The defense thread, 2018

[Frobby]

April 1, Game 3

- Beckham booted a short hop for an error.

- Sisco almost backhanded Gausman’s second wild pitch, but it popped out of his glove.    

- Buxton stole a base on Araujo, and though Sisco got rid of it quickly, his throw bounced at least three feet in front of the bag.    Buxton would’ve been safe in any event, but it certainly wasn’t the best throw.  

- There was a bloop hit down the LF line that Mancini didn’t reach but maybe a fast LF would have.   Can’t say for sure.    

I saw Sisco make a couple of nice blocks today, and he sits pretty still and presents a nice target IMO.

[SteveA]

13 minutes ago, Frobby said:

April 1, Game 3

- Beckham booted a short hop for an error.

- Sisco almost backhanded Gausman’s second wild pitch, but it popped out of his glove.    

- Buxton stole a base on Araujo, and though Sisco got rid of it quickly, his throw bounced at least three feet in front of the bag.    Buxton would’ve been safe in any event, but it certainly wasn’t the best throw.  

- There was a bloop hit down the LF line that Mancini didn’t reach but maybe a fast LF would have.   Can’t say for sure.    

I saw Sisco make a couple of nice blocks today, and he sits pretty still and presents a nice target IMO.

Schoop made a very nice play in the shift to get a Twin batter.

[tntoriole]

2 hours ago, Babypowder said:

You being the president of the Trey Mancini fan club, I’m not surprised. I though it was hit high enough that someone faster gets to it. Trey looked slow in pursuit, probably because he is slow.

What's really slow in pursuit, is the slowness of pursuit of an extension by this organization.  

[tntoriole]

1 hour ago, Frobby said:

Oh, I saw that.   But he got a little bit of a tentative jump and he’s not that fast.     Not an easy play for any outfielder but a ball some faster outfielders might have caught, even from where he started, if they got a good jump on it.    

Would Nolan Reimold have caught it?   Would Nelson Cruz?    I hope we don't have an entire season of every time a ball drops in, then "well if Mancini wasn't a DH, wasn't as slow as molasses, he would have caught that one."   I could say the same about Adam Jones on certain balls over his head when he broke in or in the gap where he got a bad jump.  It happens.  Hopefully it will improve but I still think Trey is better out there even now than this board gives him any credit for.   Plus, if you know the capabilities of your outfielders then maybe you don't always play the extreme shifting in the gaps that Kirby and Buck usually do these days.  

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, tntoriole said:

Would Nolan Reimold have caught it?   Would Nelson Cruz?    I hope we don't have an entire season of every time a ball drops in, then "well if Mancini wasn't a DH, wasn't as slow as molasses, he would have caught that one."   I could say the same about Adam Jones on certain balls over his head when he broke in or in the gap where he got a bad jump.  It happens.  Hopefully it will improve but I still think Trey is better out there even now than this board gives him any credit for.   Plus, if you know the capabilities of your outfielders then maybe you don't always play the extreme shifting in the gaps that Kirby and Buck usually do these days.  

I am guessing that most of us that are not happy with Mancini in left don't want Jones in center.

[tntoriole]

Just now, Can_of_corn said:

I am guessing that most of us that are not happy with Mancini in left don't want Jones in center.

Soon enough the board will get that wish with AJ.   We will see where the board sits at the end of his first full season out there in regards to Mancini in left.  

[Frobby]

10 minutes ago, tntoriole said:

Would Nolan Reimold have caught it?   Would Nelson Cruz?    I hope we don't have an entire season of every time a ball drops in, then "well if Mancini wasn't a DH, wasn't as slow as molasses, he would have caught that one."   I could say the same about Adam Jones on certain balls over his head when he broke in or in the gap where he got a bad jump.  It happens.  Hopefully it will improve but I still think Trey is better out there even now than this board gives him any credit for.   Plus, if you know the capabilities of your outfielders then maybe you don't always play the extreme shifting in the gaps that Kirby and Buck usually do these days.  

Look, the whole point of this thread is to note plays where the quality of the defender matters.    If that means there are 50 times this year where someone thinks a ball dropped in on Mancini that someone else would have caught, so be it.    And I’m far from being a Mancini basher.    I’m on record as saying I thought he did a surprisingly decent job last year defensively, that he got better as the year went along and that there’s a decent chance he will continue to improve this year.     

With all that said, whether Reimold would have caught that ball is a matter of what kind of jump he got.   He was unquestionably faster than Mancini, but not always  a guy who got good jumps.    Some times yes, more times no.   Cruz is probably not fast enough to have caught it.    Nor Kim.    David Lough probably catches it 9 times out of 10.    McLouth probably 7 out of 10.     

[tntoriole]

1 minute ago, Frobby said:

Look, the whole point of this thread is to note plays where the quality of the defender matters.    If that means there are 50 times this year where someone thinks a ball dropped in on Mancini that someone else would have caught, so be it.    And I’m far from being a Mancini basher.    I’m on record as saying I thought he did a surprisingly decent job last year, that he got better as the year went along and that there’s a decent chance he will continue to improve this year.     

With all that said, whether Reimold would have caught that ball is a matter of what kind of jump he got.   He was unquestionably faster than Mancini, but not always  a guy who got good jumps.    Some times yes, more times no.   Cruz is probably not fast enough to have caught it.    Nor Kim.    David Lough probably catches it 9 times out of 10.    McLouth probably 7 out of 10.     

Good to know.  And when Trey makes catches like this in 2018, I will definitely note it on this thread.  

 

 

[Frobby]

Just now, tntoriole said:

Good to know.  And when Trey makes catches like this in 2018, I will definitely note it on this thread.  

 

 

What’s the date of this play?   I can almost guarantee that I or somebody else made a comment on that play in the Defense Thread for 2017.    It’s intended as an equal opportunity thread to note good or bad plays no matter who makes them.    

[tntoriole]

Just now, Frobby said:

What’s the date of this play?   I can almost guarantee that I or somebody else made a comment on that play in the Defense Thread for 2017.    It’s intended as an equal opportunity thread to note good or bad plays no matter who makes them.    

Oh it is last year.  I just said that I think there will be plenty more of them to come in 2018.  I probably wasn't as attentive to the Defense Thread last year as I should be...and will do better hopefully this year.  

[tntoriole]

2 minutes ago, Frobby said:

What’s the date of this play?   I can almost guarantee that I or somebody else made a comment on that play in the Defense Thread for 2017.    It’s intended as an equal opportunity thread to note good or bad plays no matter who makes them.    

I think it is September 1st, but I could be wrong.  

[Frobby]

Just now, tntoriole said:

Oh it is last year.  I just said that I think there will be plenty more of them to come in 2018.  I probably wasn't as attentive to the Defense Thread last year as I should be...and will do better hopefully this year.  

I know it was last year, but when?   Does the video have a date?

[tntoriole]

2 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I know it was last year, but when?   Does the video have a date?

September 1, 2017 posted on MLB 

[Frobby]

2 minutes ago, tntoriole said:

I think it is September 1st, but I could be wrong.  

Described by me here as “amazing leaping catch by Mancini in the top of the 13th.”   

 

[Legend_Of_Joey]

1 hour ago, Frobby said:

Oh, I saw that.   But he got a little bit of a tentative jump and he’s not that fast.     Not an easy play for any outfielder but a ball some faster outfielders might have caught, even from where he started, if they got a good jump on it.    

He might have been closer than it looked in person.