Chris just took over the NL lead in batting average (.332). We're 2/3 of the way through the season, and he's been remarkably consistent. I know, unsustainable BaBIP, but I'm not buying. I'm not sure he's a .330 hitter over the long haul, but I am very certain the dude can hit.
Can Chris Johnson win the NL batting title?
Who? The guy that was the throw in to some other trade? This team confuses the hell out of me.
doomedOriginally Posted by mossy
It's getting late enough in the year where I'm starting to think he actually could. He really was a great pick up. We have him under control for 3 more years, and he if keeps this up it could be huge.
He's also looked decent at third, and that was the knock on him. He's not going to win any gold gloves but he's no the butcher I had heard he was.
No, we need to trade our best young players for Chase Headley!
The thing with Johnson is he may very well finish this year with the batting title, guys over perform for full seasons all the time, IF he does that though, we should trade him in the offseason, no doubt in my mind. For a batter with career of high BABIP he'll hit for a respectable average, but probably closer to .300 than .330. I will always give credit where credit is due, Johnson should have the highest average of his career this year, this is most likely his career year, his Ks are down and LD% is up. I think playing way down in the lineup on this team helps, but even staying on this team there's a very big risk of regression to the mean even during this season.
That said hope he keeps it up, he's been an important piece in our winning this year (really everyone but Bossman has been)
Stockholm, more densely populated than NYC - sturg
Who will play 3B if we trade him?
Isn't is possible that Chris Johnson is entering his prime and is getting better?
I agree on the defense. He's OK over there. I understand he hasn't played third all that long. Wade Boggs was crappy when he came up and worked at it until he was pretty good.
A FA, a trade, La Stella, Salcedo, Gattis, who knows, I know there's no way we can justify paying him say 6-8M (he's arb 2) with a batting title to his name possibly more when we have Hudson and Mac hitting FA. Sorry but keeping one of those 2 is way more of a priority than keeping Johnson around. Who at his best probably still isn't a 3 WAR player
Stockholm, more densely populated than NYC - sturg
Yeah, Chris hasn't been the awful disaster that he is made out to be by some on this board. I think most of his blunders came early in the year when he wasn't playing everyday. I don't even remember him doing anything bad the last month defensively.
Players don't enter their prime at 28, that's when their physical skills begin diminishing. You dont' enter your prime when your body reacts slower, you can't add muscle as easy and your hand/eye starts slipping. Just doesn't happen. Would be nice to dream about but it's not a multi-million dollar gamble I would want to be part of.
Stockholm, more densely populated than NYC - sturg
Ages 27-30 is when the mental meets the physical. That is pretty much accepted as a baseball players prime years.
Given that defensive metrics in small samples are relatively useless (aka even if Johnson was a positive this year doesn't mean he's a good defender, just could be an aberration of a season)
His UZR by month
April - -1.5
May - -1.0
June - -1.6
July - -1.6
Remember with defense it's not always the plays you screw up, it's usually the plays you don't make.
Johnson is on pace to be just as bad as ever at 3B. career -16.1 UZR/150 this year he's pacing a -13.6
Stockholm, more densely populated than NYC - sturg
Braves1976 (07-28-2013)
That is what I've always heard
Zito likes to live on a place I like to call not earth.
Mrs. Meta (07-29-2013)
And defensive metrics still aren't great so its not something you can just point to and say yeah you're right. Its part of the equation. Chris has not been awful like you make him out to be defensively.
Myth. The accepted baseball prime has to do with opinion rather than fact.
It's pretty much accepted that way because that's what stands out to people.
Evan Longoria is 27 now, he's having no betteer year at 27 than he did as a 22-24 year old.
Only truth is that different players have different peaks. So maybe JOhnson is one of those rare freaks who peaks very late. But I wouldn't be willing to bet 5+ million on it. I'm fairly sure he returns to the player he was before this year, good hitter terrible defender instead of very good hitter terrible defender.
Stockholm, more densely populated than NYC - sturg
Oh, I didn't know that, I thought he was cheap.
I see those numbers and all; I just don't believe it. I've been watching the guy all year and he does not give back half the value he has with his defense. If that's what the metric says, then it's a poor metric. Chris Johnson is a real good ballplayer and a hell of a hitter.
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