So the 14 errors are 5 more than any one else in baseball. This was a given going into spring training: Ian Desmond was going to make A LOT of errors, and both the coaches and most of the media agreed that it was worth overlooking for the long-term benefits of the team. That was March 2nd.
Roll around to June 2nd, and the Nats clinging to respectability. Ian Desmond MIGHT have contributed to the team losing with a hat trick of misfortune in the field, though scoring all of one run may have played an equally important role. Desmond himself had the only extra base hit after the first inning. Before continuing the E-6 jokes, here are couple of things to put into perspective. Thus far this season, Desmond has been worth about 1 win above replacement (0.9), while the man he replaced, Cristian Guzman, has put up 0.6 with a similar number of plate appearances. Based on the UZR, Desmond has made a play on over 84% of the the balls hit into his zone in 2010, as opposed to 78.5% for Guzman in 2009 (or 77% this season). Finally, remember Ryan Zimmerman was among the league leaders in errors at third base last season, but because he gets to so many more balls than other players, it is written off as an acceptable work hazard.
As rookie, Ian Desmond's production puts him in the middle of the pack amongst major league shortstops. He will improve on a daily basis and the errors should be ignored; this team wasn't expected to be in a wild card race and shouldn't start changing plans because they are flirting with .500 in June. Keep Desmond on the diamond, and Casey at the Bat.
Showing posts with label Cristian Guzman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cristian Guzman. Show all posts
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
The Pleasant Surprises, and a Couple Unpleasant Ones
Aside from the record, the Nats continue to exceed expectations despite not being all that much better a team from last summer. But of course, for every champion, there has to be, well, not a champion.
Champion
Matt Capps, Closer: Matt Capps has gotten it done every which way but lose this year, which considering that he has saved 11 of the 14 Nats wins without blowing one (and one was a complete game from Livan). That warrants some sort of accolade. He has flashed the ability to strike out the side, as well as the ability to get out of jams. He has charged in to retire more than three outs, and his best outing was in a losing effort against the Dodgers. Sure, he has posted an unsustainable strand rate (96.4%), which has neutralized those uncharacteristic walks. Gravity will likely catch up to him, and the ERA will settle in around 3, but there is no question who comes out of the pen when the game is on the line.
Not-So
Cristian Guzman, Nomad: Guzman has never been able to grasp the concept of the walk, and since his career was reborn following having missed all of 2006, he has desperately approached each at bat like he was sitting on 2,999 hits. The result this season has been an OBP under .300. Match that with below average defense all over the diamond, and you have a player incapable of contributing at the major league level. The only thing keeping him in the lineup has been the injury to Zimmerman and the fact that Adam Kennedy has been no better.
Later, how Ian Desmond projections continue to be spot on, and why.
Champion
Matt Capps, Closer: Matt Capps has gotten it done every which way but lose this year, which considering that he has saved 11 of the 14 Nats wins without blowing one (and one was a complete game from Livan). That warrants some sort of accolade. He has flashed the ability to strike out the side, as well as the ability to get out of jams. He has charged in to retire more than three outs, and his best outing was in a losing effort against the Dodgers. Sure, he has posted an unsustainable strand rate (96.4%), which has neutralized those uncharacteristic walks. Gravity will likely catch up to him, and the ERA will settle in around 3, but there is no question who comes out of the pen when the game is on the line.
Not-So
Cristian Guzman, Nomad: Guzman has never been able to grasp the concept of the walk, and since his career was reborn following having missed all of 2006, he has desperately approached each at bat like he was sitting on 2,999 hits. The result this season has been an OBP under .300. Match that with below average defense all over the diamond, and you have a player incapable of contributing at the major league level. The only thing keeping him in the lineup has been the injury to Zimmerman and the fact that Adam Kennedy has been no better.
Later, how Ian Desmond projections continue to be spot on, and why.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
The Phantom Waiver Claim
I remember driving around PG County somewhere when I heard the news that Cristian Guzman had been claimed off waivers by somebody. He was the perfect candidate for a fresh start, as he had lost the leadoff spot to Nyjer Morgan, and DC critics were ripping him for, well, being Cristian Guzman. Instead, Guzman hears the news and voices his displeasure through all channels. To make matters worse, the waiver claim turns out to be some faulty reporting on the Boston side, and Washington is forced to pull him back, stroke his ego, and tell him everything will be OK.
Cristian Guzman is the old dog that cannot learn new tricks, and he knows it. His overall abilities are regressing, and his desperate bat has to jump on the first hittable pitch he thinks he sees. His K:BB ratio will probably be in excess of 7 this season, yet the plan is to trot him out there in the #2 spot and hope Morgan can steal on the first pitch each time. Double plays increase exponentially despite his speed. To tell the truth, without Nick Johnson around, the Nats don't have that patient presence to anchor down that spot. The clever thing to do would be move Zim, Dunn, and the Hammer up a spot in the lineup, but Riggleman is scared to death of innovation (and I feel like I can write this freely as I am sure he is yet to discover "The Internets"). Dukes and Desmond aren't quite developed enough as hitters to be reliable, and Kennedy, while more patient, isn't going to provide the offensive threat. Sure, batting Zim second will probably shave 10 bombs off his yearly output, and if Morgan does steal, it opens up first base to pitch around him, but honestly, pitching around him to get to Dunn is just foolish.
The only thing Guz has going for him batting second is his ability to bat left-handed... to bad he sucks at it. In the AL, Guzman bats 8th or 9th; too bad the Nationals don't feel they can share this luxury.
Cristian Guzman is the old dog that cannot learn new tricks, and he knows it. His overall abilities are regressing, and his desperate bat has to jump on the first hittable pitch he thinks he sees. His K:BB ratio will probably be in excess of 7 this season, yet the plan is to trot him out there in the #2 spot and hope Morgan can steal on the first pitch each time. Double plays increase exponentially despite his speed. To tell the truth, without Nick Johnson around, the Nats don't have that patient presence to anchor down that spot. The clever thing to do would be move Zim, Dunn, and the Hammer up a spot in the lineup, but Riggleman is scared to death of innovation (and I feel like I can write this freely as I am sure he is yet to discover "The Internets"). Dukes and Desmond aren't quite developed enough as hitters to be reliable, and Kennedy, while more patient, isn't going to provide the offensive threat. Sure, batting Zim second will probably shave 10 bombs off his yearly output, and if Morgan does steal, it opens up first base to pitch around him, but honestly, pitching around him to get to Dunn is just foolish.
The only thing Guz has going for him batting second is his ability to bat left-handed... to bad he sucks at it. In the AL, Guzman bats 8th or 9th; too bad the Nationals don't feel they can share this luxury.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Adam Kennedy...
Well, he was the A's MVP for a good chunk of 2009... so why can't this guy get a contract before Spring Training?
So much of baseball has to do with "perception" and "reputation". Jason Kendall was once a great all-around athlete who could provide both offense and defense at a premium position. He had his foot knocked off with a baseball (one of the more gruesome baseball injuries I've seen) and was never the same. However, teams keep pursing him like this 2000, not 2010.
I like Fangraphs because they put all the different numbers and tools in one place. Since he will not be joining the organization this year (all the friggin snow probably scared him off to Minnesota), we probably will not mention Orlando Hudson any more after this column. Hudson, both in 2009 and over the course of his career, has posted better OBP and SLG than Kennedy, all the while collecting four Gold Gloves. Orlando Hudson has both those two words going for him. So despite having an advantage over Kennedy both on the field and at the plate, how the heck did Hudson generate less WPA?
Hudson hit in a lineup protected by some of the better hitters in the game; Kennedy, some of the worst. Kennedy split time between second base and third base, but fielded neither up to his standards. Hudson, since leaving the friendly turf in Toronto*, has been rated just an league average fielder.
* The differences between turf and grass are well documented, but how it impacts the different defensive positions really isn't. First and third base feel like fish in a barrel on turf. The English on a well struck ball is exacerbated by the synthetic surface, which makes playing a one-hopper like Russian Roulette. However, ground balls up the middle have less spin and roll true. The deep middle infield positions, however, are forced to deal with impacts of variable length grass, the transition between the grass, dirt, and grass again. The Minnesota Twins are really playing with fire by abandoning their BaggyDome. That turf is a huge home field advantage.
The thing that separates them most is that Kennedy is two years older and because he has had that one "down" year (2007... yikes!) is more or less written off. Hudson's career numbers are trending very predictably, with his defensive peak occurring in his mid twenties, his offensive peak occurring two to three years ago. There is little reason to believe that, barring injury, Kennedy will not contribute the same, if not more, WAR per at bat.
Given that the Nats plan to give Desmond a good look in the middle infield and still owe Cristian Guzman eight million dollars, a utility player like Kennedy probably makes more sense than a guy who can only play second base and will be less likely to check his ego at the door. See, sometimes those two words work both ways.
So much of baseball has to do with "perception" and "reputation". Jason Kendall was once a great all-around athlete who could provide both offense and defense at a premium position. He had his foot knocked off with a baseball (one of the more gruesome baseball injuries I've seen) and was never the same. However, teams keep pursing him like this 2000, not 2010.
I like Fangraphs because they put all the different numbers and tools in one place. Since he will not be joining the organization this year (all the friggin snow probably scared him off to Minnesota), we probably will not mention Orlando Hudson any more after this column. Hudson, both in 2009 and over the course of his career, has posted better OBP and SLG than Kennedy, all the while collecting four Gold Gloves. Orlando Hudson has both those two words going for him. So despite having an advantage over Kennedy both on the field and at the plate, how the heck did Hudson generate less WPA?
Hudson hit in a lineup protected by some of the better hitters in the game; Kennedy, some of the worst. Kennedy split time between second base and third base, but fielded neither up to his standards. Hudson, since leaving the friendly turf in Toronto*, has been rated just an league average fielder.
* The differences between turf and grass are well documented, but how it impacts the different defensive positions really isn't. First and third base feel like fish in a barrel on turf. The English on a well struck ball is exacerbated by the synthetic surface, which makes playing a one-hopper like Russian Roulette. However, ground balls up the middle have less spin and roll true. The deep middle infield positions, however, are forced to deal with impacts of variable length grass, the transition between the grass, dirt, and grass again. The Minnesota Twins are really playing with fire by abandoning their BaggyDome. That turf is a huge home field advantage.
The thing that separates them most is that Kennedy is two years older and because he has had that one "down" year (2007... yikes!) is more or less written off. Hudson's career numbers are trending very predictably, with his defensive peak occurring in his mid twenties, his offensive peak occurring two to three years ago. There is little reason to believe that, barring injury, Kennedy will not contribute the same, if not more, WAR per at bat.
Given that the Nats plan to give Desmond a good look in the middle infield and still owe Cristian Guzman eight million dollars, a utility player like Kennedy probably makes more sense than a guy who can only play second base and will be less likely to check his ego at the door. See, sometimes those two words work both ways.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Every Player is His Own Entitiy
I hate how people say that Jordan Zimmermann's tragic MRI diagnosis is going to give Scott Boras additional leverage going into the final week of negotiations. Stephen Strasburg's desire to play major league baseball in 2010 has nothing to with the amount of damage to Flash's ulnar collateral ligament. Jordan Zimmermann is not a party to these negotiations, nor is Dr. James Andrews.
The only parties that really have any bearing in these talks are Strasburg, Boras, Kasten, and Lerner, Inc. And you have to give Kasten credit for keeping it that way, leaving the media and the blogosphere in the dark.
What may impact the Strasburg signing is Washington's decision to waive and keep Cristian Guzman's 2010 salary. Cristian Guzman and his limited defense are not impacting these negotiations, just the money committed to him.
Remember, Stephen Strasburg had a year of college eligibility left. He chose to leave to cash in on his maximum value. He does himself no good turning down the Nationals to play Independent ball. I think Scott Boras may be selling his prowess of moving Luke Hochevar up from the #40 pick with the Dodgers to KC taking him #1 the following year (a comically stupid move by KC, but hey, I guess they got their guy). While Hochevar has not been a bust yet, he is still barely league average, and by losing a year of his career to stay out of ML ball, he upped his offer from 3 to 5 million. The only way this amount of money makes any impact to the lifetime earnings of a major league pitcher is if he never makes it to arbitration. A league average pitcher, like Scott Olsen, will make close to 3 million at arbitration. By not holding out, he reaches this threshold sooner, reaches free agency sooner, and extends his career one extra season. If Adam Eaton can cash out a 3 year 24 million dollar contract, any league average free agent can grab 5 million here and there, and last I checked, 5 million is greater than 2 million.
If Strasburg signs, barring injury, he will have his free agent clock ticking on May 1st. The Nats have no reason to keep him off the roster as he will sell tickets. If he lands somewhere else, that remains up in the air. The big bonus is great, but holding out for a bigger one only pays off if the pitcher doesn't make the bigs.
The only parties that really have any bearing in these talks are Strasburg, Boras, Kasten, and Lerner, Inc. And you have to give Kasten credit for keeping it that way, leaving the media and the blogosphere in the dark.
What may impact the Strasburg signing is Washington's decision to waive and keep Cristian Guzman's 2010 salary. Cristian Guzman and his limited defense are not impacting these negotiations, just the money committed to him.
Remember, Stephen Strasburg had a year of college eligibility left. He chose to leave to cash in on his maximum value. He does himself no good turning down the Nationals to play Independent ball. I think Scott Boras may be selling his prowess of moving Luke Hochevar up from the #40 pick with the Dodgers to KC taking him #1 the following year (a comically stupid move by KC, but hey, I guess they got their guy). While Hochevar has not been a bust yet, he is still barely league average, and by losing a year of his career to stay out of ML ball, he upped his offer from 3 to 5 million. The only way this amount of money makes any impact to the lifetime earnings of a major league pitcher is if he never makes it to arbitration. A league average pitcher, like Scott Olsen, will make close to 3 million at arbitration. By not holding out, he reaches this threshold sooner, reaches free agency sooner, and extends his career one extra season. If Adam Eaton can cash out a 3 year 24 million dollar contract, any league average free agent can grab 5 million here and there, and last I checked, 5 million is greater than 2 million.
If Strasburg signs, barring injury, he will have his free agent clock ticking on May 1st. The Nats have no reason to keep him off the roster as he will sell tickets. If he lands somewhere else, that remains up in the air. The big bonus is great, but holding out for a bigger one only pays off if the pitcher doesn't make the bigs.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Guzman Claimed Off Waivers!?!
It doesn't mean anything yet, but it shows that maybe there was a trade market for the shortstop all along. The Red Sox are a team who have had SS issues all season, and a three game sweep at the Yankees may have been just what the Nats needed to get a panic move.
I have no problems with Guzman as a baseball player. He is streaky as a pair of drawers after the Chili Cookoff, but as long as he is hitting over .300, he is an effective major league hitter. I just don't think he has the range to his left to play short any more and is more of a 2B-3B guy defensively.
The Nats should get value for Guzman while they can. They waited too long with Nick Johnson and got little. The savings will help going into the off season, and even if the only get a long shot in return, it is one more step to reloading the farm system, which is probably more important than the half win Guzman will provide these last two months. More than likely, he will slump and lower any potential trade value he may have left.
Make the move... unlike the Johnson and Beimel trades, the other party is the desperate one.
I have no problems with Guzman as a baseball player. He is streaky as a pair of drawers after the Chili Cookoff, but as long as he is hitting over .300, he is an effective major league hitter. I just don't think he has the range to his left to play short any more and is more of a 2B-3B guy defensively.
The Nats should get value for Guzman while they can. They waited too long with Nick Johnson and got little. The savings will help going into the off season, and even if the only get a long shot in return, it is one more step to reloading the farm system, which is probably more important than the half win Guzman will provide these last two months. More than likely, he will slump and lower any potential trade value he may have left.
Make the move... unlike the Johnson and Beimel trades, the other party is the desperate one.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Guzman Needs to Bat 7th... or 8th
Besides another team? Alas, that is a discussion for another time. Still, cannot believe the Nats were not able to parlay his hot start to a team in need of a SS (and there are several).
Since the acquisition of Nyjer Morgan, the Nats have filled the role of "prototypical lead-off hitter". Morgan takes pitches, bunts, gets on base 35% of the time or better, and can steal bases. So now that Guzman is out of the lead-off spot, where should Riggleman, or which ever lucky 5th grader he selects to pick his lineup, bat Guzman and his .300 average and .301 OBP?
The #2 spot is where he was the other night, and it was a disaster. He chases bad pitches, and while he isn't as prone to the GIDP as Zimmerman, he isn't moving the runner up. Besides, Nick Johnson really understands his role in that position, sacrificing power for control. And obviously the 3 and 4 spots are off limits, even if they are incorrectly administered. That's right, I'll get to that later.
Guzman batted fifth in the first game of this series, proving that Riggleman knows nothing about baseball strategy. Dunn was ahead of him in the lineup, and if Dunn is on first, which happens often with his walk rate, Guzman is NEVER scoring him from first base. Flat out foolish decision. And because Guzman is allergic to the #6 spot in the lineup, that leaves just three spots. OK, the pitcher will stay #9.
So #7 and #8 are open, and are usually reserved for the catcher and a spot starter. Guzman has been hitting the ball this season, but his ISO is still below .100. More often then not he is on first base. Same with Josh Bard. The difference is that Bard, even when healthy, is treacherously slow on the bases. Therefore, it probably best to bat Guzman ahead of him. Bard can paint the lines with double, and Guzman is quick enough to score from first. When Slappy gets the start, he isn't bringing power to the plate, but knows how to get to first and is quick for a catcher. Guzman should bat behind Nieves in the event he starts.
So what does that leave us with?
1. Morgan
2. Johnson
3. Willingham
4. Dunn
5. Zimmerman
6. Second Base (Gonzalez)
7. Guzman/Nieves
8. Bard/Guzman
Batting 8th does not mean that you are a poor hitter; just see what Joe Torre has been doing in LA. However, management seems to believe that Guzman has to bat high to protect his ego. This is pure BS. The objective is still to win games, and give his salary, he should be willing to bat near the bottom if it help produce runs.
The Nats run differential does not support a record as bad as what the Nats have posted. Yes, some of it can be attributed to the leaky bullpen, more to the defense. But those fundamentals do not support the fact that the Nationals hit the ball well, but often fail to score. Zimmerman is too much of a double play machine to bat third. His ground ball ratio also does not help Morgan score from third with less than two outs. Willingham is a good flyball hitter who can get on base. Zimmerman's propensity for ground balls up the middle should be moved down behind Dunn, where one of the following things are more likely:
a) the bases are empty because he is leading off an inning,
b) the bases are empty because Dunn just cleared them,
c) there are two outs so the infield is not at double play depth
d) if Dunn is on first and there are less than two outs, the Nats may have already scored (doesn't diminish the fact that a GIDP sucks, but hey, runs are runs)
Batting third does not allow for a-c, increasing the likelihood that the opponent will play for the double play against Zimmerman. This has probably cost the Nats a half dozen run alone this year. In any event, I will be stashing a printout of this blog in the home dugout every time I hit Nats Park this year.
Since the acquisition of Nyjer Morgan, the Nats have filled the role of "prototypical lead-off hitter". Morgan takes pitches, bunts, gets on base 35% of the time or better, and can steal bases. So now that Guzman is out of the lead-off spot, where should Riggleman, or which ever lucky 5th grader he selects to pick his lineup, bat Guzman and his .300 average and .301 OBP?
The #2 spot is where he was the other night, and it was a disaster. He chases bad pitches, and while he isn't as prone to the GIDP as Zimmerman, he isn't moving the runner up. Besides, Nick Johnson really understands his role in that position, sacrificing power for control. And obviously the 3 and 4 spots are off limits, even if they are incorrectly administered. That's right, I'll get to that later.
Guzman batted fifth in the first game of this series, proving that Riggleman knows nothing about baseball strategy. Dunn was ahead of him in the lineup, and if Dunn is on first, which happens often with his walk rate, Guzman is NEVER scoring him from first base. Flat out foolish decision. And because Guzman is allergic to the #6 spot in the lineup, that leaves just three spots. OK, the pitcher will stay #9.
So #7 and #8 are open, and are usually reserved for the catcher and a spot starter. Guzman has been hitting the ball this season, but his ISO is still below .100. More often then not he is on first base. Same with Josh Bard. The difference is that Bard, even when healthy, is treacherously slow on the bases. Therefore, it probably best to bat Guzman ahead of him. Bard can paint the lines with double, and Guzman is quick enough to score from first. When Slappy gets the start, he isn't bringing power to the plate, but knows how to get to first and is quick for a catcher. Guzman should bat behind Nieves in the event he starts.
So what does that leave us with?
1. Morgan
2. Johnson
3. Willingham
4. Dunn
5. Zimmerman
6. Second Base (Gonzalez)
7. Guzman/Nieves
8. Bard/Guzman
Batting 8th does not mean that you are a poor hitter; just see what Joe Torre has been doing in LA. However, management seems to believe that Guzman has to bat high to protect his ego. This is pure BS. The objective is still to win games, and give his salary, he should be willing to bat near the bottom if it help produce runs.
The Nats run differential does not support a record as bad as what the Nats have posted. Yes, some of it can be attributed to the leaky bullpen, more to the defense. But those fundamentals do not support the fact that the Nationals hit the ball well, but often fail to score. Zimmerman is too much of a double play machine to bat third. His ground ball ratio also does not help Morgan score from third with less than two outs. Willingham is a good flyball hitter who can get on base. Zimmerman's propensity for ground balls up the middle should be moved down behind Dunn, where one of the following things are more likely:
a) the bases are empty because he is leading off an inning,
b) the bases are empty because Dunn just cleared them,
c) there are two outs so the infield is not at double play depth
d) if Dunn is on first and there are less than two outs, the Nats may have already scored (doesn't diminish the fact that a GIDP sucks, but hey, runs are runs)
Batting third does not allow for a-c, increasing the likelihood that the opponent will play for the double play against Zimmerman. This has probably cost the Nats a half dozen run alone this year. In any event, I will be stashing a printout of this blog in the home dugout every time I hit Nats Park this year.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Moves
The Nationals front office has been busy this weekend. We should probably look at the moves one by one to try and guess what each means.
Ryan Langerhans for Mike Morse
On the surface, this looks like the Nationals are trading one of their surplus major league outfielders. Lastings Milledge had been rumored to be going to Pittsburgh, which probably would have been the preferred move, as Langerhans has more ML value. However, Langerhans has been stuck behind the glut of corner outfielders in the system, and was clearly behind Justin Maxwell in terms of age and Corey Patterson in terms of... ugh. Good for Langerhans, though. He hits well enough to fit into their ML plans, and he fits into Safeco's ginormous outfield so he will see playing time.
What does Mike Morse's arrival mean? The Nats have been running a rotation of Guzman, Gonzalez, and Hernandez through the middle infield, and Belliard is on the roster as well. Belliard isn't going anywhere until the end of the year, and if anything, he is done as a pro. Hernandez just got to the Nats and really hasn't shown much to be considered a bargaining chip. That leaves Alberto Gonzalez and Cristian Guzman, both of whom have been playing their asses off the past month. Gonzalez has been great for the Nats, though his glove has been suspect in 2009. Guzman is signed through the end of next season and is playing the best baseball of his career, despite the erratic defense and free-swinging.
Are the Nats getting into a position to leverage one of their two shortstops, using Morse as short-term insurance until Danny Espinoza is ready?
I give the move C+ for now, with a chance to upgrade, depending on how they can improve their defense up the middle before the trade deadline.
Ryan Langerhans for Mike Morse
On the surface, this looks like the Nationals are trading one of their surplus major league outfielders. Lastings Milledge had been rumored to be going to Pittsburgh, which probably would have been the preferred move, as Langerhans has more ML value. However, Langerhans has been stuck behind the glut of corner outfielders in the system, and was clearly behind Justin Maxwell in terms of age and Corey Patterson in terms of... ugh. Good for Langerhans, though. He hits well enough to fit into their ML plans, and he fits into Safeco's ginormous outfield so he will see playing time.
What does Mike Morse's arrival mean? The Nats have been running a rotation of Guzman, Gonzalez, and Hernandez through the middle infield, and Belliard is on the roster as well. Belliard isn't going anywhere until the end of the year, and if anything, he is done as a pro. Hernandez just got to the Nats and really hasn't shown much to be considered a bargaining chip. That leaves Alberto Gonzalez and Cristian Guzman, both of whom have been playing their asses off the past month. Gonzalez has been great for the Nats, though his glove has been suspect in 2009. Guzman is signed through the end of next season and is playing the best baseball of his career, despite the erratic defense and free-swinging.
Are the Nats getting into a position to leverage one of their two shortstops, using Morse as short-term insurance until Danny Espinoza is ready?
I give the move C+ for now, with a chance to upgrade, depending on how they can improve their defense up the middle before the trade deadline.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
The New Cris Guzman
I have been riding Cristian Guzman for numerous reasons this season. Mainly, because he has upper echelon talent that he displays in bursts, losing focus on occasion and playing like a replacement player. Some people still hold 2005 against him, where he played much worse than that, but for the most part, the good exceeds the bad with Guzman.
He was mentioned as a possible catalyst for some of the indifference a failure to execute, as he is one of the veteran leaders and needs to be setting the example. At the time, he wasn't getting behind ground balls and air mailing throws to first base. He was hitting fine, but come the end of May, those hits weren't dropping anymore and he was in a 7-42 funk.
Then, in the Tampa series, he was running full out to beat a ground ball to second base. He didn't, but that didn't deter him from running like a bat out of hell the next time, beating out an infield hit against the Yankees and bunting for a single against the Red Sox. That has helped him bat around .450 for the past week or so. The increase in hustle has corresponded to Alberto Gonzalez' activation, so maybe a little kick is what some of these guys need. The defense could still use some work.
He was mentioned as a possible catalyst for some of the indifference a failure to execute, as he is one of the veteran leaders and needs to be setting the example. At the time, he wasn't getting behind ground balls and air mailing throws to first base. He was hitting fine, but come the end of May, those hits weren't dropping anymore and he was in a 7-42 funk.
Then, in the Tampa series, he was running full out to beat a ground ball to second base. He didn't, but that didn't deter him from running like a bat out of hell the next time, beating out an infield hit against the Yankees and bunting for a single against the Red Sox. That has helped him bat around .450 for the past week or so. The increase in hustle has corresponded to Alberto Gonzalez' activation, so maybe a little kick is what some of these guys need. The defense could still use some work.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Less Depressing News
Zimmerman snapped out of his slump, Guzman is batting .467 over the last week, and Austin Kearns got a hit.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
All Star Picks... NL 3B and SS
I combined these two because there isn't much to debate.
Third Base: Ryan Zimmerman. David Wright has put up a decent batting average, and stole a crap ton of bases one game, but he is also striking out like it is his job, and his power way, way down. Zim, on the other hand, seems to have ironed out a few of the kinks in his swing (which actually caused my fiance and I to dub the Papa John's Zimmerman special, "What, are they going to deliver me a ground into a double play?). His line drive and fly ball rates are up, which has lead to an increase in easy singles and doubles, and along the way a 30-game hit streak. He is also fielding his position better than anyone in the league.
Shortstop: Hanley Ramirez is the Ryan Zimmerman of the shortstop position. Right now not only is he hitting the ball harder and further than anyone else playing the position, but he is also a proficient runner and superior fielder. With JJ Hardy struggling at the plate a little, nobody else enters the discussion.
Cristian Guzman? The .340 batting average (and steadily dropping) is decoration. He used to thrive on his speed, and his power numbers were driven by his ability to stretch singles to doubles, and doubles to triples. He has foregone the walk, apparently having donated his balls to science. And now, his attitude toward fielding can be illustrated by plummeting range and UZR numbers. Age and injuries may be a factor, but watching him nonchalantly jog around the infield leads me to believe otherwise.
Third Base: Ryan Zimmerman. David Wright has put up a decent batting average, and stole a crap ton of bases one game, but he is also striking out like it is his job, and his power way, way down. Zim, on the other hand, seems to have ironed out a few of the kinks in his swing (which actually caused my fiance and I to dub the Papa John's Zimmerman special, "What, are they going to deliver me a ground into a double play?). His line drive and fly ball rates are up, which has lead to an increase in easy singles and doubles, and along the way a 30-game hit streak. He is also fielding his position better than anyone in the league.
Shortstop: Hanley Ramirez is the Ryan Zimmerman of the shortstop position. Right now not only is he hitting the ball harder and further than anyone else playing the position, but he is also a proficient runner and superior fielder. With JJ Hardy struggling at the plate a little, nobody else enters the discussion.
Cristian Guzman? The .340 batting average (and steadily dropping) is decoration. He used to thrive on his speed, and his power numbers were driven by his ability to stretch singles to doubles, and doubles to triples. He has foregone the walk, apparently having donated his balls to science. And now, his attitude toward fielding can be illustrated by plummeting range and UZR numbers. Age and injuries may be a factor, but watching him nonchalantly jog around the infield leads me to believe otherwise.
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