It's a bad sign when you're hitting .247/.296/.300 for the fifth-worst OPS in the league and the local newspaper is running articles questioning your defense.
Such is the life of Emilio Bonifacio, who got some people way too excited with a few great games to begin the season and has since predictably lived up to his minor-league track record by being one of the worst everyday players in baseball.
Back in mid-April, when Bonifacio was sporting a .500 batting average after a handful of games, Jon Heyman of SI.com wrote about how "Florida stole an undervalued speed demon ready to contribute" when they acquired him from Arizona. Here's more from Heyman's glowing piece:
But the Marlins knew better. And now, a week into his Marlins career, Bonifacio, who moves faster on the diamond than anyone in baseball, has moved up in everyone else's eyes. Those outside the Marlins organization once again view the 23-year-old as an exciting young player after watching him ignite the Marlins offense with a .500 batting average, exhibit the best baseball speed since Deion Sanders and lead his club to a 5-1 start.
The Marlins' scouts seem to know things others do not, so they figured it might be worthwhile to give Bonifacio, primarily a second baseman, a look at third base. So far the slap-hitting speed demon has looked like a star at a position normally reserved for power hitters. Bonifacio put together multiple-hit efforts in the Marlins' first five games of the season and produced enough theatrics to excite even the minimal crowds they draw down here.
Keep in mind that those words were written about a player who had produced a .703 OPS over 656 games in the minors and .629 OPS over 60 games the majors coming into this season. And while Heyman was one of the more vocal Bonifacio bandwagon occupants, he certainly wasn't alone.
There were all kinds of articles popping up about his supposed "breakout" and there were all kinds of angry missives in my e-mailbox about my "unfair" skepticism. Yet for all the talk of how "the Marlins' scouts seem to know things others do not" and all the hyperbole about Bonifacio possessing "the best baseball speed since Deion Sanders" at the end of the day he's performing exactly like his minor-league track record predicted.
And since starting the season with 14 hits in 24 at-bats, Bonifacio has batted .213 with a .272 on-base percentage, .238 slugging percentage, zero homers, and a 41/14 K/BB ratio while being thrown out on four of his nine steal attempts in 38 games. I'm sure that his "theatrics" are still off the charts, though.
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Your column is exactly what I said to the guy in our league that traded Torii Hunter for him in week 2. Still LMAO about that one.
Aaron, glad you're revisiting Bonifacio...
In my second Man-Crush column, I wrote: "Don't get carried away. While he's only 24 and his sample size is admittedly small (192 ABs prior to yesterday), he's on his third team (never a good sign for a young player), is a career .243 hitter whose .296 OBP even makes point and giggle, and whose speed isn't exactly consistent (7 SBs in 12 career attempts)....don't be surprised when he ends up with something like a .250/3 HR/60 R/22 SB final stat line."
This caused an angry reader -- Greg from New jersey -- to email and absolutely light into me for "being a hater," and bet me a box of Krispy Kremes & coffee that Bonifacio would finish .270 or better, score 90-100+ runs, and swipe 40+ bags. After I caught my breath from the 7-minute laughing fit, I, in turn, bet him that EB would finish .270 or worse, score 60 runs or fewer & steal 22 bags or fewer. He wrote: "Your Bonifacio line will be wayyyyyy off!! I'll go so far as to guarantee that by season's end, Bonifacio will finish in the top 3 in voting for the N.L. R.O.Y (baring injury). Yup!! I said it in day TWO of the '09 season."
Dear Greg from NJ -- I'll take half glazed, half chocolate-covered, please. And I take my coffee with extra milk and sugar. And chances are, by the time you go to buy them, Bonifacio will be working the drive-thru window.
The fact that Heyman glowed about him like that really builds my confidence towards becoming a sports writer. Until just now, I would've wondered who didn't see this coming. Did he not do his research before writing that article? He's no different from any other Jim Bowden infactuation, but even he couldn't turn down Olsen and Willingham from Florida.
Aaron, nice going getting comments added to your articles. Hopefully it was from my suggestion to you a few months ago. It makes a world of difference. Who cares that I'm now on some random NBC site.
Bonifacio was acquired from Washington. Washington got him from Arizona.
He'll likely be moved back to his normal 2B if Uggla and Cantu get traded and I think being back at his natural position will boost his confidence, performance, and obviously his defense would get better there as well.
Good stuff! I'm with you brother. I was on this like a moth to a flame that same week everyone was going nuts over him. I got a lot of hate mail for it myself. Funny thing is now, no one will admit to their love for him early on. Everybody's story is that they knew this would happen. Yeah, right.
I hit him where it hurt - his bat, his glove, and even his wheels. Check out my piece from April 10...
To havok - Coghlan is the future at 2B.
Gaby Sanchez now playing exclusively 3B at AAA. Bonifacio owners, those of you who are still left, your boy's days are numbered.