The first back of UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating) numbers are up for the 2011 season, and this should give us a very early look at how the new approach to fielding is working for the Nationals.
In the No-Shock-To-Anyone department, Ryan Zimmerman (in just 8 games) leads the team in UZR, racking up a 0.9 on the way. His UZR/150 numbers (basically a 150 game average), would place him 1st in the NL (4th overall). Other members of the Nationals in the Positive are:
- Cora (SS) - 0.5
- Hairston (3B) - 0.4
- Hairston (2B) - 0.1
- Espinosa - 0.1
That's it.
Hairston (LF) and LaRoche come in at 0.0. Rounding out the positivity of the Nationals defensive upgrade to the 2011 season.
The rest of the team currently resides on the negative side of the UZR spectrum.
Ankiel and Cora (3B) are at -0.2
Werth is at -0.4
Stairs is at -0.6
Morse is at -0.7
Hairston (CF) is at -0.8
Nix is at -1.6
Rounding out the worse range of Nationals is one Ian Desmond - coming in at a whopping -2.2 UZR, placing him 2nd to last in MLB; right behind Hanley Ramirez.
Team Totals have the Nats with a -4.8 which is good for 24th overall, 13th in the National League.
Why though are the Nats so low on the list?? Didn't the front office make the extra effort for defense?
That is a very complicated question, but the easiest and most straightforward answer is twofold - Ryan Zimmerman is hurt and these are just the first numbers. In no way is this a trend, yet. Lets stay tuned to all of these numbers as the next month or two progresses, and then we will talk.
But most importantly, don't panic.
How long do we have to wait before the team realizes that the Desmond experiment is a failure? Espinosa is a far better fielder according to the stats and there are several options at second base which is a less demanding position. Desmond's hitting, while good at times, is very erratic and unreliable. Nats fans deserve better.
ReplyDeletecarolync - Have to disagree about Desmond being a failure. It's easy to forget this is just his 2nd full season in the majors. He took a normal path to the majors (ie. not rushed ni 2 years) and worked the the minors. And despite these UZR ratings, he's clearly getting better. Let's wait before jumping on the "Desmond is the worst shortstop in the history of ever" conversation. As a reminder, two words: Cristian. Guzman.
ReplyDeleteHi Joe - We disagree, but that's OK. I didn't say he's the worst shortstop ever, but I don't see signs he's clearly getting better. I think we have a better shortstop already on the team. If our hitting doesn't greatly improve when Zimmerman is back, I won't be surprised to see Desmond traded for another bat.
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