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I have been wondering how the M's defense could be so bad as well.
First, the obvious answer.  The M's team UZR is -13 runs, while Langerhans in CF, Bradley in LF, and Ichiro in RF have been worth -17.3 runs on the year.  So the answer is attrocious outfield defense.  I'm curious if Ichiro has 'looked' as bad as UZR has thought he's played?  He doesn't seem to be hurt (as indicated by basestealing).  Langerhans was a fringe CF in his athletic prime and Bradley played defense like he was trying not to get hurt, so their numbers conform with expectation to some extent.  Ichiro has been a premiere RF for a decade.  What is up with him?  Anyway, the outfield defense will be fixed shortly, though the outfield offense will continue to be AAA quality, I fear.
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More generally, I have a couple notions about why the defense has underperformed expectation.  (1) We are often bringing in journeymen whose primary skill is with the glove (Hannahan, Langerhans, Jack Wilson).  This is a problem because defensive performance peaks early and is more dependent on leg and back health.  Jack Wilson WAS an elite SS, but why should he be elite at 33 playing 2B for the first time after years of leg injuries?  (2) Defense requires coordination between the fielders, pitcher, and catcher.  The roster churn can't possibly help.  (3) Brendan Ryan doesn't strike me as a video room grinder, so he's going to have to learn the hitters and pitchers on the M's on the field.  I think he'll get better and he's been roughly league average.