Rounding the Bases Forum

8M??

Tony, I don't think Polanco will command 8M a year for 2 years from anyone. If the Tigers paid him that, to me, they'd just be bidding against themselves. I say he deserves a 2 year deal, with a club option for a third year and I've said that all along. I might do 6.5 M the first year, 7.5M the second and 7M if the club picks up that final year option. That averages out to 7M a year if they pick up the third year option. Lets face it, for what he's done in a Tiger uniform, he's been grossly underpaid the past 3 years at 4.5M a season.

The only caviat as far as demand for his services, is if he wins his second Gold Glove in 3 years, then, there may be more than the Tigers and Dodgers bidding for him AND, I do believe a Gold Glove for Polly this season, is a very good possibility, despite the bleatings of many here about Polly's "declining range" over the past 4 years. Offensively, you can't do any better, unless of course, you sacrifice defense for a 30 homer a year guy like Uggla. Polly has plenty of pop in his bat, including good gap power, he can hit double digits in homers, he's always among the league leaders in fewest strikeouts and you can't beat him with runners in scoring position and two outs. He was third on the Tigers this year in total bases, behind Cabrera and Granderson. He is the prototype for a 2 hole hitter, IMO.

Less that 24 Hours Away

Phils in 6 say I, as the City of Brotherly Love wins it's 8th World Series title.

Theodore Samuel Williams

Tony, Ted Williams did hit over 500 fyi, belting out 521 in his career. I agree though he would have been between 600 and 700 had he not lost all that time. Just to mention something here, one of Ted's teamates, Johnny Pesky of "Pesky's pole" fame and still with us at age 88, had his career destroyed as well. Until Ichiro came along and broke his record, Pesky was the only man to have 200+ hits a year in the first 3 years of his career. Problem was, it was 1942, '46 and '47, losing 3 years to the Navy. With a 307 lifetime average for his decade long career (it would have been 13 years if not for the war) old "Needle Nose" would have finished with well over 2000 hits. And with his contemporaries Phil Rizzuto and Pee Wee Reese in the Hall of Fame now, had Pesky not lost 3 years to the war, he might be in Cooperstown as well. The '42, '46 thru '50 Boston teams faught the Yankees tooth and nail for the AL title each year, going to the World Series in 1946, which means Pesky was on some great ball clubs. I also remember Theodore Samuel quoted once as saying the greatest hitter he ever saw was a shortstop with the old Washington Senators named Cecil Travis. Look him up sometime. Great career for the 9 seasons prior to 1942, then Travis lost '42, '43, '44 and most of 1945 to the war and Williams said Cecil was never the same MAN, nor player on the field, after he returned from war service. When he got back from the service, Travis was still only 32, but his last 3 seasons dragged his career batting average down to a final of 314. Who knows what horrors he saw that may have affected him! Another who would have been Hall of Fame material. I know there are lots of others with similar war circumstances, but Travis and Pesky are two that stick out in my mind along with your 3. Great blog incidentally!