Half-Empty: Infield Log-Jam (Part II - SS)

We have all heard the cliché in sports, "You cannot have too much of a good thing." Often times, this is very true and can lead to a healthy dose of competition at the very least. Sometimes however, this is not necessarily the case.

In the case of the Cleveland Indians' infield and baseball in general, I would argue that sometimes, you can have too much, especially if:

• It is too much of an "average" thing.
• This applies to more than one position on the same infield.
• Minor League options are running thin.

This week we will examine the Cleveland Indians infield and ask ourselves if we have too much of a good thing, just a bunch of average joes, or just the right amount of quality and depth.

Lets start today by taking a look at Shortstop: "Great, Good, Average, or Below Average?"

• Jhonny Peralta is a player who most of us thought would once again, be under the microscope this off-season, as the brass determined if he was best suited to be our shortstop of the future. Mark Shapiro put a quick damper on any questions in this regard stating, “[Cabrera] won’t play shortstop. Jhonny Peralta is our shortstop next year." I was very surprised that this decision was not only made, but determined so quickly. Obviously, Shapiro heard the whispers suggesting we would be better off with Cabrera at SS in the future and perhaps did not think it fair to make Peralta the focus of the off-season for a second year in a row. For our intents and purposes, let us get back to the task at hand an analyze how the SS position shakes up as a whole for next year. Offensively, most Tribe fans are quick to talk about how great Jhonny is compared to the rest of the league, however, a closer look, yields some interesting results. Peralta was only 19th in .avg compared to all ML SS with at least 100 GP. Additionally, he was only 15th in .obps at .771. While he was 7th in HR, it must be noted that he struck out more than any other SS in the league (146 Ks). Finally, while most of us think of Peralta as having good 2B power, he only finished 19th in the league with 27. These stats are quite astonishing, considering the overall feeling that Jhonny is one of the best offensive SS in baseball. Rather he is much closer to "Average" than most realize. Defensively, Jhonny still leaves much to be desired. True baseball fans know that fielding percentage is only the beginning in terms of analyzing defense. Hardball Times put together this in-depth and telling piece on how awful he really is in terms of range. After reading this, it is hard to argue that Jhonny is anything but "Below Average" defensively. This season, we heard numerous times how well Jhonny is playing, but I wonder how much of that credit was actually due to his bounceback offensively from a horrendous 2006.
• Asdrubal Cabrera is of course, not our SS yet. However, he had a great deal of experience at the position in the minors and his play at 2B this year certainly leads one to believe that he would be an immediate upgrade defensively over Peralta. Based on the flashes we saw at times this season and his minor league track record, I am going to give Asdrubal an "Good" rating defensively. Offensively, it is a bit more difficult to estimate exactly what Cabrera would give the Tribe. While he does not have the power that Jhonny has, I would argue that the Tribe already has an ample amount of power throughout the lineup. What we could use a little more of is contact, situational hitters, who can lay down a bunt (don't get me started on Jhonny's inability to do such) when necessary. In addition he is a switch-hitter who also brings a little more speed and athleticism. Overall, Asdrubal will get a rating of "Average" offensively for the time being.

Shortstop Summary

Interestingly enough, the above mentioned results would lead me to believe exactly what I felt throughout the final 3rd of the season: That we have the wrong player starting at shortstop. Jhonny defenders will continue to argue that his offense makes up for his defense, but there are a couple X-factors here that cannot go without saying. Fausto and Jake. These two will be in the top of the league in ground balls forced for years to come. This team is built primarily around starting pitching as our biggest strength. We must therefore accommodate our pitchers needs and give them the best opportunity to win.

While Shapiro's comments were surprising, especially in their timing, I hope that there is a bit more to the story. Perhaps, like Victor, Jhonny has more value at SS than at a corner position because of his offense. If Shapiro is in fact secretly considering trading Peralta, then he is best suited selling Jhonny as a SS to increase what we may get in return. In the mean time, he does not have to worry about Jhonny being insulted by being left to wonder what 2008 has in store for him. Until a move is made, it is clear that we have yet another position where an average player is holding back a promising youngster. In this case however, I would not think the potential drop off would be nearly as risky as it would by going to Marte at 3rd. Rather, it actually has the makings to be a significant upgrade.

Tomorrow we will take a look at 2B, in our attempt to see if the Infield Log-Jam is a good thing or a bad thing.

Until then, Goooooooooooooooooo Tribe!!!!

Cheers!