Mark Grote

And they sent a message to the rest of the team too.

He is a homegrown talent when they drafted, when they developed and as a hitter, a very good thing.

So he's a bit of a throwback in a good way, and I've often said he lengthens the lineup, and I think that that is important too.

And he did talk about how he is a bit unconventional when it came to that.

I think you pointed this out, Mark, the question from our friend Bruce Levine, asking him about that very thing, being unconventional in that he's not this slugger bopper guy, still getting a six-year, $141 million extension.

The establishment of what he is and understanding what he's not is what's intriguing about getting them many years for that many months.

Understand, it's the fourth largest contract for a second baseman ever.

And if you look at the other guys who are above him on that list, and you see names like Robinson Cano, Marcus Simeon, Jose Altuve, they all slug.

To a much higher degree than Nico Horner and his lifetime slugging percentage of .383.

They're all well over .400 in the slug department.

But it doesn't matter when you're getting as much as you're getting from him.

Not only from a fielding standpoint, but a solid bat to ball, contact-wise.

And also...

The havoc that he can create on the base pass as well with his speed.

I would like to see him hit more homers, though.

I would.

He doesn't have to sell out and hit.

And Nico probably wants to hit more home runs, too.

15?

12 to 15?