- Date signed: December 1999
- Length: 4 years (2000-2003)
- Expense sometimes: $17 million
- Changed 2022 expense: $46.57 million
- Production: 0.3 bWAR
- Unfavorable worth: $44.17 million
How the gamer arrived
Womack had actually pertained to Arizona in February 1999. Up until that point, he had actually invested his whole profession with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the group who chose him in the seventh round of the 1991 draft. Tony was an All-Star in his novice project of 1997, batting.278 and taking a league-leading sixty bases. He installed comparable numbers the next year (.282 and once again led the league, with 58 SB). The D-backs had long desired Womack, and different offers were dealt with that would bring him to Arizona, such as one including Womack and outfielder Al Martin for money and the Diamondbacks’ Bernard Gilkey Jr. (the gamer most likely best understood for being on the group’s payroll for 17 years after his last video game for Arizona).
In February 1999, the trade was lastly consummated, the D-backs getting Womack for Australian possibility Paul Weichard and a PTBNL, who wound up being pitcher Jason Boyd. If you have actually never ever become aware of either gamer, that’s fine. Weichard never ever reached the majors, and Boyd deserved -1.4 bWAR. Arizona GM Joe Garagiola Jr. was favorably giddy, stating “The addition of Tony Womack moves us into a various equipment. The speed he has brings another measurement to our club and produces a a lot more well balanced offensive attack.” With Jay Bell currently at 2nd, Womack was moved to best field: “It’s going to be difficult attempting to find out a brand-new position and coming to a brand-new group at the very same time.”
However it appeared to exercise. Tony struck.277 in 1999, and went even much better on the bases, leading the whole majors with an amazing 72 stolen-bases. Just one gamer has actually gone beyond 70 considering that (Jose Reyes had 78 for the 2007 Mets). Womack would have been qualified for arbitration that winter season, however the D-backs chose to purchase out all 3 arbitration years, in addition to among totally free firm. Together with the offer came a return to the infield, supervisor Dollar Showalter stating, “He makes us a much better club. We feel he can play shortstop for us and we won 100 video games in 2015 with him as part of the mix.” This opened an outfield area for Travis Lee, with Erubiel Durazo becoming a prospective every-day very first baseman.
What failed
This is most likely going to be controversial. There’s no doubt that Tony Womack is accountable for a few of the best minutes in franchise history. Who can forget, for example, his Daddy’s Day grand-slam? And, obviously, his double off Mariano Rivera in the ninth inning of 2001’s Video game 7 connected the video game. Seen through a more comprehensive lens, there’s just one possible conclusion: all informed, Womack was one of the worst players ever to pull on a D-backs jersey. Sure, he struck.269 in his time here. It was a startlingly
empty
.269. Over the 527 video games covered by the agreement. he drew just 108 strolls and struck 17 home-runs for a triple-slash of.262/.303/.353. That’s a. 656 OPS in an offense-heavy period, for an OPS+ of simply 64.
Never ever mind the D-backs (where he has the most affordable profession OPS+ of any player with 1,000+ PA), it made him amongst the least efficient major-league players because time-span. There were 124 batters to have 2,000+ PA from 2000-03. Womack ranks 123rd, ahead just of Neifi Perez (63 OPS+). No one else is listed below 70. Now, it holds true he’s a shortstop, not the most offending minded of positions. He wasn’t that excellent a fielder either. In 2001, for instance, his fielding portion of.955 was the most affordable amongst the 24 MLB gamers with 750+ innings at brief. Overall Zone’s Fielding Runs Above Average likewise ranked Tony in the unfavorable, 3 out of the 4 agreement seasons.
What about base-running? All those takes need to have deserved something, certainly. Yes, though most likely not as much as you ‘d anticipate. It didn’t help Tony never ever reached the very same heights he had in 1999. Over the following 4 years, he balanced except 29 SB a season, and all informed Fangraphs worths his abilities on the bases as worth just 4.15 runs each year, so less than half a win. Still, through 2002 he had actually deserved 2.1 bWAR, and if he had actually just retired at that point, would not have actually made this list. In 2002, as he bounced in between the D-backs, Rockies and Cubs, the 36-year-old Womack was one of the worst gamers in the majors at -1.8 bWAR, with a 40 OPS+. That turned this agreement’s worth from bad to horrible.
Greatest lesson to be discovered(*) There’s more to assessing gamers than batting average and takes. Possibly leaving him as an outfielder may have been for the very best, too. (*).
