October 17, 200323 yr Das and Pubes, I think you are both missing something here. It is about positioning. With Perry Hill, one of the better fielding coaches in baseball, Cabrera could learn how to position himself to make the plays. You cant tell me that the Cubs' A Gon is that much faster than Cabs - and he is a pretty good fielder at that position. Heck, our own A Gon isnt that fast either... Oh, and Pubes, Manchild better not get big, he better just get stronger. Guys who put on too much weight have problems staying healthy. He has got all the tools, he just needs to sharpen them and learn as he goes along. since when is big fat? No fat. I mean like hit the weights. He's just 20. He still needs to fill up. Just wait until a couple of offseasons and this man will be a 45-50 HR guy. No way he will last at SS. The guy doesnt even have hair in funny places yet, liek i do. And both Agons are slick fielders that are quick with their feet. Cabrera is not. Hes not the flexible/ tall/ slender guy that basically all SS are. Gonzo has lots of flexiblity and is as quick as it get. cabrera is a good athletee and is better at a corner pos either in OF or IF. CF, 2nd are no way no hows SS if he does go there, it wont be for more than half a season. you will see because there are going to be more baserunners and double plays not turned. i want to see him at SS though at least try it in ST
October 17, 200323 yr why is it that Cabs would be "more valuable" at SS or 2B? I'm not sure I follow his point. He's a better player at short or second than in right or at third? His offense is the same regardless of where he plays, & I haven't seen him struggle anywhere in the field at all. I'd like to see him at short I guess ideally.... I guess he's saying since 2B & SS are not positions you expect much offense from, he'd be in the elite? Just seemed a strange comment... He'd be more valuable at 2B or SS, because his offensive contributions would be so much greater than what you could get from the average SS or 2B, that you could replace him with an average RF/LF/3B/whatever and still be way ahead offensively. Why do you think the Yankees have been so successful for so long? Their best offensive players over the past 6 or so years have been at SS (Jeter), CF (Williams), and C (Posada) - 3 low-offense positions. The Yankees can plug average players at every other position, and their offense will continually be among the elite offenses (let alone having really good hitters like Jason Giambi at 1B or Paul O'Neill, back in the day, in RF).
October 17, 200323 yr Cabrera has a quick first step evidence in the last month when he played third. next. as far as positioning...that is true... the keys to playing short...are to be well positioned and to have a good first step. arod is not exactly 'small', i would say he is farily well built...i dont see cabs turning into a sosa in terms of bulk.
October 17, 200323 yr the keys to playing short...are to be well positioned and to have a good first step. arod is not exactly 'small', i would say he is farily well built...i dont see cabs turning into a sosa in terms of bulk. Neither was Ripken, and he was about as slow as they came in terms of foot speed. My only question is why did they even move him from SS in the first place? He must have shown them something to suggest that he couldn't play the position. I can't imagine taking a dynamite offensive player (who is also defensively adequate) and moving him away from SS. Good-hitting shortstops are such a deadly weapon (so to speak) on the baseball diamond. If he fields the SS position like Derek Jeter, then I say go ahead and move him to 2B, let Castillo go, and put that money towards keeping Lowell.
October 17, 200323 yr the orioles were looking to get someone with more 'range' at short. i believe this is when they first picked up bordick who was never 'bad' ripken went back to his natural position which was third. and ripken was in his mid 30s and they had no 3rd baseman if i recall.
October 17, 200323 yr the orioles were looking to get someone with more 'range' at short. i believe this is when they first picked up bordick who was never 'bad' ripken went back to his natural position which was third. and ripken was in his mid 30s and they had no 3rd baseman if i recall. They picked up Bordick when Ripken was in his late 30s and moved him back to 3B, because Bordick was (at that point) a superior defensive SS and they wanted to move Cal to a less demanding position to extend his career a little more (and get a little more offensive production out of him). Regardless, Ripken was still a dynamite defensive SS in his day. His zone ratings were unreal.
October 17, 200323 yr the orioles were looking to get someone with more 'range' at short. i believe this is when they first picked up bordick who was never 'bad' ripken went back to his natural position which was third. and ripken was in his mid 30s and they had no 3rd baseman if i recall. Sorry, Texan, it seems we've had a failure to communicate. When I said "My only question is why did they even move him from SS in the first place?", I was talking about Cabrera. My bad.
October 17, 200323 yr exactly. ripken wasnt 'fast' but he had great instincts and always was well positioned, transforming the position. cabrera unless he turns into the size of bonds or sosa or any similar playercan play short
October 17, 200323 yr the orioles were looking to get someone with more 'range' at short. i believe this is when they first picked up bordick who was never 'bad' ripken went back to his natural position which was third. and ripken was in his mid 30s and they had no 3rd baseman if i recall. Sorry, Texan, it seems we've had a failure to communicate. When I said "My only question is why did they even move him from SS in the first place?", I was talking about Cabrera. My bad. got you.... if i remember that one...it was because of sea bass.
October 17, 200323 yr if i remember that one...it was because of sea bass. Frankly, that's nowhere near a good-enough reason. If we're talking Edgar Renteria, that's one thing, but Alex Gonzalez - no. I say put Cabrera back at SS, if he can handle it.
October 17, 200323 yr and in the spring?... cab. will play SS with liek gonzalez? gonzalez has maybe the best D at SS in the leauge! how can Cab. play like him?
October 17, 200323 yr either gonzalez or lee will not be a marlin next year. but we arent gonna talk about next year right now.
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