Bobby Crosby May Find a Home Soon
Five seasons ago, Bobby Crosby was fresh off winning the American League Rookie of the Year award and Ronny Cedeno was a quick riser through the Cubs organization. Both looked like promising long-term shortstops for their respective clubs. Today, it appears the two will be fighting for a starting position on the Pittsburgh Pirates. Troy Renck is reporting that Crosby is on the verge of signing with the Buccos and should be given the opportunity to compete for a starting gig.
This is a poor situation. Both were once dripping with potential, but that attribute is not of static nature. Players do not retain high-upside simply because they held such qualities three, five, seven years. In this case, both have some chance to become useful players off a Major League bench, but pitting one against the other in a starting competition? Yuck.
The word competition will produce some satisfaction since the adage about competition brings about the best in some individuals. That may or may not be true, and if it is, the Pirates need more competition to make either of these cats a worthwhile starter. Over the last three seasons Crosby has hit a park-unadjusted .231/.290/.348 and Cedeno has hit .228/.278/.349. Crosby’s line is better in its raw form and only improves once adjusting for the facts that A) he was in the A.L. and B) he played in a spacious environment. One must also adjust Cedeno’s offensive production, noting that he spent all of last season between two home parks that hinder right-handed power.
Crosby turns 30 in a matter of weeks while Cedeno is about a month and a half shy of his 27th birthday. After posting mostly above average UZR scores at shortstop, Crosby sparingly played the position while the A’s plugged in better alternatives. Instead he spent time at third base where he made quite a few errors and looked out of place. He still appears to be the better of the two options when filling the six hole, which isn’t saying much. Still, the Pirates aren’t knocking on the door of contention either. They’re simply biding their time while seeking out a more enthusiastic-looking long-term option so this is more of a band-aid than anything.
Assuming this deal gets done and Neal Huntington hasn’t lost his mind, Crosby shouldn’t make too much coin and at the same time will have a pretty good shot at becoming a starting shortstop once again.
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This move will certainly test the theory that two wrongs might indeed make a right. Apparently Huntington feels the issue with Cedeno is his concentration and this could provide the incentive for him to keep his eyes on the ball.
As an A’s fan I am just so thrilled he’s finally gone. His RotY season was really not all that impressive – there was a weak crop of rookies that year. His short 2005 season was fairly good but his BABIP was way out line with career averages, and hasn’t had a wOBA over .289 since then. Good riddance.
From RotY to trying to win a job with the Pirates.
That’s just sad.
Jack Wilson is a .300 wOBA hitter who’s +10 runs defensively, was 31 and expensive. Ronnie Cedeno is a .290 wOBA hitter who’s +10 runs defensively, was 27 and relatively cheap. Not a problem here. Now Bobby Crosby is also a .290 wOBA hitter who’s -10 runs defensively, at 29 two years older than Cedeno. The defense has Crosby maybe 2 losses worse than Cedeno. You could do as well with Brian Bixler (.285 +8)
It seems to me you are just making up numbers here. Ronny Cedeno is certainly NOT +10 runs on defense. He has a career -5.6 UZR/150 and put up a -3.6 last year. Also, Crosby is certainly not worth -10 runs on defense either. He is a career +4 UZR/150 and put a +3 in his last year at short in 2008. Obviously, he is expected to have lost some defensive value due to age/time away from the position, but he’s not gonna be 10 runs below average. I think they should try Cedeno at 2nd. He owns a career +23.4! UZR/150 in about a 3rd of a season’s sample size.
Not sure where you’re getting those numbers for Bixler, either. His career wOBA is .216, and his wOBA last year was .269 (he OPSed .602 — with a .556 BABIP and a 59.1% K rate). And the sample size is way too small for his UZR to mean anything, but what we have doesn’t contradict every Pirates fan’s impression that he’s a butcher in the field.
Basically, you can never do as well with Brian Bixler. He’s not a major leaguer.
Those are weighted three year averages, including minor leagues.
I know Bixler’s contact problems have gotten worse the past two seasons, but can you say Crosby’s bat is any better (true talent wise)?
Bixler’s above average on range and hands (infield hits and errors). Luis Cruz had good range, but hit more popups than anyone else in pro ball. Luis Rivas was the butcher at short.
Don’t spacious parks help hitters with little power?
A coincidental cruel twist of fate you wrote a Bobby Crosby piece the day Peter Gammons leaves ESPN (for those who don’t remember, Gammons prognosticated that Crosby would win the AL MVP in 2006. Crosby went on to hit .229/.298/.338 in 398 PA for an OPS+ of 67.)
Didn’t Gammons also pick Travis Hafner to win the MVP one of his terrible years?
Harold Reynolds also picked him that year too. So did another ESPN writer (Stark?). Sad how things turn out.