Get It In Gear, McCutchen

Andrew McCutchen's batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage, 2012-2015:

Year	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG
2012	157	593	107	194	29	6	31	96	20	12	70	132	.327	.400	.553
2013	157	583	97	185	38	5	21	84	27	10	78	101	.317	.404	.508
2014	146	548	89	172	38	6	25	83	18	3	84	115	.314	.410	.542
2015	151	544	88	159	36	3	22	95	10	5	95	126	.292	.403	.491

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Generated 9/28/2015.

He's batted .300 or better, with an on base percentage of .400 or better, and a slugging percentage of .500 or better, for three straight seasons. That puts him in pretty select company. Here are the members of the .300/.400/.500 club in each of the past four seasons:

• 2012: McCutchen, Prince Fielder (.313/.412/.528), Buster Posey (.336/.408/.549)
• 2013: McCutchen, Miguel Cabrera (.348/.442/.636), Paul Goldschmidt (.302/.401/.551), Mike Trout (.323/.432/.557)
• 2014: McCutchen, Victor Martinez (.335/.409/565)
• 2015 (so far): Goldschmidt (.316/.431/.558), Bryce Harper (.336/.467/.658), Joey Votto (.318/.464/.556)

McCutchen is the only player to have finished more than one season above .300/.400./.500, though Goldschmidt is a lock to do it this year. If McCutchen can do it again this year, he'll join very select company:

Four or More Straight Years: .300/.400/.500 BA/OBP/SLG

Every player with an asterisk after his name is in the Hall of Fame. .300/.400/.500, four years in a row, that's really something!

If McCutchen plays each of the the Pirates' remaining six games, he'll probably get something like 26 plate appearances. He'll probably walk at least three times. That leaves 23 at bats, which will give him 567 for the season. To bat .300, he needs 170 hits. To slug .500, he needs 284 total bases. That means that in his final 23 at bats, he needs 11 hits and 17 total bases. Nine singles and a couple homers would do it. Going 11-for-23, that's not easy. But he needs to start now!

 

Trailing 30 - September 6

Here is an explanation of this weekly feature, listing the best and worst of past 30 days, made possible by FanGraphs' Leaders application. Comment for the week: Take a look at the top five and bottom five in the American League in batting average. At the beginning of the season, wouldn't you have been unsurprised if, at some point, those lists had been reversed? Well, maybe not Miguel Cabrera, and Alex Rodriguez's high-average days are probably behind him, but those are two pretty topsy-turvy lists.

   American League              National League

   Team W-L                     Team W-L      

1. Toronto         19- 6     1. Chicago         18- 9

2. Kansas City     19- 9        St. Louis       18- 9    

3. Texas           17-10     3. Pittsburgh      18-10         

4. Cleveland       16-11     4. New York        17-10   

   Minnesota       16-11     5. Los Angeles     15-12        

   Worst Team W-L               Worst Team W-L

1. Detroit          9-18     1. Atlanta          5-22      

2. Baltimore       10-18     2. Cincinnati       7-21       

3. Oakland         10-16     3. Colorado        11-18      

4. Los Angeles     11-17     4. San Francisco   11-17
5. Chicago         13-15     5. Philadelphia    11-16

   Batting Average              Batting Average     

1. Bradley, Bos     .402     1. Peralta, Ari     .381  

2. Brantley, Cle    .392     2. Pollock, Ari     .364      

3. Lindor, Cle      .390     3. Votto, Cin       .356           

4. Cabrera, Det     .380     4. McCutchen, Pit   .354          

5. Ortiz, Bos       .371     5. Piscotti, SL     .352       

   Lowest Batting Average       Lowest Batting Average  

1. Rodriguez, NY    .143     1. Bruce, Cin       .142         

2. Gomez, Hou       .187     2. Peterson, Atl    .172       

3. Sandoval, Bos    .190     3. Uribe, NY        .187
4. Plouffe, Min     .196     4. Byrd, Cin-SF     .200           

5. V Martinez, Det  .200     5. Schwarber, Chi   .202      

   On Base Percentage           On Base Percentage  

1. Bradley, Bos     .456     1. Votto, Cin       .532           

   Cabrera, Det     .456     2. Harper, Was      .496         

3. Zobrist, KC      .452     3. McCutchen, Pit   .466         

4. Brantley, Cle    .439     4. Fowler, Chi      .440          

5. Lindor, Cle      .437     5. d'Arnaud, NY     .426      

      

   Slugging Percentage          Slugging Percentage   

1. Bradley, Bos     .841     1. Zimmerman, Was   .7113        

2. Encarnacion, Tor .803     2. Votto, Cin       .7111    

3. Ortiz, Bos       .775     3. Gonzalez, Col    .696       

4. Sano, Min        .670     4. Fowler, Chi      .677       

5. Davis, Bal       .660     5. Arenado, Col     .675        

          

   Home Runs                    Home Runs

1. Davis, Bal         12     1. Gonzalez, Col      14
2. Sano, Min          10     2. Cespedes, NY       11        

3. Encarnacion, Tor    9     3. Arenado, Col       10
   Ortiz, Bos          9     4. Zimmerman, Was      9
5. 4 with              8     5. 3 with              8

   Runs                         Runs    

1. Bradley, Bos       28     1. Harper, Was        28        

2. Donaldson, Tor     25     2. Pollock, Ari       24     

3. Davis, Bal         22        Votto, Cin         24
   Escobar, Min       22     4. Cespedes, NY       23
5. 2 with             21     5. 3 with             22

   RBI                          RBI      

1. Donaldson, Tor     31     1. Zimmerman, Was     34        

2. Encarnacion, Tor   28     2. Kemp, SD           30      

3. Bradley, Bos       26     3. Gonzalez, Col      29       

4. Sano, Min          25     4. Arenado, Col       25
5. 2 with             23     5. Bryant, Chi        24
                             

   Stolen Bases                 Stolen Bases             

1. Cain, KC            7     1. Gordon, Mia        13
2. Altuve, Hou         6     2. Pollock, Ari        9     

   Andrus, Tex         6     3. Blackmon, Col       7   

4. 3 with              5        Inciarte, Ari       7
                             5. 5 with              6
                                                     
   Saves                        Saves

1. Tolleson, Tex       9     1. Rosenthal, SL      10

2. Osuna, Tor          8     2. Melancon, Pit       9

3. Boxberger, TB       7        Rodriguez, Mil      9
   Wilhelmsen, Sea     7        Rondon, Chi         9
5. 6 with              6     5. 2 with              8

   ERA                          ERA

1. Fiers, Hou       0.67     1. Arrieta, Chi     0.42

2. Verlander, Det   0.76     2. Happ, Pit        0.60

3. Ventura, KC      1.13     3. Greinke, LA      1.31

4. McHugh, Hou      1.59     4. Kershaw, LA      1.57

5. Keuchel, Hou     1.77     5. Bumgarner, SF    1.69

   Worst ERA                    Worst ERA

1. Samardzija, Chi  7.13     1. Harang, Phi      8.13

2. Nova, NY         6.59     2. Niese, NY        7.06

3. Pelfrey, Min     6.35     3. Scherzer, Was    6.11

4. Santana, Min     6.15     4. Hand, Mia        5.94

5. Hernandez, Sea   6.03     5. Syndergaard, NY  5.53

   WHIP                         WHIP

1. Kluber, Cle      0.66     1. Arrieta, Chi     0.65

2. Tomlin, Cle      0.71     2. Iglesias, Cin    0.75
3. Verlander, Det   0.79     3. Bumgarner, SF    0.78

4. Fiers, Hou       0.81     4. Strasburg, Was   0.80
5. Holland, Tex     0.82     5. Greinke, LA      0.84

   Strikeouts                   Strikeouts

1. Sale, Chi          53     1. Kershaw, LA        59     

2. Price, Tor         47     2. Bumgarner, SF      52

3. Archer, TB         43     3. Iglesias, Cin      50

   Kluber, Cle        43     4. Arrieta, Chi       44

   Ventura, KC        43     5. Kennedy, SD        41

Next Up: The Detroit Tigers

The Pirates wrap up their interleague series with the Detroit Tigers with three games in Detroit, starting tonight. They still have three games in Kansas City, two in Minnesota, and three at PNC Park against the Indians before they're done with interleague play this year. The Pirates dropped two of three to Detroit in mid-April, as they stumbled out the gate to a 3-6 record. They face a Tigers team that's shaping up as one of the American League's more disappointing clubs: Picked by most (including me) to win the Central division, they're in third, 6.5 behind the Royals and one behind the Twins. They trail Yankees, Twins, and Blue Jays in the race for the second wild card.

How Are They Doing Lately? Over the last 30 days, the Tigers are 11-13, the fifth worst record in the American League. They've scored 4.8 runs per game, fifth most in the league, but allowed 5.0, the most in the league. The bullpen, a perennial Detroit issue, has saved only two games, fewest in the league, and been charged with five blown saves, the most. But let's not blame just the pitchers: while the Tigers are tied with the Orioles for the fewest errors in the league this season, 35, they rate only in the middle of the pack in advanced metrics over the last 30 days, indicating that while they're sure-handed, they're not getting to tons of balls.

What's Going Right? As the runs-per-game numbers indicate, the offense has been pretty good. Over the last 30 days, they're third in the league in batting at .276; sixth in on base percentage at .325, and sixth in slugging at .430. When you see a team that's doing better at batting than on base percentage and slugging, the conclusion is that they don't walk a lot and they don't hit for a lot of power. That's the Tigers: They've walked in just 6.3% of their plate appearances, third-lowest in the league, and they're tied for the sixth-fewest home runs. They don't exactly burn on the basepaths, either. They've grounded into the fifth-most double plays over the last 30 days, and they've been worthless as base stealers: eight steals (fifth fewest in the league), eight caught stealings (tied for third most). But overall, the offense isn't why they're struggling.

What's Going Wrong? The starting pitchers haven't been that bad--ERA of 4.12 over the past 30 days, seventh worst in the league--but man, that bullpen. Their 5.24 reliever ERA over the past 30 days is the worst in the American League by almost 0.8 runs. They've struck out only 17% of the batters they've faced (the AL average for relievers is over 22%), worse than all but the strikeout-phobic Twins, and while the .341 batting average they've allowed on balls in pay is suggestive of some bad luck--an unusually large number of batted balls falling in for hits rather than into fielders' gloves--they've allowed the most home runs per nine innings pitched, 1.5, in the league. 

Who's Hot? The Tigers have had two reliable starters over the past 30 days: David Price (3-1, 2.08 ERA) and Anibal Sanchez (3-1, 2.63 ERA). Fortunately for the Pirates, they won't face either. And the Tigers have had three pretty good middle relievers (Al Albuquerque, Blaine Hardy, and and Alex Wilson) who've combined for a 1.60 ERA over 31 appearances. 

But most of the hot players for the Tigers swing a bat. Over the last 30 days, first baseman Miguel Cabrera leads the American League in batting (.386) and on base percentage (.485) and is sixth in slugging (.602). He's been the star, but there's been an ample supporting cast. Right fielder J.D. Martinez has ten homers and a .644 slugging percentage. Left fielder Yoenis Cespedes has a .323 batting average, and slick-fielding shortstop Jose Iglesias is batting .316. 

Who's Not? In lieu of Price and Sanchez, the Bucs will go against Justin Verlander, Alfredo Simon, and Kyle Ryan, who've combined for a 5.37 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 12 home runs and only 37 strikeouts over 57 innings. As for the bullpen, put it this way: The Tigers' closer, Joakim Soria, has allowed two more home runs over the past 30 days (five) than any Pirates reliever has all season. The weakest points in the lineup over the past 30 days have been speedy rookie center fielder Anthony Gose (.157/.213/.171 slash line; he's been losing playing time to the better-hitting Rajai Davis), third baseman Nick Castellanos (.214/.267/.286), and catcher James McCann (.203/.246/.344).

What's the Outlook? Well, the Pirates' strategy is pretty obvious. Score runs against the Tigers pitching. The problem is, over the last 30 days, the Pirates have scored the third-fewest runs in the National League, with the fewest home runs and the lowest slugging percentage. It's time for the Pirates to start hitting.

Trailing 30 - June 28

Here is an explanation of this weekly feature, listing the best and worst of past 30 days, made possible by FanGraph's Leaders application. Comment for the week: We're close enough to the end June to predict Players of the Month. American League: I'd vote for Miguel Cabrera but I expect Albert Pujols will win. Among the pitchers, there's a case to be made for Chris Sale, Taijuan Walker, and Chris Archer, with a nod to the latter for the surprisingly good performance of the Rays. In the National League, looks as if Nolan Arenado is well-positioned to win the top player award (I'd go with Giancarlo Stanton or Paul Goldschmidt) while Max Scherzer seems the choice for top pitcher.

   American League              National League

   Team W-L                     Team W-L      

1. Toronto         18- 9     1. St. Louis       19- 8

2. Tampa Bay       18-10     2. Pittsburgh      17-10    

3. Baltimore       17-10     3. Cincinnati      15-11         

4. Kansas City     15-10     4. Chicago         14-13   

5. NY, Oak         16-11     5. Arizona, SD     14-14        

   Worst Team W-L               Worst Team W-L

1. Boston          11-17     1. Philadelphia     7-19      

   Seattle         11-17     2. New York        11-16       

3. Detroit         10-15     3. Atlanta         12-16      

4. Chicago         11-16        Milwaukee       12-16
5. Minnesota       12-16     5. San Francisco   12-15

   Batting Average              Batting Average     

1. Cabrera, Det     .402     1. Tulowitzki, Col  .394        

2. Pillar, Tor      .379     2. Goldschidt, Ari  .388      

3. Kipnis, Cle      .363     3. Harper, Was      .359           

4. Machado, Bal     .351     4. Turner, LA       .352          

5. Burns, Oak       .339     5. Heyward, SL      .348       

   Lowest Batting Average       Lowest Batting Average  

1. Sanchez, Chi     .165     1. Desmond, Was     .160          

2. Garcia, Chi      .170     2. Galvis, Phi      .169       

3. Rios, KC         .181     3. Ramirez, Mil     .178
4. Ramirez, Chi     .190     4. Norris, SD       .178           

5. Napoli, Bos      .190     5. Duda, NY         .183      

   On Base Percentage           On Base Percentage  

1. Cabrera, Det     .500     1. Goldschmidt, Ari .512           

2. Kipnis, Cle      .450     2. Harper, Was      .457          

3. Gordon, KC       .433     3. Tulowitzki, Col  .447         

4. Bautista, Tor    .426     4. Coghlin, Chi     .434          

5. Fielder, Tex     .426     5. Votto, Cin       .427      

      

   Slugging Percentage          Slugging Percentage   

1. Pujols, LA       .786     1. Stanton, Mia     .784        

2. JD Martinez, Det .681     2. Arenado, Col     .705     

3. Trout, LA        .653     3. Goldschmidt, Ari .704       

4. Cabrera, Det     .621     4. Frazier, Cin     .701       

5. Machado, Bal     .605     5. Harper, Was      .667        

          

   Home Runs                    Home Runs

1. Pujols, LA         14     1. Stanton, Mia       14
2. JD Martinez, Det   10     2. Arenado, Col       12        

3. Valbuena, Hou       9     3. Frazier, Cin       10
4. 3 with              8     4. 3 with              9
                                

   Runs                         Runs    

1. Gardner, NY        27     1. Arenado, Col       24        

2. Pujols, LA         25        Frazier, Cin       24     

3. Machado, Bal       22     3. LeMahieu, Col      21
4. Bautista, Tor      21     4. 5 with             20
   Zobrist, Oak       21        

   RBI                          RBI      

1. Pujols, LA         28     1. Arenado, Col       35        

2. JD Martinez, Det   24     2. Posey, SF          26      

3. Machado, Bal       21     3. Stanton, Mia       25       

4. 3 with             20     4. Frazier, Cin       24
                                Goldschmidt, Ari   24
                             

   Stolen Bases                 Stolen Bases             

1. Burns, Oak          8     1. Hamilton, Cin      18            

2. Reyes, Tor          7     2. Blackmon, Col      11     

3. 4 with              6     3. Revere, Phi         9   

                             4. Marte, Pit          8
                             5. 2 with              7
                                

   Saves                        Saves

1. Britton, Bal        9     1. Melancon, Pit      12

   Holland, KC         9     2. Rosentha, SL        9

3. Clippard, Oak       8        Ziegler, Ari        9
4. Boxberger, TB       7     4. Chapman, Cin        8

   Perkins, Min        7        Ramos, Mia          8

   ERA                          ERA

1. Gallardo, Tex    0.69     1. Garcia, SL       1.03

2. Price, Det       1.45     2. deGrom, NY       1.21

3. Archer, TB       1.80     3. Martinez, SL     1.85

4. Walker, Sea      1.91     4. Hammel, Chi      2.01

5. Sale, Chi        1.98     5. Ray, Ari         2.08

   Worst ERA                    Worst ERA

1. Martinez, Tex    6.35     1. Lohse, Mil       7.56

2. Elias, Sea       6.21     2. Harang, Phi      6.56

3. Weaver, LA       6.12     3. Cashner, SD      6.55

4. McHugh, Hou      5.00     4. O'Sullivan, Phi  6.00

5. Samardzija, Chi  5.94     5. Hellickson, Ari  5.45

   WHIP                         WHIP

1. Sale, Chi        0.80     1. Scherzer, Was    0.62

2. Walker, Sea      0.87     2. deGrom, NY       0.67
3. Archer, TB       0.89     3. Garcia, SL       0.69

4. Buerhle, Tor     0.91     4. Liriano, Pit     0.84
5. Gallardo, Tex    0.92     5. Kershaw, LA      0.84

   Strikeouts                   Strikeouts

1. Sale, Chi          63     1. Kershaw, LA        57     

2. Keuchel, Hou       46     2. Bumgarner, SF      47

3. Walker, Sea        44     3. Scherzer, Was      45

4. Archer, TB         41     4. Liriano, Pit       44

   McCullers, Hou     41     5. Arrieta, Chi       41

The Risk of Giancarlo Stanton

The Miami Marlins have signed their star right fielder, Giancarlo Stanton, to the longest and richest contract in baseball history: 13 years, $325 million. The 25-year-old Stanton can opt out of the deal after the 2020 season. We don't know the details of the contract, i.e. how the dollars are spread around over the years, but I'll go out on a limb and say that at an average value of $25 million per year, he's going to be paid a lot of money every season. Stanton, who turned 25 earlier this month, was an All-Star and finished second in MVP balloting in 2014, leading the National League in home runs (37), total bases (299), slugging percentage (.555), and, in a statement both of his talent and that of the Marlins lineup surrounding him, intentional walks (24). He's tied for tenth all time in home runs through age 24:

Rk	Player	HR	From	To	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
1	Eddie Mathews	190	1952	1956	732	3141	2634	497	735	119	24	492	471	443	.279	.388	.559	.947
2	Alex Rodriguez	189	1994	2000	790	3515	3126	627	966	194	13	595	310	616	.309	.374	.561	.934
3	Mel Ott	176	1926	1933	983	3978	3367	680	1059	195	31	711	537	258	.315	.412	.548	.959
4	Jimmie Foxx	174	1925	1932	810	3270	2750	612	923	159	57	667	460	377	.336	.432	.625	1.056
5	Mickey Mantle	173	1951	1956	808	3491	2944	642	907	136	43	575	524	578	.308	.412	.560	.972
6	Ken Griffey	172	1989	1994	845	3606	3180	518	972	194	19	543	374	477	.306	.379	.541	.920
7	Frank Robinson	165	1956	1960	735	3155	2741	501	818	145	27	449	321	427	.298	.380	.552	.932
8	Albert Pujols	160	2001	2004	629	2728	2363	500	787	189	9	504	304	279	.333	.413	.624	1.037
9	Orlando Cepeda	157	1958	1962	764	3220	2987	471	922	163	16	553	172	463	.309	.350	.532	.881
10	Giancarlo Stanton	154	2010	2014	634	2640	2288	350	619	138	8	399	318	742	.271	.364	.540	.903
11	Johnny Bench	154	1967	1972	782	3229	2887	421	781	142	12	512	288	470	.271	.334	.488	.822

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used

Generated 11/18/2014.

As you can see, he got there in fewer plate appearances than anyone on the list (among players with 100 or more homers through age 24, only Mathews, Pujols, Bob Horner, and Willie Mays went deep more often than Stanton's 5.8% of plate appearances), and he's also struck out more than the others. 

The contract has resulted in predictable reactions.

• It's too much money. Yes, it's the biggest contract in baseball history in total dollars, but not in average annual value. Miguel Cabrera, Clayton Kershaw, Alex Rodriguez, and Justin Verlander are in contracts that pay them more than an average of $25 million per year, and the $25 million average equals the current contracts of Ryan Howard, Josh Hamilton, and Felix Hernandez. There are players whom one might view as more valuable than Stanton (Mike Trout and Andrew McCutchen, to name two), but Stanton's contract isn't out of line with those of the players on the $25 million-plus list.
• No, I mean, it's too much money for a player. Sports Illustrated's Joe Sheehan has pointed out that the share of baseball revenues going to player salaries has steadily declined since the turn of the century. Given that no teams were going bankrupt in 2000, and that fans would probably rather watch Stanton hit than watch his owner, Jeffrey Loria, count money, I can't see a problem with the players getting a bigger slice of the pie.
• No, seriously, we can pay a baseball player that much and we can't pay schoolteachers and firefighters? This argument will make sense when kids walk around wearing their teachers' replica jerseys and firefighters negotiate with regional sports networks to televise their rescues.
• Thirteen years is too long. There's no question that's a risk. But Stanton will be 38 when his contract ends. Cabrera's will pay him at least through age 40, possibly a couple years longer, depending on options that vest based on his MVP vote. Rodriguez is under contract through age 41. Same with Albert Pujols. It's a long contract, but not ridiculously long. 
• He won't age well. Stanton is 6'6", 240. One could easily see him slowing down as he ages, moving from right to left to, eventually, first. He's in the National League, so he can't become a DH. But here's the thing: Historically, players with "old player skills" (home runs, walks, strikeouts) tend to flame out relatively early. Stanton last year was first in the National League in homers, second in walks, and sixth in strikeouts. On the other hand, Stanton is a good athlete. He grades out as an above-average right fielder and was 13-for-14 as a basestealer in 2014. He's not just a slugger.
• His owner's crazy. Well, that's true. He's "the most hated man in Major League Baseball." The Marlins' payroll last year was $42.4 million, last in the majors. The average annual value of Stanton's contract equals nearly 60% of that total. It doesn't make sense to pay that much to one guy while doing everything else on the cheap. Is this indicative of a willingness to spend? If so, the Marlins, who have a lot of promising young players, could contend. But we've been down this road before with Loria, when he added players after the 2011 season only to unload them after a disappointing 2012. But say this for Loria: His sins have consistently been of being penny-pinching, not profligate.

Rather, there are two things that I worry about with Stanton:

• Durability. Stanton's first full year in the majors was 2011. He played 150 games that year. He hasn't matched that total since. In 2012, he missed 39 games due to knee pain that required surgery in July. He also had oblique and shoulder injuries that year. He missed 46 games in 2013 due primarily to a strained hamstring but also with shoulder soreness and an ankle sprain. Last year he was healthy until September 12, when he was hit in the face by a Mike Fiers fastball in one of those can't-watch-it injuries, suffering multiple facial fractures. Hard tissue injuries (bones) tend to fully heal and are as much bad luck as anything. Soft tissue injuries (muscles, ligaments, tendons, cartilage) can be recurring. Toronto shortstop Jose Reyes, for example, has been on the disabled list five times, and day-to-day several other times, with hamstring problems. Stanton's been on the DL only twice in is career (the hit-by-pitch last year was in September, when teams don't bother disabling players), and he had a healthy 2014 until the Brewers' Fiers beaned him, but his record isn't scot-free. (All injury data from Baseball Prospectus.)
• Sustainability of revenues. The reason baseball revenues have grown dramatically in this century is television. With the proliferation of DVRs, consumers can record the programs they like and watch them when they want, fast-fowarding through the commercials. Sports are one of the few events consumers watch live. So they see the ads for beer and trucks and insurance while watching a game that they skip while watching sitcoms. That has made sports programming particularly valuable to advertisers and, therefore, for the networks that carry them. Additionally, TV broadcasting has shifted from national networks to regional sports networks (RSNs), like NESN in New England, YES and SNY in New York, and MASN in Baltimore/Washington. Teams have national contracts with ESPN and FOX, but they also have local contracts with RSNs that can dwarf the national contracts. Cable subscribers pay to have RSNs bundled with other channels. However, there's been a move to "unbundle" cable, letting consumers pick and choose the channels they want rather than the average of 189 that they receive now. Will your great aunt want ESPN, much less the RSNs, if she could pick her channels? And if she doesn't, and many others don't, what will happen to RSN revenues? The prospects for unbundling, as well as the savings it might yield, are unclear. But Stanton's contract assumes a stable economic model in baseball. In my role as a financial analyst, I've often said that Wall Street has a penchant for seeing a point and drawing a line through it. Baseball's doing the same thing with its current revenue mix. What works today may not in 2027, the last year of Stanton's contract.

Overall, I can't get too excited over Stanton's contract. Baseball's rolling in dough; might as well give it to a marquee player. I question what the Marlins have in mind longer term, and I worry about his injury risk, but the focus here's on the field of play anyway.