Royal Centerfield Defense in 2009

by royalsreview on Oct 18, 2009 2:46 PM EDT Comment 38 comments

Here's a look at the UZR/150 numbers for 2009.

	Innings	UZR/150
Crisp	412	13.9
Maier	593	2.7
DeJesus	25	-1.4
Freel	32	-2.0
Bloomquist	164	-2.2
Anderson	192	-3.0

I think we can mostly throw out the data for DDJ and Freel, who simply weren't in centerfield enough to generate a meaningful sample. Considering that UZR/150 is a rate stat (what their UZR would be in 150 games) a -1.4 or a -2.0 is basically the equivalent of "who knows?"
The samples for St. Willie and Anderson are also small, but less encouraging. Bloomquist is a utility player without much utility, and I've written about him far too much. But what about Anderson? He's pretty much on the team because he's supposed to be a good defender (hence Treyball's constant use of him late in games). Nevertheless, his UZR/150 is pretty blah.
Mitch Maier, who like DeJesus, will simply not be allowed to be a temporary solution because he's not a Dayton guy, wasn't bad afield. I dont' think he's a gold glover, but I also think there's little reason to just assume that he can't handle the position or that Josh Anderson is better than him.

Thoughts?

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Mitch's UZR is encouraging considering he played the most innings

and is very cheap as opposed to Coco

I don't know how to put this but I'm kind of a big deal.

by kcscoliny on Oct 18, 2009 2:59 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

If we could get Crisp on the cheap...

I would be okay with that… But if we have to pick up the option to keep him… Pass

Desperately hoping for Desperate Measures

by averagegatsby on Oct 18, 2009 3:27 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

No we don't

We can decline the option, but then offer less but still more money than he’d get elsewhere as a free agent.

Chaim Mattis Keller New York City's # 1 Royals fan!

by cmkeller on Oct 18, 2009 3:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I know its possible

Im just saying that if thats the only way Crisp stays then farewell

Desperately hoping for Desperate Measures

by averagegatsby on Oct 18, 2009 4:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sorry...my mistake...I read it as

“But we have to pick up the option to keep him, so, Pass”

Chaim Mattis Keller New York City's # 1 Royals fan!

by cmkeller on Oct 18, 2009 9:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

If Anderson is seriously on the team for his D...

cut him loose. MM is the better CFer both offensively and defensively, we can probably easily find someone with better defense to be our 4th OFer.

by DarthYoshi on Oct 18, 2009 5:39 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I sure as hell hope that Anderson isn't on the team for his offense.

I used to work with an old man that told me. Son, every workplace has a dumbass, if you don't have one where you work, then I'm afraid you're it.

by Warden11 on Oct 19, 2009 12:15 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

resign Crisp

baseball rules.

by doublestix on Oct 18, 2009 9:45 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

maybe, only if

1) he’s going to be ready to play on Opening Day and

2) If he’s willing to take less than $4M

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by devil_fingers on Oct 18, 2009 11:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I might be crazy, or I might be misinformed

But I beleive that a team cannot give a contract to a player that is less than 20% of what they paid that player in the previous year.
So since Crisp made $5 million last year, I think the minimum we could sign him for would be $4 million.
But of course I don’t know if that includes incentives etc.

So the ideal Crisp contract would be somehting like $3 million + $3-4 million more in playing time incentives, say 500,000 at 400 AB’s + 500000 every 50 AB’s after that

I refuse to set up a signature....DAMMIT

by RoyalPug on Oct 19, 2009 1:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The 20% rule only applies to players under team control (less than 6 years service time)

It does not apply to free agent eligibles like Crisp.

by Gopherballs on Oct 19, 2009 2:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

if we decline his option

then he’s a FA, and I really don’t want to be the highest bidder for him

one more expensive year might be more attractive than a multiyear

by royalsreview on Oct 18, 2009 11:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Is the demand going to be that high for him?

And it seems very possible that he could take a small discount to stay. Wishful thinking maybe, but he probably wont get more playing time anywhere else.

Desperately hoping for Desperate Measures

by averagegatsby on Oct 19, 2009 12:13 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I guess its possible

who knows

by royalsreview on Oct 19, 2009 1:22 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

How many teams are looking for a CF?

It seems like most teams are set—the Cubs, maybe? The Brewers, if Cameron leaves. Anyone else?

by nwroyal on Oct 19, 2009 8:57 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I have no idea what Doug Melvin is thinking about CF

Cameron says he wants to stay and is willing to take a discount. I suspect that means he’d play for 7 or 8 milion. They want to spend money and/or prospects for a couple starting pitchers so I’d think that is too expensive. There is a guy in AAA who I think would be pretty good, but Melvin doesn’t seem to like the marginal prospect types who can fill in. If he likes Crisp I could see it happening.

by Salty on Oct 19, 2009 11:13 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not many

and then there are teams like the Yankees and A’s who have more than one centerfielder good enough to start.

Boston was not exactly overwhelmed with offers for Crisp last offseason when he was healthy and cost only $6 million, so coming off a serious injury, Crisp should come relatively cheap.

by Gopherballs on Oct 19, 2009 12:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

but will he take a one year contract?

its more than just the money issue

by royalsreview on Oct 19, 2009 2:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I am not sure he will have a choice

He is coming off a serious injury (two in fact), and as nwroyal noted, you really have to look hard to find a team that needs a CF (or where Crisp would represent any sort of upgrade for his price). For a team only looking for a stopgap, why pay two years for Crisp when you can get 85% of his value in Endy Chavez for one year and millions less.

by Gopherballs on Oct 19, 2009 2:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hopefully the Yankees really think Gardner is a pinch-runner

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by devil_fingers on Oct 19, 2009 2:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm torn

part of me says that the real cost of re-signing crisp is the opportunity cost of passing on another OF…put Meyyyyotch in CF and sign a legit RF. kearns and nady would be the two guys i’d target, it appears kearns is better defensively and nady better offensively…both could probably be had in the what, $4-7 million range? maybe we would have enough to sign crisp to an incentive-laden deal and sign one of these two as well. give crisp $2-3 plus incentives and sign kearns for $5, with Meyotch coming off the bench…i think that OF D looks pretty good…so many other holes though. i’m afraid of what our rotation’s going to look like and there needs to be some changes in the pen.

perhaps we do have to go with mitch after all, sign kearns, and use whatever’s left to fill in the rotation and pen, but in any case it’s going to be a struggle in 2010 unless several existing players step up big-time.

Kansas City Royals - rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic since 1994.

by Home Run Tony Cogan on Oct 18, 2009 10:46 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

kearns looked pretty bad last year, no?

he’s hit .209/.320/.312 in his last 568 PAs (2008-9)

by royalsreview on Oct 18, 2009 11:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yes, but he has been one of the unluckiest SOBs on balls in play

He’s BABIP the last two years is around .255 despite an average line drive rate around 20%. His expected BABIP should be around .320.

I don’t think anyone is suggesting him as anything other than a cheap stopgap who might have a nice bounce back year, not as a part of the long-term future.

by Gopherballs on Oct 19, 2009 1:29 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You know who else was bad with balls in play despite a respectable LD rate?

TPJ

I’d take Nady any day of the week.

I refuse to set up a signature....DAMMIT

by RoyalPug on Oct 19, 2009 1:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not really, as TPJ had a crappy LD rate

TPJ’s career LD rate is only 17% with a career BABIP of 274.

Nady is merely an okay player — a little better than average hitter (career: 280/335/458, 342 wOBA), but he gives a few runs back with his defense. His WAR since becoming a regular (excluding his injured 2009) has been 0.4 (2006), 0.8 (2007), 4.0 (2008).

The bigger problem is that even coming off the injury, Nady is going to cost a lot, probably more than he is worth. At age 31 and at the cost of paying full retail price, he just does not make much sense for the Royals.

by Gopherballs on Oct 19, 2009 2:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nady is about to become a white Jose Guillen

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by devil_fingers on Oct 19, 2009 2:50 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

sorry should've clarified...

I’d take Nady if forced to…But I’d rather pass on both.

I refuse to set up a signature....DAMMIT

by RoyalPug on Oct 20, 2009 9:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I would be OK with Nady on a incentive laden deal

not so much with Kearns unless we can sign him cheaply.

by gordonrules on Oct 19, 2009 12:39 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Come on guys, all of this is wishful thinking

We all know that Jose Guillen will be patrolling RF again for us next year, even if he’s using a walker or a Rascal by that point.

by Soria's Unibrow on Oct 19, 2009 3:54 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs

Do you think

we could start a collection here at RR to buy him a rascal? It might actually help his defense.

by bas on Oct 19, 2009 6:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I forgot Crisp was on this team until I saw this post.

Kansas City Royals: your 2006 and 2007 NL Central champions!

by mazoboom on Oct 19, 2009 2:46 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Those numbers suggest we should DFA Anderson now.

by Olentangy on Oct 19, 2009 3:23 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Go MITCH!

"Do they have people that tall in Mexico?"

by NHZ on Oct 19, 2009 8:53 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

It's a small sample size

since he got hurt so early in the year, but if you have any faith in this particular defensive stat, Coco really does save you a few runs with his CF defense. If he can OBP .350 and stay in the lineup without getting hurt, then he has some value.

I vote for declining the option and trying to sign him to an incentive-laden one-year contract, as was suggested above: something like $3 million base salary and $400,000 per 100 plate appearances. If he’s good and healthy enough to play almost every day, then he’ll pick up 600 PAs and $5.4 million, which would be a salary raise instead of a cut. If not, the Royals are out $3.4 million instead of the five the option would cost.

It's pronounced Poo-ZHOLS in Catalan.

by Juancho on Oct 20, 2009 9:31 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs