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BP Annual Player Comments

Year		Comment
2004		When Sammy Sosa went on the DL with a toe problem early in the year, O'Leary replaced him not just in right field, but also in the 04 slot in the batting order. He would have been roughly as suited to be a replacement for Roy Horn after the tiger mauling, but the Mirage didn't try Siegfried and Roy, now did they? O'Leary also had a brutal year as a pinch hitter (5-for-39).
2003		Getting a .371 OBP and minimal power out of the primary left fielder may have been the best Omar Minaya could have hoped for, given the eternity it took Major League Baseball to get its collective butts in gear and decide on the Expos situation last year. Signed to a minor league deal just before Opening Day, O’Leary didn’t embarrass himself upon his early May call-up, chipping in some timely hits when given the chance. With the Cubs, he’ll serve as a pinch hitter and inadequate Alou insurance.
2002		O’Leary is the biggest lesson of Duquette’s GM career, one it’s not entirely clear that he learned. O’Leary was a smart waiver snag and gave the Red Sox several good years at no money, but the Sox then signed him to a four-year, $14.8-million Pompeii deal that Vesuviused all over them by the time the first year was done. The lesson: If you get a guy like this for free, then you can get another guy just like him for free.
2001		He was hurt, he went through a difficult divorce, he had a rough childhood--who cares? All the excuses in the world can’t hide the fact that Troy O’Leary is barely above a replacement-level ballplayer. He doesn’t walk, he has moderate power, and he’s not a good fielder in the easiest spot in the outfield. The Red Sox should have discarded him when he became expensive but instead signed him to one of those albatross contracts that are fast becoming a Duquette trademark.
2000		O'Leary set career highs in hits, home runs and RBIs--largely due to appearing in 157 games. He’ll deserve all the credit if Garciaparra sees his intentional-walk totals drop dramatically (following O’Leary’s Division Series Game 4 performance). He continues to improve defensively, as well. O'Leary is nonetheless emblematic of the dilemma the Sox face in trying to improve their offense. He's a league-average left fielder, which is fairly valuable, and is making significant but not outrageous money ($4 million for 2000). He's not a gaping hole, but the cost to improve the position will be high, either in prospects or salary. The choices are overpaying to get better production or coasting along with a mediocre offensive team.
1999		The prototypical Duquette success story -- a waiver wire pickup that turned into a solid major-leaguer. He's got an annoying habit of alternating good years with bad ones. Does he room with Bret Saberhagen on the road? He's "due" for a good year, but if I were Duquette, I'd be trying to parlay his 23 HR season and two previous .300 batting averages into something cheaper.
1998		One of the best things Duquette ever found on the waiver wire. O’Leary has now had two above average seasons out of three in a Boston uniform, all before he was eligible for arbitration. However, his offense really doesn’t cut it for right field, especially on a team without any offense in left. He should play somewhere and play close to (but under) his ’97 level, but it shouldn’t be in Boston.
1997		O’Leary is the poster boy for Duquette’s waiver-wire fetish. He was claimed from Milwaukee in March of 1995 and had a fine season. He slipped in 1996, partially as a result of increased playing time against lefties, who he can’t hit at all (.550 OPS in 1996, .541 career, vs. .819 and .839 against RHP). Can contribute as a platooner, but his role in Boston is tenuous.
1996		Touted as a 'surprise' by many, to me he was anything but. Put on the waiver wire by the Brewers last spring, he was one of many quality players snapped up by Duquette. The secret to using O'Leary is: platoon. In his apparently weak '93 season in New Orleans, he hit against lefties in almost a third of his ABs, hitting just .189. In '94 only 20% of his ABs were against LHP, and the Red Sox only allowed that to happen 13% of the time last year. Playing full-time against right-handers, he'll hit. Just give him the day off when the lefties show up.

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