Evaluation

[Soxfan#1]

I've seen this done on other sites and I thought it might be fun to do here. Every week I will post a new mlb baseball player and his stats and a short summary of his career (courtsey espn.com). It will not be a red sox or yankee player because there will be a lot of bias involved. You will give him a 1-10 score and after averaging him out we'll give him a lettergrade. This weeks player: David Eckstein


#22 David Eckstein Age: 30
Height: 5-7
Weight: 165 lbs.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Pos: SS



Born: January 20, 1975, Sanford, FL
Full Name: David Mark Eckstein
College: Florida | Others
Experience: 4 years
2005 Salary: $2,333,333
Pronounced: Eck-STYNE


Season TM G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS
2001 Ana 153 582 82 166 26 2 4 41 43 60 29 4 .285 .355 .357 .712
2002 Ana 152 608 107 178 22 6 8 63 45 44 21 13 .293 .363 .388 .751
2003 Ana 120 452 59 114 22 1 3 31 36 45 16 5 .252 .325 .325 .650
2004 Ana 142 566 92 156 24 1 2 35 42 49 16 5 .276 .339 .332 .671
2005 StL 24 91 9 25 5 0 0 5 10 5 2 1 .275 .362 .330 .692
Total -- 591 2299 349 639 99 10 17 175 176 203 84 28 .278 .348 .352 .700

Scouting Report

2004 Season
It's so easy to like David Eckstein, because he plays the game the way everybody swears they would if they could play in the majors. He doesn't do dumb things and he makes all the routine plays. His .988 fielding percentage led major league shortstops, though his limited range and lack of offensive oomph mean he'll never be considered for a Gold Glove. At the plate, he was what he always has been: an annoying hitter to face. He struck out once every 13 plate appearances, the second-best ratio in the league.


Hitting
Unlike in 2003, Eckstein was healthy last year. Unfortunately for him, that fact simply exposed his shortcomings as a hitter. He is simply too small to inspire any fear in a pitcher, and he is an aggressive swinger, so he's not prone to drawing walks. The best thing Eckstein has going for him is Mike Scioscia's love of the hit-and-run, as he is one of the best in the league at handling the bat.


Baserunning & Defense
Eckstein's rag arm is infamous by now, but it was amazing how few times it seemed to cost the Angels last year. He has become amazingly adept at getting rid of the ball quickly, and he and Adam Kennedy were impressive as a double-play tandem. However, Eckstein rarely makes spectacular plays because of his limited range, and his size further limits his ability to stop balls by diving. He's beginning to slow down a bit on the bases, though he matched his 2003 steals total with 16 last season.


2005 Outlook
With no appreciable baseball skills other than heart and determination, Eckstein's job likely never is secure. And in his second year of arbitration eligibility, he no longer comes cheap, either. That could spell a slipping grip on his everyday job, as the Angels would like to bring in a harder-hitting shortstop. Eckstein might be needed to play second base while Kennedy is recovering from knee surgery.

I give him a 7

[YanksHater213]

6

[Sox fan in Tex]

I give it a 5, just because you also think the Mariners (12-15) will be better than the Twins (15-10) this year.

[DOrtiz4prez]

Well, who's a 1 and who's a 10?

But I give him a:

5.5

But if you can't use decimals, round it down to 5.

[Zenny]

Four. Below average on both sides of the ball.

[Sizzlin22]

4 tops his average is pretty low and no power numbers pretty decent at defense.

[element1151]

6, and by the way Sox fan in Tex the Mariners would LOVE to have him!

[Soxfan#1]

First off all. The M's aren't doing so bad and I donn't want to put down the twins there doing pretty good too. My new policy is that i'm going too add a new perso when we get enough results (5 or more). Ok ecksteins final tally: (drumroll please) 5.35.

Ok todays alalysis guy: Paul Konerko


Age: 29
Height: 6-2
Weight: 215 lbs.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Pos: 1B



Born: March 5, 1976, Providence, RI
Full Name: Paul Henry Konerko
College: None
Experience: 8 years
2005 Salary: $8,750,000
Pronounced: Kone-err-coe



BATTING STATISTICS
CAREER: BATTING | FIELDING
Season TM G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS
1997 LA 6 7 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 .143 .250 .143 .393
1998 Cin 26 73 7 16 3 0 3 13 6 10 0 0 .219 .284 .384 .668
1998 LA 49 144 14 31 1 0 4 16 10 30 0 1 .215 .272 .306 .578
1998 -- 75 217 21 47 4 0 7 29 16 40 0 1 .217 .276 .332 .608
1999 CWS 142 513 71 151 31 4 24 81 45 68 1 0 .294 .352 .511 .863
2000 CWS 143 524 84 156 31 1 21 97 47 72 1 0 .298 .363 .481 .844
2001 CWS 156 582 92 164 35 0 32 99 54 89 1 0 .282 .349 .507 .856
2002 CWS 151 570 81 173 30 0 27 104 44 72 0 0 .304 .359 .498 .857
2003 CWS 137 444 49 104 19 0 18 65 43 50 0 0 .234 .305 .399 .704
2004 CWS 155 563 84 156 22 0 41 117 69 107 1 0 .277 .359 .535 .894
2005 CWS 28 100 11 19 3 0 7 17 14 23 0 0 .190 .302 .430 .732
Total -- 993 3520 493 971 175 5 177 609 333 523 4 1 .276 .343 .479 .822

SEASONAL AVERAGES (per 162 games played)
Years G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS
6.13 162 574 80 158 29 1 29 99 54 85 1 0 .276 .343 .479 .822

Scouting Report

2004 Season
Following a disappointing season in 2003, the White Sox shopped Paul Konerko to try to ease their glut of righthanded hitters. They were lucky that no one was biting, as Konerko wound up being the key to a lineup that was without Magglio Ordonez and Frank Thomas for almost all of the second half. Konerko hit a career-high 41 home runs, and also avoided the long slumps that have dogged him in previous years. He's a pleasant guy who is popular with fans and good in an often-dysfunctional clubhouse.


Hitting
Konerko goes through painful contortions in the on-deck circle and sometimes looks wooden at the plate. Yet he gets solid plate coverage from a high-maintenance swing that requires constant work in the batting cage. He has good strike-zone judgment but sometimes lacks the bat speed to catch up with good fastballs, especially when they're in on his hands. Konerko hit 29 of his 41 homers at U.S. Cellular, which has become a bandbox since the fences were brought in after 2000.


Baserunning & Defense
There are no Gold Gloves in his trophy case, but Konerko has improved defensively at first base in recent seasons, particularly in scooping throws. He is capable of making the reaction catch on liners but overall lacks range. He is a base-clogger who struggles to go from first to third on most singles.


2005 Outlook
This is a big season for Konerko, as he's eligible for free agency at the end of the year. The White Sox will consider trade offers for him, as they are committed to balancing a lineup heavy on righthanded hitters and also adding speed and defense. Ross Gload is available as a first base option, but it's hard to see how the Sox can lose both Ordonez and Konerko in the same year. Konerko might not duplicate his 2004 totals, but there's no reason he shouldn't hit 30-plus homers and drive in 100 runs.

[Soxfan#1]

Quick edit won't work for me so I ge him a give him an 8.

[yeszir]

He really hauled ass for my fantasy team last year, and I got him off of waivers. I think I'm gonna go ahead and give him a 7/10. FYI, he's hitting below the Mendoza line for 2005 so far.

[Zenny]

6.5. Tons of power, nothing else. He's a model of inconsistency.

[Chitalian Stallion]

He's not terrible at defense, he's at least better then average, stll i'd only give im a 7.5

[YanksHater213]

7

[Sizzlin22]

7 maybe a 6

[element1151]

7. Traded him so he isn't on my Fantasy team anymore.