Ding ding ding! We’ve got a winner. Here’s the answer, courtesy of Maniac reader Anton:
Thought about this too much for the past half hour.
Has to be Endy Chavez. And superficially, he seems to be the man, unless of course, Cameron’s article over at FanGraphs is read by enterprising GMs.
That’s right folks, the answer to my question of the perfect Marlins outfield pickup was Endy Chavez. Who is Endy Chavez? Let’s dive in and find out.
Chavez is a 31-year old outfielder most famously known for making that catch in the 2006 NLCS for the New York Mets. In the offseason leading into the 2009 season, Chavez was dealt to the Seattle Mariners as part of the trade that brought J.J. Putz to New York and somehow stole Franklin Gutierrez over to the Mariners as well. Combined with the always stellar Ichiro Suzuki over in right field, this formed “The Greatest Defensive Outfield Ever,” at least statistically. However, this outfield didn’t last very long, as Chavez was hurt after just 54 games and missed the rest of the season.
Check out my projections for Endy Chavez and how much value the Marlins could get out of him over at Marlin Maniac.
As a Mets fan, it pained me to see Endy Chavez leave. He was a huge fan favorite, and “the catch” was only the tip of the iceberg as to why we all loved him. He plays gritty baseball and tremendous defense.
Joe,
I know people liked him, and he is an amazing defender. I can’t wait to see where he lands, particularly hoping it’s Florida.