Hey, I like Torii Hunter. Think he is a class guy who genuinely loves the game of baseball. I am glad that he is joining the Angels….but
I don’t think that this was a wise signing from a financial perspective. This contract will cover Hunter through the age of 37 and places him in the top 10 of highest paid players.
His strengths - Good leader, great perceived defense, plus power, plus speed
His weaknesses - minus On Base Percentage
Now, let’s do some quizzing and I think you will be surprised by who Hunter is comparable with:
Who has higher career OPS, Aaron Rowand or Torii Hunter? — Rowand
Is Torii Hunter’s career OBP below, equal, above the league average during the same duration? — BELOW
Torii Hunter hits homeruns, so he must be above the league average in SLG, right? — Yes, but not by much (.469/.433)
Okay, I will lay off the guy. It’s not his fault the Angels are paying him so much. He even admitted that he would have taken less than the Angels offered.
The Angels, in spite of what many perceived to be Stoneman’s inactivity, targeted free agents the last few offseasons and were spurned at each turn. They aggressively pursued Paul Konerko in the 05-06 offseason and finished runner-up, even though rumored to have offered more money than Chicago. They actually had a trade in place for Miguel Tejada during the 06 deadline, only to see it vetoed by Peter Angelos. They were also finalists in landing Carlos Lee during the 2006 trading deadline. During the 06-07 offseason, they had their sights on Aramis Ramirez, only to see him resign with the Cubs instead of opting for free agency. They also pursued Alfonso Soriano with an offer, which was blown away by the Cubs, so then fell back on Gary Matthews Jr. for what was considered a ridiculous contract. So…..
Going into this off-season…with complications in the trade talks for Miguel Cabrera, they decided to blow away everyone with a ridiculous offer to Torii Hunter or else run teh risk of going yet another off-season with no improvements. It is what it is. I understand it, but don’t like it. Seeing that Andruw Jones signed for the same annual average on a 3 year term and is yet younger, makes me think that Hunter could have been had for less. We are now paying Hunter and Matthews a combined 29 million per year. Matthews 11 million salary could only be somewhat justified by the fact that he plays a demanding center field. Pushing Matthews to the corner only makes his contract that much worse.
Arte refused to offer A-Rod 30 million per year, but is willing to pay about the same amount for 2 center fielders. Oh well, it’s not my money and I do like Hunter and wish him the best in Anaheim.
Posted in Player Analysis | Tagged arte moreno, los angeles angels, torii hunter | No Comments »
