Midseason Grades (Part 1)
With the day off today, it's time to begin taking stock of the Braves situation with the hoary old standby Midseason Grades column(s). It's not going to be pretty, but on with the show. Let's start with the infield:
Adam LaRoche
Roachy is into his third year as starting 1B/designated fan whipping boy, and he hasn't changed a bit. When the Braves were going well, they could carry a mediocre 1B -- now that they're struggling, LaRoche becomes more of a problem. He's at or near the bottom in most NL 1B stats, but nothing is more glaring than a .324 OBP in a league where almost half the starting 1Bs are getting on base at least 40 percent of the time. His lackadaisical style in the field doesn't bother me, but draws the focus of fans' ire even more than his unacceptable results wielding the bat. On a winning team, he could be granted a Gentleman's C, but on this team:
Grade: D
Marcus Giles
Thrust into the leadoff role with the departure of Furcal, Marcus began the year embracing the role -- he walked 11 times in the first seven games, and sported a gaudy .515 OBP. Never had my estimation of him as a ballplayer been higher -- he looked determined to make it work whether he liked it or not. Since then? A .301 OBP and declining power numbers have rendered this his worst full season yet. I expect a better second half, unless he's just going through the motions, which it appears at times. In that case, it's time for him to move on, and I'll remember 2003 fondly.
Grade: D
Edgar Renteria
Renteria arrived with the baggage of a poor year in Boston, where (it's said) he was too sensitive to criticism to thrive, what with the Red Sox famously surly fan base and bitchy sportswriters. If you buy that explanation, then Edgar's performance this year might not be a surprise. In any case, he's been our most consistent everyday performer, with a line of .300/.380/.439 that you'll take from your SS all day long. That's a better line than Furcal ever posted as a Brave, but when you factor in speed and defense it's still fairly clear that Furcal is the better player. Renteria's lack of range, combined with Chipper's perenially poor defense, has mitigated his offensive success somewhat. Still, where would we be without him?
Grade: B+
Chipper Jones
Chipper is having a flashback to 2004 -- moderately healthy, mediocre (for him) results. He's still getting on base, but isn't hitting the ball with much authority. His defense is the same as ever -- he has a strong, accurate arm, and comes in well on bunts, but has no lateral movement and an iron glove. You knew that already. The signing of Hampton and the positional logjam resulting from Chipper's incumbency are the two biggest events of the last few years that led us to this place. If it were Betemit putting up these numbers, admittedly we'd be happy. And we can't forget Chipper's willingness (twice) to restructure his contract for the good of the team. He's the best position player we've ever had and one hell of a teammate, which makes his decline more painful to watch.
Grade: C
Adam LaRoche
Roachy is into his third year as starting 1B/designated fan whipping boy, and he hasn't changed a bit. When the Braves were going well, they could carry a mediocre 1B -- now that they're struggling, LaRoche becomes more of a problem. He's at or near the bottom in most NL 1B stats, but nothing is more glaring than a .324 OBP in a league where almost half the starting 1Bs are getting on base at least 40 percent of the time. His lackadaisical style in the field doesn't bother me, but draws the focus of fans' ire even more than his unacceptable results wielding the bat. On a winning team, he could be granted a Gentleman's C, but on this team:
Grade: D
Marcus Giles
Thrust into the leadoff role with the departure of Furcal, Marcus began the year embracing the role -- he walked 11 times in the first seven games, and sported a gaudy .515 OBP. Never had my estimation of him as a ballplayer been higher -- he looked determined to make it work whether he liked it or not. Since then? A .301 OBP and declining power numbers have rendered this his worst full season yet. I expect a better second half, unless he's just going through the motions, which it appears at times. In that case, it's time for him to move on, and I'll remember 2003 fondly.
Grade: D
Edgar Renteria
Renteria arrived with the baggage of a poor year in Boston, where (it's said) he was too sensitive to criticism to thrive, what with the Red Sox famously surly fan base and bitchy sportswriters. If you buy that explanation, then Edgar's performance this year might not be a surprise. In any case, he's been our most consistent everyday performer, with a line of .300/.380/.439 that you'll take from your SS all day long. That's a better line than Furcal ever posted as a Brave, but when you factor in speed and defense it's still fairly clear that Furcal is the better player. Renteria's lack of range, combined with Chipper's perenially poor defense, has mitigated his offensive success somewhat. Still, where would we be without him?
Grade: B+
Chipper Jones
Chipper is having a flashback to 2004 -- moderately healthy, mediocre (for him) results. He's still getting on base, but isn't hitting the ball with much authority. His defense is the same as ever -- he has a strong, accurate arm, and comes in well on bunts, but has no lateral movement and an iron glove. You knew that already. The signing of Hampton and the positional logjam resulting from Chipper's incumbency are the two biggest events of the last few years that led us to this place. If it were Betemit putting up these numbers, admittedly we'd be happy. And we can't forget Chipper's willingness (twice) to restructure his contract for the good of the team. He's the best position player we've ever had and one hell of a teammate, which makes his decline more painful to watch.
Grade: C
posted by Sam Bass | 10:09 PM
2 Comments:
Hey, I gave the guy a B+! That's an A for offense and B- for defense -- he's not making errors, but he also doesn't get to as many balls as Furcal.
Renteria is having the better half-season, but to me Furcal is the better player. Over their careers, their batting numbers are a complete wash:
Renteria: .288/.346/.401
Furcal: .282/.347/.403
And batting is the one area where Renteria might be thought to have an advantage. On the bases and with the glove, Furcal has a clear advantage.
I agree with the grades you have given. LaRoche aka "the trash man" needs to be taken out. Trade LaRoche and replace him with Thorman as the everyday 1B for now.
Renteria as a B+ is fair, I might even go with an A just because he has bounced back and exceeded my expectations.
Chippa's contribution has been blah, but I'm still hoping for a late summer boost.
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