Chone Figgins was once one of baseball’s most exciting and sought after players. He was a defensive wizard (sort of) who could play multiple infield positions and even the corner outfield spots in a pinch, but his real value was with his bat and on the bases. In 2009, Figgins hit .298 and stole 42 bases while walking a league leading 101 times. The 42 steals were impressive but still 20 off his career high set when he was a younger lad.
In fact, Figgins’ 2009 season was startlingly good. He posted a 7.7 WAR, made his first All-Star appearance and received MVP votes for the 4th time in his career. With that 2009 campaign, Figgins had established himself as one of baseball’s premiere leadoff hitters, a reliable OBP and stolen base machine who was an excellent table setter for the big guys in the middle of the order. The best part of 2009 for Chone? It was his walk year. After playing the first 8 years of his career with the Angels, Figgins left in the winter before the 2010 season and signed with division rival Seattle for 4 years and $36 million.
That’s where our story takes a dark turn. In 3 seasons with the Mariners, Figgins was one of the game’s most useless and overpaid players. Between 2010 and 2013, he hit .227 with a .302 OBP. Over those 3 seasons, he walked just 13 times more than he did in 2009 alone. His defense didn’t suffer, but without any help from his offensive game, his value plummeted. In his three Seattle seasons, Figgins posted 1.2, -1.0, and -1.1 WAR totals. After 2012, heand the Mariners parted ways.
Last winter, Figgins and the Marlins came to terms on a deal that let the former ‘super-utility’ guy compete for a job in South Beach. Unfortunately, Figgins didn’t even make the team and he was out of baseball entirely last season.
Unsurprisingly, Chone was looking for a chance to re-prove himself this winter, and he was willing to jump at almost any opportunity. This brings us to the Dodgers, baseball’s most star-laden franchise in America’s most star-studded city.
The Dodgers have the game’s highest payroll and the talented roster that money helps create. They plan on starting All-Star caliber players at first base with Adrain Gonzalez, shortstop with Hanley Ramirez, and in all three outfield positions with Carl Crawford, Matt Kemp, and Andre Ethier, not to mention future All-Star Yasel Puig who will displace one of those outfield guys come April. On the mound, the Dodgers have the league’s highest paid pitcher in Clayton Kershaw, and another $100 million man in Zach Greinke to go along with the cast of household names and big ticket position players. On top of all that, the front runner for LA’s second base job is Alexander Guerrero, a high priced and highly touted Cuban import who could be a star in his own right.
The only chink in the armor of this NL West behemoth appears to be at third base. GM Ned Colletti, aka the man with the best job on earth, recently resigned Juan Uribe to play third base the next 2 seasons in exchange for $13 million. Uribe was capable last season, hitting .278 with 12 bombs over 132 games. Given the pop elsewhere on the field those mediocre numbers are more than acceptable for Los Angeles. Problem is, Uribe is 34 and apparently enjoys cookies. Let’s just say he’s a bit of a portly fellow and may be best suited to a platoon role or pinch hitting duty while filling in now and then at a couple of infield spots. Uribe’s backup is Dee Gordon, a speedster who has shown some minor problems with fielding grounders and some major problems with any sort of hitting at the big league level.
This is where Figgins comes in. As of last week, Chone and the Dodgers reached an agreement on a minor league deal with an invite to big league spring training. He’s a complete flyer at this point; the Dodgers risk absolutely nothing (aside from a few hundred thousand dollars, but really, who’s counting?) in giving him a shot and Figgins could turn out to be incredibly useful.
Chances are, Figgins’ decline in Seattle and then with Miami is as permanent as it is inexplicable. But, what if it ended along with that original Mariners contract? What if the now 36 year old is able to regain some of his former glory? If Figgins’ return to southern California somehow rejuvenates him and he is able to achieve a measure of his former success, he could make a huge difference in Chavez Ravine.
Let’s say Figgins turns into even a halfway decent player. Say a .250 hitter with 15 steals and an OBP of around .330. If that’s the case then Figgins becomes a viable alternative to Uribe. Maybe not every day, but as a backup in case of injury and an occasional starter. He also represents an improvement over Gordon as the utility man because while Gordon might be the fastest player in baseball outside of Billy Hamilton, it doesn’t matter if he never gets on base. Finally, while the Dodgers have invested heavily in Alex Guerrero–$28 million for the 27 year old–there is a chance that the Cuban star flames out and never makes it in the MLB. The Dodgers would be well advised to have a backup plan in place in case of such an eventuality, and I think everyone in LA would breath a little easier if there was some alternative to Gordon as an everyday starter.
Figgins may flame out, again. He may be too old to ever have a chance to play at the level he once did. He may be the victim of one of the most startling, drastic, and unlikely declines in MLB history, and that may be the end of his story. But if not–if he’s able to get out of his 4 year long swoon and become even a fraction of the player he once was–the LA Dodgers might find that their most important offseason acquisition wasn’t for a few hundred million dollars, but instead for just a few hundred thousand.
-Max Frankel
