Minnesota: Fielding TargetView Before & After JJ Hardy

by Justin Bopp on Nov 7, 2009 3:01 AM EST in Graph of the Day Comment 20 comments

Uzr-coverageview-min-before-hardy_medium

Twins 2009 UZR/150, before JJ Hardy/Carlos Gomez Trade

See the excellent BtB analysis of the trade HERE.

Team Fielding Comparison after the jump.

Twins UZR/150, after JJ Hardy/Carlos Gomez Trade

Revised Chart assumption: Span moves to CF and Cuddyer takes RF.

	Metrodome	Target Field	Difference
LF	343'	339'	-4'
CLF	385'	377'	-8'
CF	408'	404'	-4'
CRF	367'	367'	0'
RF	327'	328'	+1'

Field Dimension Comparisons

Questions for consumption: How will the shorter wall at Target Field (not affiliated with TargetView) in LF-CF change the fielding needs for Minnesota? Does this make the acquistion of Hardy even more valuable by 'walling-off' the left fielder with higher-UZR fielders? Does this give the Twins more flexibility in finding a powerbat-but-can't-field-Donkey-type in LF?

Or is it the other way around? Would the Twins have been better off by pursuing a better 2B to protect the holes in Right, assuming that bringing in the LF wall actually makes the left fielder better by giving less ground to cover?

Edit: Here's the original and probably mistaken UZR TargetView Chart with Cuddyer in center -

Uzr-coverageview-min-after-hardy_medium

Data Sources: Fangraphs (UZR/150), Wiki (Field Dimensions)

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Comments

There's obviously no way Cuddyer is going to play CF

It would be sweet if he could replicate his success there though

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by fetch9 on Nov 7, 2009 3:44 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

There's nothing to replicate

He’s played less than 3 full games in CF for his entire career.

by jibs on Nov 7, 2009 10:18 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

ha yea I know, that’s what I mean

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by fetch9 on Nov 7, 2009 12:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I think a UZR/150 for Cuddyer in CF is REALLY misleading. He played 17 innings and there’s no way he was a cumulative 34.4 raw UZR in a cumulative 4455.2 innings since 2002 in RF and be a good defensive CFer. That’s a UZR/150 of -1.16 in RF the last 7 years. It’s because of this I have qualms about the TargetView using UZR/150 - the small samples really skew the data visualization.

But I do love these graphs.

Fire Jim Leyland

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by Mike Rogers on Nov 7, 2009 8:12 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Hmmmm, BtB doesn’t like me disagreeing! (I should preview my posts before posting them right away…)

Fire Jim Leyland

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by Mike Rogers on Nov 7, 2009 8:12 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Mike-

1. Agreed. Single year sample sizes are probably not the best way to visualize this.

2. Do you think we could put these data on a over-time scale and project what that player’s defensive capabilities should be at that position?

See Data Differently.
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by Justin Bopp on Nov 7, 2009 3:21 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Cuddyer's not a good fielder, even for a corner guy. Span will be in center.

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by Sky Kalkman on Nov 7, 2009 9:00 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Jeff, are your fielding projections available for everyone, yet?

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by Sky Kalkman on Nov 7, 2009 9:00 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Of course, I read this immediately after I commented to Mike. Ignore the last one, then.

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by Justin Bopp on Nov 7, 2009 3:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Span in center, Cuddyer in right, Punto at 2B

UZR of -3.3 (-7.4/150), -16.9 (-22.1/150), 3.3 (9.4/150) respectively.

The Twins still have a ton of work to do before they’re even an average defensive team. Especially when they have to sacrifice defense for offense when they move Kubel from DH.

by KMils on Nov 7, 2009 9:24 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I think the Twins are banking on Young.

Such a frustrating player.

by Daniel Berlyn on Nov 7, 2009 11:26 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

You could always have Carlos Guillen for 12 million dollars?

Does anybody remember that he was supposedly “upset” about being moved to right? Now that’s funny.

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by Justin Bopp on Nov 7, 2009 3:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Their outfield defensive alignment will be, left to right, Young, Span, and Cuddyer

I thought they should’ve traded Young and gone with Span, Gomez, Cuddyer left to right, but whatever.

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by PWHjort on Nov 7, 2009 12:30 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Who was buying on Young?

Marlin Maniac, a Florida Marlins blog
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by SFiercex4 on Nov 7, 2009 12:53 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks for the feedback everybody!

I added a “correct” chart with Denard in center and Cuddyer in RF. Quite a difference.

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by Justin Bopp on Nov 7, 2009 3:19 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Hardy

After watching almost every game of JJ Hardy’s career, I can honestly say that he is not that good of a defensive shortstop. He is solid. But he is not elite. He fields what is hit to him, he has a plus arm, but his range is atrocious. He is the perfect example of why defensive statistics are very imperfect.

by backtocali on Nov 7, 2009 10:44 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

This is the classic "my eyes don't lie" post.

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by Justin Bopp on Nov 7, 2009 10:58 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Eyes dont lie

But numbers can be slanted.

I gave Hardy his due in that his glove is good and his arm is very good. He’s just not as good as UZR might indicate. There are a handful of guys, whose UZR is not as high as Hardy’s, that are better shortstops: Rollins, Tulowitzki, Yunel Escobar, Alcides Escobar, Jose Reyes, Brendan Ryan.

The Brewer pitching staff ERA will drop by about a 1/3rd fo a half of a run this year having Escobar at SS instead of Hardy.

by backtocali on Nov 7, 2009 11:04 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs