Bavasi not afraid to fast track Hamilton

[dougdirt]

From the perception of your quote I got the vibe of not having an in house replacement should not be a reason to keep a below average defender at SS. Maybe I misinterpreted your quote. Half of those scenarios proposed involve the Cubs having an in house replacement come along. Picking one up via free agency is a different aspect, but like I said, there have been no quality FA shortstops of late. Who would you consider the last one to be thats better all around than Castro?

And if a player is making a positive contribution as a whole, and one above the average contribution at his position, why force the issue when there are other holes to fill?

If I were running a team, I would try to get as many guys who are average or better on both sides of the ball at every position as possible. If moving Castro to 2B makes him that guy, and I can find someone else for SS who is average on both ends, it makes the team better. I don't know that you force the issue just yet, because right now he isn't terrible defensively, but when you are below average at 20, its not a good sign. Fortunately, he is at the top of the defensive spectrum, so odds are that he will be ok moving as long as his bat can handle it. It is something that should be in the back of the minds of the Cubs though. If the opportunity arises to acquire a decent fielding shortstop, they should probably go for it.

[lonewolf371]

Of 16 qualified 2B in the majors last year, 8 had an OPS of .750 or greater. Brandon Phillips, for example, had an OPS of .762 -- was that just serviceable?

A .330 wOBA is generally league average, 9 cleared that. I'd say if you have a guy who is a plus defender and league average offensively, that's pretty good -- even in a corner OF. I think we sometimes forget, particularly on the corners, that it's still about overall production. A .750 OPS LF with a great glove can (and does) produce as much as an .850 OPS with a poor one.

Unless were talking about a DH, judging a guy's value by just offense is an incomplete way to do it.

Not trying to judge a guy just by offense, but offense is still going to form the largest portion of value for position players. I didn't see a problem with saying serviceable for 2nd base. I'd consider plus offense from second base to be in the category of Dan Uggla, Chase Utley, Rickie Weeks, Dustin Pedroia, and Robinson Cano. Essentially, guys that put up no less than .800 OPS when healthy.

Phillips is good, but his value lies in his ability to combine above average offense from his position with a great glove. Maybe Castro can do that, and if he can then he'd be a great 2nd baseman.