I really liked the Andruw Jones signing from the start. It was a great deal at 500K, and I enjoyed the thought of his bat coming off the bench. I wasn't quite so enamored, however, with the decoration that he would be part of a DH tandem with Mark Kotsay. Actually, I didn't really buy it. But, then the season rolled around and we had a DH duo of Jones and Kotsay. Not exactly inspiring. Still, from what I saw of Jones in Spring, he looked pretty solid. You could see that he slimmed down quite a bit, and he was not only hitting the ball with authority, but playing a solid outfield.
That's a big deal. If Jones can play defense even close to the level that he did in Atlanta, he suddenly becomes a very valuable player. If he gets regular time in the outfield, while hitting something around .250/.340/.450 or thereabouts, that's a solid regular. A solid regular at 500K is a hell of a steal.
Still, just like I tried to not get too down about him being a semi-regular, I'm trying to not get too worked up from what I've seen this season. Truth is, he got off to a torrid start in 2009 as well, only to see his on-base skills, and eventually power, diminish. After April, spent 3 of the remaining 5 month+October hitting below .200. And when he did hit above .200, it wasn't by much. Not very good numbers. Especially since he spent most of the time as a designated "hitter". As mentioned, his power remained for a few more months -- he hit 8 home runs and slugged .627 in July! -- but didn't hit a home run for the reason of the season after he hit two on July 29th.
I think there is a difference, however, in Andruw Jones 2009, and the 2010 edition. For one, he's slimmed down. That was evident in Spring this year, not just in his appearance, but in his performance. He was tracking down fly balls, and stealing bases, etc. Plus, his bat speed appeared to come back a little bit, which is big news. I think it's reasonable to suggest that his offensive abilities (and defensive, for that matter) should stay reasonably in tact as the season wears on. He's not a fatty anymore, and he's not playing in Texas either. I'd imagine being fat in the Texas heat isn't much fun, which also leads to the question of why there's so many fat people in Texas. You think they'd want to slim down, or that they'd at least sweat out the fatness. Maybe it's just too hot to jog?
Aaanyways, I don't expect him to continue this torrid pace, and if you think he will, you're dreaming. He's not hitting .350 with 50 homers. However, something close to the line I posted earlier would be just a-ok - especially if he plays the field well. It's more than early, but it's not too early to get just a little excited about his start. I know I am.
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