High Praise Indeed

Three quick thoughts from last night’s Mets-Phillies game:

 

I’m just fascinated by the new ESPN stat graphic that shows a player’s “years of MLB service.” Guys that I consider to have been around a long, long time are barely cracking 10 years of service according to ESPN. Guys like Jason Varitek, who ESPN lists at 10 years. I used to think that “10/5” players (ten years of total MLB service, 5 years with the same team), a status which allows them to block trades under the collective bargaining agreement, were much more common than apparently they are if the ESPN numbers are to be believed. I do have my doubts, though.

 

For instance, former Phil Marlon Anderson pinch hit last night and ESPN listed him at 8 years of MLB service. But then the announcers mentioned that he made his major league debut with the Phils back in 1998. So how does that compute? I presume that the MLB service is calculated based on pension eligibility. And major league players vest in the pension plan after one game in the bigs. And is ESPN counting 2008 as a year of service? Like I said, I am just fixated on this new stat.

 

Phils’ call up TJ Bohn looks like a big, blonde meathead. And I can totally understand the thinking Morgan mentioned about managers like Manuel wanting the hottest hitter in the minors for a short 15 day assignment. The guy is going to get, what 7 at bats? Why not go with the hitter seeing the ball and making the best contact at the moment?

 

Was the most impressive stat of the night Chase Utley’s batting average improvement over the past four seasons? He’s raised his average like 20 points a year so that now he’s hitting well over .300. And when Joe Morgan, one of the best hitting second basemen in history, says that Utley could become the best hitting second basemen in baseball history – as he did last night - it is high praise indeed.