Speaking of overshadowed and WAR…Don’t disregard Orlando Ordonez.(50.03)

[niles08]

Now that we have discussed Emilio Morales and even James Monger, it’s hard to ignore the fact that even if James Monger does cross Morales for the standing for career WAR, it’s likely that it will be short-lived as Orlando Ordonez is not far behind. Sure, he’s ranked 5th right now, but he is possibly going to be in the top 3 for the franchise by season's end.

Ordonez has 47.6 WAR right now at age 29, which is 7 years younger than James Monger and a full 10 behind Emilio Morales. He also signed a 6-year extension before the season began, keeping him in Omaha through the 2054 season(the contract has no opt-outs for either side).

Last year he put up 4.5 WAR, which was his good, but also his lowest since 2043. Barring a major injury or something odd happening, Ordonez is going to be the franchise leader around the middle of 2051, with 3 years left to build that lead.

Talk about being overshadowed by others, Ordonez has been great since his debut at age 19 in 2039. He has a 114 OPS+, 391 home runs, and 414 stolen bases. Ordonez isn’t the leader type in the clubhouse, that’s what Monger’s role is. Ordonez role is to produce results, and there is no doubt that will be his responsibility the next few seasons.

No, he isn’t going to finish with 700 career home runs, but he is cemented in the top 3 Omaha players of all time already, and nobody has noticed. Nearly every statistic you look at, you find Morales, Monger, and Ordonez. Maybe that comes with longevity with one franchise…or maybe he’s just a really good player.