Archive for March 1st, 2010

Mar 01

Is Carl Crawford A Gold Glove Outfielder?

BJ Upton, Carl Crawford Cork Gaines 6 Comments »

Earlier this winter it was announced that Carl Crawford won the 2009 Fielding Bible Award as baseball’s best defensive left fielder for the third time in four years. This is John Dewan’s summation of Crawford’s award from The Bill James Handbook…

He’s baaack! Again. Crawford wins his third award. The only year of our four that he didn’t win was two years ago (2007), when he came in a close second to Eric Byrnes. This year was no contest. No player has ever won with a perfect record (10 first place votes from 10 panelists), but Carl came as close as possible with nine first places and one second. That’s 99 points. (The best previously was 98 points by Adam Everett at shortstop in 2006.) If Crawford doesn’t win his first Gold Glove this year, I’m going to throw up.

Gold Gloves for outfielders in each league are given to the three best defensive outfielders no matter which outfield position they play. Most often the awards go to three center fielders as CF is deemed a far more important position.

In Bill James’ defensive spectrum, LF is ranked ahead of only 1B and DH in terms of difficulty, while CF ranks behind only C, SS and 2B. So it makes sense that the best defenders will play CF. Of the remaining outfielders, those with the best arms will go to RF and whatever is left over plays LF. “Leftovers” is what Crawford is competing against in the “Fielding Bible Awards.”

This is not a knock on Crawford. We love Crawford. He is a great defensive left fielder*. And he probably is the best defensive left fielder in baseball. But being the best defensive left fielder is akin to being named the MVP of the 2002 Devil Rays or winning the “Best Looking Pug” award. It is a matter of perspective.

So where does CC rank among all outfielders? According to UZR, Crawford (17.6) was the third best defensive outfielder in the AL last year, behind only Franklin Guitierrez and Ryan Sweeney. Does this mean Crawford was one of the best defensive outfielders in the AL in 2009? Maybe. Maybe not.  BJ Upton was 6th with an 8.2 UZR. Anybody think Crawford is twice as good as Upton defensively? We don’t.

So, until they start giving Gold Gloves specifically to left fielders, Crawford is at best, a borderline Gold Glover. Failing to give him a Gold Glove would not be the biggest slight in the history of baseball awards.

We suggest that Dewan not eat too much on the day the Gold Gloves are announced in November.

* Crawford is a great defender from bat to glove. He still has a terrible throwing arm, although it has gotten better

Mar 01

James Shields To Join Dewayne Staats As Honorary Members Of The Afro-Squad

James Shields Cork Gaines 4 Comments »

We rarely get to see James Shields’ afro in all its glory.

The Abe Lincoln scruff is a nice touch. The End.

P.S. Title is a shout-out to these guys.

Mar 01

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Trading With The Enemy, The Battle At Second And The Dude Chillin’ In The Spring

Ben Zobrist, Carl Crawford, David Price, James Shields, Joe Dillon, JP Howell, Pat Burrell, Sean Rodriguez Cork Gaines 6 Comments »

Marc Topkin bring up an interesting question that on the surface would seem like a resounding “no.” Would the Rays trade Carl Crawford to the Red Sox or Yankees during the season?

Would they trade him to the rival Yankees or Red Sox? (The guess here is yes, if they had they best offer.)

The idea seems crazy. Like Tracy Morgan crazy. But he might be right.

The Rays never concern themselves with what other teams do. They are only ever concerned with how to make their own team better. And the Rays only make moves that maximize value. It is the same way they approach the draft: Take the best player available, regardless of what position he plays.

So while the Rays wouldn’t want to help the Yankees and Red Sox, if they presented an offer that gives the Rays the best hope for success down the road, they might just say yes. The bigger question might be: Would the Yankees or Red Sox want to add to the Rays already impressive farm system and young talent?  That might be the factor that keeps the Red Sox or Yankees from making a substantial offer.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Tampa Bay Rays Fan has the new MLB2K10 commercial featuring Evan Longoria…Notice that Longo is batting in a game with 1 out away from a perfect game. That of course would be the 9-spot in the lineup. So can we assume that Dirtbag is pinch-hitting? [Tampa Bay Rays Fan]
  • More evidence that the Rays are leaning towards Ben Zobrist as the most-days second baseman: To start, Zobrist will play second when Jason Bartlett is at shortstop, while Reid Brignac and Sean Rodriguez will be on the field together and alternate between second base and shortstop. [St. Pete Times]
  • Marc Topkin has more on the battle at second base and right field. [St. Pete Times]
  • While throwing BP, James Shields traded in his signature Abe Lincoln scruff for something different. [The Heater]
  • In hopes of getting the team off to a better start in April, Joe Maddon will give his regulars more ABs in the spring. [Rays Report]
  • JP Howell will see a reduced workload this spring in an effort to get 80 appearances during the regular season. [Rays Report]
  • Fred Goodall writes about Pat Burrell’s crusade to prove 2009 was a fluke. [USA Today]
  • Steve Henson writes about David Price’s crusade to prove he is a top-of-the rotation starter. [Yahoo! Sports]
  • Bill Chastain writes about Sean Rodriguez’ crusade to make the team. [MLB]
  • James Shields unorthodox delivery with runners on base is his way of keeping runners close to the bag. [Tampa Tribune]
  • Roger Mooney writes about Joe Dillon’s move behind the plate in an effort to make himself more valuable. [Tampa Tribune]
  • Roger Mooney has 5 questions for Sean Rodriguez. [Tampa Tribune]