Monday, April 14, 2008

The Andruw Jones SuckWatch

Forty at bats is too early to panic, but I am now officially concerned that Andruw Jones traded the 'E' in his first name to Satan in exchange for exactly ten years of great baseball skills. Damned Monkey Paw!

(Yes, I mixed devil deals with evil simian talismans. My mind is a freely flowing medium.)

Jones is hitting .100/.217/.125 for an OPS+ of -8. So far on the season he has one piddly extra base hit, a double. If he wasn't still capable of getting walks at a decent clip he would be an even darker, deeper hole in the Dodger line-up. If he keeps swinging the bat like he left his eyes in his other uniform, I don't think he will be able to keep even that up for much longer.

For someone with his resume you got to give/allow a lot more rope, but I think we have to at least consider the possibility that Andruw Jones, often discussed as a possible Hall of Famer, could be done at age 31. Very hard to believe, which is why I supported his signing, but I think we need to at least make room in our mind for the possibility. He did drop 150 points of OPS last season, not exactly a minor statistical blip. I am sure he will be given until the end of April to turn it around. If he can show a little more life than batting .100, I am sure he will get another 100 ABs or so to bounce back, visit a psychiatrist/optometrist/nutritionist, whatever.

I just pray that he does. Otherwise I may be forced to demand that Juan Pierre start over Andruw Jones and at this late date that might just melt all my synapses.

6 comments:

Humma Kavula said...

It is possible that you, JimBilly4, with your large and expansive mind, can keep up with just how much two different Dodgers are sucking at the plate.

But I have no such mind. I am a simple creature. I can pay only so much attention.

Juan Pierre, called a "bench player" by his manager when the season began, has made 8 starts.

We have work to do. We must not keep up with the Joneses, be they of the Andruw, Chipper, or Indiana variety. That will serve only to distract us.

This was, this is, this shall be, the Juan Pierre OutWatch.

Humma Kavula said...

Oh, but I will say that if this team doesn't turn it around by the end of May, I am officially giving up on the Dodgers' season and becoming a fan of the Long Beach Armada.

Check out King Kaufman's feature on Salon today. www.salon.com.

And go... um... Mads?

jimbilly4 said...

Perish the thought.

This blog is about Juan Pierre. However, as Andruw Jones is playing the position vacated by Mr. Pierre and said Andruw Jones is sucking astoundingly bad at the moment, it seems quite relevant. If Jones were to completely implode I do believe I know who the center fielder would be.

It SHOULD be Matt Kemp. But it WOULD be Pierre. I would have no problem sticking Delwyn in left field and Pierre on the bench, but we all know that will not happen.

So for the sake of our ancestors, may Andruw find his swing.

Humma Kavula said...

You have a point there. I will consider renaming this blog:

Center Field at Chavez Ravine: Can't Anybody Play This Game?

Humma Kavula said...

Well, that was thoroughly dispiriting.

jimbilly4 said...

What can you do? Stuff like that happens. It would just have been nice if it hadn't happened in the midst of a losing streak.

The offense, while far from roaring, actually managed to chug along with all pistons firing. Everyone who batted got on base.

Meanwhile, Jeff Kent just tied another 2B baseman for total number of doubles (541): Rogers Hornsby (24th all time). If he has a mediocre season he will hit the top twenty. He would have to play another season to catch Bonds(601), assuming Bonds is finished. Probably two more seasons to catch Hank Aaron(624) and crack the top ten.

My suspicion is this is his last year, but who knows? That dude is one stubborn sumbitch.