Orange County Register: Don't bet on Howie Kendrick return to Angels

[tdawg87]

Not really, no. They never have been. His DRS was -12 which was oddly enough tied with Howie Kendrick for dead last in the majors among second basemen. His UZR was 2nd worst in the majors among qualified second basemen.

 

Even if we use errors, he had the third most in baseball among 2B.

 

There is literally no statistic that makes Gia out to be anything more than a terrible defensive player.

[Angelfaninidaho]

Not really, no. They never have been. His DRS was -12 which was oddly enough tied with Howie Kendrick for dead last in the majors among second basemen. His UZR was 2nd worst in the majors among qualified second basemen.

 

Even if we use errors, he had the third most in baseball among 2B.

 

There is literally no statistic that makes Gia out to be anything more than a terrible defensive player.

 

OK.  Thanks for forcing me to figure out UZR and DRS.  Seriously, it was kind of interesting..  So essentially we have Gia who is 28 and makes $516,000 vs. a similar defensive 2nd baseman in Robinson Cano who is 34 and makes $24M.  Sounds good to me.

[tdawg87]

What does Cano have to do with any of this? I don't want Cano. Most people here don't.

 

What I want is at least an average second basemen. Giavotella is not that.

[Angelfaninidaho]

What does Cano have to do with any of this? I don't want Cano. Most people here don't.

 

What I want is at least an average second basemen. Giavotella is not that.

Using your metrics I found that Cano is a similar defensive player at 50x the money.  It was just an observation.  

[AngelsFanSince86]

More than replacing Iannetta and our FA 3rd baseman?  That's just wrong.  Gia was Ted Williams compared to Iannetta last year and Freese is a FA.  They had to be replaced 2nd and 3rd.  At least we agree on the LF disaster being top priority.

 

Well here is why:  They have Perez already and if they didn't sign anyone else they had Bandy to fall back on.  Both have at least as much upside offensively as Soto and are very solid defensively.  Getting a veteran was preferable, but not a top priority.  At 3B the Angels have Kubitza and Cowart.  Both would be better at 3B then Gia would be at 2B.  Once again, it was preferable to add a veteran to let them battle it out during ST and if all else fails stick Escobar there full time.  Otherwise, they can ease these guys in and hope one of them takes off while giving Escobar time between 2B and 3B.  Now, for Gia he plays terrible defense and makes it hard to swallow the acquisition of a defense first SS when we all know that Simmons' value goes down with Gia at 2B.  Even without Simmons 2B was our biggest need next to LF.  

 

Personally, I think Gentry/Nava platoon is at least as good as Gia at 2B.  Both are better defenders and both have been better hitters throughout their careers.  In other words, both positions are still in dire need.  The only reason LF is more of a priority is because there are actual and plentiful solid options available to upgrade.  

[Angelfaninidaho]

"Kubitza and Cowart"

[AngelsFanSince86]

You know, it's not a bad thing they have 2 guys that look promising as future 3B. Just because neither is a top 100 prospect and sure thing doesn't make it bad. It just means we have a better chance of someone working out. Kubitza has a higher floor, but lower ceiling. Cowart is the opposite. But nobody knows who it will be so for now it's just "kubitza and Cowart"

[Inside Pitch]

But nobody knows who it will be so for now it's just "kubitza and Cowart"

 

 

Cowbitza

[Angelfaninidaho]

You know, it's not a bad thing they have 2 guys that look promising as future 3B. Just because neither is a top 100 prospect and sure thing doesn't make it bad. It just means we have a better chance of someone working out. Kubitza has a higher floor, but lower ceiling. Cowart is the opposite. But nobody knows who it will be so for now it's just "kubitza and Cowart"

It's not a bad thing.  But it has been stated ad nauseum that we should throw "Kubitza and Cowart" at 3rd and move Escobar to 2nd.  Or not worry about replacing Freese so we can fix other positions by letting "Cowart and Kubitza" play 3rd.  It's just strange to me to be so concerned with some positions but be completely willing to relinquish 3rd base to two prospects.  Especially prospects that are apparently completely interchangeable and not inspiring enough to stand alone.   

[Inside Pitch]

It's not a bad thing.  But it has been stated ad nauseum that we should throw "Kubitza and Cowart" at 3rd and move Escobar to 2nd.  Or not worry about replacing Freese so we can fix other positions by letting "Cowart and Kubitza" play 3rd.  It's just strange to me to be so concerned with some positions but be completely willing to relinquish 3rd base to two prospects.  Especially prospects that are apparently completely interchangeable and not inspiring enough to stand alone.   

 

What's strange about it?   They have a couple guys that could possibly play 3B at the MLB level..    They have absolutely nothing on the farm capable of stepping in and providing replacement level quality at 2B or LF right now.   They are playing with the cards they have.

Edited December 30, 2015 by Inside Pitch

[Angel Oracle]

Cowabitza dude!

[AngelsFanSince86]

It's not a bad thing. But it has been stated ad nauseum that we should throw "Kubitza and Cowart" at 3rd and move Escobar to 2nd. Or not worry about replacing Freese so we can fix other positions by letting "Cowart and Kubitza" play 3rd. It's just strange to me to be so concerned with some positions but be completely willing to relinquish 3rd base to two prospects. Especially prospects that are apparently completely interchangeable and not inspiring enough to stand alone.

Basically what inside pitch said, but to put this back in context we are talking about what was and is our priorities. 3B and C are the only positions the angels have any sort of minor league depth at and that's all that's being pointed out. I know it's been repeated a lot but it's also been in response to people who keep saying they don't understand how 2B could have been the next biggest priority other than LF when the off season began. It's because our minor league depth at C and 3B is better than what we currently have at the major league level at 2B

[Troll Daddy]

There's almost two months until ST ... with a plethora of possibilities still out there.

[Second Base]

We do have some 2B prospects.  Alex Yarbrough was considered the heir before last year.  He's hit the ball at every level and has grown into an above average defender there.  It was figured he'd spend most of the year in AAA and move onto the majors and take the spot over.  But he floundered in AAA, no real explanation for that.  He hit in AA, A+ and A Ball, AAA was supposed to be more of the same.  So there's still a chance that he fixes whatever it was that was preventing him from hitting in AAA.  He's only 24.

 

Then there's Sherman johnson, who plays solid defense and has a pretty steady game, but he just could not hit the ball in AA.  We also have an intriguing offense first 2B prospect in Tim Arakawa.  Excellent bat, could climb the ladder quickly, just good enough on defense not to be Giavotella.

 

But of all of these guys,, Cowart and Kubitza or both better options at 3B.  Kubitza will be an above average defender at 3B with a good lefty bat with pop and a high OBP.  Kind of like Daniel Murphy.  Cowart, we aren't sure on yet.  If he realizes his potential, we're looking at a Chase Headley type, which includes being an elite defender.