FanNation - The Republic of Sport

thejetstolehome: hiatus? said 09/22, 09:33 PM
I'm gonna take Carmona's NL Central counterpart Justin Verlander and Colorado Rockies' shortstop Troy Tulowitzki.

After winning AL Rookie of the Year last year, Verlander improved in innings pitched, strikeouts, and WHIP. He's already matched his win total and has three less losses in as many games as last year. He's definitely much improved and will only get better.


Troy Tulowitzki is a complete player and will be, in 1-2 years, the best shortstop in the National League. This year, he's batting .292 with 20 homers and 90 batted in and boasts an .837 OPS. His defense also beats the absolute hell out of Ramirez's and he should win the Gold Glove this year. If he doesn't, it just shows (again) how wrong the stystem is.

Ramirez is a great hitter but his bad fielding (ten points behind league average and 22 errors) at arguably the most important position on the field holds him back in my eyes. Tulowitzki's got the hitting, which will improve, and the excellent fielding.

thejetstolehome: hiatus? said 09/23, 09:22 PM
Yes Carmona has the edge in those categories but the only one that has "significant" space is ERA. Also, your less no decisions argument helps my cause more as it shows that Verlander should have more wins. There really is no glaring difference between the two and one could easily make the argument that Verlander will be more sucessful later in his career beacause this year is an improvement on last year and seems much less flukish than Carmona's year.

Yes, Ramirez has an edge in offense but shortstop is the most important position on the field in terms of defense. He has 23 errors! TWENTY THREE! His fielding percentage is .964! You or I could do better at shortstop! That is a full ten points below league average for his park. Compare that to Tulo who has a .986 FP which is absolutely outstanding for a shortstop. He has less than half of the errors of Ramirez. Ramirez's defense has hurt his team like crazy while Tulowitzki's has only helped, as he is leading all NL shortstops in fielding win shares. One could definitely make the argument that if there were negative win shares, Ramirez's horrible fielding would give him many a negative win share.

thejetstolehome: hiatus? said 09/23, 10:31 PM
Let's not act like Dolphins' Stadium is a pitcher friendly park here, buddy. Ramirez gets alot of help from playing there, just like Tulo gets help from playing where he does. 23 errors does matter and is much more than a "little fielding problem", especially at the most important position in the field. Hitting isn't the only part of the game, which many seem to forget these days. and until his fielding comes around, Hanley Ramirez is not a complete player. With good hitting and excellent fielding, Tulowitzki already is a complete player. He should win the GG this year and will be the best SS in baseball in a few years time.

I like Hanley a lot and he's a great hitter but that's all he is--a great hitter. If I were starting a team, I would not want someone like that playing the most important position on the field.