Nationals release Elijah Dukes

"Jim Riggleman said again Dukes' release was strictly a baseball decision. Nats feel they can get better production from combo of others."

Um, wut?

almost 2 years ago Syler 57 comments 0 recs |

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Please Omar pick him up. Pretty Please.

by ror0071619 on Mar 17, 2010 11:12 AM EDT reply actions

where would we put him?

you know frenchy and bay are locks for starting positions, and we’ve already got a few backup OF options. He’s got great plate discipline but he doesn’t hit for much power, and he doesn’t really excel in the field either. I wouldn’t be angry if we picked him up but I don’t see any reason to rush to grab him either.

by KeithsMoustache on Mar 17, 2010 11:22 AM EDT up reply actions

What

You think that an organization that, supposedly, soured on Lastings Milledge because of off-the-field non-issues would be interested in a guy like Dukes, who has legitimate, hardcore, off-the-field issues?

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Mar 17, 2010 11:26 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

I honestly think that there's no chance the Mets are interested but....

not because of the off the field issues. Dukes’ issues were years ago and he has made strides to become a better person, despite being fined for being late to practice because he was teaching at a Little League charity event. Plus Dukes has a ton of talent and, while I can’t see Omar doing this, cutting GMJ would be leave an open competition for Frenchy/Dukes.

by ror0071619 on Mar 17, 2010 11:47 AM EDT up reply actions

Talent ?.

Have you seen his stats ?.

you know what I'm sayin' ?

by fxcarden on Mar 17, 2010 12:53 PM EDT up reply actions

See 2008 and this year's projections

by EtSuKe on Mar 17, 2010 1:37 PM EDT up reply actions

He was below replacement level in both 2007 and 2009.

I’d guess his true talent is that of a below average yet above replacement level major leaguer. I’d pass on that given his instability.

Pinella: Where th f*ck was that pitch at?
Ump: Lou, don't you know that you're not supposed to end a sentence with a preposition?
Pinella: Where the f*ck was that pitch at, a$$h*le?

by Stephen Schmidt on Mar 17, 2010 2:41 PM EDT up reply actions

He was also 23 I believe in 2007, and he was injuried for a good portion

of 2009. You can’t tell someone’s true talent level on two years of below replacement level years. He has the talent to be an above average major league player

by ror0071619 on Mar 17, 2010 2:43 PM EDT up reply actions

We shouldn't really be judging it based on 334 PA's

He may have the talent to be an above average regular, but with the exception of 2008 he’s been a below average defender and he’s as mentally unstable as anyone in the majors. I just don’t see him as a good fit in NY, espescially when he’s probably not an upgrade Pagan or Martinez in right.

Pinella: Where th f*ck was that pitch at?
Ump: Lou, don't you know that you're not supposed to end a sentence with a preposition?
Pinella: Where the f*ck was that pitch at, a$$h*le?

by Stephen Schmidt on Mar 17, 2010 3:03 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah can you imagine his craziness in the fishbowl atmosphere

mets players would be being constantly bombarded with question about his crazy escapades.

"We have a plan, and our plan, I like our plan'

it's Omar's world, we're just livin in it.

by Gina on Mar 17, 2010 3:19 PM EDT up reply actions

We should judge based on his career.

He has a career 2.8 UZR/150, (but ~~22.2 in 74 games in CF). He has 636 bad PAs and 334 really good. Overall he has a .335 wOBA. His projections range from .341~~.357 wOBA. He is projected to be an above average player, and was 9.7 runs above average in 334 PAs in 2008. He is still 25. He might be a bad fit and a bad pickup for the Mets, but he isn’t a bad baseball player.

by EtSuKe on Mar 17, 2010 6:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Years ago

He was involved in domestic battery issues in 2007. Not that long ago. We could sign him, Bobby Cox, Giles and Brett Myers and have quite the team.

I understand players are not necessarily paragons of virtue, but the Rays traded him for Glenn Gibson, and the rays are a well-run team. That was basically a dump.

by wobatus on Mar 17, 2010 1:04 PM EDT up reply actions

Just the years, though, when a young man often gets better at controlling his impulses

I am agnostic on Dukes, but it does seem he’s made real strides. I’d take a young man who presumably hadn’t had much previous help with his issues over a guy like Myers, who is probably just an asshole.

by SuperT on Mar 17, 2010 1:13 PM EDT up reply actions

hmm

Yeah, I recall fondly my youth of sending my baby’s mother pictures of a handgun and telling her I was going to kill her. I know, cheap shot. I likely had it easier on the Mean Streets of Montclair, NJ.

Hard to say that he has made strides. Why, because he talked to some Little Leaguers last year? He just hasn’t been reported, which I suppose is strides, but the idea this is strictly baseball-related sounds dubious.

A team with less resources I could see taking a shot, but Rizzo apparently couldn’t find any takers at all for a trade. And given this media market, I don’t think it is the best place for him.

by wobatus on Mar 17, 2010 1:25 PM EDT up reply actions

Not to be a dick

you are right that he hasn’t had any reports last few years and he may have gotten some anger issues under control. Here would be tough. A small market like KC would be better, although i don’t see them doing it either. Did someone mention Pitt?

by wobatus on Mar 17, 2010 1:29 PM EDT up reply actions

I think he is referring to the Others from "Lost".

"He's definitely mixing it into his repertoire. That's French for 'repertoire' " - Keith Hernandez

by Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright on Mar 17, 2010 11:12 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs

i lobby the Mets to sign the smoke monster

by KeithsMoustache on Mar 17, 2010 11:13 AM EDT up reply actions

which one?

My current thinking is that Jacob and the MiB are brothers and can both be smoke monsters…

by hotspur on Mar 17, 2010 11:45 AM EDT up reply actions

the two are definitely connected in some way

if not brothers, then both became these supernatural things at the same time and were once friends. Not sure if they can both become smoke monsters, my guess is each has their own unique set of abilities. I’m gonna go with the MiB smoke monster for the Mets though even if that does become the case, just because it has demonstrated it is more grissiony. I hear next week they’re really going to go into the history of the island in a lot of detail and they’re allegedly going to actually clear a few things up. I’ll believe it when I see it though.

by KeithsMoustache on Mar 17, 2010 12:00 PM EDT up reply actions

I just want Desmond to show up and kick someone's ass already

The show was getting really boring until last week’s Ben episode. I mean seriously, until that point, Ben had gone impotent, Desmond was nowhere to be found, Sayid had gone crazy, and people were taking Hurley seriously. How is that entertaining?

"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet

What a fool I was to defy him"

-HST

by Mark Himmelstein on Mar 17, 2010 12:24 PM EDT up reply actions

I did like the Ben episode

The entertainment I get from the show is really that I know it eventually HAS to get to some sort of point this season, so it pulls me along, even though some of the episodes drag a a bit. I just hope the rumors i’ve heard that the next episode will actually start clearing a few things up is true.

by KeithsMoustache on Mar 17, 2010 1:19 PM EDT up reply actions

It's moving a bit slowly, but it's still been entertaining.

You need to have some patience man.

by Evan_S on Mar 17, 2010 6:12 PM EDT up reply actions

Haha

I have a love hate thing with Lost already, plus one of my best friends is a Lost freak and I get at least as much entertainment pointing out to her everything I think is wrong with it as I do from the actual show, so its kinda habit. The last couple have been better though and for the first time in a while I’m pretty excited for the next episode.

"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet

What a fool I was to defy him"

-HST

by Mark Himmelstein on Mar 17, 2010 10:23 PM EDT up reply actions

I'm convinced

that in the flash-sideways universe, Beltran homered of of Wainright.

by Mount17 on Mar 17, 2010 3:10 PM EDT up reply actions

Or will homer, it's 2004

by Mount17 on Mar 17, 2010 3:14 PM EDT up reply actions

More than one flash side ways universe

in one Beltran homered of of Wainright, in the other Jason Bay and Scott Kazmir are life long mets.

"We have a plan, and our plan, I like our plan'

it's Omar's world, we're just livin in it.

by Gina on Mar 17, 2010 3:20 PM EDT up reply actions

and in another

the Red Sox never sold Ruth to the Yankees, who continued as a floundering AL organization until the depression forced them to move to Kansas City, where they became a glorified farm team for the resurgent Brooklyn Dodgers, who kept winning World Series and stayed in Brooklyn forever and ever.

This one’s my favorite. Although knowing my luck, I’d have ended up a Giants fan.

2009 Did Not Happen

by cjmulrain on Mar 17, 2010 3:43 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

That's cool.

We’d still have to have David Wright and Jose Reyes, though.

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Mar 17, 2010 6:08 PM EDT up reply actions

plus

Duaner Sanchez never took that damn cab ride !!!!

by TheKid08 on Mar 18, 2010 8:07 PM EDT up reply actions

So now the Nats need a RF

How about Francouer for Lannan?

by deadspy3 on Mar 17, 2010 11:43 AM EDT reply actions

DO IT

by JoshNY on Mar 17, 2010 11:58 AM EDT up reply actions

more likely they'll trade F! for Guzman

just to crush our souls.

by KeithsMoustache on Mar 17, 2010 12:03 PM EDT up reply actions

ugh

ugh ugh ugh

"We have a plan, and our plan, I like our plan'

it's Omar's world, we're just livin in it.

by Gina on Mar 17, 2010 1:03 PM EDT up reply actions

yeah i cringed as the thought entered my mind

by KeithsMoustache on Mar 17, 2010 1:20 PM EDT up reply actions

gross

by Sam Page on Mar 17, 2010 6:17 PM EDT up reply actions

Want.

For a team like the Mets, who have apparent budget and depth issues, this is the kind of guy they should be signing and stashing in AAA.

by keithprime on Mar 17, 2010 12:14 PM EDT reply actions

i agree its worth the upside

by TheKid08 on Mar 18, 2010 8:09 PM EDT up reply actions

Meh

Dukes is batsh*t crazy. like he makes Bradley look like a choirboy type crazy. I can understand if no one wants to deal with him.

"We have a plan, and our plan, I like our plan'

it's Omar's world, we're just livin in it.

by Gina on Mar 17, 2010 1:04 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

Yes, he is

But that isn’t my point; they released him for performance based issues, and they are now going after Jermaine Dye, which is just as batsh*t crazy

by Syler on Mar 17, 2010 2:00 PM EDT up reply actions

We need some crazy on this team

I lobby we sign Howard Hughes

by Evan_S on Mar 17, 2010 6:14 PM EDT up reply actions

But I mean there's crazy

and then there’s batsh*t crazy. If this were a batman movie Dukes would be the joker.

"We have a plan, and our plan, I like our plan'

it's Omar's world, we're just livin in it.

by Gina on Mar 17, 2010 6:26 PM EDT up reply actions

Joker was the best part of that movie!

However, he’s not the best team player killing his men and all.

by Evan_S on Mar 17, 2010 6:32 PM EDT up reply actions

If they were worth more than replacement value, they'd be alive.

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Mar 17, 2010 7:00 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

Francoeur or Dukes? Give me Jeffy

Same age, basically same performance to date. Dukes has more upside, probably, but is also crazy.

by Dan Lewis on Mar 17, 2010 1:21 PM EDT reply actions

Let's compare:

Francoeur
Career wRC+: 93
CHONE Projected wRC+ : 99
Career UZR/150: 6.2
Steve Sommers’s Projected UZR: -0.22
CHONE WAR: 1.0 (-3.0 defense)
Fans WAR: 0.4 (-2.4 defense)

Dukes
Career wRC+: 104
CHONE Projected wRC+: 117
Career UZR/150 (in RF): 2.8
Steve Sommers’s Projected UZR/150: 0.89
CHONE WAR: 2.1 (1.6 defense)
Fans WAR: 2.4 (-0.1 defense)

Dukes is better statistically and I think has a much larger upside. The only way Francoeur is better is if the difference between Francoeur’s grission/leadership and Dukes’s craziness is about 10 runs, but we have no way of measuring that. Francoeur is also making $5M this year.

by EtSuKe on Mar 17, 2010 2:04 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs

Reply fail.

That was supposed to be a reply to DanDotLewis.

by EtSuKe on Mar 17, 2010 2:05 PM EDT up reply actions

We can't measure grission+notcrazy

But that doesn’t mean it’s not important. The dude was just cut by that Nationals, two years after he was (effectively) cut by the Rays and while he still had options left!

And yeah, Francoeur is overpaid, but he’s a sunk cost.

by Dan Lewis on Mar 17, 2010 3:09 PM EDT up reply actions

It's also not unreasonable to think Frenchy could be worth his gamble

just regaining is defensive prowess could make him close to worth the contract.

"We have a plan, and our plan, I like our plan'

it's Omar's world, we're just livin in it.

by Gina on Mar 17, 2010 3:20 PM EDT up reply actions

Especially if his bulking up is the main culprit for his less valuable defense.

Someone needs to get that into his head, he acts on it, slims down a bit, and, hopefully, maybe, his defense can improve to the levels exhibited earlier in his career.

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Mar 17, 2010 6:10 PM EDT up reply actions

Francoeur does look noticeably svelte this spring.

by keithprime on Mar 17, 2010 10:29 PM EDT up reply actions

I'd been thinking the same thing

"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet

What a fool I was to defy him"

-HST

by Mark Himmelstein on Mar 17, 2010 11:03 PM EDT up reply actions

Do you think Francoeur's intangibles over Dukes's is worth 10 runs?

I guess there are other off the field effects, such as advertising, the fans, and maybe increasing the probability of player coming to the team or staying on the team. Although winning might to more to recruit players than personality.

by EtSuKe on Mar 17, 2010 6:08 PM EDT up reply actions