On T. Stephenson

[RedsManRick]

India looks a lot like Brandon Phillips.
TySteve looks to be a rich man's Jason LaRue (minus the whole Cardinals situation, of course).

Comparing players going into their second years to legendary greats is a fool's errand.

In what sense is India like Phillips? India's .363 woBA was 10 points higher than Phillips' career high, 42 points higher than his career average. Meanwhile, India is solid defensively while Phillips was one of the greatest defensive 2B of the modern era.

India doesn't really have a great comp. Defensively good middle infielders who get on base at a .370 clip are a rare breed. It's sort of a weird comp, but the closest season to what India just did I can think of is Felipe Lopez in 2005.

[Bourgeois Zee]

In what sense is India like Phillips? India's .363 woBA was 10 points higher than Phillips' career high, 42 points higher than his career average. Meanwhile, India is solid defensively while Phillips was one of the greatest defensive 2B of the modern era.

India doesn't really have a great comp. Defensively good middle infielders who get on base at a .370 clip are a rare breed. It's sort of a weird comp, but the closest season to what India just did I can think of is Felipe Lopez in 2005.

How about Craig Biggio as an India comp? That'd be best-case, of course. If not Biggio, how about Ray Durham?

[RedsManRick]

How about Craig Biggio as an India comp? That'd be best-case, of course. If not Biggio, how about Ray Durham?

I like both of those pretty well. A touch more power, a bit less contact and speed than those guys. But yeah, much closer.

[Bourgeois Zee]

I like both of those pretty well. A touch more power, a bit less contact and speed than those guys. But yeah, much closer.

Even Durham is a heady comparison. A Durham/ Parrish combo had 10 All-Star nods between them. (Biggio/ Parrish had 15.)

If Stephenson and India can do that, the Reds have cornerstones around which to build.

[Big Klu]

I like the Fisk comparison over Parrish for Stephenson because so far at this point in his (very brief) career, Stephenson looks to be a better hitter for average than Parrish, along with a better OBP.

[Bourgeois Zee]

I like the Fisk comparison over Parrish for Stephenson because so far at this point in his (very brief) career, Stephenson looks to be a better hitter for average than Parrish, along with a better OBP.

Fisk had a 162 OPS+ his first season and a 165 wRC+.

Stephenson had a 104 OPS+ and a 111 wRC+.

That's a massive difference in production.

[RedEye]

I was also bullish on Devin Mesoraco. I just really hope TySteve stays healthy at this point.