Each day, "Piss and Wynegar" will present Yankees "player previews" for the coming 2008 season. In what can only be referred to as a "revelatory" strategy, we will use statistics, as well as opinion, to further our analysis.Hideki Matsui enters ’08 with a freshly-scoped knee and an open-wound in his cheek, after being dangled as trade bait by the Yankees during the off-season. Having briefly appeared to be headed for San Francisco, Godzilla leaves his heart in the Bronx and returns, following a 2007 campaign that, while not awe-inspiring, did produce 25 HR, 103 RBI, and an OBA and SLG consistent with his MLB career stats. Not bad when one considers, also, that his 2006 season was almost entirely lost, due to a broken wrist.
Despite the statistically “just fine” year, Matsui looked awkward at times. Like Johnny Damon, his mediocre-at-best defense and throwing arm seemed more pronounced, especially early in the year when (virtually) the entire team flatlined. As a result, whispers of Matsui’s decline have begun to echo (as they have for many of his teammates), and matters haven't been helped by his failure to appear in a game this Spring Training following the surgery; however, if he puts up another 2007 in 2008, then he can keep declining for as long as he wants.
What struck us as surprising, though, was that when rumors of Matsui-to-San Fran got hot and heavy this winter, nobody seemed to worry about losing this proven, middle-of-the-order bat. Do they expect more?
To read previous "Hi! My Name Is" entries, click here.
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