Thome to the Champs
By Blogger
ESPN is reporting that, pending physicals, Jim Thome and cash have been sent to the White Sox for Aaron Rowand and a minor leaguer or two. On first glance, this looks like a win-win for both sides, as the Sox get a big bopper to either replace or complement Paul Konerko (depending whether or not they can re-sign him), while the Phillies both clear a path for Ryan Howard and exponentially improve their center field situation in one fell swoop. Upon closer inspection, however, the White Sox look like they got hosed.
Much like Carlos Delgado, Thome is an aging, no-field, limited-athleticism, slugger. Yes, he can hit, but with the big caveat of "when healthy". Delgado doesn't have the recent chronic injury history that Thome does, so he'd easily be the better bet between the two. Thome could DH a bit in the AL, but limiting him to that "position" alone would severely limit his value unless they get another big hitter to play 1B. He's much more valuable playing the field, because then the Sox will be able to cast a wider net to fill the DH role.
As for the Phillies, don't compare Thome's projected numbers to Howard's projected numbers. Compare Thome and Howard's combined production last season and compare to Howard's projected numbers. Any way you slice it, a full season of Howard is likely to be an improvement over what Philly got out of the position last year. Is Howard good for .260/.350/.550 with 30 jacks? It sure looks like it.
Now, is the real Aaron Rowand the guy who hit .270/.329/.407 last season, or is it the guy who hit .310/.361/.544 the year before? I'm taking the popular guess that it's somewhere in between, but his numbers will jump a bit because he's going from a good home run park to a great home run park. Again, compare his numbers to what the Phillies got last year out of Kenny Lofton and Jason Michaels. Will he surpass those? I'm guessing he won't reach the excellent OBP those two put up, but his SLG will more than make up the difference to match their OPS. Throw in Rowand's defense, and it looks like Philly improved significantly at two positions, while the White Sox will be going with a guy who has a chronically injured back at 1B, moving Scott Podsednik to center and going with a completely unproven prospect, the other Brian Anderson, in left. And guess what? His numbers are fine, but don't exactly induce thoughts of Foxx and Greenberg. I'd be surprised if the Sox really do go with him in left to start the season. With Thome at a discount, they'd do well to let Konerko go and try to sign a cheaper free agent like Brian Giles to play left, easing Anderson in at DH.
As of now, chalk one up to Pat Gillick. The NL East is gonna be fun next year.
Much like Carlos Delgado, Thome is an aging, no-field, limited-athleticism, slugger. Yes, he can hit, but with the big caveat of "when healthy". Delgado doesn't have the recent chronic injury history that Thome does, so he'd easily be the better bet between the two. Thome could DH a bit in the AL, but limiting him to that "position" alone would severely limit his value unless they get another big hitter to play 1B. He's much more valuable playing the field, because then the Sox will be able to cast a wider net to fill the DH role.
As for the Phillies, don't compare Thome's projected numbers to Howard's projected numbers. Compare Thome and Howard's combined production last season and compare to Howard's projected numbers. Any way you slice it, a full season of Howard is likely to be an improvement over what Philly got out of the position last year. Is Howard good for .260/.350/.550 with 30 jacks? It sure looks like it.
Now, is the real Aaron Rowand the guy who hit .270/.329/.407 last season, or is it the guy who hit .310/.361/.544 the year before? I'm taking the popular guess that it's somewhere in between, but his numbers will jump a bit because he's going from a good home run park to a great home run park. Again, compare his numbers to what the Phillies got last year out of Kenny Lofton and Jason Michaels. Will he surpass those? I'm guessing he won't reach the excellent OBP those two put up, but his SLG will more than make up the difference to match their OPS. Throw in Rowand's defense, and it looks like Philly improved significantly at two positions, while the White Sox will be going with a guy who has a chronically injured back at 1B, moving Scott Podsednik to center and going with a completely unproven prospect, the other Brian Anderson, in left. And guess what? His numbers are fine, but don't exactly induce thoughts of Foxx and Greenberg. I'd be surprised if the Sox really do go with him in left to start the season. With Thome at a discount, they'd do well to let Konerko go and try to sign a cheaper free agent like Brian Giles to play left, easing Anderson in at DH.
As of now, chalk one up to Pat Gillick. The NL East is gonna be fun next year.
posted by Blogger at 5:59 PM
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