CF Coco Crisp
Sep 26, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Oakland Athletics center fielder Coco Crisp (4) scores during the third inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
No, not Coco. He can’t be. Coco is perfect and will never regress, right?
Time to snap out of denial mode, A’s fans. The fan favorite is now 35 years old, injury-prone and relies heavily on his speed. That’s a really bad combination. His stolen base numbers have declined every year since 2011, and he’s missed at least 26 games each of the last seven years.
Last year, Coco had a strong first half but completely fell apart in the second half. That basically mirrored the A’s season, which contributes to the narrative of “As Coco goes, the A’s go.”
Well it may finally be time for the A’s to figure out another way to go. As much as I’d like to just attribute his poor second half to injuries, it’s foolish to think that his broken-down body is ready for a full season of center field duties. After all of the various injuries, especially the chronic neck ones, the well-past-his-prime Crisp does not have a bright playing future ahead of him.
Crisp’s defensive struggles scare me the most. His -1.5 dWAR last year was by far his worst ever. In the past he relied on his speed and reflexes to make up for his weak arm, but as he gets older and he starts to lose his speed he becomes a defensive liability.
And looking at his contract is even more sickening. He’s making 11 million this year and next year, and has a $13 million vesting option for 2017. Crisp may become the poster boy for why Billy Beane hates giving generous contract extensions to fan favorites.
The good news for the A’s is that Crisp’s backup, Craig Gentry is an excellent man to take over the job. His 1.2 dWAR and 20 steals in just 94 games last year made him one of the best fourth outfielders in the game. Though he hit just .252, his BABIP was .314, well below his career average of .333. Expect his batting average to increase while continuing to bring elite defense and baserunning.
My projection for Crisp is a batting average in the .230s, 3 home runs, 12 steals and terrible defense in about 90 games. Gentry will hit .280 with 30 steals, excellent defense and will regularly be the starting centerfielder.
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