Here are the results of the Delgado community projection from the other day. As is customary, I have provided the projections from a variety of forecasting systems to compare with our own.
| PA | BB | K | HR | AVG | OBP | SLG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AA | 567 | 66 | 116 | 27 | 0.271 | 0.363 | 0.489 |
| CHONE | 585 | 62 | 114 | 27 | 0.262 | 0.354 | 0.479 |
| Marcel | 565 | 57 | 112 | 25 | 0.265 | 0.349 | 0.485 |
| Bill James | 593 | 73 | 123 | 30 | 0.269 | 0.373 | 0.508 |
| ZiPS | 566 | 61 | 112 | 26 | 0.257 | 0.349 | 0.476 |
| PECOTA | 491 | 48 | 91 | 21 | 0.265 | 0.343 | 0.471 |
For the first time, I think, our projections for a Met player haven't been terrible optimistic. I know that we root heavily for our own and often over-inflate our predictions for these guys, perhaps fueled as much by optimism as by wishful thinking. This time around, the Bill James projection is actually quite a bit more optimistic than our own, and anything approaching a .269/.373/.508 season for Delgado would be a sure sale to just about any of us.
It's hard to talk about Delgado at all right now without mentioning his hip impingement, though his prognosis has improved of late. He has been goosing up on cortisone shots and anti-inflammatories, as well as the odd spin in the whirlpool to help accelerate his return. The signs have been positive, and there's a chance he may even play in a game this week.
Delgado's most immediate understudy, not counting Damion Easley and Marlon Anderson, would be Michel Abreu, but even he has been unable to avoid the plague of injuries that has been sweeping across Mets camp like murrain. Abreu sustained a strained right hip flexor that should keep him out of action for at least a few days. Scott Hatteberg might be available. Tony Clark is still out there. Uhh... Rico Brogna might be kicking around somewhere.
Thoughts? What are the Mets' best options if Delgado is unavailable/ineffective for some significant portion of the season?