thru 118 team games, AVG/OBP/SLG (OPS)
Player L: 269/369/399 (768)
Player H: 277/313/482 (795)
Player L can be quickly identified as the beloved Kosuke Fukodome. He’s still credited for walking 10% of the time, but it’s more like 7% in the last couple months.
Who’s Player H?
Player H, having as good or better season, is 2006 Jacque Jones, his first season as a Cub. Uh oh.
Why is one still loved and one not so much? Defense surely plays a part, as does rep. Bigger than all that is first impressions
Jones, April ’06: 228/274/474
Fukudome, April ’08: 327/436/480
Jacque dug a hole and could never do more than try and make up for it. Fukodome elevated himself and it took months of bad play for people to notice he might not be that guy.
Jacque had about the same May, a better June, and a worse July (where both were quite awful.) August was one of Jacque’s better months. It hasn’t been one of Fukodome’s.
Surely, a large percentage of the love is just from his name, right?