

Shortstop: Omar Vizquel, San Francisco Giants
In the steroid era of baseball, we have been consumed by the home run. Vizquel is not a power hitter, but he is a power fielder...

What? Also, Vizquel is not underrated. He's a 38 year-old highly-paid shortstop with a .700 lifetime OPS and a range factor below the league average.

(Honorable mention): Miguel Tejada, Baltimore Orioles – Nobody who has driven in 150 runs in a season should be underrated. This guy is the best shortstop in Orioles history. Sorry, Cal.

Best shortstop in Orioles' history? After like 180 games? How about let's wait for another 2000 before we declare that?

Third base (Honorable mention): Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees – Yankee fans don't appreciate A-Rod's talent nearly as much as they should.

That is insane. Just because Yankee fans might or might not "appreciate" ARod has nothing to do with whether he is underrated. He is not underrated. Everyone in the universe thinks he's the greatest all-around player, or one of the top 5, in the game.

Left field: (Honorable mention): Hideki Matsui, New York Yankees – It's hard to underrate a guy named Godzilla, but he's so understated that he doesn't get his just due. The Yankees need him now, that's for sure.

Why is it hard to underrate a guy whose nickname is Godzilla? I don't understand. Is it hard to underrate Terrmel Sledge because his nickname is "The Sledgehammer?" Also, Matsui is hitting .245/.328/.402/.730, and has a terrible throwing arm and average speed.

Center field: Brad Wilkerson, Washington Nationals. Any guy who has hit for the cycle twice in his career should be better known.

This is also insane. That's like saying that Tony Cloninger was underrated as a hitter because he once drove in nine runs in a game. Hitting for the cycle is 70% fluke, 30% talent. Wilkerson *is* underrated, but his having hit for the cycle twice is not the reason.

Starting pitcher: Jamie Moyer, Seattle Mariners
Moyer is 4-0 thus far, and he's done so at the age of 42, when most other older pitchers are going down like flies. You might be asking, "Yeah, but does that make him underrated?" Well, who has more career wins, John Smoltz or Moyer? The answer is Moyer, who has 196 compared to 165 for Smoltz. Moyer or Pedro Martinez? Moyer again, 196 to 185. And one last one: Moyer or Curt Schilling? Moyer again, 196 to 185. I rest my case.

Moyer is 42, says Phillips. That's older than Smoltz and Schilling. Plus, Smoltz has been in the bullpen for years. And Moyer is NINE YEARS older than Pedro, who trails him by only 11 wins. What does this teach us? That 35 year-old Dave McCarty is better than 23 year old Mark Teixera because McCarty has more hits (365 to 320)? Add that to the fact that wins are a terrible measuring stick of a pitcher's effectiveness, and you get Steve Phillips's dumbest comment yet.

Manager: (Honorable mention): Bobby Cox, Atlanta Braves – He makes the list because his teams beat my teams for six consecutive years, and I'm finally now over it.

Granted, this is a joke, but Bobby Cox is not underrated. At all.

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posted by Anonymous  # 12:56 PM
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Also of note: Steve Phillips selection for second base? Jeff Kent.

Yes, THAT Jeff Kent. The four time All Star. The 2000 NL MVP. The guy with a career .857 OPS. The guy who has been (not so) arguably the best offensive second baseman of the last seven years. The guy who Phillips notes "has the record for most home runs ever by a second baseman."

The reason he is underrated? He has never been the best or highest paid player on his team.

Makes sense to me.
 
Murbles:

You, my friend, are underrated in my book.

"My book" is "The Client" by John Grisham.

I am not sure what this means.
 
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