Tuesday, October 11, 2011

IFA's In Retrospect Season 4

Luis Cruz became the highest paid International in season 4 with a $14.7M signing bonus. Never really lived up to the hype early in his career until he settled in at Pittsburgh where he became their weak armed 3B. Garnering a Gold Glove in season 5, he really wasn't cut out for the position. In Pittsburgh, he became the Most Valuable Player in season 12 and a constant All-Star and Silver Slugger at 3B. This very well could be his last season.

Julio Lopez was second in the money making that year with a $10.9M bonus. However he never lived up to expectations as his 100-135 record indicates in 315 starts.

Willie Pizzaro garnered a $9.3M signing bonus. Willie has few accolades throughout his career mainly playing 1B and DH. In Philadelphia he was quite the fan favorite as he hit 244 Home Runs from season 10 thru season 13. Winding up in Boston for 7 seasons, his power just didn't materialize as in Philly but enjoyed relatively productive seasons. Having 654 Home Runs and over 2,000 hits he should be a candidate for the Hall of Fame after he finishes his farewell season with Philly.

Pascual Berroa was another big player with a bonus of $9.2M and deserves recognition. Everyone that he played for hoped he would be that #2 hitter in their lineup and play a multitude of positions. Having over 2,000 hits in his career seemed like a good possibility. However, from experience, was one of the streakiest hitters I have ever seen. He could bat .400 one week and .200 the next and never really possessed the aptitude to play the infield all that well.

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