GDT 8/4 Braves (Gausman) @ Mets (Wheeler)

msstate7 said:
Learn to be a premium defender? Give me an example. I'm not sure I've ever seen anyone learn to be a good defensive outfielder. Angles are not something that can be taught imo. Acuna will be an absolute stud bc he can mash, but he won't "learn" to be a great defensive outfielder
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So, you think his development is done? He's a finished product just a few months after being rushed to the majors? All premium defenders are made, not born. This is a very difficult game to master, and it starts with premium physical tools. From there, it's up to the player and the coachng staff to refine the tools into usable skills. It takes an insane amount of hard work... I have no idea if Acuna will actualize his god-given physical gifts, but he certainly has a chance.
 
wowbobwow said:
So, you think his development is done? He's a finished product just a few months after being rushed to the majors? All premium defenders are made, not born. This is a very difficult game to master, and it starts with premium physical tools. From there, it's up to the player and the coachng staff to refine the tools into usable skills. It takes an insane amount of hard work... I have no idea if Acuna will actualize his god-given physical gifts, but he certainly has a chance.
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I'm willing to listen. Give me an example of a guy that became a good defensive outfielder. I want to be wrong. Ender isnt fast, but he's good bc he can read balls off the bat. I'm not sure that skill can be taught
 
USMA76 said:
I don't know. You could see Andruw's excellent defensive instincts from the moment he occupied centerfield at age 19. Admittedly, those types of defenders are rare but Acuna's defensive instincts are, at best, questionable at this point.
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It's true, Andruw was premium from the age of 19...but, he was even better at 25 than he was at 19. Andruw was probably the greatest CFer of all time, and the fact that Acuña is not in his class shouldn't preclude him from reaching his own ceiling as a defender, which is still quite high relative to the league. We will never see another CFer in Atlanta that can hold a candle to Druw
 
msstate7 said:
I'm willing to listen. Give me an example of a guy that became a good defensive outfielder. I want to be wrong. Ender isnt fast, but he's good bc he can read balls off the bat. I'm not sure that skill can be taught
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Alex Gordon became a premium defender in LF with nothing but hard work and dedication. I do agree with the idea that an OFer getting great jumps is largely an instinctual skill, very difficult to teach at the very highest level. But a guy can certainly get better, if not elite. Getting those good jumps is only 1 particular element to being a good defender, though. I would be very, very surprised if Ronald Acuna isn't a noticeably better OFer this time next year.
 
wowbobwow said:
It's true, Andruw was premium from the age of 19...but, he was even better at 25 than he was at 19. Andruw was probably the greatest CFer of all time, and the fact that Acuña is not in his class shouldn't preclude him from reaching his own ceiling as a defender, which is still quite high relative to the league. We will never see another CFer in Atlanta that can hold a candle to Druw
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Assuming he has a solid work ethic and listens to his coaches, he can't help but improve. Right now, I'm not sure how high his ceiling is.
 
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