Milledge Career at Crossroads?
By Mike Silva ~ January 6th, 2009. Filed under: Mike Silva.
During spring training of last year I wrote a controversial article about former Mets OF Lastings Milledge. This point of view has brought me much criticism throughout my two years of freelance writing. Milledge, although short on results, dazzles Mets fans with his potential. It appears that 2009 may finally be the year that, if results don’t match potential, Milledge star will finally fade.
Throughout the winter there have been small rumblings of the Nationals using Milledge as trade bait. The Nats even made a reported offer to Milton Bradley, with the intention of playing him in centerfield. With Bradley signing in Chicago, MLB Hot Stove Blog reports that centerfield will be an open competition between Elijiah Dukes and Milledge this spring. Don’t you find it surprising how quickly it seems his stock has dropped in Washington? Why would a 100 loss team be so willing to trade this so called “five tool talent”? If Milledge fails, where does this leave his future?
Even the most ardent critic has to admit that Milledge showed improvement in the second half of 2008. He hit well over .300 after August 1st. This was done largely while the Nationals played meaningless baseball in their 102 loss season. I was told by a former member of the Mets organization that the concern with Milledge was that he lacked the necessary “baseball intelligence” to make adjustments in his career. If that is the case, than the sixty day sample of success will be fast and fleeting.
Even with his success, Milledge still showed growing pains in late September. One of the last comical Shea Stadium moments was Lastings positioned up against the outfield fence during the late innings. Any further and he could have parked some of the fans cars. This was exactly the type of “one step forward, two steps back” performance that I believe frustrated Mets management.
I am sure the emails and comments will flow accusing me as a Milledge hater. I have no ax to grind with the young man. I believe 2009 will prove exactly why I liked the deal when it happened. Ryan Church will be a key “in prime” cog for a contending team, and Lastings Milledge will show you his future in baseball: An inconsistent talent that can only start for a bad team. In the end talent only gets you so far because need to understand the game for sustained success. Milledge has not shown that ability to date, putting his career at a crossroads at the young age of 24.
January 6th, 2009 at 9:41 am
UNFORTUNATLY, OVERHYPED PROSPECTS WERE THE HALLMARK OF THE PHILLIPS’ REGIME, PAYTON,MILLEDGE, ESCOBAR ARE SIMILAR EXAMPLES. THE TRUE HALLMARK OF METS’ PROSPECTS ARE THE LOWER CASE HEADLINES GARNERED BY THE LIKES OF DAVID WRIGHT & DANIEL MURPHY. FOR A TEAM THAT HAS POSITIONED ITSELF TO SPECIALIZE IN PITCHING AS OPPOSED TO HITTING, THE PAUCITY OF THE FORMER BELIES THE SO CALLED BALLYHOOED PREPONDERANCE OF THE LATTER. MILLEDGE’S WORK-ETHIC IS NOT LASTING, UNFORTUNATLY. THAT WILL SURELY BE HIS DOWNFALL, IF HE HAD 1% OF WRIGHT’S WORK ETHIC HE MAY HAVE BEEN AS ADVERTISED INSTEAD OP SLOTTED INTO THE “BIG LOTS” OF MLB.
January 6th, 2009 at 11:23 am
Couldn’t agree more. Milledge was a product of the Mets minor league hype machine. He was hyped as was David West, Dan Norman, Alex Escobar, and many others before him. Funny how West was the main man in the Saberhagen trade, yet Tapani went on to be better. It dosen’t help that Milledge is as cocky as any player I’ve seen in my life. He thinks he’s already in the hall of fame the way carries himself. He must be the Terrell Owens of baseball… Meaning that he wears out his welcome in every locker room.
January 6th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
David West and Kevin Tapani were sent to Minnesota in the Frank Viola trade …. but your point is right on the mark.
January 6th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
Have to disagree. While Phillips may have had some overhyped prospects, he still drafted and developed Reyes, Wright, and Kazmir. All of whom had considerable hype before they came up.
And lets not forget, Omar is just as guilty as over hyping players. How about Carlos Gomez, he of the olympic speed and ,180 BA.
And while I’m excited about F Mart, you guys have to admit he seems a little reminiscent of Alex Escobar.
January 6th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
I’m no Milledge fan and was absolutely thrilled he was traded, but I think it’s far too early to draw conclusions about his baseball future and potential. Clearly he’s not one of those prospects who hits the ground running and displays star quality from Day 1. There are plenty great players who needed a number of years before blossoming into stars. Gary Sheffield is one such example.
Milledge doesn’t possess good baseball instincts in diverse aspects of his game, especially defensively. He therefore has much work to do to reach “par” let alone stardom. It’s not news to Milledge, the Nats, or the media that Milledge’s future in CF is in doubt. His manager has dscussed this with him as well as publicly last season and there is good chance he’ll move to a corner if they retain him. No one’s happy with his play in CF. and he didn’t heed his manager’s request to play more shallow. I think Devon White was brought in to help him last season, and Marquis Grisssom was hired this offseason as outfield coach. Maybe Grissom gets through to him and becomes the mentor and role model he needs. The Nats are deep in outfielders and hence, they have expendable players – so perhaps Milledge is one of them.
Milledge still has big ego though I do believe it’s been humbled in some ways. And the older he gets without real success, the more it likely will. He has the physical tools to be a 25/100, .300
50 SB+ hitter. Whether he gets there remains to be seen and is predicated on his mental make-up going forward.
January 6th, 2009 at 4:58 pm
Nosh, you obviously haven’t been paying attention to what F-Mart is doing in winter ball. He’s absolutely dominating. There’s video circulating of the moonshot he hit to CF the other day as well as a clip on a double. He’s standing more upright now at the plate and is collecting homers, doubles, triples along with high average. He’s impressed Felipe Alou so much so that there’s strong consideration to invite him to play in the WBC.
F-Mart only turned 20 last month and is starting to put it all together. He’s a star in the making and is no Escobar. Escobar’s tools never impressed me from the first time I saw him. F-Mart is a far different story.
January 6th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
While everyone has made excellent points, I want to add that Alex Escobar was derailed more by being unable to stay healthy than lack of baseball smarts. Anyone who has seen Milledge play the field or bat can agree that he does indeed seem to have less of a natural feel for the game than some. Plus there are the ever-present character issues, whether justified or not.
I am expecting a great year from Church; he is a player poised to bust out any second, and his fielding is a refreshing change from Milledge, Shawn Green, Jeromy Burnitz, and whoever else has been out there for us (Mike Cameron, I suppose, excluded) in recent years. I do not regret the trade for a second and I doubt many do.
January 7th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
longtimefan-
The comparison of FMART to Alex Escobar was not an attack on Martinez’s skills but rather addressing the fact that he has yet to make it through a full season without missing significant time due to injury.