Darin Erstad was signed for 1 million plus incentives. He is essentially a defensive replacement in the outfield and at first – he’s won 3 Gold Gloves, and unlike Derek Jeter, deserved every one of them. I suppose he’s what I would call the 2 fer 1 – he replaces Biggio in the Grit Department (ever notice that only Caucasian males are Gritty? That there is no such thing as a Gritmeister who is Black, Latin or Asian?) and, if he isn’t hurt, replaces Orlando Palmeiro with the bat.
Lets take a look at his last 5 years: he was a regular with the Angels from 03-06 and supposed to be a utility OF last year with the White Sox, but was actually used as a regular until he – surprise, surprise – got hurt.
2003: .252/.309/.352/.642 – 7 doubles, 4 HR, 18 BB, 8 GIDP over 258 AB in 67 games
After the season, the Angels moved him to first base. Note the OPS for a 1B!!!!!
2004: .295/.346/.400/.746 – 29 2B, 7 HR, , 37 BB, 16 SB, 9 GIDP in 495 AB in 125 games
2005: .273/.325/.371/.696 – 33 2B, 7 HR, 10 SB, 47 BB, 9 GIDP in 609 AB in 153 games
Then in 06, he was moved back to center but played 13 games at first and 27 in center (before getting hurt, as usual): he had little to no value as a first baseman because his only real asset, his glove, was wasted in a premier power position.
2006: .221/.276/.326/.605 – 8 doubles, 6 BB, 2 GIDP in 96 AB (looks like Ausmus)
The Angels let him go and he signed on with the White Sox to replace Aaron Rowand’s Grit Factor.
2007: .248/.310/.345/.655 – 13 2B, 4 HR, 7 SB, 4 GIDP in 310 AB over 87 games (yep, you guessed it – he got hurt, as usual.
The press is going on about his .284 lifetime BA, but fact is that he hasn’t had an OPS over 700 (except for his .746 in 04) since 2000. He may hit with a slightly better BA, since this is the NL, but I certainly wouldn’t expect an increase in power. He most DEFINITELY won’t be any Mike Lamb, and who knows how good he will be as a pinch hitter.
What we NEEDED is some punch off the bench, and whatever Erstad is or was, these days, he has about as much punch as I do.
Ah well, he did kick footballs when he was in college. Why exactly kicking a football makes a man a better BASEBALL player, I really do not understand – must be my complete lack of testicular fortitude. But I thought I’d better mention how Erstad used to kick footballs. It MUST be important somehow, because media people keep bringing it up, as if it matters. Perhaps one of yall males might could try to explain it to me…
Tags: hous, Houston Astros, MLB
kicking footballs far is cool. i guess in girl terms its like cutos points.
Kickin’ footballs don’t mean nuthin’. I guess they’re just trying to point out that he is one of a small number of football players with enough athletic ability to play a real sport.
joel,
ohhhhhh.
it’s like how yall men don’t like hearing us grrrrls talk about how H O T brad ausmus is when you are trying to point out that the *(^&*! can’t barely hit the baseball.
what’s so incredibly amazing about brad is that it seems like all straight females, no matter how young or old, no matter what race or religion, find brad absolutely hot HOT HOT and we all
whatwhatwhat
OKKKKKKKKK OKKKKKKK
so he can’t hit for spit….
Football?
what is that? I think we call it soccer over on this side of the pond.
I think it is football season now, isn’t it? All I know is that it AIN’T baseball season. ONLY what 6 weeks until pitchers and catchers report to Fla. Oh yeah pitchers, WHO is our number two starter. Aren’t there some aging overpriced pitchers out there that we can sign. do you get more draft picks or better ones if you finish LAST??
Brad must be hot cause all the gals gush over him, he may not hit, but is one of the best behind the plate to call a game!!
Happy New Year!!!!!!!
Look, I can pitch if it comes down to it. Steve, you’re right, we need ti do something about the rotation and we’ve only got a month and a half.
It doesn’t matter how many runs we score if we let up more.
hi annie!!!
long time no hear!!!
and agree that you have to score more than you give up. but unfortunately i think too many fans don’t get that losing 7-1 and losing 7-6 is STILL losing
Steve–
I don’t think we really have a number 2 starter, but Brandon Backe and Chris Sampson can both be pretty good number 3′s. A lot of people disagree with me about Sampson, but I’ve always liked him, and he was doing pretty dang well last year until he made the start in Chicago where he had the flu. The elbow problem shut him down, but I think he can win 15 games if he can stay healthy.
Lisa—They bring up Erstad’s college career as a punter because he played on Nebraska’s 1994 national championship team before going numero uno in the MLB draft. If the Astros are looking for an attitude adjustment, Erstad’s a huge pickup. If they’re looking for some semblance of the player he was in 2000, or even in 1998 or 2004, they’re looking at a ghost. Erstad is a textbook case in how not to get the most out of your ability when you can’t see the line between hard nosed and bull headed.
Brad Ausmus may not be able to hit for spit, but once upon a time Diane Sawyer was just about ready to drag him off to the nearest hotel and jump him until he couldn’t move. (Search for stories on the day she got to throw out the first pitch in the Maid and got jelly-everythinged when she got a good gander at Ausmus, who was assigned to catch the pitch . . . )
—Jeff
mark,
agree that sampson is an excellent pitcher. problem is that he needs great infielders to be effective. check his game logs from last year – he had an ERA under 2 in all the games in which everett and ensberg were fielding. his 6 run game in philly had ypouknowwho playing short and he didn’t get to any GB.
jeff,
i’m still not getting what kicking a football on ANY team has to do with baseball any more than if he had been on the national championship water ballet team.
and diane sawyer she is gonna hafta get at the end of a very VERY long line she wants to get with brad…
sigh
there’s just somethin bout that boy…
Sure is FUNNY how the Astros didn’t try to keep Lamb and how they could only comment that Scott was “injury prone” = “bad, not worth keeping”
YET here they go again and sign ANOTHER older, OFTEN injured, PAST-productive OF who’s had about 3 good years out of about 12 I think
Who cares WHAT Erstad did 7 or 10 years ago, it’s the last few that matter
Maybe he can spell the OF & PH – IF he stays healthy ? but they’re paying him TWICE what they paid Luke Scott and the numbers do not EVEN BEGIN to compare
Makes a lotta sense
yeh it WAS funny how the astros didn’t even TRY to keep lamb – they basically told him not to let the door hit his but on the way out.
yeh it WAS funny how they grouse about luke scott supposedly being “injury prone” and then they sign a guy like kaz matsui who has not yet played 1 full year in the bigs without missing at least 40 something games. and sign erstad who is the kind of dumbass that runs into walls, but people think that makes him a hero.
when chris burke did that it made him persona non grata instead of persona del gritt
Lisa–
Good points, and just more proof that Astros management is as clueless as it’s been since the days of Spec Richardson.
I hope Lamb wins a batting title with the Twins.