Even if we said that Lawrie was more aggressive, APBA also makes an excellent point about controlling one’s aggressiveness. Charging Hamels would have been foolish. Charging Lendy Castillo last night would have been foolish. As for aggressiveness on the field, I sometimes bring up the example of Pete Rieser, the Dodgers’ OF who was on a Hall of Fame trajectory, but ran into too many walls. Aggressiveness and hustle are good. But the way you decribe Lawrie, sounds like it’s uncontrolled aggression, which is not a good thing.

//or is it ogling?

Harper Man-Crush artcle not written by Craig? Is he sick today?

Yea….really blew it….oh well.

EDIT FUNCTION!!!!!!!!!!!

The thing that separates Harper in my mind is that his hustle is not just aggressive, it’s pretty intelligent also. He rarely punishes his body to no effect, and he’s selective Bout crashing into walls or the ground, like Trout in that respect.

Lawrie’s “all out, all the time” approach risks the kind of cumulative injury toll that has affected Pedroia and did affect Byrnes, not that Byrnes ever had the talent of the others.

Greg, I acknowledge your point. I see your poker chip. And I raise you this: Brett Lawrie runs like his hair is on fire and his ass is catching even on a weak grounder to short, in every game. He fields a much tougher position, tries to catch everything even remotely in his direction and does so regardless of injury, harm to others, or if its impossible. He will truck any catcher, any time. If Cole Hamels had knocked him down, there would have been a fight and Hamel’s dog is too tiny to go toe to toe with Lawrie.

I like Bryce Harper. He seems like a nice enough kid and he’s gone out of his way to cultivate his image of hard working kid. He gots the talent. He gots the work ethic. And he IS an aggressive base runner. Once in awhile. But he is in no way out Eckstein-ing Brett Lawrie for sheer game in, game out grit or hustle.

Young Jackson just had a brain cramp rounding second. Like Harper, he is young and will get better.

Jayson Werth did not have a good night defensively. He also played a couple of doubles into the RF corner into triples. But it was just an off day.

I still like Mike Trout more than this guy – as a player and human. Dislike away all of you that have your Bryce Harper man-crush going in full schwing.