Lastings Effect

by Guichard Cadet
August 7, 2005@6:00p.m EST

Although fame is often fleeting, for some it has a lasting effect as to how they live the rest of their lives when the glare of the spotlight disappears. Lastings Milledge is the product of a faded glow, one which has not only disappeared for his father, but also his older brothers – all of whom had MLB aspirations.

For Lastings the glare intensified as the MLB trade deadline approached last Sunday. Rumored to be one of the key components in a trade for All-Star slugger Manny Ramirez, Milledge was fazed by neither the attention nor the possibility of being dealt. In a NY Times article, "I didn't think I'd be traded," he said, "because the Mets know what I can do."

Yes, but the team also has Carlos Beltran in Center Field, Milledge’s preferred position. With Beltran signed for six more years and the team’s need for a top RBI producer in the Manny mode, how long before the team gives up top prospects to fill more immediate needs? This was the case last year when they swapped Scott Kazmir, in hopes of making a push for the playoffs.

Early projections for his career do point to between 20 to 30 homeruns, with most of his RBI’s coming from drives powered by the gaps.

This year playing for both St. Lucie and Binghamton, Milledge has shown the ability to hit for power and average, yet his individual stats has not translated to wins (or dominance) for either team. Since July 11, St. Lucie is 14-10 without him; and Binghamton has a record of 9-17 in the 26 games he has played.

In all fairness to Lastings, Binghamton suffers from the same pitching woes as the major league team, coupled with few base-on-balls, and high strikeouts.

The key is to maintain the focus he has shown in his budding career and eventually make it to the majors.