Comments on: Loney’s Lumber

By: NBH

NBH — Mon, 11 May 2009 02:47:38 +0000

The man is 6’3″ and 220 pounds, yet his SLG and ISO are now under .332 and .061. He is currently posting the best K%, BB% and LD% of his career, yet he is hitting only .264 with 7 xtra base hits (0 HR) in 120 at bats. He also collected more than 70 spring training at bats without any HR. What’s the deal with this guy? He seems to be improving his metrics, but the results are terrible.

By: Marvell

Marvell — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 05:42:06 +0000

I’m guessing because of the high valuation of starting pitching.

By: NBH

NBH — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 20:44:28 +0000

How can Loney go in round 27? At the minimum, he is equivalent to CoJack and Sandoval and many sites like Loney more. His spot in that potent Dogers lineup is fantastic.

By: Pat Listach

Pat Listach — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 17:35:13 +0000

I drafted Loney as a backup 1B/DH, for several reasons.
1. the doubles (34 in 2008)
2. his age (25) and
3. his spot in the lineup, ideally 5th behind Manny.

As Baseball Prospectus says, “25 year olds with .303/.353/.480 performance s in over 1,000 PAs don’t grow on trees – but an occassional platoon partner wouldn’t hurt.”

Considering where I fished him out of the draft, (round 27 in a league that highly values starting pitchers, among the likes of Travis Snider, Ian Stewart and Salty) Loney’s got solid late round value, and a good chance for 170 hits, 35 doubles and 90 RBI with upside for more.

By: Ed Nelson

Ed Nelson — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 14:54:39 +0000

I can’t figure out what the big deal is either. Anyone who has seen him play can see that his swing flattens out as it crosses the plate. Good for line drives but not good for HRs. Rather than bemoan what he isn’t it’s probably best to accept what he is. A more athletic version of Mark Grace. He has above average speed for a 1B, good (but not great) range, a great arm, and terrific batting skills that should translate into a consistent BA. That’s worth a lot.

By: Scott

Scott — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:32:12 +0000

I’ve never understood why people get so excited about Loney. He has been very consistently average at every stop with his power. The PCL inflates everybody’s numbers, so to get worked up about that seems shortsighted.

I think the Mark Grace comparisons are apt, and that makes him a very serviceable MLB player, but expecting anything more than 20 HR’s in a given year will certainly lead you to be disappointed with him.