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Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Lastings Milledge
Nate Silver is going gangbusters in blogging, and it’s a fun read. He talks about the latest Mets player fans can’t stand, Lastings Milledge. The interesting nugget is on how well he did on the road in the minor leagues (check out all those triples and home runs and also see how his teammates did. But, when he says:
Those are very good numbers in Shea Stadium, especially for someone who can play a credible center field.
I have to take exception. I’ve seen Milledge play, and it’s like an adventure out there for him. Not as bad as Roger Cedeno, but, to say that he could possibly play a credible CF? This is what twenty one Mets fans said. Don’t listen to Nate. Don’t listen to me. Don’t listen to any single person. We’re all unreliable. Listen to the Wisdom of the Crowd. He’s got his arm and his speed. He doesn’t have anything else. He has no comparable players, and the three CF that are even in the same ballpark, they could at least catch a ball.
Bringing in Gary Pettis to teach Roger Cedeno how to play CF was a ridiculous baseball decision. It’s the wishful thinking that all you need is speed and some coaching. The question is not if he can play a credible CF, but how long can he last in the OF, before he becomes a 1B/DH.