Mark DeRosa Appreciation Thread

[hawkeyecub]

Just because I think he gets overlooked too much.

He now has an .879 OPS, good for 3rd best in the majors among 2B. Last year he was at .791 while getting over 200 AB's at other positions. He's been solid defensively, versatile, has a good approach and for various reasons he's become one of my favorite players. We had the huge debate over his signing and while I was fairly optimistic about it, I don't know if anyone anticipated it would work out this well over the first year and a half.

 

I love Mark DeRosa.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

my daughter (just turned 6) often says the following during random moments, not necessarily during Cubs games:

 

"GEOVANY SOTO!"

"Big Z"

"Fukudome is my homie"

"DeRo is my hero"

[Derwood]

my wife says she can't hear his name without thinking of Ponderosa

[javy knows my name]

Just because I think he gets overlooked too much.

He now has an .879 OPS, good for 3rd best in the majors among 2B. Last year he was at .791 while getting over 200 AB's at other positions. He's been solid defensively, versatile, has a good approach and for various reasons he's become one of my favorite players. We had the huge debate over his signing and while I was fairly optimistic about it, I don't know if anyone anticipated it would work out this well over the first year and a half.

 

I love Mark DeRosa.

If you want to love him more, read his blog on Cubs.com

And I agree with you - he's a class act who plays the game right way with the rare combination of talent.

[Andy]

DeRo became one of my favorite Cubs faster than any new acquisition we've ever had. There's not one thing he's not good at, he'll do anything for you, and he seems to get how special playing for the Cubs is more so than most anybody.

[TruffleShuffle]

if anybody is in the mood to see a lot of people who were really wrong, click this

[javy knows my name]

if anybody is in the mood to see a lot of people who were really wrong, click this

HAHAHAH Ray Durham

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I've been bearish on DeRosa prior to each of the last two seasons, and am very happy that I've been wrong. Like has been said, he's an easy guy to root for.

[TruffleShuffle]

i enjoy this one, because derosa has basically been todd walker with a very slightly better bat and a much better glove:

 

I don't think there's a snow ball's chance in hell that DeRosa will match Walker's offensive production.

 

that snow ball has melted.

[Soul]

i enjoy this one, because derosa has basically been todd walker with a very slightly better bat and a much better glove:

 

I don't think there's a snow ball's chance in hell that DeRosa will match Walker's offensive production.

 

that snow ball has melted.

 

It's funny to read, because I actually agree with some of the reasoning on that thread why DeRosa wasn't the best signing. He really bucked a lot of trends by being good for 2 years (assuming he continues this year) when it did sort of look like he had just had a career year.

 

It's fun to be wrong when it means the Cubs are a better team for it.

[Fred Hornkohl]

Just because I think he gets overlooked too much.

He now has an .879 OPS, good for 3rd best in the majors among 2B. Last year he was at .791 while getting over 200 AB's at other positions. He's been solid defensively, versatile, has a good approach and for various reasons he's become one of my favorite players. We had the huge debate over his signing and while I was fairly optimistic about it, I don't know if anyone anticipated it would work out this well over the first year and a half.

 

I love Mark DeRosa.

 

Bah !! DeRosa is piker !!

 

He can't even outhit a pitcher !!

 

03/31 - 06/08         BA    OBP    SLG    OPS
Zambrano           0.364  0.364  0.523  0.886
DeRosa             0.303  0.392  0.488  0.880

[TruffleShuffle]

i enjoy this one, because derosa has basically been todd walker with a very slightly better bat and a much better glove:

 

I don't think there's a snow ball's chance in hell that DeRosa will match Walker's offensive production.

 

that snow ball has melted.

 

It's funny to read, because I actually agree with some of the reasoning on that thread why DeRosa wasn't the best signing. He really bucked a lot of trends by being good for 2 years (assuming he continues this year) when it did sort of look like he had just had a career year.

 

It's fun to be wrong when it means the Cubs are a better team for it.

 

statistical analysis is great and IMO is more important than scouting, but derosa's success is a lesson to those who think they can sit and look at a player's baseball reference page or PECOTA projections and think they know what's going to happen. Looking at DeRosa's pre-2006 PECOTA projections was almost pointless, given that he'd probably had a 2006 that was at or above his 90th percentile expectation. Focusing on his lousy 2004 numbers was the wrong idea given his change in approach (toe tap at the plate).

 

His EqA and OPS+ trends:

 

2005: .271, 97

2006: .280, 108

2007: .275, 102

 

So his performance in 2007 is basically right in line with what he did the previous two seasons. At some point, scouting needs to be part of the equation, and obviously the people doing the scouting for the Cubs saw that DeRosa's improvements at the plate were no fluke. his performance to this date isn't likely to continue (~.298 EqA, 126 OPS+), but he is hitting line drives at a solid rate and continues to add some extra-base power to the mix. The idea that $13M over 3 years was a gross overpayment for derosa was preposterous, and looks even more ridiculous now. looking at PECOTA's projection that derosa would be worth $6.9M this year, i'd have to guess that he was worth about $7.5-8M last year, so he's just about earned his $13M in half the length of the contract. in terms of value, the DeRosa signing has to be regarded as one of the bigger bargains of the 2006-07 offseason.

[CubColtPacer]

Does PECOTA's contract value have any monetary value added for versatility? I'm honestly not sure, but a productive player who is also versatile is worth an extra 1-2 million IMO because whenever there's an off day or an injury, it allows the hottest player on the bench to get starts, rather than just whoever plays that position. Plus it allows the bench to much more easily have a player with little defensive value on it like Ward, even with only a 5 man bench.

 

I would agree that DeRosa is probably somewhere around 13 million dollars in value overall already, and it's a great job if a free agent even lives up to their contract, let alone possibly double the value of it.

[imb]

I saw the title of the thread and I wondered if I'd be able to post in it before Truffle talked about how wrong people were.

[TruffleShuffle]

I saw the title of the thread and I wondered if I'd be able to post in it before Truffle talked about how wrong people were.

 

too late!

 

and your coming around to the correct side before the end of the "cubs sign derosa" thread has been noted.

[Sammy Sofa]

i enjoy this one, because derosa has basically been todd walker with a very slightly better bat and a much better glove:

 

I don't think there's a snow ball's chance in hell that DeRosa will match Walker's offensive production.

 

that snow ball has melted.

 

It's funny to read, because I actually agree with some of the reasoning on that thread why DeRosa wasn't the best signing. He really bucked a lot of trends by being good for 2 years (assuming he continues this year) when it did sort of look like he had just had a career year.

 

It's fun to be wrong when it means the Cubs are a better team for it.

 

statistical analysis is great and IMO is more important than scouting, but derosa's success is a lesson to those who think they can sit and look at a player's baseball reference page or PECOTA projections and think they know what's going to happen. Looking at DeRosa's pre-2006 PECOTA projections was almost pointless, given that he'd probably had a 2006 that was at or above his 90th percentile expectation. Focusing on his lousy 2004 numbers was the wrong idea given his change in approach (toe tap at the plate).

 

His EqA and OPS+ trends:

 

2005: .271, 97

2006: .280, 108

2007: .275, 102

 

So his performance in 2007 is basically right in line with what he did the previous two seasons. At some point, scouting needs to be part of the equation, and obviously the people doing the scouting for the Cubs saw that DeRosa's improvements at the plate were no fluke. his performance to this date isn't likely to continue (~.298 EqA, 126 OPS+), but he is hitting line drives at a solid rate and continues to add some extra-base power to the mix. The idea that $13M over 3 years was a gross overpayment for derosa was preposterous, and looks even more ridiculous now. looking at PECOTA's projection that derosa would be worth $6.9M this year, i'd have to guess that he was worth about $7.5-8M last year, so he's just about earned his $13M in half the length of the contract. in terms of value, the DeRosa signing has to be regarded as one of the bigger bargains of the 2006-07 offseason.

 

So is it more or less of a sham than trying to predict the weather?

 

HIIIIIIIIIIIIII-OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

[rawaction]

LOL. Derosa's the everyday 8th hitter right now.

 

If you just showed me the stats and I didn't know the players, I would construct the Cubs lineup as:

 

Fukudome

Theriot

Ramirez

Soto

Derosa

Soriano

Lee

Edmonds

 

Derosa's been great this year, and was pretty good last year. His defense hasn't been great this year, but versatility does have its place. I was one of the bigger proponents for Roberts, believing that DeRosa would make the bench better or a run at starting SS. But the way everything played out looks like it was for the best, and DeRo has responded accordingly.

[imb]

I saw the title of the thread and I wondered if I'd be able to post in it before Truffle talked about how wrong people were.

 

too late!

 

and your coming around to the correct side before the end of the "cubs sign derosa" thread has been noted.

 

Did I really? Awesome.

[TruffleShuffle]

I saw the title of the thread and I wondered if I'd be able to post in it before Truffle talked about how wrong people were.

 

too late!

 

and your coming around to the correct side before the end of the "cubs sign derosa" thread has been noted.

 

Did I really? Awesome.

 

perhaps the reports about his approach at the plate that swayed you.

 

I'm going to go on record as being Down with DeRosa. Blanco? Not so much.

 

high five on both accounts.

[jaydee]

I was pretty skeptical about this signing when it occurred. DeRosa was a great signing though.

[BigSlick]

Perhaps the Cubs organization saw something mechanical that he was changing in Texas, maybe it was a triumph of scouting over statistical analysis? Thats why they knew he would do fine here?

 

Nah, maybe I'm giving them too much credit....

[CubColtPacer]

Perhaps the Cubs organization saw something mechanical that he was changing in Texas, maybe it was a triumph of scouting over statistical analysis? Thats why they knew he would do fine here?

 

Nah, maybe I'm giving them too much credit....

 

It was no secret that DeRosa was attributing his new found success at the time to the toe tap maneuver that the Rangers hitting coach taught him. There was just a lot of disagreement out there if that was the reason for his hitting to get a lot better, or if it was mostly just a career year.

 

The Cubs thought it was the former, and in this instance, they turned out to be right. I remember the questioning here during that winter wondering if the statistical projections on DeRosa were flawed due to them not being able to properly take into account his mechanical change at the plate, and if they were flawed, exactly how flawed.

 

I think DeRosa has exceeded the expectations of even his supporters, who mostly thought he'd be a .750-.770 OPS player who can play several positions.

[Post Count Padder]

Mark DeRosa is da man.

[17 Seconds]

I was going to start a similar thread last night. Derosa is having a fantastic season. He's outperforming Roberts by a wide margin.

[TruffleShuffle]

I was going to start a similar thread last night. Derosa is having a fantastic season. He's outperforming Roberts by a wide margin.

 

there have been some years recently where the 2B field from the national league has been very weak, and derosa's performance would merit selection to the all star game. unfortunately, chase utley and dan uggla play in the national league and are having monster seasons.