i don't see anything in Hunter's numbers to indicate he's "slipping." his season last year was on par with his previous 3 and in some ways was better. an outfield of Lee-Hunter-Pence sounds really good to me. but the price needs to be right.
Woof to Hunter. Give up your first round pick and spend a ton of money on a guy who isn't a big time run producer, doesn't get on base a lot, doesn't hit for a ton of power, doesn't steal many bases, doesn't stay healthy... I don't know. As a Yankee fan who is facing the possibility we might need to go sign a CF for next year as well, I'd advocate taking the cheaper Mike Cameron, save the pick, save some money, get similar production and spend more money in another area of the team.
Hunter played 160 games last season and 147 the year before. His OPS last season was .839...it was .826 the year before. He hit 28 HR's last season and knocked in over 100 RBI's. I don't see how those numbers comport with what you're saying at all.
Hunter had his second highest batting average ever last year at .287. He's never hit .290 or higher. Hunter is a career .271 hitter with a .324 obp / .469 slg / 104 OPS+. He averages 25 homeruns a year. Cameron is a career .251 hitter with a .341 obp / .445 slg / 106 OPS+. He averages 22 homeruns a year. Both are elite defenders. Both have trouble staying on the field for a full season. Difference? Hunter costs you a draft pick and probably something like 10 million dollars more. I think it's debatable whether Hunter is a better hitter but he certainly isn't that much better.
Since the Astros finished in the bottom half of the league, they do not have to give up a first round pick to sign any top tier free agents.
For what it's worth I don't hate Hunter or anything, I just think he is going to be way overvalued in this market.
Stros 1st pick is protected this year, they'd lose a 2nd. And Cameron might require pick compensation as well, dunno when they release the stats, inc rankings.
What a waste of money. Upgrading the outfield should be one of the team's lowest priorities when they have other pressing needs. Neither Hunter nor Rowand would be that much of an improvement over Luke Scott. Yes, CF defense would be improved, but at what cost? You can easily argue that Scott (based on limited sampling, I understand) is a better offensive player than either. Signing Rowand to a big contract would be a huge mistake. He's had 2 great seasons and 2 awful seasons the past four years. He's vastly overrated thanks to his 'grittiness'.
As I said, I am fan of his so I hope you're more right on than I. When I saw him, tho, he was only hitting lower echelon pitchers and not covering the same ground he used to. Maybe my sample is skewed and thus my conclusion is screwed. I stand by what I said, tho, based on what I saw.
Unless either one of those guys can pitch, they need to be looking at someone else... don't get me wrong, they would be a nice addition, but we sorely need a couple of SP...
Hunter is the best CF I have seen since Jr. was young and in Seattle. He is better than Jones and imo light years better than Cameron. I read someplace that he wants a 5 year deal and I say make it happen with fat Lee in left.
I've seen him a lot (watch mostly AL games) and I think he's slipped some in the outfield due to age but not a terrible amount. He's not suffering from weight issues or laziness a la Andruw Jones.
i tend to agree. but there's a limit to how willing i am to agree to that based on the numbers that torri wants in return.
Paying him until age 37/38? I don't know. I think that's awfully risky for a guy like him. If he slips a little offensively he's no longer a productive hitter.
If Torii plays good defensive CF, hits .280, and knocks in 100 RBI, I am not sure why $14-15M is out of line when we pay Berkman $15M. Berkman hits between .280-.290, knocks in 100 RBI. The only difference is that he hits about 10 more HR.
I would welcome either of those two guys onto this medicore Astros team. A team in need of immediate help in many areas. Yes, pitching is sorely needed ... & then there's Lidge But we weren't exactly setting the world on fire with the lumber either. Like the dude said earlier, ain't my money. Drayton won't exactly be cleaning outhouses anytime soon. Go get 'em!
He's hit .280 or better 3 times in a 10 year career and driven in 100 runs or more twice. Berkman also gets on base more and hits for more power. Career lines: Hunter .271 / .324 obp / .469 slg / 104 OPS+ Berkman: .300 / .412 / .559 / 146 OPS+
but looking at his stats, he's been over his career averages the past 2 seasons in a lot of key categories. he's 32 right now, i think. possible to give him a 4 year deal?
