Open market debate: Hunter vs. Jones
Posted: Thursday, November 15, 2007 6:16 PM
Which top free-agent center fielder to sign, Torii Hunter or Andruw Jones?
Both are multiple Gold Glove winners (Jones has won 10, Hunter has won 7). Jones has the better offensive resume with five All-Star appearances and a 51 home run and 128 RBI 2005 season that earned him a second-place finish in that year's NL MVP race. Hunter's best MVP finish was sixth five years ago and he has only two All-Star appearances. Jones is also younger, he'll be 31 in July, while Hunter turns 33 just after Opening Day.
Here's the twist: Jones is coming off a horrid offensive season, his worst as a big leaguer. His OPS of .635 was horrendous and his lack of clutch hitting was startling. In contrast, Hunter posted his best year at the plate with a .782 OPS, 45 doubles and 28 home runs.
So Jones and Hunter reacted differently to the pressure of playing in a walk year. Hunter excelled and Jones struggled. Does this matter? Not if you listen to agent Scott Boras whose legendary stat books note that Jones has hit more home runs by age 30 than any outfielder other than Willie Mays. Jones has been called the best defensive outfielder since Mays, but only Boras could summon the gall to mention the two players in the same sentence about hitting.
I say it does matter. Both men are products of winning organizations, but Hunter rates the slight edge in character and clubhouse presence. All who know Hunter see him as one of the game's great people. So beloved is he in Minnesota that Twins fans had difficulty booing him after he made a crucial misplay in the 2006 playoffs.
So I say Hunter is the better signing, likely to cost less dollars and years. Here's the game to watch: which player signs first? Who sets the market? Boras will not allow Jones to go first unless the bidding is insanely high (see Barry Zito of last year). Instead, Boras waits to see where Hunter as well as two other free-agent center fielders, Aaron Rowand and Mike Cameron, land and then he raises the bidding for Jones by a set percentage. I'm not sure Jones is worth that fight.
Changing topics, Monday this blog mentioned that managers and coaches who are the voters for Gold Gloves are far more capable of separating offense from defense than are members of the media and fans. And the writers proved the point beyond any doubt when they chose Ryan Braun the NL Rookie of the Year.
As fine a hitter as Braun is, his defense is forgettable. Troy Tulowitzki played shortstop in a manner befitting a veteran leader. It seems not enough of the writers understood the value of Tulowitzki's defense when casting their vote.
