Another thing worth noting is that we don't see Stubbs constantly running into the other outfielders, putting them at risk for injury.
Just like almost any ball that Gomes doesn't catch is considered testimony to his inadequacy as a fielder, Stubbs can do no wrong out there.
Lot of adhering to received wisdom here, IMO.
Garry Templeton always argued that he got to and fielded the same balls Ozzie did, but he fielded them while standing up...
"This isn’t stats vs scouts - this is stats and scouts working together, building an organization that blends the best of both worlds. This is the blueprint for how a baseball organization should be run. And, whether the baseball men of the 20th century like it or not, this is where baseball is going."---Dave Cameron, U.S.S. Mariner
UZR is what it is -- I don't think it does a good job of telling us who the best are, but I'm not getting into that again.I for one at least think Stubbs is probably earning his UZR this season. So is Gomes for that matter....
I know Stuubs is a decent defender -- I just don't think he's all that, like many do. I know Gomes is shaky, I just don't think that almost any ball that falls in LF while he's out there was catchable, as some seem to.
Matter of degree (and when it comes to degrees, I certainly don't trust UZR to provide precision shading).
In Soviet Cuba . . . you not wear Hannah Montana backpack - HANNAH MONTANA BACKPACK WEAR YOU!
Take away Stubbs mental mistakes early in the year, and he's one of the best defensive CF in the game, easily top ten, maybe top five. I think UZR has it just about right, because when you do account for those mistakes, he's about average.
As for Gomes, I don't think there ever will exist a defensive rating system that could measure how horrible he truely is in LF. He's slow, gets terrible jumps on balls, has terrible fundamentals, and terrible decision making. His only redeeming factor on defense is that he has a lot of heart and tries really hard. I believe that last part makes it seem like he's not as bad as he really is.
UZR might not be great at precision shading, but its take on Stubbs and Gomes this year are not examples of it.
"Imagination is more important than knowledge." -- Albert Einstein
Damn. I just checked the other thread like half an hour ago and thought, "What the . . . ? I could've sworn I pushed the 'submit' button."
It's funny you mention my drinking, though. I'm going straight to a bar once the Reds game is over. But don't worry--I'm walking.
Brewers CF Cain has whiplash from his slam in the wall last night.
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