Week Ahead: Can big offseason signings get back on track?
Article By smcneal.tsn on 13th June, 2010
Perhaps Jason Bay will find his power facing AL teams. Maybe the interleague interruption will help Matt Holliday recover his home run swing.
They need some sort of lift. So do Chone Figgins and John Lackey. So far the free agents who signed the largest contracts last offseason are not performing up to their multi-year deals.
How they're faring as the interleague schedule moves into Day 4 of a 17-day run:
Matt Holliday isn't putting up the kinds of numbers the Cardinals would like. Matt Holliday, Cardinals The seven-year, $120 million deal handed out by the Cardinals was questioned around baseball, but don't mention buyer's remorse to GM John Mozeliak.
The Cardinals keep saying Holliday is close to breaking out, and his .293 average and .370 OBP are not far below his career numbers of .317 and .386. His run-producing numbers, however, are lacking. Holliday is hitting just .206 with runners in scoring position and ranks 10th in RBIs among NL cleanup hitters. He is on pace for 16 homers and 65 RBIs.
More than once, Holliday has reminded the media in St. Louis that he started slowly last season and still managed 24 homers and 109 RBIs.
Facing the team that traded him to St. Louis could help. The A's, who visit Busch Stadium this weekend, have an AL-worst 5.25 road ERA.
Chone Figgins, Mariners If nothing else, the Mariners' season gone wrong has provided another reason why the media should avoid predictions. Picked to contend, the Mariners have spent most of the season in last place. Figgins has played a big part in the disappointment.
One of the game's top leadoff hitters in 2009, Figgins was signed to a four-year, $36 million deal to hit behind Ichiro Suzuki and give the Mariners a potent 1-2 punch. But Figgins, with as many strikeouts as hits, is hitting .227/.336 -- and those numbers are on the upswing. Figgins hasn't had his average over .230 in two months, and was dro...
Read Complete Article at Latest Sporting News Articles for MLB
They need some sort of lift. So do Chone Figgins and John Lackey. So far the free agents who signed the largest contracts last offseason are not performing up to their multi-year deals.
How they're faring as the interleague schedule moves into Day 4 of a 17-day run:
Matt Holliday isn't putting up the kinds of numbers the Cardinals would like. Matt Holliday, Cardinals The seven-year, $120 million deal handed out by the Cardinals was questioned around baseball, but don't mention buyer's remorse to GM John Mozeliak.
The Cardinals keep saying Holliday is close to breaking out, and his .293 average and .370 OBP are not far below his career numbers of .317 and .386. His run-producing numbers, however, are lacking. Holliday is hitting just .206 with runners in scoring position and ranks 10th in RBIs among NL cleanup hitters. He is on pace for 16 homers and 65 RBIs.
More than once, Holliday has reminded the media in St. Louis that he started slowly last season and still managed 24 homers and 109 RBIs.
Facing the team that traded him to St. Louis could help. The A's, who visit Busch Stadium this weekend, have an AL-worst 5.25 road ERA.
Chone Figgins, Mariners If nothing else, the Mariners' season gone wrong has provided another reason why the media should avoid predictions. Picked to contend, the Mariners have spent most of the season in last place. Figgins has played a big part in the disappointment.
One of the game's top leadoff hitters in 2009, Figgins was signed to a four-year, $36 million deal to hit behind Ichiro Suzuki and give the Mariners a potent 1-2 punch. But Figgins, with as many strikeouts as hits, is hitting .227/.336 -- and those numbers are on the upswing. Figgins hasn't had his average over .230 in two months, and was dro...
Read Complete Article at Latest Sporting News Articles for MLB
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