Tête-à-Tête-Tête

Mark is going to be a free agent at the end of this season and might just be the best 1st baseman in MLB right behind Albert Pujols.

I would take Derrek Lee, Ryan Howard, and Prince Fielder over Texiera immediately, without question.

But he ain’t bad.

Oh… and there are probably others. But it still would be a good move for the Braves to sign him to a long-term deal.

Probably others…lets see.

Derrek Lee - Well, first of all, Derrek Lee is 32 and will be 33 at the end of the season. He has been injury prone but had a breakout season in 05 when he hit with a .335 AVG, a .418 OBP%, and a .662 SLG% w/ 107 RBI and 46 HR. He also won a NL Gold Glove in 03 and 07.

Big Tex - Well, he is 27 (entering prime of his career) and he had played at least 145 games in each of his last 5 seasons (162 each in 05 and 06) and in his tenure in Atlanta he hit with a .317 AVG, a .404 OBP, and a .615 SLG% and finished the season at .306 AVG, 30 HR, 105 RBI, .400 OBP and a .563 SLG%. He also won an AL Silver Slugger in 04 and 05 and an AL Gold Glove in 05 and 06. He also has a .300 away game AVG as opposed to Lees .265 AVG.

Ryan Howard - Granted, he was the 05 Rookie of the Year and the 06 Hank Aaron award, NL 1st base Silver Slugger Award, and MVP…but this man is 252 lbs (being nice here) and 28 years old and he will never be considered in a Gold Glove Award race. Now, for every run saved is just as good as a run scored…correct? Now, is this a solid long term contract deal? Would you sleep well at night after mortgaging off the franchises future at the expense of a young overweight phenom?

Prince Fielder - Prince, like Ryan Howard, is a phenom at the plate. He will never be confused with a Gold Glove at 1st base but lets look at what he did. In 07 he ranked 1st in the league with 50 HR and a .618 SLG percentage. He ranked 2nd with a 1.013 OPS and 3rd in the NL w/ 119 RBI. But lets be truthful, …he is 6 foot tall and weighs 262 lbs and is 23 years old.

These guys can hit the ball, no question. But…do the preserve runs on the defensive side of the game? Are they worthy of a long term contract of someone who is going to average 30 to 40 HRs, 110 to 130 RBI, and will get around a .380 to .410 OBP who will also win you a Gold Glove in the process…oh yeah, and btw…he is a lefty. A golden at 1B.

I loved your comment Dave…and I agree with you…He aint bad!

Well, not only is Tex a potential 40-140 guy, he is a switch hitter, hits for average and obp, and not only can he knock in runs, he saves just as much if not more with his outstanding defense. Hes great in the clubhouse, got a good head on his shoulders, and is still young.

Thats a lot more than I can say about Howard or Fielder.
True, theyre still young, but their defense will never compare, and I seriously doubt their discipline will either. And as big as they are, theyre only going to break down quicker.

Howard and Fielder are also not as pure a hitter and Howards strikeout rate is hideous.

Derrek is good, but brittle and doesnt have the quite the offensive power as Tex.

If I cant have Albert, Im definately taking Tex.

But feel free to prove me wrong…this is intriguing.

Nothing to prove wrong, that is all I said all along. He might just be the best 1st baseman in MLB right behind Albert Pujols.

Thanks for reading man. I absolutely LOVE baseball fans!!

not only can he knock in runs, he saves just as much if not more with his outstanding defense.

Haha… no 1b in baseball saves as many runs as they knock in. And I would take Derrek Lee’s defense of Tex’s defense every day.

Howard and Fielder are also not as pure a hitter and Howards strikeout rate is hideous.

Who cares how much they strikeout? It doesn’t really matter. I will take Howard’s strikeout rates any day.

Derrek is good, but brittle and doesnt have the quite the offensive power as Tex.

Brittle? One injury makes a guy brittle?

Don’t get me wrong - Tex is really good. And he is the same league as Lee, Howard, Fielder, etc.

But ya’ll are using the most basic stats to prove your point. And some of them don’t even prove your point.

Its not yall…its just lil old me.

What makes Howard and Fielder so good (taking into consideration their offensive qualities) is their financial situation as considered to their respective teams. Each player will be elligible for arbitration if he has been on a major league roster or disabled list for at least three years, or is not eligible for free agency, or is without a contract, or cannot come to terms with his new team on a current contract.

And I would take Derrek Lee’s defense of Tex’s defense every day. 

…But you have to play in order to save runs dont you? And doesnt Gold Glove defense come into question when you look at contracts? Just look at Andruw Jones or Torii Hunter.

The rules make Fielder and Howard valuable…for a few years …to their respective teams anyway.

Big Tex is in tip top shape, has a good eye for the strike zone, has a good OBP, and wins Gold Gloves…and he is 27…he is prime for a multi-year deal.

Look at the free agent list for this coming year, find out who needs a 1Bman…and then follow the bread crumbs.

…btw…I need baseball people here…Davey, I hope you keep on grilling me here.

Youll take his strikeouts anyday?
I can see where youre coming from with the 50 homeruns in the picture.
But wouldnt you rather have someone at least put the ball in play, getting perhaps a sac fly and having confidence in the person batting behind them?

I see a low strikeout rate as a sign of being clutch and thats how you win games from my perspective.

Now Dave, dont get me wrong, youre throwing some really impressive players out there.

And even so, they might be more dangerous at times now.

But with weight, age, and Lee’s succeptability to injury, I’d have to stick with Tex.

The weight will bear down on them over time and you’ll notice the numbers dip greatly.

I mean, take a look at the market next year…

I would build my franchise around a player like Tex, personally. But I cant say I would disagree with you bro. Any ballclub would love to have players of their caliber. But in my opinion, I’ve watched each one everyday through their prime seasons, and I’d honestly pick Tex.

Tex is about to fire Boras? That’s interesting. I’d like to hear what’s behind that bad blood. It’d be nice to see a superstar such as himself be more of a team player than all about the $$$$$$$$. Tex is a shot of adrenaline that our team really needs, let’s lock him up if at all possible. And speaking of “team players”, how many of you are glad to see the return of Tom Glavine? Tommy used to be my favorite Brave years ago, so when he chose our arch-enemies the Mets for a bigger paycheck, it made me extremely bitter toward him. What could have been worse than the Mets? The Yankees? Anyway hopefully I’ll get over it and by the time I see him back in a Braves uni this year I’ll fall in love with him again.

BTW, Prince Fielder is awesome. If he is truly dedicated to the game of baseball and his heart is completely in it, I think he’s gonna go far - great potential.

Thanks for letting me vent!

Tex is about to fire Boras?

That, so far, is just a rumor…one that I hope eventually comes to pass and maybe not all that shocking seeing as the mess Scott Boras made out of Arods free agency earlier this off season.

I am glad Tommy is back too, I just hope that the Braves entire rotation is able to remain healthy.

Yeah, Dave made some great points about Lee, Howard, and Fielder…actually, most people would probably agree with him.

Ugh… i don’t have much time, but can you please stop staying that Lee is injury prone?

Lee has has one serious injury in his career. And it was when he was involved in a violent collision at first base.

7 of his last 8 seasons have been 150 games or more, with only two of those seasons being less than 158 games. One of those seasons (this past one) he missed five games due to suspension.

So I am really not sure how you can justify your comments about Lee being injury prone.

The rules make Fielder and Howard valuable…for a few years … to their respective teams anyway.

No… that is only part of their value. But they would still be valuable, and really damn good, at high salary levels. Just as Tex will.

If you don’t think that Fielder and Howard will be valuable to their respective teams after they hit arbitration, I am not sure what to tell you. Because if they will not be valuable to their teams, Tex won’t be valuable to his team after he signs his free agent contract.

I’ll have to go with Dave on ranking Howard above Tex. The man is a freaking monster. Not Fielder (yet, one big season has been done by a lot of people, & by Tex several times) or Lee, though.

I don’t expect the numbers he put up in Texas, since Atlanta is a pitcher’s park & the Ballpark is a crackerjack box, but if we could sign him long-term for less than 18 mil per season, it’d be a boon to have 35 homers and 120 RBI ‘in the bank’ for the next 8 years. We’re gonna need it since the team ERA will rise a half point without Andruw saving all those runs (it’s gonna happen, folks, he was that good out there).

You arent kidding about Andruw either. I would have to look up the year that it happened but one season Andruw made over 500 putouts in CF and the next closest player in MLB didnt make it to 400. Making in excess of 20% more putouts than the next closest Gold Glover out there certainly helps the old ERA.

I am in no way trying to take away anything at all from Howard, Lee, or Fielder. They are monsters. But I am looking at it from a teams’ investment perspective.

I like Tex because of his age. I believe he is still 27 and is a consistent machine on offense, switch hitter, good OPS, and he is also in a loaded lineup this year.

His Gold Glove defense just adds icing to the cake.

Over the last 5 seasons:
Avg. OPS. HR RBI Games played
.286 .910 170 555 747
with an average year of:
.286/.910/34/111/149 games played.

This as opposed to the average season of 32 year old Derrek Lee (with 140 games or more)…

.284/.880/28/88/155 games played.

That’s a pretty decent difference in more games played.
They are both gold glovers. But you also have to remember, Lee has had a dream park to play in out of Wrigley.

And once again, Lee is 32 with no room for improvement as Tex is entering the prime of his career.

So, I just have to ask you one question.
For the same money, who would you rather have? Is it still Lee?

But you also have to remember, Lee has had a dream park to play in out of Wrigley.

What? And you don’t think Texas was a dream park to hit in?

Texas has been a more offensive friendly park than Wrigley.

And I am still trying to figure out how Lee is “fragile” or “brittle.”

Oh… and not sure why RBI are being presented as proof for the value of a player. RBI (along with runs) are the most team dependent offensive stat in baseball.

Oh… and not sure why RBI are being presented as proof for the value of a player.

If you bat in the heart of the lineup, then they’re paying you to knock in the runs. If you’re batting somewhere else, yeah, other things come into play. And, of course, if your leadoff hitter is hitting .214 then your opportunities will be limited but, let’s face it, a team won’t have a leadoff batter batting that low for very long. They’ll move or trade. Batting with RISP is taken into account when putting together the lineup (Andruw was dropped last season, IIRC).

The ‘big boys’ bat 3,4,5 & 6 and are paid to rack up the Rbi.

True, Texas isn’t exactly a pitchers park but I can honestly say that I doubt it’s worse than Wrigley…it doens’t have constant powerful winds blowing towards the outfield that, when in full effect, can act to the next closest thing to Coors.

Dave, I take it you’re a Cubs fan, aren’t you?

And like I said earlier dude…

Who would you rather have for the same money?
Compare the stats and age.

Maybe I’m just crazy…

I doubt it’s worse than Wrigley…it doens’t have constant powerful winds blowing towards the outfield that, when in full effect, can act to the next closest thing to Coors.

Have you ever been to Wrigley? No question that when the wind is blowing out, it is a huge advantage. But the same thing occurs when the wind is blowing in.

The Texas stadium has ranked as a better offensive park in 3 of the last 4 years (source).

Ha I’ve never been, but I can honestly say I would love to go there one day.

They’re both great players…I guess it’s just the fact that I’m a Braves fan and you’re a Cubs fan is why we’re still goin’ on about this…any club would love to have either one of them, am I wrong?

I like the age factor. Lee has proven that he can have a blowout season but, at 5 years Lees’ junior, Teixeira has been a model of consistency both at the plate and in the field.

Compare, at anyones leisure, MLB career stats of both players at age 27.

The only 1st baseman in the game I see that will put up a longer career with equal or better numbers (on offense and defense) than Teixeira is Pujols.

…at the same time, I sure wouldnt sneeze at the opportunity to gain a Howard, Lee, or Fielder for my team.

Although you can pretty much already chalk up what Tex will do this year….Lee may yet again challenge for the triple crown…or he may not. Tex probably wont. All will put up staggering numbers for the next 5 years…but Tex will probably play longer.

So…since we’re talking about the Brave’s first baseman, how about we bring up their rivals?
This doesn’t look too good…