Nats fan Pat asks:
How come the world is used to slick fielding, weak hitting SS.Folks like the old Senator's Ed Brinkman. There have been thousands of them over the years.Folks like Cal Ripken, A-ROD are very unusual, they were good fielding, good hitting SS, but there have been very few of them. Perhaps only these two.Why, oh why, do the Nats have Guzman starting at SS?He is a terrible fielder. He hits for average and for power, which are great, so he could be a decent right fielder. Why is he playing SS?
Well the short answer is because they are paying him a lot of money. Guzman was the first big contract the Nationals signed back in 2005 when they moved to Washington. As a 26 year old with six years under his belt, some felt he was a rising star that could be a center point for this franchise…those people were wrong. Guzman’s four year 16 million dollar contact has haunted him since he struggled to hit .200 in his inaugural campaign.
Guzman, while having a thick frame at 6 feet tall 215 pounds, used to be a speedster and actually a statistically solid defensive shortstop. While he has aged both his speed and his range has appeared to diminish. From 2002-2005 he had only 12, 11, 12, and 15 errors respectively, which is very very good actually. We must also realize, however, that errors don’t completely reflect a shortstops range, only the ability to field the balls they get to. Bill James’ range index for years has exposed the overrated fielders (Derek Jeter) in the game by studying this. We must also examine the fact that Guzman was fielding for the early part of his career on a carpet in Minnesota, and carpets are extremely predictable and easy to field on.
So what’s the diagnosis? It’s clear now that Guzman is too slow footed to play that position. His hands are average and he doesn’t always make the smart play. There were several ground balls
last night that I was shocked he didn’t get to, some that turned into RBI’s. I think the Nationals need to make a move here but it’s a prickly situation. Guzman is the only Nats hitter batting anywhere near .300 and he most likely will not want to make a move. To me the only logical switch would be to flip him and Lopez across second base. Lopez used to be a shortstop and while his glove disappeared (at the same time as his bat), the Lopez struggles of the last two years have seemed to have diminished though…so he may be able to go back to his old position too. It’s really up to Guzman and Acta, and I don’t see a change coming any time soon.
“Folks like Cal Ripken, A-ROD are very unusual, they were good fielding, good hitting SS, but there have been very few of them. Perhaps only these two.”
Actually to be fair, since Ripken there has been a huge influx of big, good fielding, good hitting shortstops. To name a few who have size, power, and a glove:
-A-Rod
-Hanley Ramirez
-Jimmy Rollins
-Edgar Renteria
-Nomar Garciaparra
-Mike Young
Other good hitting shortstops:
-Jose Reyes
-Derek Jeter
-Rafael Furcal
-Miguel Tejada
-Carlos Guillen
Well the short answer is because they are paying him a lot of money. Guzman was the first big contract the Nationals signed back in 2005 when they moved to Washington. As a 26 year old with six years under his belt, some felt he was a rising star that could be a center point for this franchise…those people were wrong. Guzman’s four year 16 million dollar contact has haunted him since he struggled to hit .200 in his inaugural campaign.Guzman, while having a thick frame at 6 feet tall 215 pounds, used to be a speedster and actually a statistically solid defensive shortstop. While he has aged both his speed and his range has appeared to diminish. From 2002-2005 he had only 12, 11, 12, and 15 errors respectively, which is very very good actually. We must also realize, however, that errors don’t completely reflect a shortstops range, only the ability to field the balls they get to. Bill James’ range index for years has exposed the overrated fielders (Derek Jeter) in the game by studying this. We must also examine the fact that Guzman was fielding for the early part of his career on a carpet in Minnesota, and carpets are extremely predictable and easy to field on.
So what’s the diagnosis? It’s clear now that Guzman is too slow footed to play that position. His hands are average and he doesn’t always make the smart play. There were several ground balls
last night that I was shocked he didn’t get to, some that turned into RBI’s. I think the Nationals need to make a move here but it’s a prickly situation. Guzman is the only Nats hitter batting anywhere near .300 and he most likely will not want to make a move. To me the only logical switch would be to flip him and Lopez across second base. Lopez used to be a shortstop and while his glove disappeared (at the same time as his bat), the Lopez struggles of the last two years have seemed to have diminished though…so he may be able to go back to his old position too. It’s really up to Guzman and Acta, and I don’t see a change coming any time soon.“Folks like Cal Ripken, A-ROD are very unusual, they were good fielding, good hitting SS, but there have been very few of them. Perhaps only these two.”
Actually to be fair, since Ripken there has been a huge influx of big, good fielding, good hitting shortstops. To name a few who have size, power, and a glove:
-A-Rod
-Hanley Ramirez
-Jimmy Rollins
-Edgar Renteria
-Nomar Garciaparra
-Mike Young
Other good hitting shortstops:
-Jose Reyes
-Derek Jeter
-Rafael Furcal
-Miguel Tejada
-Carlos Guillen
The reason you don't see them on every team, or on the Nats for that matter, is because they are usually the best athletes in baseball and are very elite. Hopefully all of our scouting in the Dominican will help us land one of these guys...
Good question Pat, anyone else who wants to pose a question or an opinion, email The Nats Blog at THENATSBLOG.COM@GMAIL.COM
Good question Pat, anyone else who wants to pose a question or an opinion, email The Nats Blog at THENATSBLOG.COM@GMAIL.COM
7 comments:
Jeter is amazing, but he's really not that slick fielding. As a package, he's a super star, but he's not going to replace Ozzie Smith as a dream fielder
As an O's fan, I watched Miggie a lot, and I would call him a "decent SS" but very good hitter, valuable, but not the magician with a glove, rocket arm that makes fans fall in love.
Guzman may be too slow to even play second...I honestly could see zimmerman doing a better job then him at short...I say lets hope he hits well through may and june and ship him off to the highest bidder at teh deadline.
The O's were paying Jay Gibbons a lot of money, and they simply cut him.
Its a lame decision to put a player in a position that they can't play, which his errors, lack of range, and mishandling are costing them runs allowed. This is death in teams that play small ball.
The Nats were paying Patterson a lot of money and cut him too...but the nats dont have that much money. I think cutting Guzman would be a waste...he has value with his bat and trade value
I wasn't seriously suggesting cutting Guzman, it wasn't a complete waste the way Jay Gibbons was.
Trade bait is probably the best roll, you'd need a team that plays old Earl Weaver style baseball.
One thing I didn't realise when writing this story, Guzman is a free agent at the end of this season. It's just smart to trade him at the deadline regardless of his glove. Someone is going to want him, perhaps the redsox to fill the lugo gap, the Indians to fill the dissapointing Perhalta preformance...ect ect. There is no way the Nats will resign him after this season, why not trade him for prospects and then sign someone like Furcal this offseason?
Did you see the fourth inning in Houston? He wasted time "holding the runner" and didn't throw to 1B in time to get an out.
Not scored as an error, but clearly a brain error.
Even the TV homers picked up on it. "giving the Astros four outs"
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