Scott Boras spoke about Magglio Ordonez's situation in Detroit in a recent piece by Lynn Henning of the Detroit News.

Scott Boras, Ordonez's agent: He began warming up for a possible showdown before the arbitrator when he launched into a 10-minute, phone-line indictment of the Tigers for making a "myopic" decision to sit Ordonez.

"I admit to you that Magglio had a rough April (.240) batting average," Boras said. "But if you want to talk about why his production is down in 2009, it's about one thing and one thing only: His home runs are down by seven. I submit to you that's not compelling information for declaring failure."

Here's what good agents do: They look at some evidence and try to spin things his way.

Yes, Boras in right in saying Ordonez's home runs are down by seven from this point last season. What he failed to mention is that Ordonez only has two home runs this season, as opposed to nine last year. Nine's not a terribly big number and two is even worse, especially for someone hitting in the middle of your order.

But let's dig a little deeper, deeper into the numbers Boras conveniently neglected to mention.

Ordonez's bread-and-butter has been his ability to get on base. His career OBP is .370, which is an excellent figure for a player over a full season by any measure. This year, Ordonez is down to a paltry and barely passable .347 mark.

Now, you'll see players with that figure in the majors all the time. But remember: Ordonez is supposed to be a highly paid, middle-of-the-order bat on a contending club. He's not some No. 7 hitter for the Seattle Mariners. There's a big difference there.

Another number Boras is failing to mention is the precipitous drop in Ordonez's slugging percentage. Last season, it was a quality .494, but it has fallen to .343 this season. That .151-point decline is a huge drop.

Whether or not Ordonez had a huge option on the table, it's no wonder they decided to bench Ordonez. He's a terrible hitter right now. Too bad Boras doesn't realize that.

---

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites