Worst OF in the history of baseball?

[DaveW]

I say yes.

[Mike Sixel]

I can't believe you don't have a Stauffer thread......

 

I don't get to eyeball the games, so I can't comment on the defense, since there is no other way to know.

[Willihammer]

DSP should tell Terry's scouts about lasik. I heard they get a free eye exam.

[TheLeviathan]

Didn't see the game....curious as to what the latest buffoonery was all about.

[Danchat]

I have only watched a couple games, so please provide some examples, preferably in video form.

[Boom Boom]

C'mon now, that's not fair. I mean, I remember a few times in big games when any fly ball would win it, the manager would go with a 5-infielder set and leave only two outfielders.

 

A few of those instances must have been at least as bad.

[USAFChief]

What could the OF have done differently today?

 

Gone into the stands?

[Boom Boom]

Admittedly I didn't watch the game. I just like to take cheap shots.

[JB_Iowa]

Today, a little better judgment may have led to Schafer pulling up and playing the ball off the wall instead of running into the wall and not even coming close to cattching it.

 

But the biggest buffoonery was the meeting on the mound with no one catching the ball.  It was pretty unbelievable.

[twinsnorth49]

I say yes.

Noted, why don't you create a poll? You haven't added any other input so just poll it, save some time.

[h2oface]

 

Today, a little better judgment may have led to Schafer pulling up and playing the ball off the wall instead of running into the wall and not even coming close to cattching it.

 

But the biggest buffoonery was the meeting on the mound with no one catching the ball.  It was pretty unbelievable.

Right to Fien, the pitcher, and pitchers are the best athletes on the team, just ask Bert. (I guess you don't have to ask, as he has told us a million times already). This tradition of not having the pitcher field his position is nuts. That ball caught and the inning is over after the next batter and the game is still tied, and Fien was only at 13 pitches. They looked like a little league team on that play.  

 

As for the outfield...... That was one horrible route to the ball by Schafer, but that is how he plays. Many horrible routes to the ball. He has speed, but he is lost in the outfield.

[Shane Wahl]

 

Right to Fien, the pitcher, and pitchers are the best athletes on the team, just ask Bert. (I guess you don't have to ask, as he has told us a million times already). This tradition of not having the pitcher field his position is nuts. That ball caught and the inning is over after the next batter and the game is still tied, and Fien was only at 13 pitches. They looked like a little league team on that play. 

 

I agree with the general rule about pitchers deferring to infielders on infield pops, but that was a bad one. Santana and Plouffe had to run over the mound and that can be a weird thing to do while looking up. Vargas should have probably taken charge, but yeah, Fien was the one guy who didn't have to move at all.

[Platoon]

What could the OF have done differently today?

Gone into the stands?

I am an Arcia fan, and never argue with the The Chief, but one thing I heard was that Oswaldo was standing flat footed when that ball got away from Shafer, and rolled his way. He should have been moving to backup already. Which also begs these two questions: Why did Oswaldo think Shafer was going to catch the ball? And do you have to capitalize the "t" in "the" before the word Chief?

[Platoon]

It seems engrained into MLB pitchers they don't catch pop ups. Fien was correct not to catch hit, odd as it sounds it only would have added confusion. Someone would have just ran over him. If Plouffe was looking into the sun, struggling to track the ball, and hit the mound incline all at once, yah that's an easy one to miss. Maybe the right side guys shoulda caught it facing away from the sun, but radio guys said Plouffie called it all the way. Stuff happens. As to the thread, yah it's a lousy outfield!

[twinsnorth49]

I definitely think our infield should play better outfield. 

[HitInAPinch]

Major League Baseball was founded in Cincinnati in 1869.  Worst OF in the history of baseball?  In the entire 146 years of the MLB?  There must be some kinda prize for that   

[USAFChief]

I am an Arcia fan, and never argue with the The Chief, but one thing I heard was that Oswaldo was standing flat footed when that ball got away from Shafer, and rolled his way. He should have been moving to backup already. Which also begs these two questions: Why did Oswaldo think Shafer was going to catch the ball? And do you have to capitalize the "t" in "the" before the word Chief?

He had moved toward CF to back the play up. Had the ball bounced off the wall toward the infield, he would have been in position. When that ball hit off the top of the wall, it then bounced off Schafer's leg and rolled along the fence toward RF, 90 degrees from where it "should" have bounced. And it rolled a long way.

 

Ironically, had Arcia loafed, he would have been in much better position to retrieve that ball.

[twinsnorth49]

 

Major League Baseball was founded in Cincinnati in 1869.  Worst OF in the history of baseball?  In the entire 146 years of the MLB?  There must be some kinda prize for that   

Commonly known as 1st pick in the rule 4 draft.

[Platoon]

He had moved toward CF to back the play up. Had the ball bounced off the wall toward the infield, he would have been in position. When that ball hit off the top of the wall, it then bounced off Schafer's leg and rolled along the fence toward RF, 90 degrees from where it "should" have bounced. And it rolled a long way.

Ironically, had Arcia loafed, he would have been in much better position to retrieve that ball.

well that cinches it. I will no longer rely on Danno for game descriptions. He and Corey rambled on about Oswaldo not getting over there. Although over the years I should have noticed that a Dandy Dan was a perfect player, and expected everyone to play to his own recollection of his past!

[big dog]

Seriously, not even the worst outfield in Twins history.  Consider 1978.

 

LF was Willie Norwood, a terrible fielder, OPS+ of 88

RF was Hosken Powell, nearly as bad, OPS+ of 84

CF was Disco Dan Ford, a good hitter (OPS+ 110) who was barely a RF, absolutely no way a CF.

 

Or you could go with 1980, with Rick Sofield and Hosken Powell putting up OPS+ of 75 and 78, but at least Kenny Landreaux was a half-decent CF with a glove and a 100.

 

I know what you're thinking- what about 1981?

LF, Gary Ward.  Decent but not good fielder, 93

RF, Dave Engle (converted catcher), not a good fielder, 97

and, that's right, in CF...Mickey Hatcher.  OPS+ of 78.  And that was the good news.  He started in CF for 86 games, out of the 99 he played (strike year, 110 games total).  He played 1 game in CF the rest of his career.  He had played 1 game there before he came to the Twins.  But in 1981, that was the plan.

 

And just to end this debate, your fourth outfielder in 1981?  Rick Sofield.  Still a terrible fielder, but his OPS+?  23.

 

This is not an attempt to excuse the current outfield, which occasionally surprises me by making routine plays look, well, routine.

[puckstopper1]

 

well that cinches it. I will no longer rely on Danno for game descriptions. He and Corey rambled on about Oswaldo not getting over there. Although over the years I should have noticed that a Dandy Dan was a perfect player, and expected everyone to play to his own recollection of his past!

Agree totally on this one.  Arcia did was he was supposed to.  Not his fault - this time anyway!  I also agree with the take on the Radio broadcast team.  Getting tired of them telling stories instead of describing the game action.  Was listening late yesterday and there was a pop-up in foul territory, but they never said that the ball went out of play!  Would have been nice to know, you know?

[markos]

 

He had moved toward CF to back the play up. Had the ball bounced off the wall toward the infield, he would have been in position. When that ball hit off the top of the wall, it then bounced off Schafer's leg and rolled along the fence toward RF, 90 degrees from where it "should" have bounced. And it rolled a long way.

Ironically, had Arcia loafed, he would have been in much better position to retrieve that ball.

I disagree. If he moved toward CF it was only a little bit. He certainly wasn't very close to Schafer when the ball hit the fence, so I definitely wouldn't say he was in position to help out no matter which way the ball bounced. And running back to the fence, it appears (based on the grass mowing lines) that he mostly ran straight back to the wall from when he entered the frame. 

 

 

[Mike Sixel]

Fangraphs has a nice article on the SD Padres' "OF defense" right now.......but at least those guys can hit maybe.....

[chopper0080]

They suck.  They were going to suck when they were brought together.  They are sucking now.  They will continue to suck moving forward.