People here seem to forget

[Mad Mark]

That Aubrey Huff is

31

years old.

Can we please, please, please stop talking about him like he's a broken-down 37-year old catcher???

Signed,

Aubrey's Mom :wedge:

(I'm serious about the age part, people!)

[Sports Guy]

What's your point?

That isn't young...That is still an age where you likely start seeing a decline, especially with a player of Huff's skill set.

He has been great this year but has been very average for the last 3 years.

[TerpsBaseball26]

Amen...Huff is having the best year of his career, and I know that over the past few years his production hasn't been nearly as high, but maybe just maybe as he's said in numerous interviews this year, he has finally relaxed at the plate and stopped worrying about the results of every single at-bat. The guy can flat out hit and I do not see why he can't duplicate his production next year. Keep playing him at 1B the rest of the year and let him be there every day next year assuming we don't get Tex (which I don't see happening).

[clarence]

Maybe he was going to too many strip clubs in Tampa and that hurt him. He got to Bmore and went through some withdrawls because he was in a horse**** town. Now he's accepted his fate and is focused on being a baller.

[Lt Melmo]

That Aubrey Huff is

31

years old.

Can we please, please, please stop talking about him like he's an up-and-coming 25 year-old DH???

Fixed that for you?

[blakesta]

What's your point?

That isn't young...That is still an age where you likely start seeing a decline, especially with a player of Huff's skill set.

He has been great this year but has been very average for the last 3 years.

It isn't old either.

Many a players have good, if not great years well into their 30s.

Look at what Melvin Mora is doing this year at 36.

[JTrea81]

It isn't old either.

Many a players have good, if not great years well into their 30s.

Look at what Melvin Mora is doing this year at 36.

I think to expect a major drop off at 32 is really predicting the worse. It's not like he's a catcher as has been said. I don't see A-Rod or Berkman dropping off the table. As long as Huff stays motivated (and considering he's playing for his next contract, I expect he will be) he'll be fine.

[Lt Melmo]

I think to expect a major drop off at 32 is really predicting the worse. It's not like he's a catcher as has been said. I don't see A-Rod or Berkman dropping off the table. As long as Huff stays motivated (and considering he's playing for his next contract, I expect he will be) he'll be fine.

It would be predicting the worst if this season were preceded by seasons of similar production. That isn't the case. In the three years preceding 2008, Aubrey had OPS+es of 98, 108 and 103 respectively. In 2008 he has a 136. Which sample size do you think is more telling?

[Big Mac]

I think to expect a major drop off at 32 is really predicting the worse. It's not like he's a catcher as has been said. I don't see A-Rod or Berkman dropping off the table. As long as Huff stays motivated (and considering he's playing for his next contract, I expect he will be) he'll be fine.

Huff shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence as those 2. And it's not all about Huff being 31, it's about him being mediocre from 2004-2007. People expecting him to come close to repeating this performance are being ridiculoous. People expecting him to go back to the mediocre 2004-2007 Aubrey Huff are being realistic.

[JTrea81]

Huff shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence as those 2. And it's not all about Huff being 31, it's about him being mediocre from 2004-2007. People expecting him to come close to repeating this performance are being ridiculoous. People expecting him to go back to the mediocre 2004-2007 Aubrey Huff are being realistic.

Have you even read this article?

Just maybe the death of his friend has caused him to look at baseball a little more differently. Maybe the fact he's got a kid on the way has revitalized him. Just maybe Crowley fixed his stance so that he can hit the ball better.

Oh and by the way since Crowley has fixed his stance:

2007

August .363/.431/.703/1.134

September .330/.417/.477/.894

2008

April .258/.349/.484/.833

May .231/.278/.426/.704

June .337/.409/.602/1.011

July .386/.407/.723/1.130

August .288/.356/.519/.875

[Big Mac]

Have you even read this article?

Just maybe the death of his friend has caused him to look at baseball a little more differently. Maybe the fact he's got a kid on the way has revitalized him. Just maybe Crowley fixed his stance so that he can hit the ball better.

Oh and by the way since Crowley has fixed his stance:

2007

August .363/.431/.703/1.134

September .330/.417/.477/.894

2008

April .258/.349/.484/.833

May .231/.278/.426/.704

June .337/.409/.602/1.011

July .386/.407/.723/1.130

August .288/.356/.519/.875

So you're saying I count you in with those whose expectations for Huff are ridiculous.

I'm not saying it's impossible for Huff to repeat these numbers, but it's extremely unlikely given his past performance.

[ripkenforprez]

I agree that Huff could very likely drop off again next year. He's having a fantastic year so far and if you can get a valuable piece for him either now or in the offseason, I would be fine with moving him. Personally, I think he is still an Oriole next season.

However, I don't agree with the notion that it's completely ridiculous to think he can't in fact post comparable numbers for at least another season or two. In the spirit of the OP, he's really not that old and has had some solid years for TB. I believe he is also expecting a child in the next few months. Who is to say he hasn't really made a change in his lifestyle and is now completely focused on baseball? It's not as if he doesn't have any talent.

I think the bottom line is he could still be a valuable piece to a team in rebuild mode. Many people seem really eager to get rid of him but it's not the end of the world if he is still here next season. Nobody seemed to want him badly enough at the deadline.

[Why Not?]

31 doesn't mean Huff is washed up. But it seems pretty likely that this is a career-type year. It's not normal for a guy to have three years of a certain type during his prime, then sustain a significantly higher level beginning at age 31. Hopefully that's what will happen with Huff, but we shouldn't count on it.

[Lucky Jim]

Huff shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence as those 2. And it's not all about Huff being 31, it's about him being mediocre from 2004-2007. People expecting him to come close to repeating this performance are being ridiculoous. People expecting him to go back to the mediocre 2004-2007 Aubrey Huff are being realistic.

When he put up the OPS+ of 124?

It's not ridiculous to expect him to "come close" to repeating. You're truly mis-using statistics if you thing his regression to his previous numbers is going to be so severe that he can't "come close" to this year.

There's nothing in his number this year that screams "luck". His BABIP is .304. His LD% is typical. His HR/FB isn't unusually high. There's simply nothing that says "regression."

Yes - he was mediocre from 2005-2007. No doubt. But that's not an irreversible trend. And he's not over-the-hill. I wouldn't bank on him repeating his numbers from this year, but your rhetoric is ill-formed and absurd.

[hammer310]

Huff shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence as those 2. And it's not all about Huff being 31, it's about him being mediocre from 2004-2007. People expecting him to come close to repeating this performance are being ridiculoous. People expecting him to go back to the mediocre 2004-2007 Aubrey Huff are being realistic.

If you think 2004 was mediocre, look again. 2005 wasn't a horrible year either. His only bad year was 2006 when he was traded to Houston.

He had no offensive support in TB, so it made it even harder for him to drive in runs. Look what he can do when there is offense around him.

Im glad Mark made this thread, because it was also annoying me too. 31 is really not that old, its not ridiculous to think he cant repeat this season.