Delgado: He just stunk
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- February
- 18
When talking about last year, for the most part Carlos Delgado could have just asked the question: Can’t I just stink?
For the first time in ten years, Delgado didn’t hit 30 homers and drive in at least 90 runs. He hit .258 with 24 homers and 87 RBI. Delgado underwent hand and elbow surgery during the winter of 2006, but said the recovery had no impact.
“I wish it was,” Delgado said. “Then I would have an explanation. I just had a bad year.”
Delgado said he’s 100 percent and has been hitting since early January.
In explaining his problems, Delgado said he lost focus. Instead of gradually working his way out of his funk, he began lunging at pitches, trying to pull and developed several bad habits he couldn’t shake.
PHOTO: AP file
This entry was posted
on Monday, February 18th, 2008 at 11:05 am by John Delcos.
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Well he better regain his "focus." Because without him, this lineup becomes pretty pedestrian IMO
He's a broken-down powerhitter, aged 5-7 extra years by injuries, who won't admit he's not a powerhitter anymore… if he would change his approach and swing for contact instead of drive, maybe there's still a year left in him.
But the way he's in denial that repeated injury and aging were what turned his old successful ways into bad habits… because his body couldn't make the old ways work…
Well, lets just say, I doubt it. I think we're lucky if we get .250 out of him and the low twenties in home runs.
If we still had Milledge and Estrada, I'd bat him eighth until he proved otherwise… as it is, no higher than sixth. He was shakily collapsing in 2006, in streaks and slumps, he collapsed entirely in 2007.
A dude hopes but a dude also lives in reality.
I think he's basically done.
If he's open to adjustments we could get a decent year out of him. If he looks the other way and stops trying to hit the up and in fastball which he can't catch up to anymore. He should stop focusing on hitting homers and more on getting doubles and driving in runs.
A productive Delgado really lengthens the line up.
OK…I now know…Mike C and Steve C are one in the same! :-)
Whether he does well or not I hope Mets go after Texieria in the off season.
I don't know how Mike C can say he only expects .250 and low 20's in home runs. I mean, ANYONE who watched game last season, saw Delgado was a much better hitter in the 2nd half and towards the end of the season. In the 1st half, he went through prolonged stretches were he just looked lost. He didn't look great the whole 2nd half, but there were stretches of his past self and overall he was much more consistent. He also got injured during the middle of him heating up and that cost him. Now, i'm not saying we're getting circa 2003 Delgado, but we're certainly not getting a totally washed up Delgado. A washed up player wouldn't have been able to do better in the 2nd half then in the 1st half. How does that work? Delgado's demise has been overrated in my opinion. He'll be a fine #5/#6 hitter.
It wasn't a total lost year for him. If you recall, he had some procedures done shortly before the season started, and while the 1st half was way down for him, his second half #'s were on par with his career averages, with only his SLG% taking a dive (and a result, his OPS which is SLG% + OBP):
AVG OBP SLG OPS
1st Half .242 .305 .435 .740
2nd Half .285 .375 .469 .844
Career .280 .386 .549 .935
The days of him as a 35-40HR guy with 125+RBI are more than likely over, but I think we could see a 30-35HR/90-100RBI season out of him, given a productive lineup. While I'd love to have Tex in Citifield in '09, that right field porch should help inflate Delgado's numbers, should he re-up
Aging cost him a lot of his effectiveness. So Ravi and most of the other posters here are right. The 40 homer days are likely long gone. He can't consistently turn on the plus fastball inside anymore. If we get league average power and on-base numbers from him, which I think is entirely possible, we'll be okay.
crockett, "If we get league average power and on-base numbers from him, which I think is entirely possible, we’ll be okay."
As long as Alou is healthy for 80-100 games and Church gives us what he did last yr.
Yeah, he improved a bit by the end of last season… and then he got injured. Again. And he's another year older to boot.
There's only one way to get years and injuries back… and it's the same thing that Pettite's pulled a Reagan on in the news today.
"I'm told I did HGH but in my heart, I don't believe it."
Injuries and years diminish returns in baseball, past your early thirties or so. They just do.
That may be all so Mike C., but it still doesn't mean that Delgado is finished, and we're "lucky" as you say to even get .250 and low 20's in HRs. That is simply ridiculous. In 2 of the last 3 months of the season last year, he had OPS's of .939 and .949. In the 2nd half, he hit .285 with an OBP of .375. In september alone he his .321 with a .383 OBP with that .949 OPS. The other months of the season weren't great, but it was his April that really made his entire year look that bad, yet he only got better as the season went on. How does your rational explain any of that? If a player is losing skills as he ages, how does he get better as the season goes on and have a really great september?
Because… he was going through a brief period of good health when he accumulated those numbers.
I'm not saying that he won't have two or three little streaks of effectiveness in 2008… he probably will, at that… but the dude is what he was last year plus another year and more injuries.
if I knew you Mike C. i'd put like $50 down on Delgado having a better year then last year, but unfortunately we can only argue about it over the internet, what a shame.
Since you all for the most part love the Churchman and think Delgado is finished, why don't you have Delcos try to talk Willie into batting Church 5 and Delgado 7. You all know….. Because an aging Delgado is still a lot moe potent than the Churchman in the prime of his baseball years.!
(I can't help it. I find the Delgado fight boring and the Church fight fun!)
Letsgo: If that is a fight then you missed with an overhand left!!!! Now repeat after me… Give Church A Chance!!! Give Church A Chance!!! Give Church A Chance!!!
What's a matter Steve the O…. Don't you think the Churchman is good enough to replace the aged, injures, slowing Delgado in the 5 hole??? If I missed my target you wouldn't have responded.
Of Course I'll give Churchman a chance. I'm the one wanting him to protect Beltran!!! I think his nickname should be steeple. I see he has almost as few stolen bases as Gus Triandos had. So since he is slow steeple sounds pefect. Beltran better have healthy legs with Alou and steeple at his sides. I see my man steeple has a number 19 assigned to him. Any good Mets ever have it before? Was Ojeda 19?