Hey everyone-

 Hardball Dynasty – Fantasy Baseball Sim Games - Player Profile: Fred Green

Fred Green has been great for me so far. But, decision time is coming up as he's already had 1 round of arbitration, so he's about to start getting expensive. How do poor defensive, great hitting 1B players typically age in the NL? Do I offer this guy whatever he wants as an extension?  Should I look at cashing in and getting some prospects for him while his value is high?  

Basically, will he need to be a DH and in the NL before his next contract is up?  I feel like I'm still a couple years a way from really contending for a title. I'm wary of investing a ton of money in 1B and tying my hands later when I could use that money to go get some better pitching which I will need to contend.

Thoughts? 

that dude is a stud, his range is a bit low, he probably should be a DH.  Because of that I would put him up for offer in WC, and in the trade block.  He should fetch you awesome returns because he is a difference maker.  If you were in the AL I would recommend you keeping him, because he is a once in a long time type player.  If you dont get an awesome offer keep him.... next season try to trade him again.  Only go for a 1 for 1 trade, quality for quality!!!

Not sure I'd call him a stud being a 1B/DH but he's solid. They will be solid for awhile.

You can probably keep in into his mid 30s before his ratings started falling noticebaly.

He is a good, middle of the order player.  The problem with highly rated 1B's is they tend to cost you more than the return you get for them.  As in, just about anyone can play great defense at 1B, so he isn't really giving you much value when in the field.  There are plenty of guys that can offer good offensive stats while playing an adequate 1B, for cheap.

The places you want to spend the bulk of your money at are CF, SS, C and Pitching.  Guys that are going to make a difference when on defense, and also add offense above league average. 

Your guy's best attribute is that he is a switch hitter.  This effectively makes his hitting ratings better than they appear (and they appear good).  He is going to sit in the middle of the order and put up offensive numbers that you want and need.  But with his OVR he is going to be costly.  I like him, but would probably look to part ways with him simply because one man is not bigger than the team, and I feel I can smear that money elsewhere and obtain better team value.  If you attempt to trade him to owners that feel the same way, they will invariably offer you less than what you feel he is worth. 

Okay, two questions...

1) What $/year would you feel comfortable signing this guy for if he's willing to sign an extension?

2) What would you hold out for in a trade offer? What's realistic? I would love a hit enough, Gold Glove CFer with great range because I play in a big park.  Or a SP prospect. 

Posted by rangerup on 5/11/2012 11:00:00 AM (view original):
He is a good, middle of the order player.  The problem with highly rated 1B's is they tend to cost you more than the return you get for them.  As in, just about anyone can play great defense at 1B, so he isn't really giving you much value when in the field.  There are plenty of guys that can offer good offensive stats while playing an adequate 1B, for cheap.

The places you want to spend the bulk of your money at are CF, SS, C and Pitching.  Guys that are going to make a difference when on defense, and also add offense above league average. 

Your guy's best attribute is that he is a switch hitter.  This effectively makes his hitting ratings better than they appear (and they appear good).  He is going to sit in the middle of the order and put up offensive numbers that you want and need.  But with his OVR he is going to be costly.  I like him, but would probably look to part ways with him simply because one man is not bigger than the team, and I feel I can smear that money elsewhere and obtain better team value.  If you attempt to trade him to owners that feel the same way, they will invariably offer you less than what you feel he is worth. 

Why does the switch hitter thing matter?  Don't the vL and vR ratings take that into consideration?

Posted by jryager on 5/11/2012 5:04:00 PM (view original):

Posted by rangerup on 5/11/2012 11:00:00 AM (view original):
He is a good, middle of the order player.  The problem with highly rated 1B's is they tend to cost you more than the return you get for them.  As in, just about anyone can play great defense at 1B, so he isn't really giving you much value when in the field.  There are plenty of guys that can offer good offensive stats while playing an adequate 1B, for cheap.

The places you want to spend the bulk of your money at are CF, SS, C and Pitching.  Guys that are going to make a difference when on defense, and also add offense above league average. 

Your guy's best attribute is that he is a switch hitter.  This effectively makes his hitting ratings better than they appear (and they appear good).  He is going to sit in the middle of the order and put up offensive numbers that you want and need.  But with his OVR he is going to be costly.  I like him, but would probably look to part ways with him simply because one man is not bigger than the team, and I feel I can smear that money elsewhere and obtain better team value.  If you attempt to trade him to owners that feel the same way, they will invariably offer you less than what you feel he is worth. 

Why does the switch hitter thing matter?  Don't the vL and vR ratings take that into consideration?

Pretend the average RHP has 60/70 splits and the average LHP has 70/60 splits.  That means that the average pitcher will always have a relevant split of 60 against him, whereas a RHB will face a 60 approx one third of the time and a 70 approx two third of the time, and vice versa for a LHB.

The fact that he's a switch hitter with those ratings sort of does make it puzzling that he's not tearing the cover off the ball.

If he wants to re-sign with you for $5 mil a year or so, that isn't too bad.  But really, this all depends on how that player is valued in your world.  Are other guys like him paid similarly? Could you spend that money on another player who would be more valuable to you? 

As far as what you could get for him - I would guess you could get a GG caliber CF, but he probably won't be a great hitter.  If you want a pitching prospect, I wouldn't expect much more than a 3rd or 4th starter type.  People seem to want to hold on to their prospects, espcially very good pitching prospects.  But again - it's all relative.  I've been in only 1 world long-term, maybe your world is different.

As far as the switch-hitter comment - the vL and vR ratings do take that into consideration, but you also have to take into consideration the pitcher - likely the pitcher will have worse ratings against lefties if theyre right-handed, and vice versa.

Posted by rangerup on 5/11/2012 11:00:00 AM (view original):
He is a good, middle of the order player.  The problem with highly rated 1B's is they tend to cost you more than the return you get for them.  As in, just about anyone can play great defense at 1B, so he isn't really giving you much value when in the field.  There are plenty of guys that can offer good offensive stats while playing an adequate 1B, for cheap.

The places you want to spend the bulk of your money at are CF, SS, C and Pitching.  Guys that are going to make a difference when on defense, and also add offense above league average. 

Your guy's best attribute is that he is a switch hitter.  This effectively makes his hitting ratings better than they appear (and they appear good).  He is going to sit in the middle of the order and put up offensive numbers that you want and need.  But with his OVR he is going to be costly.  I like him, but would probably look to part ways with him simply because one man is not bigger than the team, and I feel I can smear that money elsewhere and obtain better team value.  If you attempt to trade him to owners that feel the same way, they will invariably offer you less than what you feel he is worth. 

that's weird, i spent most of my money on pitching, but among positions it's definitely not those 3.  probably goes 3B followed by LF + RF

Posted by deanod on 5/11/2012 5:20:00 PM (view original):

Posted by rangerup on 5/11/2012 11:00:00 AM (view original):
He is a good, middle of the order player.  The problem with highly rated 1B's is they tend to cost you more than the return you get for them.  As in, just about anyone can play great defense at 1B, so he isn't really giving you much value when in the field.  There are plenty of guys that can offer good offensive stats while playing an adequate 1B, for cheap.

The places you want to spend the bulk of your money at are CF, SS, C and Pitching.  Guys that are going to make a difference when on defense, and also add offense above league average. 

Your guy's best attribute is that he is a switch hitter.  This effectively makes his hitting ratings better than they appear (and they appear good).  He is going to sit in the middle of the order and put up offensive numbers that you want and need.  But with his OVR he is going to be costly.  I like him, but would probably look to part ways with him simply because one man is not bigger than the team, and I feel I can smear that money elsewhere and obtain better team value.  If you attempt to trade him to owners that feel the same way, they will invariably offer you less than what you feel he is worth. 

that's weird, i spent most of my money on pitching, but among positions it's definitely not those 3.  probably goes 3B followed by LF + RF

I'm sure it all depends on who's available.  I'd spend a ton on a great fielding CF or SS who could also crush the ball.

Switch hitters always face the pitcher from the other side, and pitchers are usually better against hitters of the same handedness.

Range declines first, usually beginning around age 30, and accelerating in the mid 30s. A high training budget and good makeup can arrest decline a bit, but you will still see a knock. Speed follows range quickly, then power. Green's range is already poor, and you are seeing about 9 minus plays a season because of it. His makeup is not stellar, but with a good training budget I would expect to see at least three points lost from range by his age 33 season, which would be his walk year if you sign him to the max extension next season. Whether that is too much decline for you, I don't know, but you might expect a few more minus plays a season from him. Contact, eye and splits tend to hold longer, and signing him through his age 33 season you probably won't see much loss in power either. As a player extending during arb he should be reasonably priced, probably somewhere between $7.5 and $9 million per season (do you remember what he asked for an extension during this arb period?), and with his batting ability I would be comfortable signing him to at least four seasons (age 32), maybe five.

@burnsy- I would too, they just seem to not exist in most worlds.

If there was ever a FA SS with 90/90/90/90 defense who hit .300/.360/500 and there were no salary restrictions I'd probably offer him 5/150.  But for the most part the gap between the best SS and an average one isn't that huge when the best SS in many worlds hits like .240/.320/.350 with 90/90/90/90 D

Posted by jryager on 5/11/2012 5:04:00 PM (view original):

Posted by rangerup on 5/11/2012 11:00:00 AM (view original):
He is a good, middle of the order player.  The problem with highly rated 1B's is they tend to cost you more than the return you get for them.  As in, just about anyone can play great defense at 1B, so he isn't really giving you much value when in the field.  There are plenty of guys that can offer good offensive stats while playing an adequate 1B, for cheap.

The places you want to spend the bulk of your money at are CF, SS, C and Pitching.  Guys that are going to make a difference when on defense, and also add offense above league average. 

Your guy's best attribute is that he is a switch hitter.  This effectively makes his hitting ratings better than they appear (and they appear good).  He is going to sit in the middle of the order and put up offensive numbers that you want and need.  But with his OVR he is going to be costly.  I like him, but would probably look to part ways with him simply because one man is not bigger than the team, and I feel I can smear that money elsewhere and obtain better team value.  If you attempt to trade him to owners that feel the same way, they will invariably offer you less than what you feel he is worth. 

Why does the switch hitter thing matter?  Don't the vL and vR ratings take that into consideration?

The hitters vL and vR ratings matter in how he hits that type of pitcher.  For example, vL90 and vR34, he is going to fair much better against lefty pitching.

Being a switch hitter means you need to now look at the pitchers ratings.  A pitcher may be vL48 and vR97, meaning he mows down right handed batters.  Good thing your switch hitter will now swing around and hit lefty, effectively negating the pitchers vR split.  Now the pitcher is working off of his vL48.

Switch hitting is huge in this game.