Delgado vs. Sosa
-
- July
- 27
I know most of my readers are on the ball. Your overwhelming response against Sammy Sosa coming here is confirmation. Now, about Carlos Delgado. He’s been a hot button topic all year.
He’s not a great defensive player, we know that. But, he has had some shining moments at first. He hasn’t been the hitter this year we’ve always known.
Why?
Maybe he’s having concentration problems with the new baby. Maybe he’s hurting from two offseason surgeries and not letting on. Maybe it’s both of those. Maybe it’s none of them. Maybe Delgado is just having a bad year after so many good ones. He’s not a quitter. He’s not a loafer. He’s definitely not a clubhouse cancer.
In my mind Delgado is a good, decent man, who as a player is off his game. You don’t lose it overnight and I don’t believe he has. I still think there are good moments in that bat.
This entry was posted
on Friday, July 27th, 2007 at 1:19 pm by John Delcos.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Print This Post
| 
John I completely agree with you about Delgado being a good decent man. He’s not a “leader” or motivational type, but he’s certainly not a clubhouse cancer or loafer.
However I do think what we’re seeing with Delgado is a decline related to age. He may never again be the Delgado we saw last year. It does go fast, seemingly overnight, for some players.
The Mets are just going to have to live with it through 2008. No club is going to trade for Delgado unless Omar eats up a huge part of his 2008 contract. I don’t see Omar doing that.
John – Wasn’t one of the surgeries on his wrist? A very tricky area, maybe it wasn’t 100% successful.
JK,
I disagree. I think if the Mets think Delgado is done they will ship him out for some lower level prospect they think might have a shot and give up $$ in order to free the roster for a Power hitter.
At the end of the day Omar would want to win to validate himself in NY and be here for the next 10.
Dave
I agree with JK. He’ll be the first baseman through 2008. Hopefully now Omar sees that Delgado is more of a complementary player and an offseason goal can be to bring in some power for one of the corner outfield spots. A quick scan of OF free agents after this season doesn’t look too promising from a power perspective, so it may have to come via trade.
Here’s a list of OF FAs after the season:
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2007/03/2008_mlb_free_a.html
I am shocked Steve C. hasn’t weighed in yet. God knows he is Delgado’s biggest fan!
I would go after Zambrano and that guy Green looks interesting for RF. Do we have a shot at him?
dave, of the $16 million Delgado is owed next year, how much do you honestly think Omar would be willing to eat? Have the Mets ever eaten the last year of a contract like this before? I don’t think so.
Who’s Alou…ssssh!! Don’t wake him up!
Seriously Dave, doesn’t that list look sad? There are few guys on it who really look interesting. I like Eric Byrnes, but he is by no means a real power hitter.
JK,
I think if they feel Delgado is a drag and they can get someone in ( esp if it is 1b ) they would do it. pay 8 mil or whatever.
This team is built to win now. They want to do the YES thing for the Mets and the stadium thing. The team is pretty set. One or two pieces for the next few years. I do not see a silly thing like a contract will stop them.
JR,
Yes. It is a pitiful list. Slim pickins indeed.
Dave
dave, have the Mets ever traded someone and eaten as much as $8 million/year for that player? You call a contract a silly thing, but one that big is not silly to the Mets or the players. I just don’t see Omar or the Wilpons doing it. It would also be admitting he made a mistake.
Trade him for Tex. Eat his contract. We need to get a little younger and pick up a first baseman with a future. Delgado maybe a nice guy but he’s not the future for the Mets.
No more excuses. He’s getting old and he’s lost it…but still can’t really play a strong first base.
Maybe Keith H. comes out of retirement? ;-)
Been busy with work. “Who’s Alou” I just commented way back in the thread where love em hatem called him a cancer.
WHICH I never did. as a matter of fact I basically said what John said.
He’s hurt or distracted or both. and my comment has always been to sit and rest him and check him out.
Now all of a sudden i am vindicated??? L
very bizarre indeed.
Listen, I have been watching the games. and i listen very carefully to Ron when he talks about a pitcher and to KEITH when he talk about 1st base or “fundis” or hitting. Because if anyone knows its him. He’s the professional not I. so I will take his word over everyone here…
There are way too many plays and hits delgado should make and he doesnt. then we all cheer when he makes a catch which is basic but he’s been missing. woohoo.
?!
Its been donebefore. take a player and switch his position and see if it clicks.
Look at Milledge. Who’s to say that Easley/Gotay wouldnt do well at 1st?
Its not the post season and like i said in the previous thread, now is the time to experiment before its too late.
JK – look at No VAUGHN and the JEREMY BURNITS trade several years ago. we ate a ton on those lousy trades.
And just to re-iterate: I have never been nor will ever be a racist or bigot. I dont care about race/color/creed/religion. what i care about is being true to our country and learning the language. if i were to work long term in spain or italy or france. guess what: I would relearn the languages. I only ask the same of the people coming here, why do i press 2 or 9 for spanish? and not some other language? . But most of all I despise corp america for taking away all our industry and jobs. Its hard for everyone to cope. with that lets move on.
Thanx
Delgado’s hitting .292/.414/.438 in July.
I’m not too worried about him at this point.
Just a quick reminder folks:
The NY Mets currently have the best record in the NL. Therefore, this is not the time for “experimenting” at 1b with guys who have never played there or benching regulars to try out guys for the farm. It is the time for guys on the roster to bear down and get it done. I’m sure Omar is working on strengthening the team for the stretch run by finding players to improve the team and compliment those currently on it.
Tim Marchman of The Sun had a great take on Delgado sometime back. Delgado’s been in decline for the past couple years. Even in his best years though he’s always been prone to huge slumps and then dizzying hot streaks. Now that he’s older, has had some nagging injuries, and was never a lights out athlete to begin with those slumps will be more pronounced and the heights not quite so high. What may look like a graceful decline based on annual numbers looks way more volatile month to month as he’s now constantly playing cat-and-mouse with opposing pitchers. Pitches Delgado used to punish he just can’t quite catch anymore. They’re warning track fly balls or swings-and-misses.
However, to his credit Carlos Delgado is also one of the smartest hitters of his generation. He is also one of the most disciplined, with his scrupulously detailed notes, and patient. He’s going to eventually figure out what he can hit hard and hit it hard until the pitchers adjust again. For a hitter of his caliber he was way too far below league average at his position to expect it to last all year. Now the days of him hitting into the stratosphere are probably gone but I think he’ll work his way to being average or slightly better than average at his position when all is said and done.
I agree that it is probably a nagging remnant of a hand arm or torso injury and… he’s been playing better as he’s adjusting to it instead of just trying to hit home runs or nothing.
I think if there were a better back-up plan to rest him against some of the stronger lefties, a back-up firstbaseman who could be gotten for cheap, some more rest time would do him good.
I say… Delgado is trying his best but Willie’s overusing him a bit and it’s not helping his nagging injuries.
steve, I think you’re mistaken. I’m pretty sure the Mets didn’t pay anywhere near $8/million a year to get rid of Appier or Burnitz. Burnitz wasn’t even owed more than half his salary at that point in the season when the Mets traded him, and they didn’t pick up the whole amount. Do you even know the dollar amounts or are you just guessing? If you’re talking about Mo’s contract, well the Mets never traded him. He was hurt and couldn’t play anymore. And insurance picked up a big chunk of that.
It’s not only that Omar and the Mets won’t want to eat $8 million/year and admit a mistake … I don’t think there would be much interest in a first baseman who will cost $8 million and is 36 and doesn’t play great defense. Who would want him?
Delgado said that he felt better than last year and his off-season injury was not a factor in his slump, and you’ve to to believe him. So you’re either left with a big bad slump or a player in decline.
Whatever has made Carlos have a bad year, doesn’t matter. The Mets can’t fix first base unless he hits the rest of the way. They need more power from somewhere, but Sosa is not the answer. A few homers in the Phily park of the AL won’t help in Shea. I think the only help is Cordero for the pen and you have to give to get. Cordero solidifies the pen and is a future replacement to Wags or insurance against an injury to Wags. I’d give Pelfrey or Humber for him, but none of the outfield prospects.
JK – i wasnt being exact. I was just giving an example of bad deals. suffice it to say it was during the lousy Steve Phillips era. good riddance to him .
Steve, every team makes bad deals and ends up paying for it one way or another. But once they do, some teams are reluctant to “eat” salary to get rid of their mistakes. The Mets are one of those teams. They will eat money sometimes, but nowhere near what it will cost to get rid of Delgado this winter. We are stuck with him, so the thing is to make the best of it—for example, next year making sure there is better production from catcher, RF/LF, and 2b.
if Sosa didn’t play in Texas he would be around
.250 10 30
seems like the year he had in Baltimore before he retired and forgot how to speak english.
Delgado is a good man. In an interview with the post, maine said he was great in the clubhouse and provided two sentences after only one word answers for reyes, wright, etc. He’s not done and had a big playoff last year. BIG playoff.
Sonny – a voice of reason. Delgado MASHED in the playoffs. You don’t have a sudden drop off in ability in 12 months. Delago was in a nasty slump. I perhaps think he was not 100% in spring training and in the early part of the season and got himself into situation where he had to compensate due to this discomfort and it messed up his mechanics. It’s taken him awhile to get back, but he’s getting there. He’s showing much more patience at the plate, is taking walks, and is not pulling the ball nearly as much as he did. He’s coming around…
Well, maybe, just maybe, Delgado will break out now that pitchers will have to worry about Alou batting behind him. Yeah, as my godfather used to say: “a little protection goes a long way”, well that, and “put that rat coper on ice Antony.”
Do players lose it all of a sudden? Some do. Look at Bernie Williams after 2002. He lost it pretty quick. And he had a pretty good postseason that year. Also look at Olerud. He lost if all of a sudden. Hey, I hope I’m wrong and that Delgado is just in a bad slump. But my best guess is that he’s in decline. That doesn’t mean he won’t still be productive. It’s just that the years of 100+ RBI are over.
Delgado said when asked about injury that physically he’s fine. He should know. So I don’t know why some fans are using physical injury as an excuse for him. If he wasn’t feeling fine I think he would have told the trainers and gone on the DL.