2006 versus 2009: The Outfield

Left Field: Monroe versus Guillen

Craig's numbers for 2006: 28 HR, 92 RBI, .255 BA, .301 OBP. These were career numbers for him that he will never match again.Career averages for Carlos: 15 HR, 82 RBI, .290 BA, .360 OBP.

Another big stat from 2006 is that Craig played 147 games. There is NO WAY that Carlos Guillen's body will hold up long enough to match that. He will play probably 110-120 games.

Advantage: 2006


Center Field: Granderson versus Granderson

Curtis continues to improve and cut-down on his strikeouts. He had 174 SO's in 2006, 141 in 2007 and 111 in 2008. This is a very positive trend for a great young player. Curtis is and should be the face of the franchise. He is outstanding defensively and good offensively.

Advantage: 2009



Right Field: Ordonez versus Ordonez

Magglio is hard to judge. His 2006 numbers were: 24 HR, 104 RBI and .298 BA. He is a career .312 hitter and that .298 number is probably his basement. Magglio is a pure hitter and when he is smoking it to the right-center gap, he is unstoppable. I expect him to have another year in the neighborhood of .320 with 100 RBI. He will not have as many RBI opportunities hitting out of the three hole, but with Granderson and Polanco ahead of him, he'll have plenty of shots and he will do what is expected.

Advantage: 2009


Overall, I would give the edge to 2009 because Curtis will be better than he was in 2006 and Magglio will put up better numbers than he did in 2006. However, there will be a huge dropoff in both defensive prowess and the offensive production in left field. Carlos will not play all year and his numbers will not match what Craig did that fantastic year.