GDT - 7/9/2014 - Braves at Mets

Errors are subjective. Derek Jeter makes easy plays for your average shortstop look extremely difficult. I've seen too many dribblers go through the hole at 3rd with Johnson going to a full dive. That's not because the ball was hit too far away. It's just his range is not that good. And the term serviceable is just as PC in baseball as scrappy. Scrappy means tough player that hustles and somehow gets a hit despite not much talent. Ramiro Pena is "serviceable".

Gattis is "serviceable". He's in there for offense not golden defense.
 
No matter what he does, Chris will be the whipping boy for you guys.

It's not no matter what he does. He's the posterchild for the entire team. When we're winning we look good like we know what we're doing. When we're losing we look terrible and lost. His striking out with runners on or rolling to an infielder is inexcusable. He does get hits with runners on sometimes but he doesn't move runners around that well and if he isn't getting seeing eyed singles or loopers he isn't going to smash a double. He's a counter puncher at the plate.
 
It's not no matter what he does. He's the posterchild for the entire team. When we're winning we look good like we know what we're doing. When we're losing we look terrible and lost. His striking out with runners on or rolling to an infielder is inexcusable. He does get hits with runners on sometimes but he doesn't move runners around that well and if he isn't getting seeing eyed singles or loopers he isn't going to smash a double. He's a counter puncher at the plate.

You just described Heyward to a tee.
 
I don't want to turn CJ into a whipping boy, but he is in fact a poster child for what's wrong with this team, as Keith said.

We have got A LOT of things on this team that need correcting.
 
If D'Arnaud has really turned the corner, this is a decent Mets team. And not just for this year.
 
He's an average third basemen defensively. Like Chipper said last season. He gets to everything he should and not much more. I have no idea where his ability to hit for any power went. That is rather worrisome. I will give you that. However CJ isn't the main issue of the offense though.

Cj is a big problem with this offense. He is hitting 6-7th and rarely drives in runs.

His power is gone because he never makes contact when he swings hard. He has enough sense to cut back on his swing to make some contact but the result is, at best, a single.
 
I just can't agree with that.

CJ doesn't have the best range but I think he is VERY serviceable over there.

He's committed 4 errors compared to 10 from David Wright, 6 for Aramis Ramierez, 9 by Adrian Beltre, 18 by Pedro Alvarez, and 6 by Longoria. He also has a higher fielding % than those guys. AGAIN, I am not saying he is better or has more range, but statistically CJ hasn't hurt us at all at 3B, I'm just more concerned with his bat.

Are you only looking at errors?
 
Last season CJ outperformed his career norms. And so far this season he has underperformed relative to them. His underlying level is neither as good as last year or as bad as this year.

His career numbers give us the best idea what we can expect going forward: a slash line of .287/.323/.424. Combine that with below average defense. If he is an everyday player that comes out to about 1.5 WAR. A contending team can live with that kind of production if the player in question is their weakest regular.

The interesting thing going forward is that he is going to get pushed. By Peraza surely and possibly by Kubitza. I have a feeling one of those two will provide an internal upgrade in a year or two.
 
Back
Top