Comments on: Nationals have “reached a near-final decision” to bench Nyjer Morgan for Rick Ankiel

By: banksatdixie

banksatdixie — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 13:04:57 +0000

Don’t you talk about Jose Reyes that way!

By: paperlions

paperlions — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 12:15:29 +0000

Breaking down parts of UZR: ARM which evaluates not just assists but the frequency with which runners advance on each type of play has Ankiel at 3.8 runs above average for his career, and it hasn’t been above average since 2008.
.
So, you can claim he stops guys from taking an extra base, but the numbers don’t back that up.

By: paperlions

paperlions — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 12:09:40 +0000

That is a great, don’t believe the stats because their are just information justification. Ankiel is not a plus defender. He takes horrible routes to balls, making a lot of plays look harder than they are. His arm is very strong, but he doesn’t always have a great idea where the ball is going…that game where he had two incredible throws is weighted way to much in people’s minds…he is just as likely to make a great throw as he is to over-throw a base or a cut-off man.
.
Ankiel is a classic example of a guy that is over-rated in the field because he looks good while doing it…not unlike a certain over-rated NY SS.

By: spudchukar

spudchukar — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 23:05:27 +0000

Don’t believe the UZRs on Ankiel, he is a plus defender. Yeah he can misjudge one over his head and in the gap once in awhile, but he plays shallow, gets a great jump, is fearless to the point of reckless, and will make a number of absolutely great plays. But even if he were just average with the glove, and he isn’t, his arm alone would make him a plus, plus, centerfielder. No centerfielder in the game can match his gun, which allows him to stop many first to third opportunities. Whether he can make enough contact is always the question with him. And he is the opposite of Morgan, a great guy that always plays hard.

By: Utley's Hair

Utley's Hair — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 22:56:03 +0000

I’ll bet Miguel Cabrera can. Uh-oh…too soon?

By: cur68

cur68 — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 22:46:52 +0000

*bat* not ‘bar’. Stooopid no-edit-function!!!

By: cur68

cur68 — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 21:09:19 +0000

And can Roger Bernadia play CF and bar better than Ankiel? I bet he can.

By: Utley's Hair

Utley's Hair — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 21:03:29 +0000

Yeah, but can Ankiel pitch any better than Ollie Perez?