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The future of Dan Uggla

Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla is putting together a pretty nice season, considering he is coming into an arbitration year. Uggla was the subject of trade talks last season, but instead, was rewarded with a 5.35 million dollar contract.

Despite a disappointing average, Uggla has put up solid power numbers up to this point in the season.


G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG
2009 - Dan Uggla 116 414 58 101 19 1 22 64 69 105 1 0 .244 .356 .454

Michael Jong of Marlin Maniac has some pretty nice analysis on Uggla and why he will likely receive upwards of 7 million dollars in arbitration this offseason. 

For many hitters, .240 is bad. But for high power-patience hitters, .240 can be representative of a solid season. Now of course, Uggla isn’t Adam Dunn or even Jack Cust in terms of walking, so he does need more of a .260 average to put an excellent wOBA up. But even at a .240 average, Uggla has a .355 OBP and a .447 SLG, which has been good for a .351 wOBA and almost nine runs above average offensively, without adjusting for home park.

Uggla is hitting .339 in the month of August, with a .292 average and 6 home runs since the All-Star break. With no legitimate options a on the free agent market at second base, the likelihood they hold onto Uggla for the 2010 season increases. However, a large handful of Marlins are arbitration-eligible this offseason, and some could be moved to keep payroll down.

The Nationals could be a possible landing spot for Uggla. Slotting Uggla in front of Dunn in that lineup could have a major impact on the hitters around them. While Uggla's BABIP is low, in large part to a poor start of the season, he would see a lot of good pitches in front of Dunn, which would put them in position to generate runs.