Fangraphs: The Best defenders of their time

[weams]

The Best Defenders of Their Time, 26-30

Name PA OFF/600 DEF/600 WAR/600

Ozzie Guillen 2037 -21 19 1.8

Mark Belanger 2544 -17 28 3.0

Andruw Jones 3305 10 21 5.0

Omar Vizquel 2839 -12 13 2.1

Jim Sundberg 2663 4 20 4.5

Hal Lanier 1424 -38 12 -0.8

Rico Petrocelli 2982 16 12 4.9

Paul Blair 2786 4 17 4.1

Bobby Grich 2695 20 8 5.0

Average 2586 -4 16 3.3

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/how-did-previous-andrelton-simmonses-age/

Last night, the Braves traded Andrelton Simmons to the Angels for Erick Aybar and a couple of pitching prospects. While it's likely that Atlanta's staff made this deal primarily to acquire Sean Newcomb, a big left-hander with high-end stuff and strikeout rates to match, I think it's fair to categorize this return as surprisingly light. Newcomb is brimming with upside, but he's still a pitching prospect who hasn't yet figured out how to throw strikes on a regular basis, and has made all of seven starts above A-ball. He could figure things out and become an ace, or he could go the Archie Bradley path, where the stuff declines before the command gets better, and the Braves could end up with little to show for trading away the best defensive player on the planet.

But therein lies the rub. While everyone agrees that Simmons is a great defensive player, the Braves don?t appear particularly interested in betting on elite defenders aging particularly well. They balked at Jason Heyward's salary requests in long-term negotiations, then traded him last winter, rather than keeping a 25 year old star outfielder around as a core building block. Now, for the second time in as many years, the Braves have traded elite defense in a young player for pitching potential, seemingly believing that it is easier to find a good defender with offensive question marks than a power arm who racks up strikeouts.

[Number5]

The Best Defenders of Their Time, 26-30

Name PA OFF/600 DEF/600 WAR/600

Ozzie Guillen 2037 -21 19 1.8

Mark Belanger 2544 -17 28 3.0

Andruw Jones 3305 10 21 5.0

Omar Vizquel 2839 -12 13 2.1

Jim Sundberg 2663 4 20 4.5

Hal Lanier 1424 -38 12 -0.8

Rico Petrocelli 2982 16 12 4.9

Paul Blair 2786 4 17 4.1

Bobby Grich 2695 20 8 5.0

Average 2586 -4 16 3.3

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/how-did-previous-andrelton-simmonses-age/

Guillen? Not Smith?

[El Gordo]

Where's Brooks on that list? I think the Braves did better than LAA, They got a solid SS who hits decently plus LAA's two best SP prospects. for a 3W defensive SS, who has yet to demonstrate that he can hit.

[weams]

The Best Defenders of Their Time, 26-30

Sounds like a five year deal to me.

[MurphDogg]

Guillen? Not Smith?

"And because I created an artificial cutoff of +20 DEF/600, we actually ended up omitting the guy who makes the best case for Simmons? long-term value. Ozzie Smith graded out at +19 DEF/600 by Total Zone?s numbers in his 18-25 years, but then jumped up to +23 DEF/600 from 26-30, while also going from -17 OFF/600 to -5 OFF/600, turning himself from an average player into a star. Smith is the guy Simmons is most often compared to, given his elite defense and high contact rates, and it?s worth noting that he does provide precedent for some upside here."

[Redskins Rick]

The Best Defenders of Their Time, 26-30

Name PA OFF/600 DEF/600 WAR/600

Ozzie Guillen 2037 -21 19 1.8

Mark Belanger 2544 -17 28 3.0

Andruw Jones 3305 10 21 5.0

Omar Vizquel 2839 -12 13 2.1

Jim Sundberg 2663 4 20 4.5

Hal Lanier 1424 -38 12 -0.8

Rico Petrocelli 2982 16 12 4.9

Paul Blair 2786 4 17 4.1

Bobby Grich 2695 20 8 5.0

Average 2586 -4 16 3.3

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/how-did-previous-andrelton-simmonses-age/

The Braves won a brunch of NL Titles by pitching, pitching and more pitching.

[weams]

The Braves won a brunch of NL Titles by pitching, pitching and more pitching.

They sure did. Of course, their pitchers were pretty awesome.