Diamondbacks third baseman Jake Lamb and Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez have posted nearly identical career numbers to date, observes Zach Buchanan of The Athletic (subscription required), who wonders if the former could be in line for an extension. Suarez, 27, just received a long-term deal – a seven-year, $66MM guarantee – after hitting .260/.367/.461 and accounting for 4.1 fWAR across 632 plate appearances last season. Lamb, 26, was successful in his own right (.248/.357/.487 with 2.5 fWAR in 635 PAs), and three of the four major league executives and agents Buchanan polled chose him over Suarez. There’s no word on whether Arizona is motivated to extend Lamb, who’s controllable via arbitration through 2020, but Buchanan suggests the team would jump at the chance to lock him up at a Suarez-like rate.
More from the NL:
- It’s up in the air whether right-hander A.J. Cole will earn the final spot in the Nationals’ rotation. Regardless, the out-of-options 26-year-old is “going to make the team,” general manager Mike Rizzo told Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post and other reporters Monday. Rizzo added that veteran Jeremy Hellickson, also a contender for the No. 5 job, is “way behind” right now – which seems to bode well for Cole’s chances of starting. Given that Hellickson only just signed with the Nationals, they could elect to keep him in Florida for extended spring training so he’s better equipped to succeed if he does get a regular-season opportunity, per Rizzo (via Jamal Collier of MLB.com). Rizzo noted that a couple of the Nats’ signings last year, catcher Matt Wieters and reliever Joe Blanton, struggled mightily because neither had a full spring training. He doesn’t want to go down that same road with Hellickson.
- Even though Mets left-hander Jason Vargas will undergo surgery on his right hand Tuesday, he might not miss any regular-season time, Tim Britton of The Athletic tweets. It’s not as if the soft-tossing Vargas is going to have to regain lost velocity, manager Mickey Callaway noted – “It’s not going to be too hard to go back and get his 84 again,” he said – while GM Sandy Alderson essentially expressed no concern over the situation. “If he can catch the ball coming back from the catcher, he’s probably good to go,” Alderson offered.
Not sure why so many choose Lamb over Suarez. Suarez is a year younger and a better defender.
Lamb also useless against lefties.
Absolutely. Trending towards a platoon guy. Rode the pine vs. Kershaw in Game one of NLDS. Ouch.
yeah, not hating on Lamb but Suarez’s upside from a BA/OBP standpoint is much higher, however Lamb does have a better arm and higher power potential.. it’s like being asked do you want a ’68 Camaro or a ’68 Mustang – YES
Uh, mustang 10 out of 10 times.
ok moparman ;^)
Suarez is 27 and Lamb is 26. It says this word for word in the article.
Well, the article is incorrect then.
Suarez is 26. Lamb is 27.
Click the links the article got the two mixed up
Lamb is a year younger
Seeing him in his rookie season until now, I’m in awe
He has adjusted quite well
Jake Lamb: Born October 9th, 1990
Eugenio Suarez: July 18th, 1991
Lamb is almost a year older.
Like to get the names of those executives and agent who thinks Lamb is better.
I’m glad Vargas won’t be out long, but a LITTLE longer would be nice. I’d MUCH rather see Wheeler start the year.
Yeah this comparison between lamb and Suarez is not a valid one. Suarez is clearly a better player, defensively and offensively. Lamb is a platoon bat with a struggling glove. Not sure why you would write an article knowing those facts.
The home/road splits for Saurez are pretty bad. .978 OPS at home, .694 at home. Lamb is .839 at home, .850 on the road.
Home/road splits only matter for Rockies’ hitters. Says so right there on the MLBTR commenters’ bylaws.
You have Suarez and Lamb’s ages backwards.
The fact they locked up Suarez indicates they are committed to turning Senzel into a middle infielder. GM on TV yesterday said he sees him as a 2nd baseman in the show. Reds are a interesting team if they can get that mess of a rotation fixed by next season. Audition season to see who they can count on for a big push in 19.
Their offense is always good. They’re just so far behind on pitching that even an average pitching staff would probably put them in wild card territory.
Sandy with a snarky reply…shocked! Vargas is okay I guess, but a real team would have signed Lynn/Cobb or both. I know..the Mets have a bunch of pitchers, but no one knows how they will shake out after Syn and deGrom. Maybe everyone stays healthy…who knows. It could happen. Oh wait…Mets.
Cobb would look good in a Ranger uniform.
Suarez’s production is a product of the Great American Small Park. I watched him take BP as a Tiger and I never thought there was much power in his swing. At best, I thought he might develop the ability to shoot the gaps.
With that being said, I like his extension and I like the trend that it helps support in the MLB: extensions for young talented guys who help teams establish an identity with the fans so we’re not just rooting for laundry.
I hope Lamb follows suit and cashes in on his early success. He won’t be an MVP candidate at any point in his career but he is a nice piece that a team can use to build the kind of core necessary for a sustained run of competitive baseball.
Good call. 21 homers at home vs. 5 on the road.
i prefer Lamb