Matt Murton and Hank Aaron

by Archie on May 29, 2008 5:25 PM CDT

I saw a very interesting article the other day (maybe in Vineline? I don't remember, sorry) that compared the rookie seasons of our Matt Murton to one Henry Aaron. Now this information needs to be taken with a large grain of salt as Hammerin' Hank was 20 during his rookie season while Murton was 24. However, it is very interesting. I can't help but feel like Murton might have gotten a bit of a raw deal by not being allowed to play at the major league level. I don't think that he would have developed into Aaron, of course, but he may have been a solid .300, 25-30, 80-100 guy. Anyway, here are the stats: Matt Murton vs. Hank Aaron rookie year

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLP	OPS+	TB
Matt Murton	144	455	70	135	22	3	13	62	45	62	.297	.365	.444	104	202
Hank Aaron	122	468	58	131	27	6	13	69	28	39	.280	.322	.447	104	209

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of SB Nation or Al Yellon, managing editor (unless it's a FanPost posted by Al). FanPost opinions are valued expressions of opinion by passionate and knowledgeable baseball fans.

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this post is going to be like ..

.. waving a red cape in front of a bull ..

.. of course, let it be remembered that cattle are color blind to that part of the spectrum ..

A lesson for us all

Well, Next Year is here .. and Jack's century's gotta end some time .. GO CUBBIES!

by cubnational on May 29, 2008 5:34 PM CDT reply actions

True..

its the motion of the flag that attracts them, not the color

Okay, just so I understand it... in your wildest fantasy, you are in hell. And you are co-running a bed and breakfast with the devil.

by bren on May 29, 2008 6:50 PM CDT up reply actions

Ok

Torro, torro!

I’m a bit of the bull myself. Note that Murton is hitting an organizational high .367 in AAA right now. He is cheap. He shouldn’t be playing…why? Surely we can at least get something for him in a trade, right? But there he sits, rotting in AAA.

by Archie on May 29, 2008 5:56 PM CDT reply actions

I Like Murton, But......

I think he can only be a .280, 10-15 HR, 60-70 RBI, guy. That’s not bad. Murton might be better off being with another organization. Despite Soriano’s defensive woes, the chances of Murton becoming the Cubs’ regular left fielder are miniscule.

"The big possum walks late." - Harry Caray

by memphiscub on May 29, 2008 5:58 PM CDT reply actions

Also, the fact that all the Cubs big bats are also right handed

limits any righties chances at being a pinch hitter for this club

"We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope."

by californiachicagoan on May 29, 2008 6:05 PM CDT up reply actions

He's already been the guy you describe...

I think he could be a .300ish hitter with 15-20 HR power. Think Jeff Conine.

Given that he’s not as good as Soriano or Fukudome and those guys are here for several more years, I think it’s a given that Murton is better off in another organization. I’m sure he’ll be traded at some point, perhaps later this season.

But obviously, any comparisons to Hank Aaron are completely ridiculous and just add fuel to the anti-Murton crowd’s fire.

by SouthernCub on May 30, 2008 9:28 AM CDT up reply actions

Murton IS the next Hank Aaron!

Okay, excuse the sarcasm. This post gave me a chuckle. I think Hendry should be armed with these numbers as he looks to strike a deal for Hamilton, Beltran, Burnett, or Harden.

by socalicubsfan on May 29, 2008 6:14 PM CDT reply actions

Murton

is, unfortunately, blocked by Soriano and Dome. We should try to trade him to a team that can use him. He deserves that much.

2008: The year we put it all together.

by drewishdrewid on May 29, 2008 6:48 PM CDT reply actions

Yup

But this comparison needs to be taken with a pillar of salt

Okay, just so I understand it... in your wildest fantasy, you are in hell. And you are co-running a bed and breakfast with the devil.

by bren on May 29, 2008 6:50 PM CDT up reply actions

Sure

And let’s look at Ross Gload’s rookie season! It’s better than Hank Aaron’s!

110 234 28 75 16 0 7 44 0 3 20 37 .321 .375 .479 119

Of course, he was 28.

The idea that you can just ignore the four year differences in their ages is ridiculous. Or even make the comparison.

It's a girl! Born 1-18-08. 2246 PST. 8 lbs. 1 oz.

by Josh Timmers on May 29, 2008 7:00 PM CDT reply actions

Yeah...

And where is he now? On the bench.

"You know they're not going to lose 162 games." Harry Caray

by wrigleyrocker12 on May 29, 2008 7:56 PM CDT up reply actions

What an idiot.

He was saying Gload clearly isn’t a good player, which is why you can’t make comparisons like that with 4 year age differences. Read the whole post.

by sackings108 on May 29, 2008 11:39 PM CDT up reply actions

Thats is what I'm saying also

Gload is not a good player, he’s on the bench.

"You know they're not going to lose 162 games." Harry Caray

by wrigleyrocker12 on May 30, 2008 10:11 PM CDT up reply actions

Age IS relevant

I am a big Murton fan. I think that he got a raw deal with the Cubs and that the Cubs would have been better off spending the money spent on Soriano elsewhere. That being said, Murton is no where near the player that Aaron was and to compare Murton’s first season (actually its first full season… so he had a half season before that) to Aaron’s first season doesn’t work. Age is a factor – particularly where one player is very young. (Its also why Pie’s numbers are better than they look because of his age).

Had Murton been given a chance to develop by the Cubs, he would have been a good serviceable outfielder – perhaps with a few All Star seasons on a lesser team. And that’s pretty darn good. His best age comparables include some good (but not great) players like Kirk Gibson, Bobby Abreau, Aubrey Huff, Jaque Jones and Jason Giambi. Aaron’s comparables are, for the most part, either very good players still playing (Pujols and Migel Cabrerra) or Hall of Famers like Frank Robinson, Mickey Mantle, Wahoo Sam Crawford and Joe Medwick. And they are not that close in scores and not all that comparable.

Has Murton been mis-served and is he proving in AAA that he should be in the big leagues. You bet. But right now he’s a cheap insurance policy for an aging and injured Soriano. But if the price is right, he should be moved for the right part.

That being said, I think the current Cub without much chance of making it through the season is D. Ward. I don’t see what he brings to the table that they don’t have in Hoffpauir.

by frustratedfan on May 29, 2008 10:27 PM CDT reply actions

You're off your rocker, like usual

Your posts are always high entertainment. It absolutely gnaws at you when every single product of the Cub farm system isn’t granted major league opportunity regardless whether they suck or not.

I bet you didn’t sleep for days when Jason Dubois got the shaft, huh?

"It is never too early to start beefing up your obituary."

by MDBNIU on May 29, 2008 10:38 PM CDT up reply actions

Just like

Caesar Izturis’ and David Aardsma’s releases must’ve robbed you of sleep for weeks….

"I've always felt that starting pitching is the most important part of the rotation." - Joe Morgan, Sunday Night Baseball 8-12-07

by gary varsho on May 30, 2008 7:41 AM CDT up reply actions

A lie.

A lie. I never attacked Izturis’ release. The stats, which help look at the truth, always said that he was a very bad choice. As for Aardsma, he wasn’t released, he was traded for Cotts. I didn’t like the trade because Aardsma had more of an upside than Cotts. And I don’t see Cotts on the big league roster. My basic point is that the way to build a winning team is to have a number of inexpensive (young) major league average players with an upside like Murton, Pie and Theriot on your roster to enable the team to spend more money on difference makers. My problem with the Cubs is that they spend large sums of money on veteran Major League players with relatively little upside that produce about where the young players would produce. On this year’s team that’s the Eyres, the Liebers, the Marquises, the Wards and the Edmonds.

More importantly, I resent the fact that a number of posters (and you should look at the mirror) have decided that the way to respond to an argument is to engage in ad hominem attacks. Attack my ideas, not my person.

by frustratedfan on May 30, 2008 10:14 AM CDT up reply actions

gary wasn't

responding to you. He was responding to MDBNIU (BlueMike).

by sue369 on May 30, 2008 10:32 AM CDT up reply actions

Factual Disagreement?

Instead of replying with invective, tell me what facts are wrong? Was I wrong when I suggested that it was inappropriate to compare Murton with Aaron as Aaron was a far better ball player? Did I mis-state Murton’s age appropriate comparables? Did I mis-state Aaron’s age appropriate comparables. Did I mis-state the fact that Murton’s currently the best hitter on the team in AAA and that he’s a cheap insurance policy for Soriano? I am, frankly, getting tired of this invective.

by frustratedfan on May 30, 2008 10:07 AM CDT up reply actions

Put down the crack pipe

Matt Murton a 25 HR, 80 plus RBI player? Some of you nutjobs with bizarre fascination of a one tool career minor leaguer is way, way, way off the deep end.

"It is never too early to start beefing up your obituary."

by MDBNIU on May 29, 2008 10:36 PM CDT reply actions

you're just a rude little feller, aren't ya?

by davidalanu on May 30, 2008 8:17 AM CDT up reply actions

simle math

take Murton’s carrer numbers, average them out for a full season, and just take a look at what you get.

In a 600 at bat season his numbers (based on his career averages) would be:

.295/.363/.451/.815
20 HR
72 RBI

so one needs a calculator, and not a crack pipe to arrive at 25 HR and 80 RBI if murton was given the slightest chance to develop. Obviously as a player ages his power increases, and numbers get better. So I guess one needs a brain, and then a calculator.

The Aramis BB/K Watch: 32 walks to 33 strikeouts. Im not sure who the last Cub to have more bb's than k's was, but Im sure it was a very long time ago.

by kylejo on May 30, 2008 9:07 AM CDT up reply actions

Crack is whack!

And so are you BlueMike!

Calm down.

by Kinky Reggae on May 30, 2008 9:30 AM CDT up reply actions

Considering some of the

players you have considered stellar your opinion on Matt is easily dismissed.

by sue369 on May 30, 2008 10:45 AM CDT up reply actions

Um...Matt Murton will never be Hank Aaron..

Murton is white…duh.

As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.

by santoswoodenlegs on May 29, 2008 11:34 PM CDT reply actions

I don't see color

Murton . . . white?? who knew?

Before Edmonds: 24-16, (.600); With Edmonds: 8-5 (.615), DRS: 1

by joeschmitt on May 30, 2008 1:24 AM CDT up reply actions

Cattle arwe color blind...

Calm down.

by Kinky Reggae on May 30, 2008 9:31 AM CDT up reply actions

Murton would not be here had we pulled off the trade for Roberts.

So he’s a victim of that deal falling apart AND that he has options AND that he doesn’t hit left handed AND that he’s not much of a defender AND that he doesn’t have enough pop for the corner OF AND that he doesn’t play CF AND that he can’t fill in at 1B AND that he can’t fill in at 3B AND that he can’t fill in at Catcher AND finally that he is no Hammerin’ Hank.

Seriously, if Lou weren’t so fixated with the LHB CF he should be playing with the club until he is traded. He can be an okay MLB player and he has trade value so say goodbye to him as the deadline approaches. His biggest problem this year was that the Roberts deal did not happen so he languishes in limbo until the trading deadline comes.

by DudeVf11 on May 29, 2008 11:37 PM CDT reply actions

Comparisons

Let’s take Murton’s “worst” season in the majors – 2007. He posted an OPS of .790, It you look at LF this year who are “qualified”, that’s better than 10 of them. (Delmon Young, Juan Pierre, Gary Matthews, Jr, Eric Byrnes, Carl Crawford, Mark Tehan, Scott Hairston, Garret Anderson, Raul Ibanez and Luke Scott) Murton’s an upgrade over most of them. And on those teams, he clearly would be playing. He also hits better than 4 of the 6 “qualified” DH’s (Thome, Huff, Kubel and Haffner). Now two of these guys have had better careers than Murton will ever have (Thome and Haffner) and one of them (Thome) is a likely Hall of Famer, but going forward, Murton’s an upgrade. In other words, the idea that Murton has “failed” is only with respect to the fact that he has been blocked on the Cubs by a perceived better player.

by frustratedfan on May 30, 2008 10:24 AM CDT up reply actions

Murton got a break and didn't develop

He had a couple years in the bigs and didn’t become an impact player in an offensive position. Being average in a power offensive position is a ticket to a short career.

If he could play 2B, he would be good, if he could play CF he could be good or SS or even catcher…..but not 3B, 1B, LF or RF

Piniella: "This is a tougher job than I thought it would be, I'm going to be honest with you."

by Ivy Walls on May 30, 2008 2:02 AM CDT reply actions

Excactly...

Murton’s tale has been told hundreds of times in MLB history. A guy with barely above average stuff blocked by better players and stuck in a bad defensive position. There’s gotta be a Billy Beane out there somewhere who appreciates Murton’s potential.

Help me Obi-ONEDEC. You're our only hope.

by IowaCubs- on May 30, 2008 9:13 AM CDT up reply actions