October 19, 2008
Ellis Stays
Mark Ellis is on the verge of signing a long term contract that will keep him in Oakland. Frankly, this surprises me. His 2009 seasonal age is 32. While he's been a productive player, I'd have to believe his best years are behind him. His inconsistent batting records bother me, too.
Now, it could be his price for staying is pretty low, but I doubt it's going to be lower than some 22 year old rookie. I think it says something about Oakland that they haven't developed a replacement for Ellis by now.
Unless, by their metrics, his defense is above average by a decent amount. Then it makes sense.
Well, by everybody's metrics - UZR, RZR, Tango's fan scouting, etc. - Ellis is easily the best fielding second baseman in the majors, and its not even close. He's worth somewhere between 15 and 20 runs with the glove, and all things considered - offense, defense, position, he was as productive a player as Derek Jeter, Aki Iwamura, Miguel Cabrera.
Good field, can't hit, can't stay in the lineup - hard to figure the long term investment
