Comments on: Valuing Garrett

By: Alireza

Alireza — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 22:29:43 +0000

You do realize that the Ken Griffey up there is Sr. and not Jr., right?

By: David Foy

David Foy — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 23:31:33 +0000

No i think he just means to point out that GA gives a less then full amount of effort out in the field. Just like Abreu, lack of effort does diminish your defensive worth. But i don’t think that The Colonel would argue that GA isn’t at least a decent fielder. Its like Andrew Jones, amazing defender, no one would argue otherwise but I would want to strangle him for all the times he would dog it to a ball and sometimes his lack of effort would hurt him.

By: Jason T

Jason T — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 18:32:00 +0000

So, because he doesn’t dive for balls (risking injury) that makes him a lesser fielder? Do players who dive for balls rate better with you? Jeter dives all the time, but that doesn’t make him any good at his position.

By: The Colonel

The Colonel — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:27:40 +0000

I’ve been going to Halos games for years sitting in the bleachers and I have never seen an OF as unwilling to dive for a ball than G.A. At least once a game he’ll pull up and let a ball bounce in front of him. The angle that I’m sitting at (RF bleachers), I can actually tell the trajectory of the ball and whether he may have a chance to catch it or not (I played OF in HS). I can’t tell you how many times he should have gotten to a ball but didn’t and just laid up. Same goes with balls over his head. I’ve seen John Lackey want to slit his own wrists after GA laid up on a flare to LF. My friends in other parts of the stadium will call me when he lays up because they know how much it irks me. If LaZ-Boy chairs were legal, he’d have one in LF. GA’s taking a nap in his jacuzzi as we speak.

By: david h

david h — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 15:54:40 +0000

I think you might be a bit too generous to Anderson’s defense. He’s been fluctuating between positive and negative UZRs since turning 33, and his average since then is about 1 run on the positive side. The samples have grown smaller each of those years too. Considering an expected decline due to his age, turning 37 next year, I’d peg him at neutral in the field.