Milledge Following the Path of Ryan Thompson
By Mike Silva ~ April 14th, 2009. Filed under: Mike Silva.
Very rarely do I like to partake in “I told you so” writing. Today I felt compelled to do exactly that. After being ridiculed for two years for my stance on Lastings Milledge, my words finally came to fruition. The winless Washington Nationals sent Milledge, and his .167 batting average, to AAA Syracuse.
My “Lastings Impressions” article that I wrote for Gotham Baseball Magazine in March of 2008 resulted in message boards, blogs, and my personal email box being littered with all sorts of taunts. I was called racist, clueless, and accused of having a personal agenda. None of that was true since my information was based on conversations I had with a member of the Mets organization that coached Milledge.
Ever since the infamous Ryan Church/Brian Schneider trade we have heard a segment of Mets fans pawn Milledge off as a budding star. They told us how we would rue the day Omar Minaya traded Milledge when he is an all star. The only stardom he will achieve is in his own mind. Milledge lacks the attitude, desire, and baseball intellect to be anything more than, well, Ryan Thompson. He will go down as another over hyped Mets prospect that failed. Thankfully, it’s with another organization.
The Mets are better off with Church and Schneider. The only regret I have with that deal is that Omar Minaya didn’t act quicker and try to get maximum value for Milledge when he was at his peak in 2005. Since Lastings doesn’t feel the need to show up to the ballpark early, perhaps he will have tons of time to enjoy the weather in upstate New York.
The old saying goes that “talent is a terrible thing to waste”. If only Lastings Milledge talent was met with the desire of Daniel Murphy you might have a great ballplayer. What an unfortunate situation. Goodbye, and once again, good riddance Lastings.
April 14th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
Heed your own advice and avoid the “I told ya so” posts.
That Mets bullpen started the year with 7 members Mike…
April 14th, 2009 at 9:56 pm
I really liked Milledge before the trade. I panned the trade. After seeing him play center and realizing he doesn’t have enough power to play the corners I realize he’s not going to be a star. Couple that with his questionable makeup and I’m glad he’s gone.
April 15th, 2009 at 1:33 am
It’s not accurate to say that Minaya didn’t “try” to capitalize on Milledge’s value in 2005. Milledge was set to leave the Mets as part of a 3-team trade that would have brought Manny Ramirez to the Mets, when Tampa Bay pulled out of the deal at the last minute.
April 15th, 2009 at 9:04 am
Speaking of “I told ya so’s”, how dumb do Silva and Delgrippo look after their “Who needs pitch counts?” pieces about Mike Pelfrey?
News this morning that Pelf has forearm tendonitis. Get a clue guys!