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At the Huffington Post, Dave Hollander examines how immeasurable the arrival of Cliff Floyd is to a team.
According to Hollander, wherever Floyd goes, his teams are impacted ‘as if before Floyd got there not only weren’t they winning but his teams appeared to have little idea how to win.’
Hollander breaks down the following examples of the Floyd Factor:
Marlins: In 1996, the team was 80-82, finishing 3rd in the NL East. Floyd joins the team in 1997. They go 92-70 and win the World Series.
Mets: In 2001, the team was 75-86, finishing 5th in the NL East. Floyd joins the club in 2003. Three seasons later the Mets are one strike away from going to the World Series.
Cubs: In 2006, the team was 66-96, finishing last in the NL Central. Floyd joins the team in 2007 and they go 85-77, winning the NL Central.
Rays: Since their inception in 1998, this franchise has only finished above last place in their division once. They have never won more than 70 games in a season, and reached that meager total but once. Floyd joins the team this season and they are leading AL East through the first third of the season. Their record has been at times the best in baseball.
Floyd typically doesn’t carry teams, nor is he the best player, however there is something about his presence which Hollander sums up the best by stating:
“You can’t measure a conversation that instructs or motivates or takes pressure off. You can’t quantify a well timed joke that eases tension in the clubhouse. Or a look that reassures. Or a skillful deflection of the media away from a player who can’t handle it. Or a million other little things that go into the relationships that are bonded over the course of season together. These are the human qualities that elude objective statistical analysis. But they’re crucial to creating a winning team. In order to win, especially to win a championship, it’s not simply about being the best player but about making other teammates play better.”
…this is a great read…uncle cliffy was one of my favorite Mets…i never realized he had such an impact for the teams he played on…i guess that is why, if i remember correctly, many of the players, including David Wright, wanted him back in 2007.
…by the way…is there evidence of him being able to resuscitate a team twice…
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Has anybody calculated the Abe Nunez effect?
when he was traded to the Red Sox, he helped them finish 24 games over .500 but still not make the playoffs… 2 years later….
they broke the curse
There is an unrecognized personality that he brings to a team. I actually had the luxury of doing a shot of straight Grey Goose with Uncle Cliff and DW at a club called Posh back in 06… when the team WAS actually a team….. those were the days! And if I remember correctly, Cliff hit a HR in his 1st at bat the next afternoon
Note; since not being resigned by the Mets, Cliff Floyd has played 132 Games, 51 Runs, 14 HR’s (Including walk off), 59 RBI while batting .272
Alou has only played 101 Games, 55 Runs, 13 HR’s, 56 RBI however he hit .340
Alou put up some good numbers but Floyd actually played in 30 more games… plus we actually Like Floyd!
Yes, but Moises Alou is NOT a nice guy. Cliff was the man. His ATTITUDE is sorely missed
I’ve been saying this since he left. Uncle Cliff was hugely important as a team leader.
Maybe if his name was Cliff Fernandez or Feliciano, etc, Minaya would have signed him to a 4 year 25 million dollar contract. . . or does he need to have bad knees too?
The Mets need some Lee Fine (a.k.a Matt Williams) in their clubhouse. He could come to bat to the song “Down with the Thickness” by Goddsmack. Subway down the right-field line would be replaced by a Perkins stand. Could you imagine the attendance at July’s Aunt Jemima night hosted by Bisquick?
Mmmmmmmm………..syrup……
The Mets need some Lee Fine (a.k.a Matt Williams) in their clubhouse. He could come to bat to the song “Down with the Thickness” by Goddsmack. Subway down the right-field line would be replaced by a Perkins stand. Could you imagine the attendance at July’s Aunt Jemima night hosted by Bisquick?
Mmmmmmmm………..syrup……
Context?
Remember when he went to the Expos? And then they moved out of the country!
A few weeks ago, I told my co-worker that he is the one guy that is missing from this team that really made an impact. Especially in the locker room.
and Nady.
Nady was on the team for like 2 weeks….what the heck did he really do here that the fans love him so much, I don’t get it? Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t dislike him, and I wouldn’t be upset if the Mets got him back, but he really didn’t make that big of an impact on me, and I’m curious why his name is mentioned in every “what’s wrong with the Mets” thread. You’d think the guy won 3 MVP awards here or something.
“What the heck did he really do here that the fans love him so much, I don’t get it?”
He hit! Also going 5 for 5 on opening day was great too. He’s a nice right handed bat to have in the lineup.
“He hit!”
yep, he hit ..264/.326/.487, 14 HR in 75 games, for an OPS+ of 107. That’s decent, but it still fails to tell me why so many Mets fans have a hard-on for the guy. Derek Bell hit .313/.395/.485 and 10 homers through his first 75 games with the Mets, yet you never heard anyone clamoring for him to come back to save the season when the Mets were struggling in 2001 and 2002. And Derek Bell had flash and charisma, so it’s not like he was dead weight. Again, what, exactly is it about Xavier Nady that people are so obsessed with?
this is the exact reason why you cant look only at stats when talking about baseball.
Nady played hard all the time. Alot like church does. He played a solid D, and had a great attitude… alot like cliff.
Its not always the all-stars that win or lose games (although he could be one this year)… its the other guys… the guys we dont have this year.
Derek Bell was a punk.
I miss Cliff… he was a good Met. Thanks for the post…
I’d take Cliff on this team. Anybody that deny’s that the personality and make-up of a team is an important part of a winning ball club is out of thier mind. See: the 2006 Mets, 1986-1988 Mets, Mets of the late 90’s, 1969 Mets, etc etc……
Guys like Floyd and Valentin are obviously missed, more than any of us (the fan, the WFAN host, or any beat writer) can come close to comprehending.
OK, here’s the thing. We all love the METS and after 2006 we are wanted and thought that 2007 would be the year, it was not. Now in 2008 we still want it and we look at the team with blinders on. We dont see t he problems and holes we ignore them and think that faith and hope is enough to win, ITS NOT. This is a 500 team, thats all folks, nothing more and nothing less. We still have a few good games left in us and some great come from behind wins that will make us all remember that 2006 feeling, for a moment. But, when the season is over we will be a 500 team in the middle of the pack. I like to think of 2001. We got hot and played great at the end, but, fell short after giving it a run. That is what we will do in 2008. We will hang back and then catch fire and all our hopes will soar and we will all believe that this is our year and then, back down to earth. Im OK with that. It was OK for all the other years as a MET fans, so why should I expect anything other than that now? Lets have fun watch the games and be happy that baseball is back. We can cheer and Boo and have fun and know that in the end October is the end for us.
that article right from the make something out of nothing file….
he had nothing to do with the marlins success…he was injured most of the time leading up to the 1997 WS.
i’m sure he’s providing good vet leadership with the rays, just as he did with the 2004-2005 mets, but let’s not get crazy. the teams he has provided leadership for have won EXACTLY NOTHING.
…and i like cliffy…
I guess there’s a line drawn between the cup empty and the cup full argument. There have been plenty of players in all sports who have quiet performances but provide a lift to their team that helps them play better as a whole. It’s not something that’s measurable, but no writer can ever write this kind of story without extensive research - talking to ex-teammates, coaches, etc.
One thing we know for sure, everyone liked Cliff here in NY. And there were even weeks when he did carry the team. The bottom line can be that he was a non-factor, but it can also be that he was a huge contributor to the team’s success. Personally, I was very disappointed when he wasn’t resigned, but my guess is, he wanted to start and the Mets were offering a bench role (if anything). Would he have made a difference last year? Perhaps. But in reality, if looking at the numbers (and baseball IS a numbers game), his performance wasn’t anything special.
Haha and instead we brought in Alou who’s probably played even LESS time than cliff has over the last year
I liked Cliff, but it is a stretch especially with the Marlins in 1997 and forgetting the Mets sucked horribly in 2003 and 2004.
If this is a serious article than it is very poorly done.
Floyd is great, you always have to root him on no matter where he is. Atta boy Floyd
I dunno, I am hearing way too much about
“clunhouse presence”.
Pedro was gonna light up the team’s spirit,
Valentin and that 90 year old X brave were like coaches,
Delgado the restrained but dignified leader. Maybe we need better
coaches.psychiatrists, or comedians to liven up the club?
Most of these character guys are trying to stave father time.
I do think Chemistry means something because a confident
happy team with as much talent as ours usually wins.
Cliff was the guy who told the mets brass to bring up Reyes
and gave him the tough love he needed to get out of the trainers room and become a star ( for a minute).
Cliff was also a lefty Alou..could never stay on the field.
I hope metsblog refrains from linking to “The Huffington Post” in the future. Even if it is an article about Cliffy.
Really? Pretty good website, in my experience.
With you on this one, I am very politically motivated but prefer to see my mets and my politics firmly seperated.
We live in a world of synergy. As long as Obama or McCain aren’t taking pictures with the Homerun Apple, we’ll be okay.
just pick Floyd or Valentin to replace Willie. Problem solved!
I have commented numerous times on the impact of floyd. He was a leader.