Early last August, Eric Byrnes signed a three-year, $30 million contract extension
to remain the clubhouse leader for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He had
enjoyed a career year up to that point, but batted only .243 with four homers
and 19 RBI since signing the deal, then proceeded to go 6-for-29 (.207) in the
postseason. Half a dozen Diamondbacks drove in more runs than Byrnes over
that final stretch of the season, and those six will combine to make less money than
Byrnes will in 2008. The Diamondbacks paid Byrnes at the absolute peak
value of his career, reversing the pecuniary tenet of "buy low, sell high."
| Yr/Tm |
AB |
R |
H |
HR |
RBI |
BB |
SO |
SB |
CS |
AVG |
OBP |
SLG |
| 00/Oak |
10 |
5 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
.300 |
.364 |
.300 |
| 01/Oak |
38 |
9 |
9 |
3 |
5 |
4 |
6 |
1 |
0 |
.237 |
.326 |
.500 |
| 02/Oak |
94 |
24 |
23 |
3 |
11 |
4 |
17 |
3 |
0 |
.245 |
.291 |
.426 |
| 03/Oak |
414 |
64 |
109 |
12 |
51 |
42 |
71 |
10 |
2 |
.263 |
.333 |
.459 |
| 04/Oak |
569 |
91 |
161 |
20 |
73 |
46 |
111 |
17 |
1 |
.283 |
.347 |
.467 |
| 05/Oak |
192 |
30 |
51 |
7 |
24 |
14 |
27 |
2 |
2 |
.266 |
.336 |
.474 |
| 05/Col |
53 |
2 |
10 |
0 |
5 |
7 |
11 |
2 |
0 |
.189 |
.283 |
.226 |
| 05/Bal |
167 |
17 |
32 |
3 |
11 |
11 |
33 |
3 |
0 |
.192 |
.246 |
.299 |
| 05/Tot |
412 |
49 |
93 |
10 |
40 |
32 |
71 |
7 |
2 |
.226 |
.294 |
.371 |
| 06/Ari |
562 |
82 |
150 |
26 |
79 |
34 |
88 |
25 |
3 |
.267 |
.313 |
.482 |
| 07/Ari |
626 |
103 |
179 |
21 |
83 |
57 |
98 |
50 |
7 |
.286 |
.353 |
.460 |
| Career |
2725 |
427 |
727 |
95 |
342 |
219 |
463 |
115 |
16 |
.267 |
.329 |
.451 |
Statistics Courtesy of
FoxSports.com
Unfortunately, Byrnes' disappointing finish to his 2007 season wasn't out of
the ordinary. His career rate stats after the All-Star break run
.239/.301/.394, and just
.221/.284/.360 after August. His hustling, all-out style of play that
endears him to fans, teammates, and coaches also appears to wear him down in
late summer.
Byrnes exceeded his career high in games played by 24 last year,
including the postseason. That usage combined with his 32 years of age
would point towards an even earlier decline than normal this year. Byrnes,
however, believes that he can actually improve upon his career-best numbers from
last season.
"My goal is to hit .406, 74 homers, 190 RBIs," Byrnes teased. "I mean, I joke
around, but don't like to limit myself. I have a lot of areas to improve.
I only hit 21 homers. I think I can improve on that. I think the run production
can be a lot better."
There are reasons to believe that Byrnes can at least produce similar overall
numbers to last season's. The power numbers he has put up in Arizona can
be partly attributed to better hitting conditions than he experienced in
Oakland. His walk rate has increased, and that selectivity could force
pitchers to groove him a few cookies, particularly with the lineup around him
establishing themselves as threats. Additionally, what pitcher would want
to walk Byrnes now that he has evolved into one of the game's top base stealing
threats?
Byrnes' 50 steals last season doubled his previous high in the majors and
exceeded his best yearly total (majors and minors combined) by 15. He has
always been fast, but Oakland's philosophy of station-to-station baseball
prevented him from piling up the steals. Billy Beane and company may now
regret keeping Byrnes under wraps, since the energetic outfielder's 87.8%
success rate ranks second all time among major leaguers with triple-digits in
career swipes.
Byrnes, Chris Young, and Justin Upton
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"He's not just running wild out there," praised manager Bob Melvin. "He
knows when to go and what pitches to do it on. He has an understanding of the
pitcher and the catcher."
While Byrnes hitting stats faltered as the summer rolled on, his stolen base
numbers only improved. Since getting thrown out by the incomparable Yadier
Molina on Independence Day, Byrnes rattled off 30 consecutive stolen bases, and
finished 35-for-36 after that holiday.
The ever-confident Byrnes doesn't doubt his ability to match that success on
the base paths, provided that it makes sense for the team to set him loose
again. It should, as the Diamondbacks don't portend to be so improved on
offense that they don't need to make things happen on the bases.
Additionally, their pitching will usually keep games close enough to make
one-run strategies make sense.
As for Byrnes, his performance alone will not justify his contract, so the
intangibles he brings to both the field and the box office had better prove
immense. Don't be afraid to draft him in your fantasy league, but make
sure you trade him by the All-Star break.
Prediction: .271/.336/.455 - 22 HR, 73 RBI, 42 SB, 9 CS
Send questions or
comments for Keith Glab to
future_backs@yahoo.com
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