Mailbag: A Choice of Outfielders

In this edition of the mailbag we take a look at a question from a reader with an unusual name, but a very common issue. Let's take a look. PCB, I need your advice on a trade. A guy in my league offered me any one of the following outfielders for John Danks. Can you rank them in order of preference? I’m choosing between Corey Hart, Torii Hunter, Jermaine Dye and Shin-Soo Choo. My team is doing alright in the power categories but lacking some in speed and average. Help a brother out! Cupcake Timmons Staten Island, NY Cupcake, This has got to be the first time I’ve called another man Cupcake, but given my love for cupcakes, how could I skip over this email? Let’s start with the short answer: I’d trade Danks for Hunter, Choo or Dye. You notice I didn’t mention Corey Hart’s name. I have always been a fan of Hart’s skills but he has been seriously lacking on the field this season. He might be able to turn it around but at this point he hasn’t showed you enough to be worth a trade, even for a mid level starter like Danks. Plus let’s be serious, the guy wears sunglasses at night. Danks has been pretty decent this season, but recently seems to be having an issue with a blister on his throwing hand. He's expected to miss his next start and it wouldn't shock me if he hits the DL. You're selling Danks at just the right time. With that out of the way, let’s take a look at your three other options, in order of (my) preference: Shin Soo Choo: Choo has been very solid this season and very underrated. You’re team is lacking in average and speed and Choo can help you in both of those categories and give you some power to boot. Take a look at the numbers: Choo’s line is .286 – 13 – 54 so far this season, along with 13 steals. He’s also coming off an 08 season where he had a very encouraging second half. Choo hit .343 in the second half last year, with 11 Homeruns and 48 RBI. The guy is playing every day and is safe, productive and has a really fun name to say. Torii Hunter: Normally Hunter would be the obvious choice in this group. Each of his number is as good or better than Choo’s. The trouble is Hunter is on the DL. Trading for a guy on the DL is dangerous business. We’re not talking a flu virus or something of that nature. Hunter suffered a strained oblique and while reports are that he’s doing light workouts and should be back around August 1, muscle strains can be testy. More than likely Hunter will make a full recovery, but I don’t feel like he’s as safe a bet as Choo at this point. Jermaine Dye: Despite being at the bottom of this list, Dye is nothing to sneeze at. I’d definitely make the deal for Dye if none of these other guys were involved. Dye has put up a .291 average to go along with 21 Jacks and 60 RBI. As I see it, Dye has two downsides compared to the other two guys. One is that he gives you nothing in the speed department. He has yet to steal a base this year and odds are he won’t. On top of that, you have to take a look his track record. Last season Dye gave you about the same numbers in the first half as he has so far in 09. The problem is he experienced a significant fall off in the 2nd half of last season, with his numbers declining in every single category. Let’s be honest; no one knows what’s going to happen from here on out with these guys. All you can do is look at the information out there, study the trends and decide whether or not you want to play it safe. Choo is the safe bet here. Hunter is the lottery ticket. I believe it’s still early enough in the season to take the safe bet and hope he gives you what you’re expecting. Good luck, Cupcake. I sure hope that’s just a nickname. PCB Scout Questions? Comments? Random nonsense? Email me: pcbscout(at)gmail.com

No Sneeze Jokes Please

Shin-soo Choo. Now, let's all say it together, 'Guzuntheit.' Now that we have that out of our systems, make it your goal to never do it again. Please, if the best you can do with the name Shin-soo Choo is to make a sneeze joke, you need to raise your game. Work on some better material. I will help you out. Feel free to use any of the following Shin-soo Choo names you will find in this article, or better yet, make up your own. Shin-soo Choo-pacabra (see picture - if I'm the opposition, I would hope for either an out or a HR. I wouldn't want this guy standing next to me at first) is a 26 year old outfielder for the Cleveland Indians. I'm not the first person to give attention the this player, but good things bear repeating. Shin-soo Choo-choo-Train started off slow when he made it to the big leagues but made up for lost ground in the second half. How does .318 12 HR and 50 RBI's sound? If you take what Kick-Him-In-the-Shin-soo Choo did in his 300+ ABs and calculate that for a full season, 500+ ABs, his line could look very much like this: .300+ Avg. 23 HR 110 RBIs 6 SB. Not bad for a guy who is being drafted after the 20th round. Wait, there is more! Shin-soo Choo-Talkin-to-Me was a very good base stealer in the minors. He clearly wasn't running in the majors with his 4 SB but at 26 years old, he still has his speed. 15-20 SB in a full season is very reasonable. Will Shin-soo Choo-ing-Gum live up to all the hype? Don't know, no one knows for sure. But 300 big league ABs is a decent sample. I like the upside. Shin-soo Choo-Bacca is a sleeper I'm taking a chance on. Yes, I Shin-soo Choo-choo-Choose you. -Scout Monkey