Add new comment

a) I didn't really "declare victory" re: Saunders vs. Gutierrez...I do think Saunders is personally killing us so far on team DER...but my point was...even if Saunders is an average CF...you still lose when comparing him to Guti. You assumed that Safeco would make things EASY for a CF...based on one good year for Randy Winn, if I recall. :) Safeco does not make things easy...it might influence things a bit, but it's not going to turn an average CFer into the monster that Gutierrez statistically was. I think Saunders...even assuming a lot of improvement as he gets comfortable with the position...proves that Safeco won't turn your pumpkins into carriages in CF. Saunders is an OK outfielder...Guti is a great one. We need Guti out there...that's how I see it.
But it's not the -8 UZR in CF that annoys me with Saunders...it's the geometric routes and really late breaks he keeps getting...and the lack of instincts on whether to dive or put the glove down for a shoestring catch or slide...on whether to wait by the wall for a jump play back for the ricochet, etc. He's been making all kinds of really obvious mistakes out there. The good news is...the obvious stuff should get less problematical as he gets used to the position...but it means he has ZERO chance of putting up a +15 UZR in CF any time soon...he's too raw and does not possess Guti's natural gift for sightlines and jumps.