There is a fine line between present contention and future contention. I understand Luhnow's thought process here but it is not a guarantee we will be in the same spot next year.
More than likely you are correct, but it is interesting to note that the top three currently leading players in OBP are all first basemen - Cabrera right at .400, Pujols at .398 and Mauer at .395. This probably proves your point in that the best hitter in baseball over the past few years "only" has a lifetime .400 OBP. So, if White hits .300 and has an OBP of .400 he will be on par with Cabrera. (power numbers notwithstanding)
Uh, what he actually said was he doesn't think Tyler White will be in the class of Joey Votto, Paul Goldschmidt, and Miguel Cabrera -- that's the list of 3. There's also a difference between doing it in for the sporadic season and doing it consistently. Lyle Overbay had a very successful, 14 year MLB career. He never had a .400 OBP. However, if White replicated his career, I think we'd all be thrilled.
That Gutierrez HR wasn't even good contact. It isn't as much fun when it is the other team that puts one in the first row of the Boxes.
Dude ..... He is hitting 380, he is going to have a high BABIP. For his CAREER he has like a 420 OBP. He also is a line drive hitter that has an elite ratio of hard hit balls.
Feldman struggling with his command early on. 29 pitches and counting in the 2nd inning alone. He's also walked the last 3 hitters.
