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They Ain't Rookies Anymore
They're
two rogues without a great deal in common. They deal with different
things, in different ways, with different people. Things will probably
remain that way for the forseable future. They do have a few small
things in common though.
They're
both second-year players, they're both re-teaching the league how
to hit, and lastly, they're both All-Stars.
Sure,
Ian Byrd made it last year--his rookie season--but he didn't earn
it the way he did this year. Last season near the All-Star Break,
Ian was struggling to hit .250. He really only made it thanks to
a solid, and as some may have said lucky, pitching performance.
But this year is different. His playing time has greatly increased,
as have nearly all of his stats. Nowadays, the only thing Ian is
struggling to do is hit .400. His .374 mark is good for second in
the league. His 2.50 ERA is up there. His 14 homeruns have him at
#4, which has helped his slugging percentage (.832) sit at #3 in
the league. The only person who gets on base more often than him
is Joey Creighton.
Dean
Evans wasn't even close to making the All-Star Game last year. Sure,
he was hitting better than Ian (hanging around .280), but he couldn't
hit a homerun to save his life, and he couldn't seem to stop hitters
from taking a fat piss over anything he threw near the plate. He
kept playing though. The entire 2001 season (rookie record 178 ABs),
all of Winterball (another 60 or so ABs), up to today (101 ABs).
The improvement in his hitting is only noticeable if you're not
blind. Dean's .366 mark has him ranked #3 in the league and his
OB% (.407), has him at #4. And to think what he'd be doing if his
teammates were doing even close to what they were doing in 2001.
Then there's Dean's pitching, a complete 180 from last year. Gone
are the 4-pitch walks. Gone is the inability to throw a ball below
a batter's knee. Gone is a league hitting nearly .400 off him. Here
today is a guy who's grown into an All-Star, whether some choose
to believe it or not.
Sure,
Dean still can't hit a homerun to save his life (only 5 so far this
season), but if he catches a groove, pitchers start cursing and
fielders start scratching their heads as groundballs head to all
parts of the field. Sure, Ian's swing still isn't anything you'd
find in a how-to book, but you tend to forget that when he drives
your best offering opposite-way for a double.
Ian
Byrd and Dean Evans might not be the kind of guys you'd build a
team around, and they might not completely dominate this year's
field of All-Stars. But they ARE All-Stars. It sounds funny, but
it's true. Dean Evans is an All-Star. Ian Byrd is an All-Star. Combined,
they are hitting .370. Combined, they have an ERA of 2.98. Combined,
they make up one third of our league's "All-Stars."
Get
used to it, cause they did a long time ago.
This
is the Doctor, signing off.
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