No, this is not some populist rant. Billionaire owners are paying millionaire players. There's lots of money in the professional league.
In 2016 many players will be paid at least $20 million dollars. That's $20,000,000. Pretty much all of them have received or will receive that in multiple other seasons. I think the last entity to own a team and lose money was CBS, which owned the Yankees from 1964 to 1973 when a group that included George Steinbrenner bought the team.
I'm all for the players getting as much as they can. The players risk their personal well being for our amusement and no matter how much we pretend to be concerned about the players, we really don't give a damn.
The players are the game, not the owners and sure as heck not the fans. The problem is that the owners have so much money that the players feel foolish if they don't get a big chunk of that.
$20,000,000 is way more money than anyone needs in a lifetime. I have no idea what they do with that or even half of it after taxes, etc. Then what do they do with it the next year and the next? The wealth of the owners must be on an even higher level.
Both groups can do quite well with a lot less money. We fans can and should make that happen. It would provide a better balance among the three groups: owners, players, fans.
Obviously, there are two actions:
- don't buy expensive tickets
- don't buy TV sponsor products.
These would be most effective if we fans informed the owners, players AND sponsors of our actions and motives.
Stimulating, provocative, sometimes whimsical new concepts that challenge traditional baseball orthodoxy. Note: Anonymous comments will not be published. Copyright Kenneth Matinale
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Sunday, January 31, 2016
Saturday, January 30, 2016
Whose contract makes more sense: Jason Heyward or Chris Davis?
Jason Heyward
Position: Rightfielder
Bats: Left, Throws: Left
Height: 6' 5", Weight: 245 lb.
Born: August 9, 1989 in Ridgewood, NJ
Chris Davis
Positions: First Baseman, Third Baseman and Rightfielder
Bats: Left, Throws: Right
Height: 6' 3", Weight: 230 lb.
Born: March 17, 1986 in Longview, TX
Note that Heyward can opt out after years three and four.
Davis set the Baltimore Orioles record for most home runs in a season with 53 in 2013. In 2015 Davis hit 47 homers.
Heyward is noted for his fielding and base running.
Fangraphs types love Heyward types and hate Davis types. Just yesterday on the MLB Network a couple of them were piling on, with Davis being compared to Ryan Howard (Phillies HR record: 58) and Mo Vaughn (1995 AL MVP) by Dave Cameron. Another Fangrapher said that Davis could hurt his knee and lose his power. Apparently Heyward cannot hurt his knee or, if he did, he'd still be worth $24,000,000 fielding his position. I guess losing power for Heyward is not a big deal since he hit only 13 home runs in 2015. Thirteen.
Davis had a big off year in 2014, which seems to really concern the fangraphers. Let's look at the last three years. Since they like Wins Above Replacement (WAR), let's start with that.
From 2013 to 2015, (WAR>=13.4 and At least 1500 plate appearances), sorted by greatest WAR Position Players
9. Heyward 16.4 with 1,699 PA
23. Davis 13.5 with 1,868 PA
Number 22 left fielder Alex Gordon was the only other free agent among the top 23; Gordon re-signed with Kansas City. Another free agent OF:
45. Justin Upton 10.4 with 1,904 PA
oWAR + dWAR NOT equal to WAR but let's check them, too.
oWAR:
15. Davis 13
31. Upton 10.4
52. Heyward 8.4
60. Gordon 7.8
For Davis and Upton all their value is in their offense. For Davis, that's pretty much all in his bat. About half of Heyward's value is his offense.
dWAR:
6. Heyward 6.1
16. Gordon 4.1
Davis and Upton were negative.
Only six players hit at least 100 home runs in the last three years.
Heyward hit 38 homers total in the last three years.
Position: Rightfielder
Bats: Left, Throws: Left
Height: 6' 5", Weight: 245 lb.
Born: August 9, 1989 in Ridgewood, NJ
2016 | 26 | Chicago Cubs | $17,500,000 | 6.000 | ||
2017 | 27 | Chicago Cubs | $24,000,000 | |||
2018 | 28 | Chicago Cubs | $24,000,000 | Has right to opt out of contract following 2018 season. | ||
2019 | 29 | Chicago Cubs | $22,500,000 | Has right to opt out of contract following 2019 season if he has 550 PA that year. | ||
2020 | 30 | Chicago Cubs | $23,500,000 | |||
2021 | 31 | Chicago Cubs | $23,500,000 | |||
2022 | 32 | Chicago Cubs | $24,500,000 | |||
2023 | 33 | Chicago Cubs | $24,500,000 | |||
Earliest Free Agent: 2024 |
Chris Davis
Positions: First Baseman, Third Baseman and Rightfielder
Bats: Left, Throws: Right
Height: 6' 3", Weight: 230 lb.
Born: March 17, 1986 in Longview, TX
2016 | 30 | Baltimore Orioles | $23,000,000 | 6.061 | ||
2017 | 31 | Baltimore Orioles | $23,000,000 | |||
2018 | 32 | Baltimore Orioles | $23,000,000 | |||
2019 | 33 | Baltimore Orioles | $23,000,000 | |||
2020 | 34 | Baltimore Orioles | $23,000,000 | |||
2021 | 35 | Baltimore Orioles | $23,000,000 | |||
2022 | 36 | Baltimore Orioles | $23,000,000 | |||
Earliest Free Agent: 2023 |
Davis set the Baltimore Orioles record for most home runs in a season with 53 in 2013. In 2015 Davis hit 47 homers.
Heyward is noted for his fielding and base running.
Fangraphs types love Heyward types and hate Davis types. Just yesterday on the MLB Network a couple of them were piling on, with Davis being compared to Ryan Howard (Phillies HR record: 58) and Mo Vaughn (1995 AL MVP) by Dave Cameron. Another Fangrapher said that Davis could hurt his knee and lose his power. Apparently Heyward cannot hurt his knee or, if he did, he'd still be worth $24,000,000 fielding his position. I guess losing power for Heyward is not a big deal since he hit only 13 home runs in 2015. Thirteen.
Davis had a big off year in 2014, which seems to really concern the fangraphers. Let's look at the last three years. Since they like Wins Above Replacement (WAR), let's start with that.
From 2013 to 2015, (WAR>=13.4 and At least 1500 plate appearances), sorted by greatest WAR Position Players
Rk | Player | WAR/pos | PA | From | To | Age | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | HBP | SH | SF | GDP | SB | CS | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | Pos | Tm |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mike Trout | 26.5 | 2103 | 2013 | 2015 | 21-23 | 473 | 1766 | 328 | 535 | 110 | 24 | 104 | 298 | 285 | 30 | 478 | 29 | 0 | 23 | 25 | 60 | 16 | .303 | .404 | .569 | .973 | *8/7D | LAA |
2 | Josh Donaldson | 23.9 | 2074 | 2013 | 2015 | 27-29 | 474 | 1807 | 304 | 513 | 109 | 7 | 94 | 314 | 225 | 7 | 373 | 19 | 3 | 20 | 47 | 19 | 2 | .284 | .366 | .508 | .874 | *5/DH63 | OAK-TOR |
3 | Paul Goldschmidt | 20.4 | 1884 | 2013 | 2015 | 25-27 | 428 | 1575 | 281 | 486 | 113 | 6 | 88 | 304 | 281 | 58 | 406 | 7 | 0 | 15 | 51 | 45 | 15 | .309 | .412 | .556 | .968 | *3/HD | ARI |
4 | Andrew McCutchen | 19.3 | 2007 | 2013 | 2015 | 26-28 | 460 | 1697 | 277 | 522 | 112 | 14 | 69 | 263 | 260 | 32 | 349 | 31 | 0 | 19 | 31 | 56 | 18 | .308 | .405 | .512 | .917 | *8/HD | PIT |
5 | Adrian Beltre | 18.4 | 1923 | 2013 | 2015 | 34-36 | 452 | 1747 | 250 | 540 | 97 | 5 | 67 | 252 | 148 | 29 | 217 | 13 | 0 | 15 | 50 | 3 | 1 | .309 | .365 | .485 | .850 | *5/D | TEX |
6 | Miguel Cabrera | 17.6 | 1848 | 2013 | 2015 | 30-32 | 426 | 1595 | 268 | 529 | 106 | 3 | 87 | 322 | 227 | 44 | 293 | 11 | 0 | 15 | 59 | 5 | 2 | .332 | .415 | .566 | .981 | *35/DH | DET |
7 | Robinson Cano | 17.5 | 2020 | 2013 | 2015 | 30-32 | 473 | 1824 | 240 | 556 | 112 | 3 | 62 | 268 | 169 | 41 | 260 | 15 | 0 | 12 | 63 | 19 | 10 | .305 | .366 | .471 | .838 | *4/DH6 | NYY-SEA |
8 | Ian Kinsler | 16.7 | 2015 | 2013 | 2015 | 31-33 | 451 | 1853 | 279 | 524 | 106 | 13 | 41 | 237 | 123 | 1 | 218 | 16 | 6 | 17 | 38 | 40 | 21 | .283 | .330 | .420 | .750 | *4/DH | TEX-DET |
9 | Jason Heyward | 16.4 | 1699 | 2013 | 2015 | 23-25 | 407 | 1502 | 220 | 412 | 81 | 8 | 38 | 156 | 171 | 8 | 261 | 16 | 1 | 6 | 22 | 45 | 11 | .274 | .353 | .415 | .768 | *9/8H | ATL-STL |
10 | Buster Posey | 16.3 | 1823 | 2013 | 2015 | 26-28 | 445 | 1624 | 207 | 500 | 90 | 3 | 56 | 256 | 163 | 23 | 191 | 14 | 0 | 22 | 48 | 4 | 2 | .308 | .371 | .470 | .842 | *2/3HD | SFG |
11 | Manny Machado | 16.1 | 1777 | 2013 | 2015 | 20-22 | 400 | 1627 | 228 | 461 | 95 | 4 | 61 | 189 | 119 | 4 | 292 | 9 | 13 | 9 | 45 | 28 | 15 | .283 | .334 | .459 | .793 | *5/6 | BAL |
12 | Joey Votto | 16.1 | 1693 | 2013 | 2015 | 29-31 | 382 | 1346 | 228 | 404 | 79 | 5 | 59 | 176 | 325 | 36 | 322 | 12 | 0 | 10 | 31 | 18 | 7 | .300 | .438 | .498 | .935 | *3/H | CIN |
13 | Starling Marte | 15.8 | 1744 | 2013 | 2015 | 24-26 | 423 | 1584 | 240 | 453 | 85 | 18 | 44 | 172 | 85 | 5 | 392 | 60 | 9 | 6 | 25 | 101 | 36 | .286 | .345 | .446 | .790 | *7/8H | PIT |
14 | Carlos Gomez | 15.6 | 1711 | 2013 | 2015 | 27-29 | 410 | 1545 | 236 | 426 | 90 | 15 | 59 | 202 | 115 | 3 | 388 | 36 | 5 | 10 | 26 | 91 | 28 | .276 | .338 | .468 | .806 | *8/HD4 | MIL-HOU |
15 | Lorenzo Cain | 15.5 | 1548 | 2013 | 2015 | 27-29 | 388 | 1421 | 210 | 411 | 84 | 13 | 25 | 171 | 94 | 8 | 296 | 20 | 0 | 13 | 35 | 70 | 17 | .289 | .339 | .419 | .759 | *89/HD | KCR |
16 | Jose Bautista | 15.3 | 1867 | 2013 | 2015 | 32-34 | 426 | 1548 | 291 | 411 | 80 | 3 | 103 | 290 | 283 | 15 | 286 | 17 | 1 | 18 | 50 | 21 | 6 | .266 | .381 | .521 | .902 | *9/D38H5 | TOR |
17 | Bryce Harper | 14.7 | 1546 | 2013 | 2015 | 20-22 | 371 | 1297 | 230 | 384 | 72 | 6 | 75 | 189 | 223 | 23 | 329 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 25 | 19 | 10 | .296 | .401 | .534 | .936 | *79/8HD | WSN |
18 | Andrelton Simmons | 14.3 | 1817 | 2013 | 2015 | 23-25 | 450 | 1681 | 180 | 424 | 68 | 12 | 28 | 149 | 111 | 11 | 163 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 60 | 15 | 13 | .252 | .301 | .357 | .658 | *6/H | ATL |
19 | Anthony Rizzo | 14.1 | 2007 | 2013 | 2015 | 23-25 | 460 | 1716 | 254 | 454 | 106 | 6 | 86 | 259 | 227 | 23 | 348 | 51 | 0 | 13 | 29 | 28 | 15 | .265 | .365 | .484 | .848 | *3/H | CHC |
20 | Kyle Seager | 13.9 | 2035 | 2013 | 2015 | 25-27 | 480 | 1828 | 235 | 484 | 96 | 6 | 73 | 239 | 174 | 10 | 338 | 20 | 1 | 12 | 37 | 22 | 14 | .265 | .333 | .444 | .777 | *5/H6D | SEA |
21 | Nolan Arenado | 13.6 | 1646 | 2013 | 2015 | 22-24 | 401 | 1534 | 204 | 431 | 106 | 10 | 70 | 243 | 82 | 15 | 240 | 9 | 3 | 18 | 46 | 6 | 6 | .281 | .318 | .500 | .818 | *5/H | COL |
22 | Alex Gordon | 13.6 | 1765 | 2013 | 2015 | 29-31 | 416 | 1550 | 217 | 414 | 79 | 7 | 52 | 203 | 166 | 19 | 359 | 34 | 0 | 15 | 17 | 25 | 11 | .267 | .348 | .428 | .776 | *7/HD | KCR |
23 | Chris Davis | 13.5 | 1868 | 2013 | 2015 | 27-29 | 447 | 1607 | 268 | 405 | 89 | 1 | 126 | 327 | 216 | 27 | 580 | 27 | 1 | 17 | 12 | 8 | 5 | .252 | .347 | .544 | .891 | *3/9D5H | BAL |
9. Heyward 16.4 with 1,699 PA
23. Davis 13.5 with 1,868 PA
Number 22 left fielder Alex Gordon was the only other free agent among the top 23; Gordon re-signed with Kansas City. Another free agent OF:
45. Justin Upton 10.4 with 1,904 PA
oWAR + dWAR NOT equal to WAR but let's check them, too.
oWAR:
15. Davis 13
31. Upton 10.4
52. Heyward 8.4
60. Gordon 7.8
For Davis and Upton all their value is in their offense. For Davis, that's pretty much all in his bat. About half of Heyward's value is his offense.
dWAR:
6. Heyward 6.1
16. Gordon 4.1
Davis and Upton were negative.
Only six players hit at least 100 home runs in the last three years.
Rk | Player | HR | From | To | Age | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | HBP | SH | SF | GDP | SB | CS | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | Pos | Tm |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Chris Davis | 126 | 2013 | 2015 | 27-29 | 447 | 1868 | 1607 | 268 | 405 | 89 | 1 | 327 | 216 | 27 | 580 | 27 | 1 | 17 | 12 | 8 | 5 | .252 | .347 | .544 | .891 | *3/9D5H | BAL |
2 | Nelson Cruz | 111 | 2013 | 2015 | 32-34 | 420 | 1789 | 1616 | 226 | 454 | 72 | 3 | 277 | 149 | 19 | 413 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 37 | 12 | 8 | .281 | .345 | .535 | .880 | 9D/7 | TEX-BAL-SEA |
3 | Edwin Encarnacion | 109 | 2013 | 2015 | 30-32 | 416 | 1787 | 1535 | 259 | 418 | 87 | 3 | 313 | 221 | 18 | 242 | 15 | 0 | 16 | 52 | 12 | 3 | .272 | .366 | .546 | .912 | *3D/5H7 | TOR |
4 | Mike Trout | 104 | 2013 | 2015 | 21-23 | 473 | 2103 | 1766 | 328 | 535 | 110 | 24 | 298 | 285 | 30 | 478 | 29 | 0 | 23 | 25 | 60 | 16 | .303 | .404 | .569 | .973 | *8/7D | LAA |
5 | Jose Bautista | 103 | 2013 | 2015 | 32-34 | 426 | 1867 | 1548 | 291 | 411 | 80 | 3 | 290 | 283 | 15 | 286 | 17 | 1 | 18 | 50 | 21 | 6 | .266 | .381 | .521 | .902 | *9/D38H5 | TOR |
6 | David Ortiz | 102 | 2013 | 2015 | 37-39 | 425 | 1816 | 1564 | 216 | 440 | 102 | 2 | 315 | 228 | 65 | 278 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 55 | 4 | 1 | .281 | .370 | .545 | .915 | *D/3H | BOS |
Heyward hit 38 homers total in the last three years.