I'm with Polo. I love Loretta's offense. I don't know how many times I've seen hits up the left side of the infield or up the middle that Everett would have tracked down. Even a few hits that Biggio/whomever would have got up the right side of the infield. If Everett was in the game the 2nd baseman would have been cheating toward first, closing the gap. Although... with Bruntlett in the game, I don't miss him too much.
I won't bother digging up all the reasons i've posted for getting Everett off this team. I always get bashed talking about him because his defense makes up for everything! It's like The Astros are stuck in the 1970's mentality where shortstops can only be 5'10 and hit for singles while maintaining a low batting average. Guys like Ripken Jr, Nomar, A-rod, Tejada, Jeter, Jones, etc are/we're all playing out of position. My hate for him goes back to the day i heard of the original Everett for Everett trade. We sent a speedy power hitting CF star for a minor league SS who couldn't hit a fly ball with an aluminum bat back then. I should probably stop here while i at least think i'm ahead.
You can look at their fielding differences this way: In 525 innings, Everett has 295 total chances - 5.05 per game. In 233 innings, Loretta has 233 total chances - 3.86 per game. In 189 innings, Bruntlett has 99 total chances - 4.70 per game. Fielding is far from a perfect science, but Everett gets to 1.2 more balls per game than Loretta and .35 more than Bruntlett. It may not sound like much, but if you increase Everett's hit count by .35, he is hitting over .300.
Having more offense certainly didn't help the wins... and Loretta/Lamb/Everett/Berkman can all be in the lineup at the same time, with the only offense being missed is that of Bruntlett (who hasn't been bad... but still doesn't have the range of everett).
Bobrek, Those are inexact numbers, but let me throw out another one: Mark Loretta has the worst zone rating of any shortstop getting significant time (more than a few games). That doesn't exactly inspire any confidence. If anyone is looking for the impact of Everett look no further than pitchers like Jennings and Sampson. Even before Jennings' explosion his ERA was creeping up. The same is true for Sampson. Both are groundball pitchers that need good defense behind them. Now, this team has picked up a subpar third baseman. It becomes that much more important for the shortstop to be able to field his position more than adequately. I do see Bruntlett as more than adequate, but it will be interesting to see what his offense will be like over the long haul.
That's assuming Wiggington plays everyday at 3b once Everett comes back. And while Loretta is a terrible SS, he's got average range at 3B. Having Loretta at 3B, Everett at SS, Burke at 2B, and Lamb/Berkman at 1B is the best possible defensive team this team can throw out there without affecting the offense all that much.
Thank you. No, you get disagreed with. It's too bad you take it personally. Yeah, that's it. It has nothing at all to do wit the fact that those guys don't grow on trees and exactly zero of them have been available. In fact, the Astros were so "stuck in the 1970's" that they attempted to trade for Miguel Tejada--twice. That trade ticked me off at the time, too. But a couple details you're leaving out: they didn't think Carl would be signable after the season for whatever reason (and that point may bring some deserved criticism) so they wanted to get something in return, and Everett was the most highly acclaimed SS in all the minor leagues anywhere--not just by the Astros.
interesting... I wonder if Bruntlett is a better overall option when you consider his bat and his fielding that's at least closer to Everett. Regardless, I'd be happy just to have Adam back in there..
The problem with this team isn't that Adam Everett is the every day SS when healthy. The problem is we don't have a 3B or RF that can hit. Those are two positions that you look for big power numbers out of. At SS, you look for defense first.
Me too, I hope they trade AE. He is the V-Span of the Astros - Great defense, horrid offense, and the fans are split about him..... DD
I think that was a typo. Loretta's range is very limited at shortstop. I also don't know that he has the arm to play third. Personally, I am divided on Everett personally. He is EXTREMELY important to this pitching staff. In fact, I would argue that he is the most valuable defensive player on the diamond (even more so than Ausmus or Willy T was). That being said, I think the key is to get good offensive players at the other positions. Someone else mentioned third base and right field. My problem with the defense first paradigm (up the middle) is that it becomes dreadfully important to field great hitters at the other positions. It doesn't always happen that way. I think the Astros need to take the time to find a good offensive catcher that is at least passable behind the plate (Munson doesn't quite fit that bill). The problem over the past few years is that they have been stuck in the Everett/Ausmus/Pitcher hamster wheel. If your fix six hitters are studs it is okay, but what are the odds that all six guys will be studs? Ausmus' impending retirement is actually an opportunity. If this club can find a good offensive and defensive catcher (expensive I'll admit) then having Everett hit eighth is perfectly acceptable. If they follow that up with a bonafide centerfielder (allowing Pence to move to his natural right field position) then they will be solid defensively and good enough offensively to where Burke and Everett won't hurt them as much. Furthermore, Burke isn't an absolute zero on offense anyway.
