I've been trying to figure out just what the hell has been going on with White Sox right fielder Jermaine Dye lately. Is it old age? Is he hurt? Is he pissed off that the Sox brought in Alex Rios to potentially take his job? Did he suddenly forget how to hit?
I don't know that I've ever seen a player put together two halves of a season more opposite than what Dye has produced this year. Let's crunch some numbers:
Dye in the first half: .302 avg., 20 HRs, 55 RBIs, 15 2Bs, 55 runs scored, .375 OBP, .567 SLG
Dye in the second half: .168 avg., 5 HRs, 19 RBIs, 3 2Bs, 19 runs scored, .276 OBP, .260 SLG
Talk about falling off the map. The man who won the World Series MVP for the Sox in 2005 and blasted a career-best 44 home runs in 2006 has a meager .260 slugging percentage for the entire second half of the season? Wow! Heck, I thought Dye was the Sox first-half MVP this year. It wasn't so long ago that he was quite good. Now, I cringe when I see his name in the starting lineup. I wish I had an explanation for this dropoff, but I don't.
It's actually been painful to watch Dye limp toward the finish line here in September. He's hitting .135 for the month with no homers and two RBIs. He hasn't had an extra-base hit since Sept. 6, when he hit his only double of the month. Earlier this season, I thought there was a fair chance the Sox would pick up Dye's $12 million option and bring him back for 2010. Now, I'm almost certain he'll be gone this offseason. My, how things can change in a matter of two months.
UPDATE: Dye breaks out of his slump with a pair of two-run homers Wednesday night. Not that it mattered. Sox lose 8-6.
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