Clone Wars: Chase Utley and Ben Zobrist
by Troy PattersonSeptember 28, 2009
Check out more work from Troy at the Boston Red Sox blog Fire Brand of the AL. You can contact him with questions or recommendations email me or @TroyPatterson
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Clone Wars: Chase Utley and Ben Zobristby Troy PattersonSeptember 28, 2009 Check out more work from Troy at the Boston Red Sox blog Fire Brand of the AL. You can contact him with questions or recommendations email me or @TroyPatterson Comments
Troy Patterson said...
He was a bit down in the second half and his OPS fell to .813 from his first half 1.012. Both seem to be extremes, but this was part of why I think his value is solid. In the second half he was a bit more of the 22 homer guy than the 30 homer guy he looked in the first half, but in both he had batting averages above .274 and an OBP over .380. It’s tough to say if he’s going to be a 30 home run hitter next year, but even if he only tops 20 or 25 his other stats should all be good enough for a top second baseman. Posted 09/28 at 06:00 AM
steve said...
What about Aaron Hill or Ian Kinsler? Both players are better than Utley because they actually play in league with good players, The AMERICAN LEAGUE!! Ben Zobrist still has alot to prove. He can’t even be considered top 7 Other second basemen better than Zobrist. Seriously, who wrote this #### article? Posted 09/28 at 10:33 AM
Troy Patterson said...
First question is why would league have anything to do with it? Even if those two play in a better league I would want the guy in the weaker league since he’ll put up better numbers. Next you put the group who all rank close with Zobrist in value for 2009 yet all of them have over 100 more PA than him, except for Kinsler who is only at 608 PA. It’s also very likely that Zobrist is drafted behind most or some of this list, but that’s fine by me. He’ll be a huge steal if you can get him once this list is off the board. Posted 09/28 at 10:48 AM
Andrew said...
I think Utley, Kinsler, Roberts, Phillips, Cano, and Pedroia have to rank ahead of Zobrist going into next year due to longer track records. Hill is a tough call. That being said, Zobrist is not too far off this group. More importantly, 2B absolutely falls off a cliff after these 8. Posted 09/28 at 10:59 AM
steve said...
I forgot about Orlando Hudson, and Dan Uggla Aaron Hill I totally Expect Howie Kendrick and Alexi Ramirez(if he plays 2b) to knock people off this list very soon. Especially Ramirez, who could be top 3. Freddy Sanchez Honorable mention. Posted 09/28 at 11:26 AM
Troy Patterson said...
Let’s forget Zobrist for a minute. How in the world does Aaron Hill go above Utley? Similar in AVG, HR and RBI, but even still Utley gives way more in steals. Then given potential lineup for 2010 makes Utley a much better option. Posted 09/28 at 11:43 AM
Aaron said...
That’s pretty hilarious, Steve. Putting Hill and Kinsler ahead of Utley is classic. And the intentional misspelling of Cano’s name is a nice touch. I think it’s still a bit too subtle for some people to get it but I say keep it up; your audience will find you. Posted 09/28 at 11:50 AM
Andrew said...
Hill over Utley is laughable. After Pujols and Hanley, I would take Utley #3 OVERALL. Posted 09/28 at 12:27 PM
Will Hough said...
I know its a small sample size, but lets not forget how well Zobrist graded out with UZR as well. Obviously far from an exact science but its probably the best defensive metric right now and Zob graded out at a +24. Miles above Cano, HIll, Kinsler, Pedroia, and even Utley to name a few. Now I know this article was more on offensive/fantasy projections but just thought Id throw that out there as well. Posted 09/29 at 12:26 AM
Will Hough said...
And sorry I used UZR/150 not just UZR there Posted 09/29 at 12:30 AM
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Hi Troy,
Very interesting comparison. I didn’t realize his numbers were that similar to Utley’s. What do you make of his decrease in power over the second half?
His 7 HR/8 2B after the All Star break compared to his 17 HR/15 2B in the first half worries me a bit.