Boras talks up Damon

The Scott Boras machine is in full effect, lately.

Yesterday I posted Boras’ starting pitch for left fielder Matt Holliday. Today, I offer Boras’ pitch for another, more familiar left fielder—Johnny Damon—who will be a free agent after the Yankees win the World Series (I had to do it, I’m sorry). Here’s what Boras had to say about Damon’s impending free agency.

“Not that I’ve been thinking about this, but players who can get on the field every day and score 100 runs, how many guys do that?” Boras said. “Johnny just plays, and he’s got the body type that allows him to do that.

“If stem-cell research were around, you’d want to tap into that gene pool,” Boras added. “He’s (35), but has a 30-year-old’s body. He plays much younger.”

Boras then went on to compare Damon to Hall of Famer, Rickey Henderson, noting (essentially) that Henderson scored 100 runs multiple times after turning 35 and that Johnny Damon, despite his age, could definitely do it, as well (how he came to this conclusion, I have no idea).

Despite the embellished perception of baseball history—Henderson scored 100+ runs only twice after turning 35 (and he played until he was 44)—Boras’ initial pitch helps in understanding the way the super agent intends on marketing Damon over the winter. Since Damon doesn’t lead the league in any statistical categories—not even runs—and plays particularly poor defense, it looks like Boras will try to trumpet Damon’s run totals and his (fading) durability (the durability piece is necessary given Damon’s age). Damon also added some power to his resume while with the Yankees, though I doubt that will be used as an effective selling point since most organizations would correctly connect that aspect of his game to the new Stadium’s homer inducing climate.

What do you think about Boras’ marketing plan for Damon? If the Yankees intend to resign him, do you think they’ll have a lot of competition (and, if so, who else do you think is interested)?

Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images