Voodoo Sabermetrics: Lastings Milledge

Welcome to our second edition of Voodoo Sabermetrics. This week's subject is Washington Nationals center fielder, Lastings Milledge.

There is oh so much more than meets the eye with this guy. There's the sex with minors, high school expulsions, more sex with minors, high-fiving fans at inappropriate junctions, ho-downs, and a rap career which the Nats hope never takes off.

Sooze, Babes Love Baseball

Jolliness - When you and your crew are as fashionably late as Lastings Milledge was during his brief stint with the New York Mets, you don't need jolliness to slow your roll. Frequent injuries are already doing the trick.

The more bling the merrier, right? If that is the case, Milledge gets a grinning Slick Rick on the Jollity Scale: hilariously dorky.

Chad Cordero Finally Gets Paid

Avoiding arbitration Friday, righty Chad Cordero and the Washington Nationals agreed to a $6.2 million, one-year contract.

At 25, he went 3-3 with 37 saves and a 3.36 ERA for the Nats in 2007, becoming the second-youngest closer in history to record 100 career saves.

Cordero has converted more than 80% of his opportunities over the last three seasons. Remember when he set a club record and led the majors with 47 saves in 2005? The following year he had 29 saves with a 7-4 record and a 3.19 ERA, making just $525,000.

Among the eight other players Washington agreed to terms with Friday, Lastings Milledge, who was acquired in late November by way of trade with the New York Mets, received a split deal that would pay him $402,500 if he's in the big leagues and $145,075 in the minors.

[National Post]

Mets, Nationals Make a Swap

The New York Mets have traded outfielder/aspiring rapper and manager Lastings Milledge to the Washington Nationals for catcher Brian Schneider and outfielder Ryan Church.

Milledge, whose client you can find here, batted .272 with seven bombs and 29 RBIs last year.

Church, 29, will vy for a spot in right field after hitting .272 with 15 homers and 70 RBIs for the Nats.

The 31-year-old Schneider, who hit .235 with 6 homers and 54 RBIs in 2007, will share backstop duties with Ramon Castro, who was re-signed last week. Johnny Estrada, or the third wheel, is sure to be released.

[Newsday]

Mets Ditch Franco, Call Up Milledge

Apparently, the novelty of the New York Mets having the oldest player in the history of the game on their active roster finally wore off.

It's much more hip to have a preoccupied rapper at the plate.

Franco was batting .200 with 1 home run and 8 RBIs in 50 at-bats while Milledge, sans argyle sweater-vest, was hitting .342 with 4 homers and 13 RBIs in 73 minor league at-bats.

[SI.com] | [Nyjer, Please]

Lastings Milledge Is So Gangstuh

Injured New York Mets prospect Lastings Milledge has gotten himself into some trouble again, only this time it's for making a rap disc that uses those filthy words we don't generally use around Grandma.

One song in particular, "Bend Ya Knees" includes the use of the n-word and some derogatory language used to describe certain types of women who like to bend their knees a lot.

Mets GM Omar Minyana spoke with Milledge, currently rehabbing an injured right foot on the AAA New Orleans Zephyrs' DL, to let him know the team's opinion of his music. "We don't approve of the lyrics," he said.

Mets Agree to Terms with Thirteen Players

The New York Mets agreed to terms with 13 players on Friday, including right-handed pitchers John Maine and Aaron Heilman and outfielder Lastings Milledge, with undisclosed financial terms.

Maine, 25, was 6-5 with a 3.65 ERA in 16 appearances last season, going 1-0 with an impressive 2.63 ERA in three postseason starts.

Heading a group of talented set-up men, Heilman posted a 12-18 record with a 4.34 ERA in 146 appearances last season.

Milledge hit .241 with four homers and 22 RBIs in 56 games last season as a prized prospect and is heading into spring training attempting to seal the deal for a spot as a reserve outfielder.

[New York Mets]