Is Bryan LaHair legit?

[bukie]

I will say though that LaHair's line drive % is both fantastic and potentially sustainable (at least as much as his strikeout rate).

[SouthSideRyan]

Ryan Howard is going to get more All Star votes than Bryan LaHair, and he hasn't played an inning yet.

 

Your general point is right, but Howard won't be on the ballot. LaHair will end up around 7th.

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/all_star/y2012/ballot.jsp

 

Well aren't I the [expletive] then. I thought it was opening day starters only?

[ConstableRabbit]

Ryan Howard is going to get more All Star votes than Bryan LaHair, and he hasn't played an inning yet.

 

Your general point is right, but Howard won't be on the ballot. LaHair will end up around 7th.

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/all_star/y2012/ballot.jsp

 

Well aren't I the [expletive] then. I thought it was opening day starters only?

[paging Vance]

[jersey cubs fan]

Ryan Howard is going to get more All Star votes than Bryan LaHair, and he hasn't played an inning yet.

 

Your general point is right, but Howard won't be on the ballot. LaHair will end up around 7th.

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/all_star/y2012/ballot.jsp

 

Well aren't I the [expletive] then. I thought it was opening day starters only?

 

In general it is opening day starters. But I think injured vets take precedence, especially ones who have made past appearances.

[Guest]

Ryan Howard is going to get more All Star votes than Bryan LaHair, and he hasn't played an inning yet.

 

Your general point is right, but Howard won't be on the ballot. LaHair will end up around 7th.

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/all_star/y2012/ballot.jsp

 

Well aren't I the [expletive] then. I thought it was opening day starters only?

 

In general it is opening day starters. But I think injured vets take precedence, especially ones who have made past appearances.

LaHair wasn't our opening day starter, either.

[SouthSideRyan]

 

Your general point is right, but Howard won't be on the ballot. LaHair will end up around 7th.

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/all_star/y2012/ballot.jsp

 

Well aren't I the [expletive] then. I thought it was opening day starters only?

 

In general it is opening day starters. But I think injured vets take precedence, especially ones who have made past appearances.

LaHair wasn't our opening day starter, either.

 

Oh you can all go [expletive] yourselves

[Guest]

hahaha

[Theo]

Question, does anyone know how many AB's LaHair is short from qualifying for the official stats?

[BleacherBadger]

Question, does anyone know how many AB's LaHair is short from qualifying for the official stats?

 

Minimum to qualify is 76 plate appearances right now. He has 73ish.

[BleacherBadger]

Question, does anyone know how many AB's LaHair is short from qualifying for the official stats?

 

Minimum to qualify is 76 plate appearances right now. He has 73ish.

 

Edit: He has 74. 2 PAs short.

[bukie]

3.1 PA per team game played to be Qualified. So, after 24 games, it's a 74.4 PA requirement, and LaHair has 74.

[BleacherBadger]

I rounded 74.4 up to 76

[Theo]

Thanks, it will be pretty awesome to see him a top of the stat lines once he is qualified. Just looking for mini wins in this forsaken season so far.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I give up. Totally legit.

[bukie]

LaHair's HR/FB rate is in the stratosphere of the league along with Carlos Gonzalez, Josh Hamilton and Curtis Granderson hovering around 36%.

 

Matt Kemp's HR/FB rate is 60%.

[XZero771679666304]

 

Matt Kemp's HR/FB rate is 60%.

 

Holy crap, that's ridiculous.

[Tyrant]

Matt Kemp's HR/FB rate is 60%.

 

Wait'll he comes crashing back down to his rightful place as a .720 OPS scrub

[bukie]

Matt Kemp's HR/FB rate is 60%.

 

Wait'll he comes crashing back down to his rightful place as a .720 OPS scrub

The most concerning thing about LaHair at this point is his nearly 33% K rate, which is Mark Reynolds/Adam Dunn/Pedro Alvarez bad, and follows from his past struggles through the years. His walk rate is decent, but lower than Reynolds/Dunn.

 

If his production is going to end up being anything better than decent Adam Dunn-level, he's got to improve that, because that BABIP is going to go down eventually.

 

EDIT: Also, his 65.9% contact rate on swings is among the worst in baseball among regulars (3rd ahead of Mark Reynolds and Yoenis Cespedes).

[davell]

It's awesome that we're now thinking if LaHair doesn't improve his K rate, he may not be better than "decent" Adam Dunn. It's hard to believe what he's done.

[bukie]

It's awesome that we're now thinking if LaHair doesn't improve his K rate, he may not be better than "decent" Adam Dunn. It's hard to believe what he's done.

I'd like to note that I did actually predict LaHair would be the best hitter on the Cubs at about an .850 OPS, at a "poor man's Dunn" level.

 

Before last year, the reason LaHair wasn't a real prospect was that he had the bad K rate but not the power to make up for it. It remains to be seen whether he can maintain some semblance of his crazy HR/FB rate (not Kemp crazy, but still miles better than the league), but he has some value in an all-or-nothing masher, especially when the Cubs aren't really counting on it for long term production.

[Little Slide Rooter]

There was a time when I was alone in the Bryan LaHair bandwagon, and even I saw his ceiling as something between Ron Kittle and Russ Branyan, so yeah, decent Adam Dunn would be super.

[TruffleShuffle]

It's awesome that we're now thinking if LaHair doesn't improve his K rate, he may not be better than "decent" Adam Dunn. It's hard to believe what he's done.

I'd like to note that I did actually predict LaHair would be the best hitter on the Cubs at about an .850 OPS, at a "poor man's Dunn" level.

 

Before last year, the reason LaHair wasn't a real prospect was that he had the bad K rate but not the power to make up for it. It remains to be seen whether he can maintain some semblance of his crazy HR/FB rate (not Kemp crazy, but still miles better than the league), but he has some value in an all-or-nothing masher, especially when the Cubs aren't really counting on it for long term production.

 

it's also notable that he's showing a lot of opposite field power and not selling out to pull the ball out to right. that's a good sign.

[Theo]

woohooo he's official now w/ enough AB's

 

http://i50.tinypic.com/2d9tykz.png

 

 

This is the high point of our entire season, it won't get better than this

[DivineBovine]

Some of you guys are such ageists. The guy absolutely kicked ass in the minors and is kicking ass in MLB. People get so excited about a mediocre player in double A ball because he's 19. Everyone wants a potential Ken Griffey Jr. who dominates for 10-15 years. But that happens once a decade. Who wouldn't take Bryan LaHair over Corey Patterson.

 

Bryan LaHair has a long way to go before he matches what Corey Patterson did in the majors before hurting his knee. Talk to me when he gets there.

 

Or since hurting his knee.

 

Seriously.

 

Corey was really good in 2004. Like really good.

 

2003 is (I think) what you're referring to. That was the year he got hurt, but 298/329/511 in 83 games as a 23 year old is pretty impressive. 2004 he went 266/320/452, which is still pretty good.

 

 

83 games in a year that turned out to be his best year by far. In 329 AB's, with a .329 OBP. OK. And he had 1 real good year in the minors, in single A at age 19. His hype was completely based on age and therefore "potential" upside. All his age got him was more years of mediocrity.

 

OK. Let's see if LaHair gets there. I'll take LaHair's 2012-2013 vs Patterson 2003-2004. I'd make that bet.

[Little Slide Rooter]

@mlbtraderumors: Trade Candidate: Bryan LaHair http://t.co/XeQpFllw #mlb

 

we simply don't have many bats throughout the organization, at least not of the anywhere near big league ready variety. Would we really be able to get enough of a return to justify moving a guy who could be a very affordable .260-.270/.825-.850 hitter, assuming he can play a serviceable LF? I'd say we could maybe get 2 guys from the back of someones top 10-15 and maybe an additional fringe guy assuming we tossed in something else.