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Monday, October 26, 2009Worst Fielders of 2009That is, relative to position, and with the warning that these are imprecise ratings, not the final word, and that multi-year data, if available, must be used to determine who really is a good or bad fielder, preferably supplemented with scouting information. These ratings measure range and reliability only, and do not include an outfielder's throwing or an infielder's proficiency at the double play. Anyway, warnings aside, here are the ten players with the worst 2009 Totalzone ratings: 1. Michael Cuddyer, RF, -26 2. Bobby Abreu, RF, -25 3. Vernon Wells, CF, -19 4. Gary Matthews Jr., CF, -17 5. Alberto Callaspo, 2B, -16 6. Orlando Cabrera, SS, -16 7. Lastings Milledge, LF, -16 8. David Wright, 3B, -15 9. Carlos Lee, LF, -14 10. Miguel Tejada, SS, -14 Cuddyer and Abreu aren't quite this bad on UZR, but close at -17 and -14. Wells is equally bad in both measures. Matthews hits and fields like a guy who might not last through spring training 2010, contract be damned. The only one that surprises here is Milledge, slightly above average for Pittsburgh in LF, according to UZR. I'll have to investigate what my park factor is doing here: -15 of that is his defense at home. 2010 impact rookies: Buster PoseyContinuing with my series on 2010 impact prospects today we will take a look at San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey. Posey was a first round pick (fifth overall) out of Florida State in 2008. After appearing in only 10 games after signing late in '08, he began the 2009 season in Advanced-A and excelled with a .433 wOBA and slugged .540 in 291 at bats. He quickly rose to Triple-A and did not miss a beat while posting a .390 wOBA and a .511 slugging percentage. Posey earned a September call-up but played sparingly and mustered just two hits in 17 at bats. With the impending free agency of Bengie Molina, Posey will likely be the top candidate to fill the void although I wouldn't be surprised if the Giants started him off in the minors in order to delay his service time by a year similar to how the Orioles handled Wieters this season. Posey is an advanced hitter with great plate discipline. In 125 career minor league games he has walked 70 times and struck out 72 times. He has the ability to hit for a high average and can develop into a consistent .300 hitter. He has gap power which should translate into 30-40 doubles and around 15-20 home runs annually. At 6'1 180 pounds he isn't nearly as big as Matt Wieters or Joe Mauer but he could prove to belong in that upper echelon of catching prospects. Defensively, Posey has a quick release and an accurate arm. In 2009 he threw out 39 of 94 attempted stolen bases (46 percent caught stealing rate). He is not as good as Molina behind the plate; however, his footwork and receiving ability are improving and could become a plus down the road. Posey will be able to immediately provide a boost to San Francisco's offense. He could eventually become a presence in the middle of the lineup. Sunday, October 25, 2009Random and useless thoughts on the Manny Acta hiringApparently, the Indians hired a new manager: Manny Acta, formerly of the Nationals. First thought: This is both a testament to what the Indians think of him and how little they think of the Nationals' major league talent. It isn't every day a manager with a .385 winning percentage with his first team gets hired by a second team. (Looks it up.) In fact, Acta's .385 winning percentage is the worst winning percentage by anyone hired to manage the Indians in his pre-Cleveland MLB career. (The previous record holder was Bobby Bragan, who went .397 with the 1956-57 Pirates before the Indians hired him in 1958. He only lasted a year in Cleveland. I guess this means the Indians aren't going the old Billy Martin-Bob Lemon route where you exchange a fiery manager with a laid back one. I don't follow the Indians or Nationals closely at all, but I've heard Wedge was supposed to be a first-class guy and what I know of Acta is that he's also a nice guy. Also, this is the first time in almost 20 years the Indians hired someone with previous major league managerial experience. Their previous hires were Eric Wedge, Joel Skinner, Charlie Manuel and Mike Hargrove. You have to go back to John McNamara to find a previous experienced skipper. (Actually, Cleveland has historically hired newbie skippers. They're rarely great but they've given a ton of new blood a shot - including Manuel, Hargrove, Jeff Torborg, Frank Robinson, Joe Gordon, Al Lopez, Lou Boudreau, Steve O'Neill, Tris Speaker, Lee Fohl, Nap Lajoie, Bill Armou, and Jimmy McAleer. Hey, I said the were rarely great.) They Indians may be breaking with tradition by going with someone experienced, but they're staying with recent precedent by going with someone young. Even though he'd been on the job for seven years, Wedge was the A.L.'s youngest manager on the day he was fired. As of now, Acta is the youngest. From the Department of Dammit, I Looked It Up, So You're Going to See it: Here are the birthdays for all 14 A.L. skippers, from oldest to Acta-est (divided into fives for easy-to-read-ness): March 17, 1944 Cito Gaston Dec. 15, 1944 Jim Leyland Oct. 31, 1951 Dave Trembley April 29, 1952 Ron Washington Sept. 19, 1954 Joe Maddon Oct. 24, 1957 Ron Gardenhire Nov. 27, 1958 Mike Scioscia April 22, 1959 Terry Francona Sept. 22, 1961 Bob Geren Jan. 4, 1963 Trey Hillman Feb. 22, 1963 Don Wakamatsu Jan. 20, 1964 Ozzie Guillen Oct. 14, 1964 Joe Girardi Jan. 11, 1969 Manny Acta I had no idea Joe Maddon was that old. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||