Baseball Musings: No Sexson the Champagne Room

July 10, 2008

No Sexson the Champagne Room

Richie Sexson
Photo: Icon SMI

The Seattle Mariner released Richie Sexson today. Sexson was in the last year of a four year contract that pays him $14 million this year. The Mariners are on the hook for the rest of that money.

Sexson's strength as a hitter was power.

Richie Sexson
Stat	Through 2006	2007-2008
Batting Average	.269	.210
On-Base Average	.350	.303
Slugging Pct.	.526	.392

He went from a good power hitting first baseman to someone who would barely survive as a middle infielder. So was the contract a mistake by the Mariners? I don't think so. His first two years in Seattle were pretty much what they should have expected. He was 30 when the Mariners signed him, so they should have expected a decline. In fact, from 2005 to 2006, he did go down, but at a rate expected for someone on the downside of the peak hump. If he continued to fail at about a 10% rate, the Mariners would have received four decent to good years and then look for someone else. But as sometimes happens to 32 year olds, the end came suddenly. Seattle gave him every opportunity to find his stroke, but it never came back.

Maybe there's a hitting coach out there that can see a flaw in Richie's swing. If so, a team can sign him cheap and take the risk. More than likely, however, Richie's career is over.

Posted by David Pinto at 03:19 PM | Transactions | TrackBack (0)

Comments

I'd be curious to see whether the Yankees take a flyer on him if Matsui needs to have surgery. Couldn't hurt to try, they wouldn't owe him anything.

Posted by: Ben at July 10, 2008 04:25 PM

Best. Headline. Ever.
Well done Mr. Pinto.

Posted by: Brian at July 10, 2008 04:59 PM

Here's one Yankee fan who would be OK with that:

http://waswatching.com/2008/07/10/richie-sexson/

Posted by: Steve Lombardi at July 10, 2008 05:01 PM

And please...Just say no to Sexson Yankee front office. Signing Richie Sexson to shore up your offense is like signing Sidney Ponson to shore up your rotation...oh wait.

Posted by: Brian at July 10, 2008 05:02 PM

Sexson's contract wasn't a "mistake" in the same league as, say, Carl Pavano's, but I'd have to classify it as a mistake nonetheless. He is precisely the kind of player who tails off in his early 30s -- one who, at his peak, had what Bill James calls "old player's skills." An intelligent front office would have refused to give a multiyear pact to someone with Sexson's profile.

And sure the Mariners got some production out of Sexson, but if you take the money they spent for his decline phase, that production was mighty expensive, and left the Mariners with that much less payroll flexibility.

Finally, as a Red Sox fan, I say go ahead, Yankees, sign the guy. The Yanks are already overloaded with aging hitters who can't play the field. If they want to pick someone off the scrap heap, why not Kenny Lofton? He fits their needs better than Sexson.

Posted by: jvwalt at July 10, 2008 06:00 PM

Granted it's only 61 at bats, but Sexson hit .344/.423/.623 against lefthanded pitching this season. He might be worth a flier for some team that wants to platoon him with an aging Carlos Delgado type. Although the Mets are probably a bad fit given Shea plus Sexson's always huge K rates. Sexson was batting .260/.363/.512 on the road, he may be more useful in a smaller ballpark.

Posted by: Crank at July 10, 2008 08:14 PM

Didn't they put him on waivers last year, only to pull him back when someone else was interested in picking up his contract or somesuch? I looked for the story, but couldn't find it. Had they released him last year...

Posted by: Sal Paradise at July 10, 2008 08:34 PM

the yankees would be crazy not to get him. they lost to a lefty tonight. i would like to have seen sexson in the lineup. they have trouble against lefties. if they dont make an attempt to get him, they are fools.

Posted by: tommy at July 11, 2008 12:53 AM

jvwait makes a good point. There are mistakes and then there are mistakes. Almost every free agent contract is overpriced to some degree. Some just moreso than others. Sexson's contract wasn't nearly the sad, tired joke that, say, Juan Pierre's was, nor so tragic as Pittsburg's trade for Matt Morris. That said, it was clearly a very bad decision, and absolutely an example of the kind of misjudgements that cost Bill Bavasi his job mid-season.

I have to believe that there's some lefty-killer in AAA somewhere who can do everything that Sexson can and play defense in a non-suicide-inducing fashion.

Posted by: NBarnes at July 11, 2008 02:15 AM

They paid him $50m for 4 yrs - they did or will finish last 3 of those years - they never really contended - he had 1 good season, 1 decent season and 2 horrible seasons. Count in the opportunity cost of signing him and Beltre and I'd consider it a disaster. Apparently he was a dick to boot.

Posted by: Bandit at July 11, 2008 10:20 AM

A's need another bat while
Frank Thomas
Mike Sw
Eric C is still out
Bobby C just DL 14 days
Ryan Sw IS day to day dislocated pinkie
He hit in huge park has 11hrs and 30+RBI both would be high on A's 2nd in hr top 6 in RBI.
Smaller park will help him maybe with hitting coach.

Posted by: Flea at July 12, 2008 07:16 PM