Magglio Feeds Me Crow
By Blake VandeBunte • Oct 2nd, 2009 • Category: 2009 Season, Magglio OrdonezI was wrong to criticize Magglio Ordonez. I pushed the issue more than most did and I still think the Tigers will suffer because of his contract next season. However, the team would not be in the position they are in right now without him.
The Tigers offense has been erratic at best this season, and Magglio has helped steady that ship over the past two months. I didn’t think he had this in him. I was wrong.
Here’s some proof showing just how good he’s been at the plate lately (feel free to laugh mockingly at me while you read these numbers):
- Hitting .411 over the last 28 days
- Hitting .338 against lefties
- Hitting .359 since the All Star break
- Pre-All Star break OPS+ was 82
- Post-All Star break OPS+ is 146
- Hitting .415 since the calendar turned to September
- Hit .348 in August
- When he’s the Tigers DH, he hits .345
- When he’s hitting 3rd, usually ahead of Cabrera, Magglio hits over .300
- Has 12 multi-hit games since September 1st. It took him until June 8th to get his first 12, multi-hit games.
Happy? The guy has been very valuable to the Tigers since the break and has helped the offense move along. In a tight Pennant Race like this, that’s really all you can ask of a player like Magglio.
Keep it up big fella.
Blake VandeBunte is a posting fiend.
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Very happy for mi Magglio. It’s got to be a nice feeling to prove the critics (many of them mainstream media members) wrong. I agree that his contract is troublesome, but the Tigers did the right thing in not trying to weasel out of it. It will ensure that free-agents don’t’ get gunshy, and shows loyalty to a player who’s done so much for the franchise.
I appreciate what you did here! I have been a supporter of Magglio all year. I must admit that for much of the year my argument was emotional (remember his past, be loyal to the guys who have helped in the past, his wife being ill) but he has certainly been a solid performer during the 2nd half of the year and you have laid it out very well. That home run to LF today was nice to see too.