Comments on: Ruben Amaro: Smug or Delusional? http://thatballsouttahere.com/2012/02/01/ruben-amaro-smug-or-delusional/ A Philadelphia Phillies Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More Sun, 30 Dec 2012 06:18:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: bbuerke http://thatballsouttahere.com/2012/02/01/ruben-amaro-smug-or-delusional/#comment-3064 bbuerke Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:07:07 +0000 http://thatballsouttahere.com/?p=7928#comment-3064 Well, I'm not sure which period of time Amaro means when he says "that span," but if he means 2006 - 2009, he is absolutely right. Howard was as productive offensively as Pujols. In fact, Howard had a slight advantage over that span. Yes, Pujols is the better hitter for average, but no one drives in runs like Howard, and driving in runs is what you want your 4-hole hitter to do. Amaro is just showing that he understands baseball more than the usual sabermetricians do. Now, Pujols is the better overall player when defense is taken into account and should be more highly valued, but the difference is not as big as people think. It's also true that when the last two years are included,Pujols has been better offensively. Still, when Amaro gave the extension, he had no way of knowing that Howard would struggle with injuries the way he has. At the time, it was a good deal. In terms of commitment, it's a very good deal. Pujols will be a shell of himself at 40 when he's still making big bucks; Howard will either be gone or making a much more manageable salary. Well, I’m not sure which period of time Amaro means when he says “that span,” but if he means 2006 – 2009, he is absolutely right. Howard was as productive offensively as Pujols. In fact, Howard had a slight advantage over that span. Yes, Pujols is the better hitter for average, but no one drives in runs like Howard, and driving in runs is what you want your 4-hole hitter to do. Amaro is just showing that he understands baseball more than the usual sabermetricians do.

Now, Pujols is the better overall player when defense is taken into account and should be more highly valued, but the difference is not as big as people think. It’s also true that when the last two years are included,Pujols has been better offensively. Still, when Amaro gave the extension, he had no way of knowing that Howard would struggle with injuries the way he has. At the time, it was a good deal. In terms of commitment, it’s a very good deal. Pujols will be a shell of himself at 40 when he’s still making big bucks; Howard will either be gone or making a much more manageable salary.

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