Quote:
Originally Posted by Prison Bitch
Mellinger's column is dumb because it's out-dated. Nobody disputes Butler could hit in 2009, or that he had power when he hit 29 homers in 2012. We're talking about NOW. NOW, he is not a valuable hitter at all. He hit 51 doubles five years ago and it's declined every single season. He hit 14 homers last year and probably wonj't even do that this year. He's not a premier hitter NOW in the least.
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If Butler doesn't swing back around and start driving the ball again, this is entirely correct.
FACT: Even including last season (assuming it is a "down" outlier like 2012 was an "up" outlier), Billy Butler's track record is that of a very, very good and established major league hitter.
FACT: His power outage last year, combined with his slump to start this season, is very concerning. If he continues to struggle driving the ball as this season goes on, you have to start looking at 2013-14 as the new normal for Butler.
FACT: A resurgent Billy Butler is a key component for KC. If he doesn't hit, this team will have a hard time as currently constructed.