So...Ruiz @ 2B

[Hallas]

8 hours ago, Can_of_corn said:

A case can be made that in a game in which the number of balls put into play is at an all time low that defense has never been less important.

I'm not sure I agree with that, given how valuable baserunners are when HR are so plentiful, but the case can be made.

I don't think the difference here is large enough to really make a huge difference.  A delta of 2 k/9 would probably put the difference at around 30 chances for an entire season.  Significant, but I don't think that's game changing.

[Philip]

Defense is never important until it is.

my dad used to point out players in the orchestra who were playing footballs or boom-chick and he would whisper,” they don’t have the job because they play footballs. Anybody can do that. No, they are hired for the mad scramble passages that are full of notes and rhythms and dynamics, and they are expected to play them perfectly.”

So yeah, good defenders are important.

[Bahama O's Fan]

Couldn't watch today. How'd he look? Turn any double plays?

[InsideCoroner]

9 hours ago, Bahama O's Fan said:

Couldn't watch today. How'd he look? Turn any double plays?

He looked fine, he only had three or four routine ground balls but made them all. No DP attempts, one steal (Severino’s throw was off the mark). And Franco made a nice stop at third (knocked down a sharp ground ball backhanded and made a good throw to first for the out). 

[wildcard]

Some strange stuff.    Hyde talks about getting both Franco and Ruiz in the lineup like Ruiz has been a good hitter.   He hasn't.   

 

[Just Regular]

It doesn't matter a lot for a slugging 3B, but last year in Sprint Speed, Franco was next to last (take that, Todd Frazier), and Rio was 41st of 47 at 25.2 feet/second.

If I toggle to 2020 2B, 25.2 would have been 58th of 61.

[Philip]

3 hours ago, wildcard said:

Some strange stuff.    Hyde talks about getting both Franco and Ruiz in the lineup like Ruiz has been a good hitter.   He hasn't.   

 

If Ruiz can defend well I don’t mind no offense.

[Just Regular]

22 hours ago, RZNJ said:

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't sprint speed the maximus speed a runner attains at his full speed.  While I'm sure there's a relationsip between foot speed and range, there's more to it.  1st step, reading the play, positioning,  and angles also play a factor. 

You are right about Sprint Speed being something like the average of a guy's X fastest runs.

I think foot speed more basic to middle infield - those positions may have almost a full second to make a play or not, whereas the challenging corner infield plays are over in a snap.   Brooks may have been a slow runner, but I think he may have been able to beat Usain Bolt off the starting block.

For sure all the other things you said are the skill of the position, but just regular defensive spectrum wise I feel like as a younger player if clubs thought Rio could do 2B they might have tried him there.   I do believe positioning is blurring the 2B/3B line so he'll have a better shot to make it work than 5-10 years ago.

I get why after the Franco signing when Hyde asked Ruiz about the idea a couple weeks ago, it was "Great idea, Skip, let's go for it!"

[BRobinsonfan]

On 4/3/2021 at 9:21 AM, Frobby said:

Hyde said the idea came to him about ten days ago.   

Well not to quibble, and, Hyde may have forgotten, but Ruiz played 1 game at second in 2019 and in 2020.   

[LookinUp]

Not gonna lie, what we've done at 2B makes me think that the front office is enamored with one of the guys in the minors. I expect Jones, Vavra, Hall or Bannon to be getting a shot in the next couple of months. I assume Jones.

[BRobinsonfan]

25 minutes ago, LookinUp said:

Not gonna lie, what we've done at 2B makes me think that the front office is enamored with one of the guys in the minors. I expect Jones, Vavra, Hall or Bannon to be getting a shot in the next couple of months. I assume Jones.

You could be right... I wouldn't mind seeing how Bannon could perform at the top of the order.  I like his .obp. 

 

[wildcard]

On 4/4/2021 at 11:47 AM, Philip said:

If Ruiz can defend well I don’t mind no offense.

Could have kept Sanchez if that is what the O's wanted.

[interloper]

1 minute ago, wildcard said:

Could have kept Sanchez if that is what the O's wanted.

He didn't really defend well in camp. Also maybe Ruiz showed a better work ethic who knows, that stuff counts. More than anything though, Plutko and Ruiz were simply deemed more valuable than Sanchez. 

[wildcard]

4 minutes ago, interloper said:

He didn't really defend well in camp. Also maybe Ruiz showed a better work ethic who knows, that stuff counts. More than anything though, Plutko and Ruiz were simply deemed more valuable than Sanchez. 

We have not seen Ruiz turn double plays yet.

[LookinUp]

14 minutes ago, BRobinsonfan said:

You could be right... I wouldn't mind seeing how Bannon could perform at the top of the order.  I like his .obp. 

 

Personally, I value him lower than all of Jones, Vavra and Hall, but he can make a case too.