Royce Clayton

[jamess697]

Why isn't Rich Aurilla or Brandon Phillips playing shortstop. Stop me if I am wrong but Royce is just as a liability as Lopez was. At least RA will hit the ball. It is a shame that we continue to set RA, Phillips, Hateberg, or EE. It's terrible that the Reds are in a pennant race, and we can't play the best players possible.

[BuckWoody]

Whoa, now there's a fresh new take on the situation. Why hasn't this been discussed on here more often!?!

Just bustin' your chops, james. This has been discussed over and over and over on here.

The consensus seems to be that Clayton is the last person anyone on RedsZone wants at SS. Aurilia is next least desirable because it is a big step down defensively and his lefty/righty splits at the plate dictate he'd be better in the lineup against lefties only. Castro will give you the best D out there, although some will question that as well. He hits about as well as Clayton so he seems a nice choice given the situation.

There is also the “move Philips to short and stick Aurilia at second” school of thought. That one looks like a pipe dream since the current Reds brain trust won’t move BP over this late in the season.

I think that about covers it....maybe.

[reds44]

We get our wish today.

[BuckWoody]

Well, today's a good day to try it with our fly ball pitcher extraordinaire going. We may not need any infield defense.

[KySteveH]

Originally Posted by jamess697

Why isn't Rich Aurilla or Brandon Phillips playing shortstop. Stop me if I am wrong but Royce is just as a liability as Lopez was. At least RA will hit the ball. It is a shame that we continue to set RA, Phillips, Hateberg, or EE. It's terrible that the Reds are in a pennant race, and we can't play the best players possible.

Stop. You're wrong.

Clayton gets to as many balls as Lopez, and doesn't throw nearly as many away. About the only plus Lopez has on defense is a much stronger arm, which makes him a better bet to win a stuffed animal at the county fair.

[fielder's choice]

Originally Posted by KySteveH

Stop. You're wrong.

Clayton gets to as many balls as Clayton

If you meant to say Clayton gets to as many balls as Lopez, I can say without a doubt that you're the one that is wrong.

[justincredible]

Royce Clayton is the worst baseball player in the history of the league. It's science.

[registerthis]

Originally Posted by justincredible

Royce Clayton is the worst baseball player in the history of the league. It's science.

And yet, he's been playing for 15 seasons and has appeared in over 2,000 games. If he was the worst player in the history of the league, wouldn't the other teams have figured that out by now and stopped trading for him/signing him?

The truth is, there have been--and are--far worse players than Clayton in baseball. But it's simply easier to throw around vague generalities when trying to support a point.

[justincredible]

Originally Posted by registerthis

And yet, he's been playing for 15 seasons and has appeared in over 2,000 games. If he was the worst player in the history of the league, wouldn't the other teams have figured that out by now and stopped trading for him/signing him?

The truth is, there have been--and are--far worse players than Clayton in baseball. But it's simply easier to throw around vague generalities when trying to support a point.

I was only kidding, for the most part. There was a good Anchorman reference in another thread and I thought I could get one in on this one.

Of course he isn't the worst player in the history of the league. He's been around a long time and has contributed to many teams. I do consider him to be the worst player on the Reds 25 man roster, however. And if you are the worst player on the 25 man roster you should not be starting as much as he is. In fact, you probably shouldn't be starting ever.

[Zimmazamma]

Eric Leckner played in almost 500 games over 8 years in the NBA.

Ergo

Eric Leckner is a good player.

Right?

[registerthis]

Originally Posted by justincredible

Of course he isn't the worst player in the history of the league. He's been around a long time and has contributed to many teams. I do consider him to be the worst player on the Reds 25 man roster, however. And if you are the worst player on the 25 man roster you should not be starting as much as he is. In fact, you probably shouldn't be starting ever.

At best, Clayton should be platooning with Castro, but it sounds ridiculous just typing that. I would hope that they give Phillips a nice, long look in the offseason at shortstop, because if Brandon doesn't transition over there, I have no idea what that position holds for the Reds in '07.

[registerthis]

Originally Posted by Zimmazamma

Eric Leckner played in almost 500 games over 8 years in the NBA.

Ergo

Eric Leckner is a good player.

Right?

If he was the worst NBA player of all time, he'd still be the best basektball player you ever knew.

[justincredible]

Originally Posted by registerthis

At best, Clayton should be platooning with Castro, but it sounds ridiculous just typing that. I would hope that they give Phillips a nice, long look in the offseason at shortstop, because if Brandon doesn't transition over there, I have no idea what that position holds for the Reds in '07.

They shouldn't even be platooning. Here is how they match up offensively in their time in Cincinnati this season:

...........G AB R H HR RBI BB SO OBP SLG AVG
Clayton 25 84 9 20 2 8 6 18 .289 .345 .238
Castro 28 58 6 18 2 8 3 6 .344 .500 .310

Add in Castro's glove and he is the clear-cut better choice to be the everyday SS, IMO.

[KySteveH]

Originally Posted by fielder's choice

If you meant to say Clayton gets to as many balls as Lopez, I can say without a doubt that you're the one that is wrong.

That's what I meant. For 2006, here are the two players' defensive stats:

Clayton: RF = 4.32, ZR = .819
Lopez: RF = 3.94, ZR = .779

That .779 ZR is the worst among qualifying ML shortstops. No other SS has a ZR below .8, in fact. Clayton's numbers aren't good, but Lopez's are worse.

The only way you might have been able to say I was wrong was if you had said that I was too kind to Lopez. What I should have said was that Clayton gets to more balls than Lopez.

[fielder's choice]

Originally Posted by KySteveH

That's what I meant. For 2006, here are the two players' defensive stats:

Clayton: RF = 4.32, ZR = .819
Lopez: RF = 3.94, ZR = .779

That .779 ZR is the worst among qualifying ML shortstops. No other SS has a ZR below .8, in fact. Clayton's numbers aren't good, but Lopez's are worse.

The only way you might have been able to say I was wrong was if you had said that I was too kind to Lopez. What I should have said was that Clayton gets to more balls than Lopez.

I just don't see how that is possible.