Thursday, February 24, 2011

Now BP is just being mean

A few hours after projecting the Astros to go 10-152 in 2011, BP's Ben Lindbergh posted a column on ESPN (Insider-Only) calling Hunter Pence "among the worst Team MVPs" in baseball.

The problem with Pence is that he's, at best, a complementary player in a good lineup. Most clubs would be happy to have him audition for a supporting role, but he would be miscast as the leading man in a championship-caliber production. From 2008 to 2010, NL right fielders as a group produced a .266/.341/.443 triple-slash line, comparable to Pence's .278/.330/.466 performance, although the Astros' unremarkable offense was bolstered by his above-average work in the field and on the bases.

If the Astros do the unthinkable this season and go to the playoffs, it's stories like this that I will refer to when I explain why I set cars on fire and urinated off high-rise buildings while screaming.