Andruw Jones is on a mission

[Dick Allen]

So KW was willing to play Boras' games for a while, come up with some money, now he won't admit Damon would have helped the White Sox?

[Dick Allen]

Well he was out of shape and/or had knee problems those 3 years, reports are he looks like he did his rookie year (not just from people in the white sox org so its not smoke and mirrors) and he said his knee was better at the beginning of last season so it looks like the problems hes had the previous 3 years where he was no good are done for. Unless he was juicing the whole time he was in ATL, guys that good just dont forget how to hit when theyre healthy and are hungry.....i dont know if my previous post made any sense but to me it does and i think if hes in shape the next convo we'll be having is will Ozzie have the guts to move PK to the 6 hole because Andruw is out performing him and will be moved to the 4 hole.

I'm glad he's in shape, but guys have and can lose their baseball hitting ability quickly. I think you have to wait for Jones to outperform Konerko before you should worry about how Ozzie handles it. It really is a longshot it will come to that. If guys are hurt for 3 years straight, there's a good chance they won't make it through season 4 without getting hurt. Jones is going to be eating different food and exercise and eat on a different schedule than he did during the offseason. I believe we are creatures of habit, and if he falls back into the habits he had before he got in shape, he probably will require a bigger uniform rather quickly. I'm sure Allen Thomas probably hangs out with him.

[Vote4Pedro]

im taking the andruw jones situation as a plus for us.....he cant do any worse than Dewayne Wise did last year although i wouldn't throw all of that blame on him when Ozzie kept throwing him out there every day

[2nd_city_saint787]

I'm glad he's in shape, but guys have and can lose their baseball hitting ability quickly. I think you have to wait for Jones to outperform Konerko before you should worry about how Ozzie handles it. It really is a longshot it will come to that. If guys are hurt for 3 years straight, there's a good chance they won't make it through season 4 without getting hurt. Jones is going to be eating different food and exercise and eat on a different schedule than he did during the offseason. I believe we are creatures of habit, and if he falls back into the habits he had before he got in shape, he probably will require a bigger uniform rather quickly. I'm sure Allen Thomas probably hangs out with him.

 

 

You could be right, but he kept getting hurt because he was out of shape more than likely so there is no reason to believe now that he is in shape that he'll get hurt or at least hurt in the same way that he has been getting hurt which has been his knees. I know I'm a big active guy and running around takes a toll on my knees and if you resort back to my post about hitting i believe youre knees play a big part.

[knightni]

Hm, I wonder if they are thinking Jones/Nix platoon for DH, since Nix hits lefties so well.

 

 

[caulfield12]

I'm glad he's in shape, but guys have and can lose their baseball hitting ability quickly. I think you have to wait for Jones to outperform Konerko before you should worry about how Ozzie handles it. It really is a longshot it will come to that. If guys are hurt for 3 years straight, there's a good chance they won't make it through season 4 without getting hurt. Jones is going to be eating different food and exercise and eat on a different schedule than he did during the offseason. I believe we are creatures of habit, and if he falls back into the habits he had before he got in shape, he probably will require a bigger uniform rather quickly. I'm sure Allen Thomas probably hangs out with him.

 

 

One recent example is Roberto Remember the Alomar.

 

You could have made a case for him a decade ago as the all-time best 2B in MLB history, but the spitting incident and the ignominious end to his career caused him to lose a lot of his luster. He still should have received more HoF votes, IMO.

[Kalapse]

You could be right, but he kept getting hurt because he was out of shape more than likely so there is no reason to believe now that he is in shape that he'll get hurt or at least hurt in the same way that he has been getting hurt which has been his knees. I know I'm a big active guy and running around takes a toll on my knees and if you resort back to my post about hitting i believe youre knees play a big part.

Or it's because he's had an incredible amount of wear on his body. He's been in the majors since age 19 because of this he's 1 of only 11 outfielders in the history of the game to log 1500+ games played before the age of 30 and 1 of 2 to reach 1600+ before age 30 (Mel Ott being the only other). That kind of wear takes a tremendous toll on the body, it's no wonder he started to break down physically right around age 30, he's hardly alone in this fact. I'd be surprised if he were ever again play a full injury-free season, this is the #1 reason why extrapolating out an older, part time player's numbers for a full season and using that as some sort of benchmark is completely ludicrous.

[Kalapse]

Hm, I wonder if they are thinking Jones/Nix platoon for DH, since Nix hits lefties so well.

You don't platoon 2 right handed hitters.

[Quin]

Perhaps because his knees were bad, you cant really shorten your swing if your knees are limited in motion and not going as fast as your hands and if your hands are goin faster than your legs its gonna result in an ugly ugly swing and a low .200s batting average. if his knees are healthy and hes in shape he should be able to get a shorter more compact swing.

 

just my two cents, ive never played any kind of ball other than pick up games but i am a sandlot legend

 

It's possible to shorten your swing with bad knees as far as I'm aware, since I've been having to do that this year. It could be different for the majors, but shouldn't be that much difference.

Edited February 22, 2010 by Quinarvy

[2nd_city_saint787]

Or it's because he's had an incredible amount of wear on his body. He's been in the majors since age 19 because of this he's 1 of only 11 outfielders in the history of the game to log 1500+ games played before the age of 30 and 1 of 2 to reach 1600+ before age 30 (Mel Ott being the only other). That kind of wear takes a tremendous toll on the body, it's no wonder he started to break down physically right around age 30, he's hardly alone in this fact. I'd be surprised if he were ever again play a full injury-free season, this is the #1 reason why extrapolating out an older, part time player's numbers for a full season and using that as some sort of benchmark is completely ludicrous.

 

 

I see what youre saying and i agree but at the same time hes been able to get himself into what sounds like tremendous shape after seemingly a string of knee injuries and that right there shows he has the drive to play at a high level and still has the strength in him to do so. Just looked up Mel Otts stats and he was still receiving mvp votes up until age 36 and i believe people now a days are stronger than people back then so i dont think its that big a deal.

[ThunderBolt]

im taking the andruw jones situation as a plus for us.....he cant do any worse than Dewayne Wise did last year although i wouldn't throw all of that blame on him when Ozzie kept throwing him out there every day

He doesn't have to do worse then Wise, he has to do better then Thome. Doing better then Wise is up to Rios.

[Vote4Pedro]

He doesn't have to do worse then Wise, he has to do better then Thome. Doing better then Wise is up to Rios.

good point im just trying to make it a little easier for him

[2nd_city_saint787]

It's possible to shorten your swing with bad knees as far as I'm aware, since I've been having to do that this year. It could be different for the majors, but shouldn't be that much difference.

 

 

I'm sure you can but it just wouldn't be the same, I know major leaguers should be able to make adjustments when somethings bothering you. Correct me if im wrong but if youre working with limited motion in your knees theres gonna be a ton of miscomfort when you pop your hips and youre prob not gonna be able to do it as fast as your hand are goin and once again correct me if im wrong when you swing it should be one fluid motion (is fluid the correct word?) if your top half is going through before your bottom half youre gonna have problems.....once again im just a sandlot player whos never been coached so that could all be nonsense

[Quin]

I'm sure you can but it just wouldn't be the same, I know major leaguers should be able to make adjustments when somethings bothering you. Correct me if im wrong but if youre working with limited motion in your knees theres gonna be a ton of miscomfort when you pop your hips and youre prob not gonna be able to do it as fast as your hand are goin and once again correct me if im wrong when you swing it should be one fluid motion (is fluid the correct word?) if your top half is going through before your bottom half youre gonna have problems.....once again im just a sandlot player whos never been coached so that could all be nonsense

 

It does effect your swing, that's for sure, but major leaguers should be able to make the necessary adjustments to get them by until healthy. Last year I took ground balls off both knees in the exact spot so it squeezed my nerves, and my coach (told me to "run it off" when I couldn't feel my legs knee down) had me in the corner OF's and hitting, and I didn't exactly have a whole lot of trouble adjusting. One thing you do lose a lot of is power, and that's a lot of Fields game.

[Kalapse]

I see what youre saying and i agree but at the same time hes been able to get himself into what sounds like tremendous shape after seemingly a string of knee injuries and that right there shows he has the drive to play at a high level and still has the strength in him to do so. Just looked up Mel Otts stats and he was still receiving mvp votes up until age 36 and i believe people now a days are stronger than people back then so i dont think its that big a deal.

He did the same thing in '07, got into the best shape of his life to the point where teammates were saying they didn't recognize. Competitive fire and dropping weight are great and all but that can't make up for 1800 games played in the field and the wear that comes from pushing your body to its limit at such a young age.

[2nd_city_saint787]

It does effect your swing, that's for sure, but major leaguers should be able to make the necessary adjustments to get them by until healthy. Last year I took ground balls off both knees in the exact spot so it squeezed my nerves, and my coach (told me to "run it off" when I couldn't feel my legs knee down) had me in the corner OF's and hitting, and I didn't exactly have a whole lot of trouble adjusting. One thing you do lose a lot of is power, and that's a lot of Fields game.

 

 

 

man ive had bath water just chilling in the tub for the last 30 min im out after this response

 

I assume you meant Andruw. I agree with what youre saying and about the power and the article this thread is about shows that this is true as well. Andruw said the range of motion in his knees just got back to normal last year and surprise surprise he hit for a lot more power. Some players just cant get away from their swing and if somethings bothering em to the point where they cant swing like theyre used to theyre gonna be bad.

 

 

In conclusion Andruw Jones - Comeback Player of the Year

[The Ginger Kid]

He did the same thing in '07, got into the best shape of his life to the point where teammates were saying they didn't recognize. Competitive fire and dropping weight are great and all but that can't make up for 1800 games played in the field and the wear that comes from pushing your body to its limit at such a young age.

if this is the shelf life argument, then wouldn't arod fall into that too?

[lord chas]

if this is the shelf life argument, then wouldn't arod fall into that too?

arod has always been in terrific shape with his workout rountine and roids. jones is a notorious slacker

[caulfield12]

Fine, then use the example of Andre Agassi in tennis.

 

He was notorious for partying, had a spare tire and was the most famous slacker on the USTA tour, but he finally re-dedicated himself to tennis in the second half of his career and fulfilled a lot of his potential.

 

I guess we'll just have to wait for April-May-June games with Andruw to see what we actually have.

[Dick Allen]

Is there anyone here who expects Andruw Jones to produce at levels similar to his heyday in Atlanta that would expect the same thing had the Cubs or Twins signed him? You would be laughing at other message boards suggesting what you are suggesting.

[Kyyle23]

Is there anyone here who expects Andruw Jones to produce at levels similar to his heyday in Atlanta that would expect the same thing had the Cubs or Twins signed him? You would be laughing at other message boards suggesting what you are suggesting.

 

If he gives us similar power numbers, and a little bit better of an average this year, I will consider him a good signing. Im not expecting 1990s Braves Andruw Jones. Im expecting guy running out of options on the bench.

[Dick Allen]

If he gives us similar power numbers, and a little bit better of an average this year, I will consider him a good signing. Im not expecting 1990s Braves Andruw Jones. Im expecting guy running out of options on the bench.

I have no problem with that. I just think some are not being realistic. There's a reason Boras had him sign for $500k relatively quickly. There's not much interest. He now weighs 221. Will he return to CF? Considering the Sox have used Everett and a 300 year old Griffey in CF, I would say its likely. Its not a bad signing for what it is. For anyone to expect he can turn into a $8 million or more ballplayer is setting the bar a little too high IMO. Frankly, I think the Sox would take what he did last year for what they are paying him.

Edited February 22, 2010 by Dick Allen

[Kyyle23]

I have no problem with that. I just think some are not being realistic. There's a reason Boras had him sign for $500k relatively quickly. There's not much interest. He now weighs 221. Will he return to CF? Considering the Sox have used Everett and a 300 year old Griffey in CF, I would say its likely. Its not a bad signing for what it is. For anyone to expect he can turn into a $8 million or more ballplayer is setting the bar a little too high IMO. Frankly, I think the Sox would take what he did last year for what they are paying him.

 

Wait, so you are saying some at soxtalk are being unrealistic in their projections? What is this madness you speak of?

[BigSqwert]

[Lillian]

Let me reiterate; I'll settle for his slugging production from last year, projected over the whole season. His projected numbers from half of a season; 36 doubles, 34 homers and 86 RBI's would have topped anyone on the 2009 Sox.

Now if he can get his B.A. and OBP up a little to around .250 and .340 respectively, he could provide a real presence in the middle of the order. Isn't that really what this team is missing?

 

I don't understand why some of you think that it's a stretch to assume that he won't be able to at least equal last years power production, considering that he is now in better shape, and apparently recovered from his injuries.

 

Moreover, he improves the defense, if he takes either Pierre's or Quentin's place in the outfield, which I'd like to see.

If this works, Jones could do more for the offense than Damon would have likely done. With Damon, Jones wouldn't have seen enough playing time to have an impact.

 

I love this move, and for half a million dollars, it could turn out to be the best move of the off season, and maybe one of the best in quite a while. I'm rootin' for him.