i misunderstood your original post i think. i was thinking about when people become disenchanted with hakeem in 92 and we nearly had the heat trade...and then him working it out with charlie thomas. when you said ill-will, that's what came to mind instantly involving hakeem.
1. because i'm not a moneyball/fantasy league freak ...because i still think OBP and scoring runs are how a leadoff hitter should be measured. and i don't want to waste a power source at the top of the lineup so that you're guaranteed that 1/4 of his AB's come when no one's on base. 2. where is mientkiewicz batting in the twins' lineup? can he play center even as well as biggio can? he's a 1B...which means there's no place for him on this team. which ultimately makes his OBP irrelevant when discussing a place on the houston astros.
Yes, apparently his bat speed is better. Scouts in spring training noticed it. Biggio won't stay this hot, but it's not a complete fluke he is hitting well.
Jason Lane is not a center fielder. He was a pitcher at USC. The Astros drafted him for his bat and played him at 1st. He was then converted to LF because Jeff Bagwell has first base covered in the majors. In short, there is no way he's a better CF than Biggio is, and he's likely a lot worse. Lane fans will just have to have patience until a corner OF spot opens up.
EXACTLY. Anyone that thinks we will have a better option than Biggio in CF (at least from our minors) until Willy Tavares is ready is kidding themselves. There is no way Lane can play CF better than Biggio does currently. Also, I wonder if any of these range factor studies that show Biggio has a bottom rung range could split things up by month or even season halves. Because I would think that a great many of the mental mistakes Craig might make, misjudging the ball off the bat, getting a slow jump, taking a bad angle, would have come in the first half of the season while he was still getting used to the position. In fact, I would be very surprised if Biggio didn't improve his range factor drastically over the second half of 2003...and I think that's why when 2004 is all over with, his range factor will be right at about middle of the pack for center fielders.
Also, I wonder if any of these range factor studies that show Biggio has a bottom rung range could split things up by month or even season halves. Because I would think that a great many of the mental mistakes Craig might make, misjudging the ball off the bat, getting a slow jump, taking a bad angle, would have come in the first half of the season while he was still getting used to the position. In fact, I would be very surprised if Biggio didn't improve his range factor drastically over the second half of 2003...and I think that's why when 2004 is all over with, his range factor will be right at about middle of the pack for center fielders. It's still early... but of the 28 MLB consistently-starting centerfielders, Biggio is ranked #25 in Range Factor and #27 in Zone Rating. His 2003 stats were similar. The guy is simply slower than most centerfielders - he's old, and he's no longer the speedster that he used to be. Whether it's a major liability or not is debatable, but he isn't nearly as quick as the average guy out there and doesn't get to as many balls as others do. Last year, he also had lots of problems tracking down balls off the wall and such. He would misread them and turn singles into doubles or doubles into triples by not know how to play them and chasing them around the outfield. He does seem to have improved on this part though... now he just has the range problem.
The Astros disagree with you. In Oswalt's 2-0 game last week, Lane replaced Biggio in CF in the 9th. With a 4-1 lead against the Cardinals, Lane replaced Biggio in the 8th. In these two instances, the Astros obviously felt that Lane was the better defensive option in CF.
I have to say that Biggio resurgence this season has surprised me. I expected him to put up .250/.320 type numbers. That isn't to say that won't happen, either. The problem that people are trying to point out to madmax is that there is a tremendous talent being wasted. Jason Lane deserves playing time over an aging Biggio, whether you like it or not. I think the best solution would be to make him a super sub. He can give an occasional off day to Lane in center, Berkman in left, Bagwell at 1st, and Kent at 2nd. This should get him about 300 or so ab's. This is perfectly fitting for a player of his current skill.
He's hitting like we'd hope a leadoff hitter would, well, until the last two weeks of a season in a close divisional race and/or when the playoffs come around. But who doesn't know that.
You are overrating Lane. He is not a tremendous talent, and he is not a centerfielder. He will probably be good but nothingspectacular. I think Biggio will have a better year than Lane, as a rookie, would, which is a point many in here are missing. Do we want a rookie to replace Biggio?
What makes you think Lane can play 2nd base? He has never played 2nd in the minors or majors. Besides, he throws left handed. When was the last time you ever saw a left handed second baseman?
Well, I don't know that it's correcting you. Just my interpretation of what he was saying. I could be wrong, though.
