Comments on: The Underrated $64 Million Man

By: Jason

Jason — Thu, 01 May 2008 02:22:48 +0000

Beltre is actually my favorite players on the M’s. He plays elite defense and can really whack the ball. He’s an upbeat guy and a team player.

I love his little dance when he holds off swinging at a ball.

By: Sentinel

Sentinel — Thu, 01 May 2008 01:30:23 +0000

Well put, Dave. Long has Adrian Beltre gone unappreciated, even by the Seattle fanbase. I, for one, can’t think of anyone I would rather have, even when you consider Alex Rodriguez. Adrian has good skills and a great personality. One of the better moves the Seattle organization has made in recent years.

By: MlbFan30

MlbFan30 — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:59:54 +0000

Off-Topic but…

I was wondering if you can link me to any studies of Old player VS Young Player skills. Like the age difference between peak, decline, etc.

Thanks

By: PositivePaul

PositivePaul — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:41:32 +0000

I still go back to my original thoughts upon hearing the news that Beltre was signing with the Mariners. I was shocked — SHOCKED — to hear that he only was signed for 5 years. I was expecting at least 7-8 years, especially for the M’s to land him. How long would you extend his contract, then? I know Boras doesn’t go for extensions, but it seems like Beltre might actually want to stay in Seattle. Since he takes a bit of adjustment to a new environment, I could see where he’d prefer to stay where he is for a change, especially since he’s appreciated.

If the M’s are going to sign a 30-something player to an extension, it’d sure be nice if it’d be one that actually would likely contribute over the course of that contract…

By: jlc

jlc — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:43:06 +0000

“He doesnâ€™t seem to have any of those nagging injuries (thumb, hammy) so far …”

Actually he’s playing the season with essentially a torn ligament in his thumb. Beltre’ is a beast like that–he plays through everything.

AB is one of the reasons I hate the steroid era. There’s a group of people who belive he juiced as a Dodger, and his slow start in Seattle topped it for them. No amount of performance will convince them, and I haven’t seen any evidence he used. That broad-brush of calling everyone with a career season a user is so unfair to the guys who did it the hard way–through working hard and making the most of their talents.

By: Chris Miller

Chris Miller — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:05:36 +0000

Thanks Dave! I had a feeling this post was coming sooner or later. Keep up the great work. Something I was starting to miss was these kinds of articles on USSM. Now I get to read them every day!

If anything, this shows his 2005 seasons is more downside than true talent.

By: Eric Seidman

Eric Seidman — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:54:37 +0000

Yeah I hate misconceptions based on unrealistic expectations. Not to say that I don’t sometimes fall into that trap, because I think everyone does at one point or another, but signing Beltre to this deal is different than say the Orioles signing Javy Lopez after that career year.

Lopez was 33 going on 34 whereas Beltre was 25. Even if he was never going to hit 40+ home runs again, Beltre is still a very attractive commodity at the time due to the potential of what he could do, his age, and their need. Other than HR and RBI, which are still pretty consistent from 2006 to 2007, his numbers from 2005-2007 are all very consistent (AB, R, H, distribution of XBH, BB, K).

By: Jason

Jason — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:30:56 +0000

I love Beltre. Thanks for some truth, Dave.

By: ollie

ollie — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:51:03 +0000

He doesn’t seem to have any of those nagging injuries (thumb, hammy) so far which I hope leads to offensive highs for him as a Mariner this season. The defense he plays is indeed fun to watch. He also appeals on his own checked swings better than anyone in the game!