Re: Mike Hampton

[Brian]

ATLANTA PITCHER MIKE HAMPTON WAS SCRATCHED FROM TONIGHT'S GAME DUE TO A STRAINED LEFT PECTORAL MUSCLE.

 

wow

[E.J.]

Haha. Absolutely insane. Is he still getting paid for that big contract he signed with the Rockies? He makes Mark Prior look like the model of health.

[CubbieBum]

Haha. Absolutely insane. Is he still getting paid for that big contract he signed with the Rockies? He makes Mark Prior look like the model of health.

 

Yeah the difference was Prior was actually a great pitcher and not just above average.

[Brian]

01:$8M, 02:$8.5M, 03:$11M, 04:$12M, 05:$12.5M, 06:$13.5M, 07:$14.5M, 08:$15M, 09:$20M club option $6M buyout

[TruffleShuffle]

01:$8M, 02:$8.5M, 03:$11M, 04:$12M, 05:$12.5M, 06:$13.5M, 07:$14.5M, 08:$15M, 09:$20M club option $6M buyout

 

something tells me that the braves are gonna go with the buyout rather than the $20M next year.

[Balsa]

Good lord, who was this guy?

[Post Count Padder]

http://dugout.progressiveboink.com/archive/jon95.html

[Garwilly]

01:$8M, 02:$8.5M, 03:$11M, 04:$12M, 05:$12.5M, 06:$13.5M, 07:$14.5M, 08:$15M, 09:$20M club option $6M buyout

 

something tells me that the braves are gonna go with the buyout rather than the $20M next year.

 

The Rockies are on the hook for that.

 

Colorado to pay $49M ($20M signing bonus, $8M in 2001, $8.5M in 2002, $2M in 2003, $2M in 2004, $2.5M in 2005, $6M buyout in 2009).

Florida to pay $23.5M ($7M of 2003 salary, $8M in 2004, $8.5M in 2005).

Atlanta to pay $48.5M ($2M of 2003 salary, $2M in 2004, $1.5M in 2005, $13.5M in 2006, $14.5M in 2007, $15M in 2008).

[InconspicuousZ28]

ESPN had a good breakdown not too long ago of his salary versus his stats. I think that each K he's logged under this contract has cost the team who is paying him about $250K.

 

Could be the biggest bust and waste of a contract of all time. Could see it coming a mile away too when the Rockies were negotiating that massive contract for him after his mediocre playoff performances when he was with the Mets.

[TruffleShuffle]

01:$8M, 02:$8.5M, 03:$11M, 04:$12M, 05:$12.5M, 06:$13.5M, 07:$14.5M, 08:$15M, 09:$20M club option $6M buyout

 

something tells me that the braves are gonna go with the buyout rather than the $20M next year.

 

The Rockies are on the hook for that.

 

Colorado to pay $49M ($20M signing bonus, $8M in 2001, $8.5M in 2002, $2M in 2003, $2M in 2004, $2.5M in 2005, $6M buyout in 2009).

Florida to pay $23.5M ($7M of 2003 salary, $8M in 2004, $8.5M in 2005).

Atlanta to pay $48.5M ($2M of 2003 salary, $2M in 2004, $1.5M in 2005, $13.5M in 2006, $14.5M in 2007, $15M in 2008).

 

so the buyout was automatic? there was no chance that his salary would be picked up? i can't say this is shocking given that his contract was so bad that three teams had to pay part of it.

[rocket]

jesus, thank god hendry failed at acquiring this guy

[CUBZ99]

Haha, remember when everyone was complaining because the Cubs wouldn't go out and spend the big dollars to get a pitcher like Hampton?

[imb]

his contract made me vomit poop out of my mouth

[RedFlash]

jesus, thank god hendry failed at acquiring this guy

 

Sorry rocket, you can't attack Hendry on the Hampton chase, seeing as MacPhail was the GM at the time of that derby.

[Rob]

Haha. Absolutely insane. Is he still getting paid for that big contract he signed with the Rockies? He makes Mark Prior look like the model of health.

 

Yeah the difference was Prior was actually a great pitcher and not just above average.

 

Mike Hampton was better than just "above average" before he signed that contract.

 

Year - Age - IP - OPS+

1995 - 22 - 150.2 - 116

1996 - 23 - 160.1 - 108

1997 - 24 - 223.0 - 104

1998 - 25 - 211.2 - 122

1999 - 26 - 239.0 - 154

2000 - 27 - 217.2 - 142

----Signs Contract----

2001 - 28 - 203.0 - 98

2002 - 29 - 178.2 - 78

2003 - 30 - 190.0 - 112

2004 - 31 - 172.1 - 101

2005 - 32 - 69.3 - 121

2006 - 33 - DNP - DNP

2007 - 34 - DNP - DNP

 

In hindsight, it seems pretty obvious that he was being overworked during his peak years, and he's never really recovered from it. We know now that no pitcher should ever be given a contract that long, as the inherent risk is just too great... but there weren't exactly a whole lot of pitchers with better track records at the time. The contract is understandable for a team that felt backed into a corner by its unique park situation affecting pitchers...

 

But it's important to remember that there's a world of difference between taking an extremely expensive risk on a damn good pitcher like Hampton was, or handing out a very expensive contract to a known commodity like Pierre, who never had any real chance of being a positive contributor to a winning ballclub.

 

Hampton's contract isn't the worst in history; Juan Pierre's is.

[TruffleShuffle]

But it's important to remember that there's a world of difference between taking an extremely expensive risk on a damn good pitcher like Hampton was, or handing out a very expensive contract to a known commodity like Pierre, who never had any real chance of being a positive contributor to a winning ballclub.

 

Hampton's contract isn't the worst in history; Juan Pierre's is.

 

not only that, but hampton had been consistently healthy for much of his career. if you're going to take a risk on a long-term contract for a pitcher, he wasn't a bad option. johan santana is easily the best in that department - clean delivery, good bill of health - but hampton wasn't bad either. plus he was a good athlete and an outstanding hitter for a pitcher, which add more value to the already-good pitching.

 

i'd argue that pierre had value in 2003 and 2004 when he was getting on base a lot for florida, but those days were long past when he signed with the dodgers, so that doesn't make it any less bad of a contract.

[CubbieBum]

Haha. Absolutely insane. Is he still getting paid for that big contract he signed with the Rockies? He makes Mark Prior look like the model of health.

 

Yeah the difference was Prior was actually a great pitcher and not just above average.

 

 

 

Hampton's contract isn't the worst in history; Juan Pierre's is.

 

No Pierre's is up there but Zito has him beat by a good margin. The Zito signing would be like Hampton getting his contract after the two year's in Colorado when he had 5-something ERA's.

[CuseCubFan69]

Wasn't Hampton a heck of a hitter? I surprised no one has put him in the OF or as O_O said, Ankeled him.

[Derwood]

teams have insurance against this kind of thing, right?

[Post Count Padder]

What I want to know is why the Braves never just cut him loose and eat the contract. That's what they're doing anyway. Why worry about him being healthy or not?

[rocket]

jesus, thank god hendry failed at acquiring this guy

 

Sorry rocket, you can't attack Hendry on the Hampton chase, seeing as MacPhail was the GM at the time of that derby.

 

ugh, i knew that. my bad.