[610AM]: Ensberg wins NL Silver Slugger Award for 3B

It was just a fluke.

 

Jack Wilson won one last year... and had an OPS lower than Ausmus this year.

 

But what about his previous years? Plus, Ausmus is a God.

 

Well deserved, and it was no fluke. Wish we still had Kent.

 

Mo was damn good in 2003 too. This year was probably a career year, but I don't think he'll give us another 2004 again unless he gets hurt.

 

Congrats Morgan! Now if you can show up in the NLCS and WS....

 

Ensberg's "problem" (it would be a plus if he learns how to control it) is that he's ridiculously streaky. In 2003, he did all his damage in about 3 months. Again this year, he hit a combined 4 HR's in April and September and was lights out the 4 months in between. If he could avoid the extended slumps, he'd be a 40 HR guy. The "bad" Ensberg has a bad habit of not only not hitting HR's but becoming really bad at driving in runs. In 38 games in Apr/Sep this year, he had 13 RBI. In the 110 games inbetween, 97 RBI.

 

He only had 101 for the season.

 

Whoops! Try 87. My math skills are deteriorating these days!

 

One thing we are forgetting is that most of the country believes the Whitesox pitching overpowered him. Not that he went into slump.

As an Astro fan, I dunno what to think. He looked overmatched out there. But so did every Astro in playoffs up until this year. It's not uncommon that good pitching can take you down a notch. And the truth is that explains our whole season. So I"m not down on him just yet. But it sure did look bad for us Astro fans.

 

Whoops, try again! (88).

 

Yep, there are no other players in baseball who are streaky. As per 2003, it would have also been nice if Jimy Williams had given him another 75-100 ABs instead of giving them to Geoff Blum.

 

There are plenty of other super-streaky players in the majors. Few of them are counted on to be a cleanup hitter, though. As for 2003, it's when Ensberg started playing every day that he started to slump. He played his best when he was playing maybe 4 or 5 times a week.

 

Great for Ensberg..he was the team MVP during the season. But the playoffs magnified a certain problem of his. Whether he was overcompensating after his wrist injury or not I dunno. But, he needs to close his stance up a bit (and develop a consistent one at that) and move away from being a dead pull hitter.

Also, understandably he was the cleanup hitter this season with Lance having to come back from his surgery. But I would hope Garner switches the two of them in the order, which would give Ensberg more strikes to hit and allow Berkman to make pitchers pay for any runners they put on base ahead of him.

 

I really like Mo as he is one of my favorite players, but I can't remember if I read it in an article or saw it during a game televised on FSSW, but after Ensburg hit one out someone asked him if he was looking for that particular pitch and he said that he never looked for particular pitches that he reacted. Possibly that caught up with him in the NLCS and WS as he just looked uncomfortable at the plate (often taking the first two strikes and then swinging at a junk pitch low and away). I do think he is better suited as the 3rd or 5th bat in the lineup.

 

Have you seen his numbers as a No. 4 guy? I have and I am about to go Pujols on yo Lidge ass.

Batting 4th:
Avg - .308
Obp - .417
Slg - .602

Wait for it:
OPS - 1.019

As far as 2003, are you seriously maintaining that Geoff Blum was good enough to limit Ensberg to 385 ABs in 2003?

 

Ensberg had a great year, stumbled in the playoffs, but his year was excellent.

Now if he can learn to hit to the opposite field with power, we will have a real superstar.

DD

 

Congrats to MO.

This just improves his trade value.