therealjohncarlson":28kbervy said:
jkitsune":28kbervy said:
Because like it or not his defense matters and no one better is available. He'll be gone after this year when Franklin is ready to play
You're doing what everyone was doing a couple years ago when everyone thought the Ms would be so good with their pitching and defense. Pitching is obviously very very crucial, but defense is overrated. What is a few fewer errors per year compared to an almost certain out every time he steps up to the plate. Seriously, just think about it. Total number wise there are only a handful of plays that Ryan can make that most other shortstops cant. Thats just the way most defensive plays work. You have most of the balls being hit at him being routine plays, and a one here or there that Ryan makes that a league average short stop couldnt.
You shouldnt be ok with sacrificing even league average hitting with a few beneficial plays here or there. 4 almost guarenteed outs per game isnt worth it. It just doesnt make sense.
No, I'm not doing that. At all. I'm saying that his defense brings some value and, taking that into account, there isn't a player available who, for the price, would be a significant upgrade. Shortstops in general are a light-hitting position, save for a few remarkable players, and on the 'cheap free agent market' you're looking at a .240-.250 hitter probably. I'm not thinking of a specific player in general, but this is what your typical free-agent unremarkable shortstop hits. That's basically what's available. They might hit 5-10 HR.
In return, you lose some substantial portion of defense. I can't quantify for you whether that's equivalent to the .05 upgrade in batting average and the 4 extra homers. I dont' think anyone can - advanced defensive metrics are a bit flukey, and it's hard to judge for certain exactly what numbers you'd need to have to even out defense and offense. I think we can both agree that defense is not worth 'nothing,' however, so it's reasonable to assume that the drop off in defense would eat up some portion of the extra offense.
For that increase, how much do you pay? Is there a difference in price? I'm not sure, but that obviously comes into play.
Also, defense is not measured in errors, really. It's measured in the plays which are turned into outs that 'normal' players don't make. Those gappers that only a talented SS runs down - failing to get it doesn't create an error, but it does create offense for the other team in the form of baserunners and runs.
I'm not 'okay' with Ryan's offense. Hitting .200 is not acceptable. If Ryan hit .240 with no power and had his defense I'd be thrilled. I don't think we're actually in disagreement that he needs to be replaced. That said, I'm not convinced there's anything on the market right now worth pursuing that would overall improve the team. Ryan will be gone in a year regardless.