Comments on: Defense By The Numbers

By: gbewing

gbewing — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 02:39:38 +0000

Kevin the fundementals org is listening
from mlbtraderumors

The Twins are attempting to trade for Cardinals shortstop Brendan Ryan according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Minnesota just sent the incumbent J.J. Hardy to Baltimore, and Ryan became expendable when St. Louis acquired Ryan Theriot.

The 28-year-old Ryan isn’t much with the stick, just a .256/.308/.344 hitter over the last two seasons, but his defensive skills are second to none. His +18.7 UZR since the start of 2009 leads big league shortstops, just about four full runs ahead of the second best defender, the aforementioned Hardy. The Twins are expected to sign Tsuyoshi Nishioka this month and they also have Alexi Casilla in house, though it’s hard to fault them for wanting to create some middle infield depth.

By: Person

Person — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 04:09:49 +0000

Fangraphs posts the DRS for individual players. Gordon was +6 in Left Field, and Podsednik was -10. At catcher Kendall was -4, and Pena was 0. Pena was just -1 in 2009. So if he’s really as bad behind the plate as everyone says he is, it hasn’t shown up in the numbers yet.

By: Andrew J Overton

Andrew J Overton — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 21:49:01 +0000

Very informative article Kevin. Thanks for the work. Goes to show how just a few small changes can make a pitching staff look either below or above average. Also shows just how important those transactions at the margin really are. What does our outlook for next season look like now with the Francouer signing?

By: gbewing

gbewing — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 04:21:57 +0000

Kevin very informative article and it explains a lot. Your suggestions are a bit in a vacuum though. Assuming, the Royals even read much less accept defensive statistics you list is a big leap. Secondly we have to be careful of extremes in thinking, Ryan may be a great defensive SS but if he can’t hit then he shouldn’t be a target either, not on a team with such poor offense. Improve d and get better offensively.

The Royal spin from Kaegel and other mouthpieces would be “Yuni’s offense is more valuable than Ryan’s defense” (if they even accept Ryan as a good defensive ss)They then would break down Yuni’s defense into pieces, he has a strong arm, good hands, he may have some trouble going right but few ss’s are the complete package. In other words their perception is OUR reality. btw Strat-O-Matic has always loved Ryan’s glove up the middle.

I loved this information. I would challenge some of your conclusions may be a bit optimistic, Mous a rookie 3b -not know for his glove could struggle a lot year 1, eventually he could get to league average, that’s a tough jump year 1.

Pena is awful defensively. If we tank a position offensively Pena might be a better choice, that ain’t happening either.

What you are asking for is for the Royals front office to be more creative in filling holes- no evidence they have that skill set.

By: Deep Dixie Blue

Deep Dixie Blue — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 01:30:29 +0000

“And he (Yost) made it clear that he’s extremely happy with the way shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt progressed both in the field and at the plate last year.”

So much for KC getting a better shortstop.

By: Clark Fosler

Clark Fosler — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 14:47:54 +0000

Only in Dayton Moore’s ‘Process’ can a pitching and defense theory be centered around an offensive shortstop who really is that good offensively. Ignoring the $3 million due Betancourt, I believe too much of Moore’s ego is attached to the Betancourt deal for him to follow Kevin’s very sensible suggestion.

By: Kyle

Kyle — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 14:35:11 +0000

Kevin makes this sound so easy. Kind of like how Rany made a Crawford signing sound so easy. I really don’t think there is anyway either of these things happen, but it would make a ton of sense. Yuni’s 3 mil salary for 2011, will make this move impossible. There is no way the Royals let him make 3 mil and sit on the bench.

By: Deep Dixie Blue

Deep Dixie Blue — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 14:33:17 +0000

That’s a very interesting scenario, but the main sticking point would be the amount of salaries that STL would be inheriting. It would be somewhere in the neighborhood $17M for Greinke and Yuni while Rasmus and Ryan will be less than $1.5 after Ryan goes thru arbitration.

Cardinals’ budget is already ‘leaking’ according to their GM after signing Westbrook ($8M), Berkman ($8), and trading for Theriot (est $3.5+/- in arb).

I would imagine they would trade B Ryan straight up for Chris Getz. He’s cheap, would make a good utility infielder, and gives them a defensive replacement at 2B for Schumaker. They seem to be in a hurry to be rid of Ryan.

By: kcghost

kcghost — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 14:33:03 +0000

No way GMDM gives up on the Yunigma. Ain’t happenin’, McGee. And too many of the local fans think Yuni was a positive offensive player due to his SLG last year. If Colon or Bianchi don’t progress as SS’s son’t be shocked if GMDM offers Yuni a contract extension.

Rasmus for Greinke isn’t enough. The Cards would have to come up with more than some cannon fodder to supplement this deal. Besides, there is no real upside for the Cards in this deal. Their problem last year was lack of offense, not pitching. Why would they give up offense to get more pitching??

By: Mr. Dave

Mr. Dave — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 14:14:22 +0000

If all the Cardinals are looking for is a fringe major league player for Ryan, then the ‘Yunigma’ issue can be solved by trading Yuni for Brendan Ryan. Yuni does seem to be the definition of a fringe major league player – probably too good for AAA, but not someone who should be playing in the majors on a consistant basis.
In fact, the Cardinals would be an ideal place to move Greinke, should Moore be so inclined. Rasmus is much better than any of the options in center, and has a solid bat that can be plugged into the lineup. Ryan would be a significant upgrade defensively at shortstop, and would probably hit better in the AL than he did in the NL. If the Cardinals would be willing to move a couple prospects, then Greinke and Yuni should be sent along I-70.
If we want to speculate on prospects, then the two most likely that Moore could acquire would appear to be Eduardo Sanchez and Robert Stock. Sanchez is a power arm with some control issues who projects as a bullpen type. He’s also 21, so he has plenty of time to gain more command of the strike zone, and we know that Moore covets young power arms. Stock is a bit more interesting to me. He’s considered a C/P, but prefers to play catcher. A lot of scouts think he’s better as a pitcher, but he prefers to hit. He’s 21, and while he wasn’t a great hitter in college, he did hit decently during his first minor league season.
Sanchez is a good prospect, and Stock is a decent flyer type. Why not make this type of move, since it will save a good amount of payroll and upgrade the team in two critical positions.