LASTINGS MILLEDGE

4/5/85; '03 1st (New York Mets); Bradenton, FL (HS)
R/R; 6-1, 180

Level
BA
OBP
SA
AB
2B
3B
HR
BB
K
SB
CS
2003 R+ (NYM)
.231
.323
.308
26
2
0
0
3
4
5
1
2004 A+ (NYM)
.235
.319
.432
81
6
2
2
9
21
3
2
2004 A (NYM)
.337
.399
.579
261
22
1
13
17
53
23
6
2005 AA (NYM)
.337
.392
.487
193
17
0
4
14
47
11
5
2005 A+ (NYM)
.302
.385
.418
232
15
0
4
19
41
18
13
2006 NL (NYM)
.241
.310
.380
166
7
2
4
12
39
1
2
2006 AAA (NYM)
.277
.388
.440
307
21
4
7
43
67
14
10
2007 NL (NYM)
.272
.341
.446
184
9
1
7
13
42
3
2
2007 AAA (NL)
.333
.372
.436
39
1
0
1
2
12
5
0
2007 AA (NYM)
.435
.458
.957
23
1
1
3
0
4
1
0
2007 A+ (NYM)
.250
.400
.250
4
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
2007 R (NYM)
.143
.333
.286
7
1
0
0
1
2
0
1
2008 NL (Wash)
.268
.330
.402
523
24
2
14
38
96
24
9
2008 AAA (Wash)
.077
.077
.077
13
0
0
0
0
4
0
0
2008 R (Wash)
.250
.250
1.000
4
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
2009 NL
.291
.333
.395
220
11
0
4
12
37
6
4
2009 NL (Wash)
.167
.231
.167
24
0
0
0
1
10
1
0
2009 AAA
.333
.425
.433
60
6
0
0
8
10
3
2
2009 AAA (Wash)
.253
.277
.316
79
5
0
0
3
16
6
1
2009 A+
.250
.308
.833
12
1
0
2
1
3
0
0
2009 R
.333
.429
.500
12
2
0
0
2
2
1
0
2009 R (Wash)
.200
.500
.800
5
0
0
1
3
0
1
0

Milledge was highly regarded as a high school prospect due to his potential to be the elusive five-tool player.  He has good speed, a strong arm and a quick bat.  He might have gone early in the first round, but fell to the 12th pick due to teams' concerns over an inconclusive police investigation of Milledge for possible misconduct involving a female minor.  (Milledge was also a minor at the time.)  The Mets claimed to have investigated and concluded there were no serious concerns.  He made good progress through their system.  His plate discipline seemed lacking in the low minors, but improved when he reached AAA.

Despite being heavily hyped, Milledge never settled in with the Mets.  He alienated the team's veteran players with antics like high-fiving fans after his first major league homerun.  His performance was respectable considering that he got only 350 at-bats with the Mets, but the team apparently tired of him and traded him for a mediocre catcher (Brian Schneider) and a platoon/fourth outfielder (Ryan Church).  Milledge had an inconsistent 2008 season with the Nationals, but began 2009 as the team's centerfielder and leadoff hitter.  He lasted only seven games and was sent to the minors.  A missed meeting and several misplayed flyballs supposedly played as much of a role in the demotion as his overall performance.  Milledge didn't exactly get things straightened out quickly in AAA and then broke a finger.

The Pirates acquired Milledge and RHP Joel Hanrahan for Nyjer Morgan and Sean Burnett.  At the time, Milledge was still rehabbing from his injury and continued to do so at various stops in the Pirates' farm system.  The team also said it had both hitting and fielding issues it wanted him to work on.  Many Pirate fans seemed to be itching to find an excuse to write Milledge off as a head case, but he reacted positively to the coaching he received and said he'd gotten more help from the Pirates than he ever did from the Mets or Nationals.  The Pirates obviously were taking a risk by trading a popular and wildly overrated player like Morgan for Milledge, as fans aching to find excuses to rip the team's management were sure to latch onto his reputation and the fact that two teams had "given up" on him.  (It's odd how some fans will take a trade as an indication of "failure" on the part of any player the Pirates acquire but not on the part of the players the Pirates trade away.)  Of course, the fact that Milledge is five years younger than Morgan means nothing to many fans.  Anyway, it's not a good idea to write Milledge off, either as a "failed prospect" or a "head case."  All the complaints being leveled at Milledge were leveled at players like Brandon Phillips, Jose Guillen, Josh Hamilton and Carlos Pena.  The fact is that he's a talented athlete who's still only 24, and he's been a model citizen since the Pirates acquired him.  His reputation—which the Pirates profess to have checked out and found overblown—may have been more the product of cranky veterans in New York, and a dismal clubhouse situation and unstable management in Washington.

Milledge took over the LF job on the last day of July and stayed there the rest of the year.  His hitting was uneven, as he still has plate discipline issues and he hit for only occasional power.  He did hit for a good average, though, and the broken finger likely still hampered him.  So far in the majors he has a mild platoon split, with an OPS+ of 106 against LHPs and 98 against RHPs.  He had a much larger split in the minors.  Although he runs well, he doesn't have Andrew McCutchen-type speed and he hasn't learned to use his speed well on the bases.  The most interesting development during his first two months in Pittsburgh was his defense.  He came with a terrible reputation, which UZR bore out.  He played very well with the Pirates, though, a fact also borne out by UZR.  With occasional exceptions, he took good routes and used his speed well.  He made a number of diving catches, was charged with no errors, and recorded six assists.  He'll open 2010 in one of the outfield corners, depending on who else ends up in the OF.

Return to Corner Outfielders