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PREREQ 101

There are many, many, MANY baseball players who can play very, VERY well for 300 AB's, Capt. Lassard.  Jarrod Dyson is one of those guys who is a role player who pro-rates to 3.0 WAR.  Pro-rate@  But many is the role players cannot handle the heat and the burden of the scout/video day, or at least who can't stay healthy over the course of 162 full games.  Hence the fact that we bloggers were guessing at 2/$21M for Dyson in Seattle, while GM's smiled and sobered us to the reality of his 2/$7.5M in Arizona.

Dyson did look like 3.0 WAR full season when he was in KC, and a-l-l of us bought into the dreamy aspirations of having a Loftonesque bullet train out there in CF for us, but the Royals knew better.  Happily, they lightfingered our back pockets for 4 years' worth of Nate Karns - they'll underpay him for 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 while Dyson's 2.1 WAR has arrived, checked in, and checked back out.

Karns had an off year last year, meaning his ERA+ was merely 108 and his K's merely 10.1.  Not that the M's couldn't use a 108 pitcher, but KKKarns is going to get better from there.  Your big clue is 10 strikeouts per game, just to letcha know.

Prereq 101:  don't assume too much about taking a good 240-330 AB's and doubling them at your leisure.

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PREREQ 102

Don't assume too much about a baseball All-Star's willingness to make major sacrifices for your team.

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DEE GORDON'S DEFENSE

Dee Gordon is essentially an attempt to capture Jarrod Dyson's 240-330 AB's in that "doubling" situation.  The problem was going to be his CF conversion, and it's here that Dr. D is having a little trouble processing.

He iss well-and-truly taken aback by Dee Gordon's enthusiasm about becoming a plus center fielder.  It is in question whether speed-burner Gordon will be a +0, or +5, or +10 glovewise in center field, but here's one thing not in question:

1) 390:  Jarrod Dyson career high, AB (with us last year, trying to convert him to full time.  Previously, 337)

2) 695:  Dee Gordon career high, AB (last year)

It's all to easy to visualize Dee Gordon slapping .300's worth of hard ground balls through the infield, distracting SP's enough to allow a Jean Segura bolt into RF and ... well, if the M's offense is going to to be a night-in, night-out offensive machine, it could do worse than to start with a bread-and-butter 158 games' worth of Dee Gordon at the top each night.

There are VERY few ballplayers of Gordon's profile who make .300 work, and fewer still who make 60 SB's every year work.  Last year's 114 runs scored weren't by accident.

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THE MORAL OF THE STORY BEING

Back in the summer of 2016 I didn't have much of any idea that Edwin Diaz could (or SHOULD) pitch relief, and Dr. D doubts very much he was alone in this.  The report on Diaz was that he had a 92-94 fastball he could paint with beautifully, and a slider that was coming along.

Jerry Dipoto said Nope.  Rather than a #2-3 starter we will help ourselves to a 15.33 strikeout closer and the net $20-25M asset that goes along with it.  This conversion may very well have been Jerry Dipoto's best move as a GM to date.

Dee Gordon to CF, who'da thunk.  The willingness and the attitude comes as quite a shock to the 'Frame, and that really is all Dr. D is looking for.  Show him the first step of an African Ibexx and the disposition to learn, and he'll show you a player who is going to be perfectly fine in CF.  Gordon's last three full years bestowed 3.3, 4.8, and 3.3 WAR on his beneficiaries.

Dee Gordon -- on TV Friday, for those wanting a first glimpse -- is THIS close to giving the Mariners a Kenny Lofton-type player in CF.  And that would be Jerry Dipoto's 2nd or 3rd brightest idea since he got here (Haniger).

Enjoy,

Dr D