Quote:
Originally Posted by RedsManRick
Well, don't confuse how well a guy plays defense in a limited sample with his reputation as a defender. Valdez was supposed to be pretty solid. The UZR samples with both of them in recent years are small enough so as to be basically meaningless as measures of talent. But if you want to argue that Izturis is just replacement level instead of sub-replacement, I wouldn't argue nor would I brag).
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Thanks for clarifying. I am not as well-versed at defensive statistics as I am with offensive statistics. All of Izturis' defensive statistics seemed pretty positive to me and I had read some good scouting reports about his defense, so I was confused about the Valdez comparison.
Izturis could very well be a replacement level shortstop. There just aren't going to be many above replacement level shortstops that are going to want to come to Cincinnati to sit the bench behind Cozart, nor are the cash-strapped Reds too interested in investing serious money in what is an insurance policy for Cozart. Getting a good glove, no hit shortstop is about as good as I could imagine the Reds could do as a backup to Cozart given their resources.