Pitching is so so with injuries. Berkman had contract year last year..doesn't duplicate anything Hidalgo had contract year 2 years ago..doesn't do anything Astros finish 4th in division
berkman is already doing quite well plus i don't think he had a contract year last year, we just chose to give him an extension. isn't this late anyways.
Berkman won't produce as well as last year. Eventhough, he is ahead in homers this year, his batting avg and OBP won't be near as high as last year. He had a contract drive..clear and simple. Every player has one--remember Kenny Smith is 94-95 playoffs. He went off, because he knew his contract was up. What did he do the next year- nothing.
You really don't follow baseball much, do you? It takes six years before a player can be a free agent, so he definitely was not "contract driven". In fact, it takes three years before a player is arbitration eligible, so that wasn't it either. The Astros could have paid him anything they wanted, and would have had to take it. However, in baseball, it's good to lock up your young talent to a decent contract before they are arbitration eligible, so as to avoid the hard feelings caused by arbitration. Berkman could have gotten a lot more in arbitration because he is that good, thus making his contract even more of a bargain. Batting average is very over-rated. His OBP is down, but I suspect he is trying too hard because of said contract. He'll be an all-star, and will get better as the year goes on. Also....wrong forum!
Your assertion that a player in his first full season as a starter in the bigs is "playing for a contract" is ridiculous. Also, Hidalgo is on pace for the following #s this year: .873 OPS, 65 xtra base hits, 100 R, 94 RBI I wouldn't exactly call that "doing nothing".
