Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Endy Chavez, The Unsung Hero...


Do you have a co-worker who doesn’t say much, but no matter what, always pulls his weight? How about a family member, who no matter what you ask them to do, doesn’t give you a song and a dance, they just are there for you. It’s really nice sometimes, to have someone who is there, when they are needed most, and always seems somehow, to rise to the occasion.

Well, the Mets have that person too, and he really doesn’t get half the kudos, of what he deserves.

Everyone considers him the 4th outfielder. The man who is always one step ahead of the ball. He always seems to anticipate a play correctly, and never seems to come up short, when a bang-bang play is needed. Endy is a gamer. His catch of Scott Rolen’s fly ball, over the leftfield wall, was one of the best playoff catches of all-time, and would get a lot more play, if the Mets had won that series, against the Cards.

He gives his all 110% of the time. Doesn’t matter if he is bunting for a base hit, or, rifling a throw to 3rd, to nail a foolish runner, he is always playing hard. Its funny, you never hear him complain, either. Of course, part of the reason, might be his command of the English language. Honestly, though, to me, Endy is the quiet leader. He leads by example, not by his mouth, which seems to be a necessary evil, when playing in New York.

He started off this year, at the plate, very slow, hitting around .200. Funny, though, you didn’t see it affect his play, in the field. He was still running at full steam, on every play. Throwing the ball with pinpoint accuracy. Catching, diving, doing whatever was necessary to make a play.

When the Mets were not winning, during the first half of the year, you didn’t see him loaf to first. When there was the daily drama about Willie, I didn’t see Endy be bothered by it. He seems to be so unassuming. He is just enjoying the game of baseball. There is something to be said, about how he conducts himself, and there are some teammates of his, that can learn from him. Endy is a gamer, and we love him for it.

In the last 30 days, Endy has hit .340, with an on-base percentage of .379. Now, he doesn’t have many extra base hits, but he makes things happen, when he does get on base. He has 1 error in the last 4,000 innings, of playing the field. That is 1 error, every 3 seasons of play. That’s insane, when you think of it. His last error, before this year, was back in 2005.

We look forward to seeing him in the lineup, 'cause either on the field, or at bat, he will try to make something happen. That is what makes him exciting. The second half of the year starts tomorrow. I’m one fan who is looking forward to seeing Endy in the outfield.

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