I expect Yankee fans will be quite disappointed in Ellbury's defense after they get an extended look at him in the Bronx.
Heyman: Ellsbury to sign seven-year deal with Yankees
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geoduck no quahog said:
Sorry if I'm being dense, but is this coming from a press conference or something? I'd like to watch it if it's archived somewhere.
I've never been a big fan of Ellsbury's defense. I've always thought he was overrated. In particular, I used to point out that he sucks at coming in on pop flies and texas leaguers. He always seemed to break back first. And the numbers from the Fielding Bible used to agree with me. They said he was good at going back but kind of sucked at going toward the infield to catch a ball. But the last couple years his numbers coming in have gotten a lot better, going from worse than average to better than average. And I have to admit that I was reluctant to admit it but this generally fits my recollections of this past season or so.Harry Hooper said:
If they expect a great centerfielder, yeah, they'll be disappointed. If they ratched down their expectations below that I think they'll be satisfied.
Harry Hooper said:
You're assuming that they'll pay attention to the evidence. I wouldn't be so sure. Some of them have been telling me since the Beltran signing that they may have the best defensive OF in baseball now because Beltran is a great defender.
I thought people around here jumped all over that aspect of Ellsbury's fielding, but ignored the fact that most outfielders' first reaction is to the swing of the bat and who's swinging. IOW, if M. Cabrera takes a full swing and the ball heads to center, the vast majority of CFers will break back first, then read the ball and react accordingly. People here just liked to trash Ellsbury's fielding in general. Having said that, I am looking forward to watching a lot of JBJ's heralded read the ball, run to the spot and catch the ball without looking again.Rough Carrigan said:
If he's worse than Granderson at judging fly balls, that would be disappointing. Is Ellsbury's arm really that bad?
Al Zarilla said:
It's not the first reaction so much as his apparent delay in revising that initial judgment that hurts him.
foulkehampshire said:
Well, that's true enough!
The peculiar dimensions of the smallish Fenway CF kind of minimized his deficiencies (reading balls and throwing) and played to his strengths (ability to streak into the triangle). The large CF in the Bronx could tend to do the opposite as the expanded acreage will lead to balls falling in for hits on sub-par reads and many weak throws back in from the fence will be painful to watch as runners tear around the bases. Maybe he will adjust his game/positioning somewhat for the Bronx, though.
Back to Ellsbury's defense. I agree with Rough's assessment. Jake never had the natural instinct, the radar, that somebody like Jackie Bradley has. But he has gotten better over the years. Half of me wants to see the Yankees keep Gardner and put him in left, where he was fantastic two years ago, and leave Jake in center. They are probably interchangeable but Yanks will go with Jake in center because of his contract and the desire to turn him into the kind of star New York seems to demand.
Let's see how the normally reticent Ellsbury deals with all the media hype from the team's p.r. department, YES and the 15 or 20 newspapers that cover the Yankees on a daily basis, not to mention the various dot-coms. The Boston media and fan base can be difficult but Ellsbury hasn't seen nothing yet. If he gets dinged and misses two weeks, Jeter won't be able to protect him.
I like Ellsbury as an offensive force. Just don't see how he fits here.
Let's see how the normally reticent Ellsbury deals with all the media hype from the team's p.r. department, YES and the 15 or 20 newspapers that cover the Yankees on a daily basis, not to mention the various dot-coms. The Boston media and fan base can be difficult but Ellsbury hasn't seen nothing yet. If he gets dinged and misses two weeks, Jeter won't be able to protect him.
I like Ellsbury as an offensive force. Just don't see how he fits here.
Jake is more masculine than Ells, which seemed a bit weak to me.jon abbey said:
Hate is a strong word. Disappointed works for me. Similar to the 1980s Yankees. No plan.
Even Girardi, who is the king of shortening names for no reason, is calling him Jacoby:
“I’ll sit down and talk to Jacoby (on Friday),” Girardi said. “Talk to him, sit down and talk to Gardy, and decide what we’re going to do.”
“I’ll sit down and talk to Jacoby (on Friday),” Girardi said. “Talk to him, sit down and talk to Gardy, and decide what we’re going to do.”
That is past history. Jeter will name him in February. The Incredible Mr. Ellsbury might work.InsideTheParker said:
terrynever said:
I don't know how often people mention outfielder's "hands," but Ellsbury always seemed to drop a lot of balls that he got to. That may be just a function of how many he got to in the first place, but I remember a lot more almost-outstanding plays than actually outstanding plays.
I guess some of the criticism of Ellsbury is to be expected after he left town, but I think we're going a bit too far here.
Ellsbury is a very good player and a better than average center fielder. He sometimes takes bad routes to the ball, but his speed compensates for it pretty well. And he's gotten much better at coming in on balls in recent years. He does have a noodle arm. Nothing anyone can do about that.
I expect him to have a number of monster years in Yankee Stadium. He already pulls everything, so moving from Fenway to the short porch will help him greatly. If I were a Yankee fan, I would be pleased at the thought of watching him for the next four years. The three after that might be a bit painful, but there you go.
None of this excuses the contract he got. Just crazy money. But if he avoids injury, he'll do well in the near term.
As it relates to great outfield arms, Glenn Wilson is a name I'd put forward. Playing for Philly, he led the NL in outfield assists in '85 (18) and '86 (20) and when people stopped taking the extra base on him, he started throwing them out at first base. (Two of his 18 assists in '87 were at first.) Didn't play many years, but the man had a gun out there.
Ellsbury is a very good player and a better than average center fielder. He sometimes takes bad routes to the ball, but his speed compensates for it pretty well. And he's gotten much better at coming in on balls in recent years. He does have a noodle arm. Nothing anyone can do about that.
I expect him to have a number of monster years in Yankee Stadium. He already pulls everything, so moving from Fenway to the short porch will help him greatly. If I were a Yankee fan, I would be pleased at the thought of watching him for the next four years. The three after that might be a bit painful, but there you go.
None of this excuses the contract he got. Just crazy money. But if he avoids injury, he'll do well in the near term.
As it relates to great outfield arms, Glenn Wilson is a name I'd put forward. Playing for Philly, he led the NL in outfield assists in '85 (18) and '86 (20) and when people stopped taking the extra base on him, he started throwing them out at first base. (Two of his 18 assists in '87 were at first.) Didn't play many years, but the man had a gun out there.
If people have already mentioned Evans in the arm discussion I apologize - but I can't fathom a Sox discussion on outfield arms without him.
Other than that I'm in the same boat as Average Reds - 4 good years, followed by 3 meh ones seems likely.
A lot will come down to his physical health - he's a volatile player that way. Not in terms of getting injured (though he's clearly unlucky there) but in terms of how physical all aspects of his game seem to be. The shoulder injury robbed him of power that he only put together relatively late in his career. A couple of more dings or a leg injury can drop Ells down quite a bit in terms of production. While that statement is true for most players, Ells high speed defense and relatively undisciplined approach at the plate probably makes his production more vulnerable to injuries.
Other than that I'm in the same boat as Average Reds - 4 good years, followed by 3 meh ones seems likely.
A lot will come down to his physical health - he's a volatile player that way. Not in terms of getting injured (though he's clearly unlucky there) but in terms of how physical all aspects of his game seem to be. The shoulder injury robbed him of power that he only put together relatively late in his career. A couple of more dings or a leg injury can drop Ells down quite a bit in terms of production. While that statement is true for most players, Ells high speed defense and relatively undisciplined approach at the plate probably makes his production more vulnerable to injuries.
Mick had a quick release and got to stuff pretty fast, unless he was filling out his racing form in between pitches. Bernie's arm was better than Damon's, even on a bad day. I wonder if Ellsbury will put on weight the way Damon did and become a liability even catching the ball? Damon was a skinny kid in KC but he started getting bigger in Oakland. He was a linebacker in NY. Maybe a strong safety in Boston.Montana Fan said:
"I'm excited to put on this jersey and hat" translates to "I'm excited to look at that pay stub"
Jacoby should state that he's going to try to make Jeter a deal for #2 just to get things off on the right foot.
Serious question, what is the over/under on when the fans start calling him a "true Yankee"? If ever.
Serious question, what is the over/under on when the fans start calling him a "true Yankee"? If ever.
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