Second Base: Tough decision, and I really wanted to find a way to work Orlando Hudson into the conversation, but defensively he has regressed since getting off the turf in Toronto. Hudson has been awesome at the top of the Dodgers lineup, a product of his .400 BABIP. Rickie Weeks may have been able to steal the vote, but he is hurt, leaving Chase Utley and only Chase Utley at the top of the list. We all know what Utley does, providing a .300 average with 30 homers and 100 RBIs... and he's pretty solid with the glove too. He's basically Ryno with better tools around him in the lineup. He is almost a lock for a fourth straight Silver Slugger and will likely join Ryno in 15 years.
Where do the Nats second basemen fit in? Well, Ronnie Belliard has been so bad the Nats have turned to Anderson Hernandez, who is batting a mildly acceptable .280 with no power. This is actually shocking, considering in a full season of AAA he dropped a ghastly .568 OPS at Norfolk (Mets) for an entire season. In most cases, this would put you right out of baseball... with the Nats, immediate promotion to the majors. Honestly, I don't even know how to appropriately criticize this, since I wasn't scouting the International League last year. Soft hitting middle infielders can play if they can field well, but he looks like an average fielder and he is already 26. He seems to also be picking up some bad habits from Mr. Guzman. The Nats should be in the market for a major league second baseman this off-season.
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Anderson Hernandez hits lighter than Sam Horn in the sack......PRESENT DAY!
ReplyDeleteSure, Belliard knows more English words than hits produced in '09, but I say give him a shot....he's the one who's got a passing shot at a homer, and seems to have a flair for the dramatic (walk-off).
I don't know... Belliard has about as much range as Ben Affleck and the infield would be littered with McDonald's wrappers...
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