Best Defensive Outfielder Available?

[TheBee]

Forget offense.  Who is the best defensive corner outfielder available?  Stats gurus...Who do the defensive metrics point to?  Those that put more emphasis on "the eye test" and intangibles...what do you say?  

[theobird]

I don't know if Peter Bourjos is stil out there, but if he is and if he is healthy.....That would make a lot of sense to me.

[Frobby]

David Lough.   

[thezeroes]

21 minutes ago, theobird said:

I don't know if Peter Bourjos is stil out there, but if he is and if he is healthy.....That would make a lot of sense to me.

Signed to a MiLB deal with the White Soxs

 

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017/01/white-sox-to-sign-peter-bourjos.html

[Aristotelian]

18 minutes ago, Frobby said:

David Lough.   

I would rather keep the Rule 5 guy is we are going with another lefty and letting Trumbo play RF.

[ScGO's]

I don't know what's going on with Colby Rasmus, but isn't that still unofficial?  He's a pretty good defender in my opinion.

Beyond him Bourne, Lough, and Jennings would be the best of the defenders and my targets to sign.  I'd take Jennings; solid OBP, dWAR, and maybe he's got some SBs in him too.  I always felt there was more in him when I watched him play.  Always thought he was a great defender; nothing we hit his way ever seemed to fall in.  Maybe a change of scenery does him well.

I also saw Sam Fuld's name on the list of unsigned free agents.  Terrible hitter, but man can he field.

I am one of the rare David Lough fans.  I'd bring him back on a minor league deal.  He was a good teammate and actually did fairly well in 2014 after they moved him to a more limited role.

[Number5]

I don't see how a defensive replacement/pinch-runner type fits on the active roster, especially if he bats left-handed.  Our starting nine seems set vs. RHP, with Kim in LF, Smith in RF, and Trumbo at DH.  We'll have Flaherty and either Pena or Joseph on the bench, making eleven active position players.  As of now, Rickard looks to be Kim's platoon partner in LF, so that's twelve.  One left.  If Trumbo plays RF vs. LHP, we would need a DH that hits right handed.  If we keep Trumbo at DH vs. LHP, we would need someone we can start in RF vs. LHP.  Either way, it would seem that it needs to be a right-handed hitter who isn't an automatic out.  Smith absolutely can't hit LHP, and the jury is very much out on Kim, so playing one of those two every day seems unlikely.  It just seems to me that Tavarez will have a hard time making the team as things stand right now, and guys like Bourn and Lough don't seem to fit, either.  Right now, Mancini is a possible answer to DH vs. LHP.  Otherwise, it seems like we would be looking at signing or trading for a right-handed bat, preferably an outfielder.

[El Gordo]

1 hour ago, Frobby said:

David Lough.   

You like Lough over Bourn?

[wildcard]

How do we know who is available?  Is Raimel Tapia available?  Is Roman Quinn?

[El Gordo]

5 minutes ago, wildcard said:

How do we know who is available?  Is Raimel Tapia available?  Is Roman Quinn?

If you want to know about remaining FA go here:http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017-mlb-free-agent-tracker/positions-of

[weams]

2 hours ago, theobird said:

I don't know if Peter Bourjos is stil out there, but if he is and if he is healthy.....That would make a lot of sense to me.

He's not. And I think he is injured. 

[Rene88]

Has anyone seen Lough on the basepaths? PR? LOL. The man has zero baserunning instincts despite excellent speed.

Go with one of the Rule 5 guys, if anything.

[wildcard]

35 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

Anyone is availabe at the right price.     The Orioles take rule 5 guys.   They don't trade for A prospects.   At least they haven't under Dan Duquette while they are trying to be competitive.

Those players are good young players who would make sense to go after.    Unfortunately you have to give something to get something and Duquette isn't trading someone who can help him in 2017 for someone who "might" help him this year or next.

Just listened to this http://www.masnsports.com/media.php?show_id=3285996&p=   interview where Dan talks about the outfield defense.   Sure sounds like it's more about using the current group and being better as a team for using analytics for better positioning.

I understand what Dan said about adding speed to the outfield with Rickard and Tavarez,  but you are going to have to help me with the analytics part.  Was there some big, new discovery that the O's will implement over what Kirby and Buck did last year?  How do they add range to Kim and Smith?

The analytics part sounds like a bunch of mumbojumbo to me.  I thought Kirby positioned for each pitch last year.   I don't know how they improve on that.   Poor  range is poor range.

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, wildcard said:

I understand what Dan said about adding speed to the outfield with Rickard and Tavarez,  but you are going to have to help me with the analytics part.  Was there some big, new discovery that the O's will implement over what Kirby and Buck did last year?  How do they add range to Kim and Smith?

The analytics part sounds like a bunch of mumbojumbo to me.  I thought Kirby positioned for each pitch last year.   I don't know how they improve on that.   Poor  range is poor range.

I agree, it was spin.

[Frobby]

1 hour ago, El Gordo said:

You like Lough over Bourn?

I was answering the hypothetical question posed in the OP, "forget offense, who is the best defensive corner OF available?"   In the real world, where offense does matter, I'd prefer Bourn (and I'm sure some others) to Lough.