Quote:
Originally posted by Biitner Pill
If Boone can make the pivot (a huge if, BTW), he's Bobby Grich with more speed.
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Not to hijack a thread, but let's not get carried away. IMHO, Grich is a borderline hall-of-famer, and Aaron Boone has never shown any sign that he can hit in his league.
-Grich
career .371 on base % in a non-hitter's ERA; Boone .333 career OBP and .356 in his best year (2000) in a huge hitter's era
-Grich 4 gold gloves at 2b; Boone zero
-Grich 12th best 2nd baseman in history, according to Bill James
-Only one non-active player ranked ahead of Grich in Total Baseball's player ranking is not in the Hall of Fame (Joe Jackson)
-Baseball Prospectus: Grich 126.7 wins above replacement in 17 years; Boone 18.1 wins above replacement in 6 years
-Grich had the guts to try and pick a fight with Earl Weaver, when Weaver pinch hit for him early in his career; Boone allegedly listens to boy bands like N'Sync
But getting back to the idea of Boone at 2nd - I like it. If Boone MIGHT be able to play 2B, we have to take the chance to find out if he can. Because middle infielders with power give a team a huge competitive advantage.
Here's how I see it shaping up. Larson gets to audition in the starting lineup and Boone gets to audition at 2B, while Branyan heals. If it works out, great. If Boone doesn't adjust well to 2B, but Larson DOES play well, then we trade Boone for a 2B. If Boone does play well at 2B, but Larson reverts to his pre-2001 form, then Branyan/Lopez can platoon at 3B. I'm always in favor of outside-the-box ideas, and while I'm not wild about Aaron as a hitter, I've never doubted his athletic ability. Plus, he's plenty enough hitter for 2B to actually give us a competitive advantage there.