Teahen your starter?

[witesoxfan]

Conveniently forgetting what, exactly? That he might have had a week or two there where he was hitting ok before he went down with his injury? Whatever. Truth is up until then he was hitting as he's pretty much hit his previous five, full years in the league, when he's featured a routine no-power/no-speed/high-strikeout offensive performance. Outside of his admittedly nice performance way back in 2006, I don't see how you can't conclude that this guy doesn't "suck" bad offensively, especially if you fairly compare him to his peers around the league at the "high-ops positions" at which he plays.

 

I think Mark Teahen is a slightly below league average hitter when facing both lefties and righties but that he will benefit from hitting against RHP on a more consistent basis. He will be a valuable member of the bench as a hitter and, when he plays, all you can really do is hope that he isn't a butcher in the field.

[ScottyDo]

Is Mark Teahen really that different from Tony Graffanino, aside from handedness and expectations? His contract isn't actually that far off from Graff's when he last played.

[SkokieSox]

Teahen will provide good rest for guys in a super utility role, but his value will come into play big time if in a injury occurs. Whether it be for a short or lengthy time period...

[WCSox]

Conveniently forgetting what, exactly? That he might have had a week or two there where he was hitting ok before he went down with his injury? Whatever. Truth is up until then he was hitting as he's pretty much hit his previous five, full years in the league, when he's featured a routine no-power/no-speed/high-strikeout offensive performance. Outside of his admittedly nice performance way back in 2006, I don't see how you can't conclude that this guy doesn't "suck" bad offensively, especially if you fairly compare him to his peers around the league at the "high-ops positions" at which he plays.

 

This piling-on is getting so stupid...

 

He has a career OPS+ of 97, with some gap power and a reasonable .330 career OBP. That isn't indicative of "suck." It's indicative of "average."

 

[Thad Bosley]

This piling-on is getting so stupid...

 

He has a career OPS+ of 97, with some gap power and a reasonable .330 career OBP. That isn't indicative of "suck." It's indicative of "average."

If Teahen's 2007-2009 seasons, where he was a full-time player for the Royals with at least 544 at-bats in each of those seasons, coupled with what we all witnessed last season, comes across to you as "average" offensive production, what body of work from other MLB players with similar amount of at-bats and at the same positions Teahen has played would qualify them as "less than average"? That's really my point, here. What some may be charitably willing to classify this guy's production as "average", I am saying it seems to me as "below average". Remember - if there is "average" production out there, there then has to be "less than average" production somewhere. I believe that's what Teahen has provided throughout his career to date.

[ScottyDo]

If Teahen's 2007-2009 seasons, where he was a full-time player for the Royals with at least 544 at-bats in each of those seasons, coupled with what we all witnessed last season, comes across to you as "average" offensive production, what body of work from other MLB players with similar amount of at-bats and at the same positions Teahen has played would qualify them as "less than average"? That's really my point, here. What some may be charitably willing to classify this guy's production as "average", I am saying it seems to me as "below average". Remember - if there is "average" production out there, there then has to be "less than average" production somewhere. I believe that's what Teahen has provided throughout his career to date.

He is the definition of average to me. If you really want a list of below-average players, I can give you one, but it's not going to be a very interesting or enlightening list of names.

 

Aww, heck, let's just grab 10 of them with their career OPS+'s:

 

Chris Getz (69)

Cesar Izturis (64)

Mark Gruzielanek (72)

Jerry Hairston (85)

Jamey Carroll (85)

Adam Kennedy (88)

Gabe Gross (88)

Bobby Crosby (80)

Reggie Willits (80)

Adam Everett (66)

 

THOSE guys are all below average.

 

People at or near Teahen's OPS+:

Mark Ellis

Kevin Kouzmanoff

Nate McLouth

Delmon Young

 

Are any of those guys great? Probably not. Would you complain if they were on your team? Probably not. Go look at salaries for league-average guys like that and tell me why we're complaining so much about Mark Teahen. He's fine. He's adequate. He's meh. He's not awful.

[witesoxfan]

If Teahen's 2007-2009 seasons, where he was a full-time player for the Royals with at least 544 at-bats in each of those seasons, coupled with what we all witnessed last season, comes across to you as "average" offensive production, what body of work from other MLB players with similar amount of at-bats and at the same positions Teahen has played would qualify them as "less than average"? That's really my point, here. What some may be charitably willing to classify this guy's production as "average", I am saying it seems to me as "below average". Remember - if there is "average" production out there, there then has to be "less than average" production somewhere. I believe that's what Teahen has provided throughout his career to date.

 

I think you're probably right, but it's also semantics, and quite frankly, it's a bit of a ticky tack point arguing about the production level of a bench player, doesn't it? If he is average, that'd be amazing, and if he is below average, then he's still fine.