OUTFIELD: CARLOS BELTRAN, NYM ($18.6 MILLION, ANDRUW JONES, LAD ($14.7 MILLION), ADAM DUNN, CIN ($13 MILLION)
It's not that Beltran is a bad player. He's a solid, at times really good outfielder with pop. But for that much money, he better provide more than 12 homers and a .270 average.
Fine.
The other two guys are stealing money. Jones duped the Dodgers into signing him last winter, and he has rewarded them by hitting .165 over 43 games and then injuring his knee.
Definitely overpaid.
Dunn, meanwhile, continues to hit homers in America's best-hitting ballpark while batting .224 and striking out at an embarrassing rate.
Dunn is first among all MLB OF in HR. He is first in walks. He is also 10th in OBP and 18th in slugging. He makes about the same amount of money as his teammate, who sports a .743 OPS. This fellow and his .684 OPS make about $10 million/yr, which buys a lot of HGH. This gentleman makes more than Dunn and has an OPS 60 points lower. This chap makes almost exactly as much and has a .289 OBP. .289! And you think Dunn is "stealing money?"
And for the record, although his 3-year splits favor GAB, in 2008 Dunn has 11 HR at home and 9 on the road, and overall has been a better hitter away from his home park. When you write about sports for a living, it might be worth it to take literally five fucking seconds to look something like that up.The guy hits 40 HR and walks 100 times every single year. Who can't see the value in that?
Labels: adam dunn, mark zuckerman, philip roth
