Richard Justice's new blog post discusses the albatross that is Carlos Lee.
He's the same player here that he was in Chicago, Milwaukee and Texas. He's a very nice man, a gentleman, but he has never been Charlie Hustle. Just because the Astros gave him five-tool money is more a reflection of their decision-making process than him.
Anyway, he's hitting again and has for awhile. He hit .206 with five home runs during the first 49 games. Since then, he has strung together two and a half solid months, hitting .283 with 10 home runs and 40 RBIs over the last 60 games. The Astros are 29-31 in this stretch. Over the course of a full season, this 60-game stretch would translate to 27 home runs and 108 RBIs. His OBP is .438 this month. In other words, after a terrible two months, he has been the same as ever, and there's no reason to think his productivity won't extend into 2011.
Whether he plays 2011 here or elsewhere, he has at least dispelled the notion that at 34 his productive days are behind him. He may yet have some gas in the tank.
Agree? Disagree?
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
