Diamond in the Rough?

Anthony Witrado get paid to write stuff like this.

The raw, undisputed talent is the attractive part of the package.

There is the speed that turns his image into a blur, like a cheapskate disposable camera trying to capture a gazelle in full stride.

And the cannon arm that makes any base runner take stock of their sanity before rounding a base too hard or attempting to stretch a hit into anything more than it should be.

Then there is the body that houses the materials, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound frame constructed of lean muscle that is a picture of athleticism.

While Paul entertains us for free. Feel thankful folks.

It seems really, really strange to call a guy a diamond in the rough, and write an article trying to provide cover for a GM whose career has obviously gone off the rails, when the player in question is having a career season.

I commented over at that article but I just had to repost it here. If you are complaining about Carlos Gomez at the plate right now, you are in for a rude, rude awakening. My comment over at the urinal:

It does not matter how fast you are if you cannot get on base. Carlos Gomez simply won't play at the level of an everyday player. The sad fact is, as poor as he has played offensively this season it is the best of his career. His career OBP is .291. This year he is at .321 (terrrrrible for a "speed" guy). He is slugging .447 (career average .353...maybe he's no longer a speed guy?) If you are going to claim he will get better, please point to me some evidence? He is, right now, playing way over his head. Career OPS is .647, he's at .768 right now (thanks to likely unsustainable power). His OPS+ is an abysmal 74, right now he is at 104. He's even been getting luckier than at any other point in his career, sporting a .322 BABIP (.310 career). In 1400+ minor league at bats, about half of which were at A-ball or below, Gomez had an OBP of .339 and slugged .399. Offensively he's just been ugly throughout his career. What is troubling to me is that his defensive prowess (which could potentially negate most of his atrocious offense) has plummeted the last two seasons. In 2008 Gomez sported an amazing 18.6 UZR. That fell to 7.6 in 2009 and is sitting at 0.3 in 2010. To make matters worse he is an incredibly stupid baseball player. Combine that with speed and it makes him dangerous...for the Brewers. It's too early to say definitively but all signs point to Alex Sanchez with a little bit more pop and a much better arm.