Juan Soto -- looking like a bust for the Mets

[Snapolit1]

Soto is the best player on the team and one of the slowest.
Him busting ass up the line like a madman so he can beat one maybe two throws a year makes no sense.
Rickey was likewise criticized. He didn’t give a shit. He refused to walk through airports. Always took the moving walkways and escalators. Said he would only use his legs when he had to.

(Rickey was moody and lazy too, if you are keeping count. Him, Mays, Aaron, Allen, Winfield, Gibson, Clemente, Reggie, etc.)

[bk400]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

Soto is the best player on the team and one of the slowest.
Him busting ass up the line like a madman so he can beat one maybe two throws a year makes no sense.
Rickey was likewise criticized. He didn’t give a shit. He refused to walk through airports. Always took the moving walkways and escalators. Said he would only use his legs when he had to.

(Rickey was moody and lazy too, if you are keeping count. Him, Mays, Aaron, Allen, Winfield, Gibson, Clemente, Reggie, etc.)

That's the great thing about baseball -- each of us can choose which players to support and which narratives resonate most strongly. I personally appreciate players who hustle down the line to first on routine ground balls.

I didn't like Rickey Henderson. I thought he was a showboat who liked to show people up. I preferred watching Tim Raines and Vince Coleman, if I wanted to see speed on the basepaths. You might think that Rickey's accolades made him worth watching even though he didn't give a sh*t. Same with Juan Soto, perhaps. I prefer to watch guys who do give a sh*t, especially when those guys are on a $765mm guaranteed contract.

I'm not sure the racial overtones of your comments are fair. No one said that Juan Soto is slow or lazy because of his race or ethnic background. It shouldn't be the case that if you say that a non-white player looks slow or lazy that you're some sort of bigot.

And finally, Lindor is the best player on the Mets. Maybe he doesn't have Soto's stats, but when Soto was having his billionaire baby mood swings back in May and June, it was Lindor who was out there in public defending him -- and it was his leadership that seemed to be keeping the Mets competitive.

[packs]

There is nothing wrong with showboating if you’re the best at what you do. Ali did a lot of talking too. Rickey could say anything he liked. He was going to steal the base anyway and there was nothing you could do about it.

[bk400]

Originally Posted by packs

There is nothing wrong with showboating if you’re the best at what you do. Ali did a lot of talking too. Rickey could say anything he liked. He was going to steal the base anyway and there was nothing you could do about it.

Yeah, it's fair to say that Rickey "earned" the right to showboat, but there are plenty others who also did, but chose not to, and I prefer watching them. I mean, look at Hank Aaron after he hit 715 and compared that image with Rickey after, well, many plays -- and not just his milestone ones.

Different strokes for different folks. It's like in football. Neon Deion was absolutely awesome, but Charles Woodson and Rod Woodson were really the guys to watch in my opinion.

[Casey2296]

Originally Posted by bk400

Yeah, it's fair to say that Rickey "earned" the right to showboat, but there are plenty others who also did, but chose not to, and I prefer watching them. I mean, look at Hank Aaron after he hit 715 and compared that image with Rickey after, well, many plays -- and not just his milestone ones.

Different strokes for different folks. It's like in football. Neon Deion was absolutely awesome, but Charles Woodson and Rod Woodson were really the guys to watch in my opinion.

Did you know that Hank Aaron was never ejected from a game?

I just found that out a few weeks ago. Class act.

[Balticfox]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

Soto is the best player on the team and one of the slowest.

Him busting ass up the line like a madman so he can beat one maybe two throws a year makes no sense.

Busting his ass worked for Pete Rose.

Originally Posted by bk400

Yeah, it's fair to say that Rickey "earned" the right to showboat, but there are plenty others who also did, but chose not to, and I prefer watching them.

Nor do I remember Pete Rose ever being criticized for showboating. It is possible of course that I never noted it at the time because quite simply I didn't care.

[BobbyStrawberry]

If Soto is a bust, what does a non-bust look like?