Cubs interested in Berkman..

[Geech]

Something tells me the Cubs won't be able to look past his batting average and strikeouts. The Cubs sure as heck won't be the right team for him.

 

I believe you are correct. I was responding specifically to daske17's claim that Branyan is the "worst option available". He, and apparently WSR as well, seems to be underrating him substantially.

[TruffleShuffle]

The Cardinals will sign Berkman to play RF and he'll put up three consecutive .320/.450/.550 seasons.

 

Yes, this will definitely happen.

 

fine with me as long as it means he's playing 1B there and pujols is playing 1B for us.

[Little Slide Rooter]

The Cardinals will sign Berkman to play RF and he'll put up three consecutive .320/.450/.550 seasons.

 

Yes, this will definitely happen.

 

fine with me as long as it means he's playing 1B there and pujols is playing 1B for us.

 

If Pujols were to play for us, the St. Lou folks backlash would probably rival that of Clevelands for LaBron.

[NewUserName]

The Cardinals will sign Berkman to play RF and he'll put up three consecutive .320/.450/.550 seasons.

 

Yes, this will definitely happen.

 

fine with me as long as it means he's playing 1B there and pujols is playing 1B for us.

 

If Pujols were to play for us, the St. Lou folks backlash would probably rival that of Clevelands for LaBron.

 

That would be awesome

[daske17]

Something tells me the Cubs won't be able to look past his batting average and strikeouts. The Cubs sure as heck won't be the right team for him.

 

I believe you are correct. I was responding specifically to daske17's claim that Branyan is the "worst option available". He, and apparently WSR as well, seems to be underrating him substantially.

 

If the team was looking for a bench player I agree that Branyan isn't a bad option. But as an everyday 1B he would be the worst. He hasn't shown that he has the ability to last a full season as a starter. His OBP is mediocre at best and his best year came at 33.

 

Maybe he isn't the worst option but he's darn near close.

[Geech]

If the team was looking for a bench player I agree that Branyan isn't a bad option. But as an everyday 1B he would be the worst. He hasn't shown that he has the ability to last a full season as a starter. His OBP is mediocre at best and his best year came at 33.

 

Maybe he isn't the worst option but he's darn near close.

 

No, not really. Russell Branyan has a career wOBA of .349, and he has been substantially higher than that in recent years. FanGraphs' UZR has him above average at firstbase for his career, with most of that value coming in the past two seasons. In '09 and '10, FanGraphs lists him at 2.9 and 2.0 WAR, despite not playing full seasons in either case. He put up the same value in 428 plate appearances last season as Derrek Lee did in over 600.

 

I pointed out three players on the above list to whom he is clearly superior. There are other players on the list, such as Johnson and Lee, who are superior primarily in terms of upside. I'm not sure I could confidently bet on either one substantially outproducing Branyan if he had a real shot at a starting job. He's clearly a better option than any AAA retread like Hoffpauir, LaHair or even Dan Johnson, my personal favorite retread.

 

You have correctly identified his biggest warts. He's old and has lost playing time to back problems this past season. However, his performance is not an issue. Branyan has proven that he can provide solid value even in a partial season. He's not an especially good option for a team that hopes to contend, but neither is Nick Johnson. Branyan is pretty far from the worst option available.

[davearm2]

Thats probably because hes a bench player.

 

He is a bench player in that he has filled that role in the past. His play this past two seasons suggests he's more than that to the right teams.

Yep I'm thinking of the Pirates, Orioles, Royals...