Crack-n-Clank: Luke Keaschall and the Glorious History of Good Little Hitters Who Suck at Defense

[SE23]

33 minutes ago, Jacksson said:

To state this fact is an absolute insult to what the game and it's players have become with the passing of time.  Check back on the batting averages of the top MLB performers over the last 60 years and try not to feel slighted when a player batting .274 is today idolized.

The overall quality of MLB pitching has gotten better since the 60's.

[arby58]

6 hours ago, DJL44 said:

Please, don't spend $17M to bring back Bell and Larnach while leaving a hole in the infield.

I agree on Larnach, but if you get the same type of season out of Bell, you stick him at DH and don’t worry about it. He leads the team in runs, hits, and RBIs. He’s also a veteran whose good in the clubhouse.

[DJL44]

33 minutes ago, arby58 said:

I agree on Larnach, but if you get the same type of season out of Bell, you stick him at DH and don’t worry about it. He leads the team in runs, hits, and RBIs. He’s also a veteran whose good in the clubhouse.

Only if they also add a second baseman. Bell as a DH is a luxury. A second baseman is a necessity.

[TheLeviathan]

10 hours ago, JBK said:

He needs to learn how to throw from the outfield

You could've stopped after "throw".

[TheLeviathan]

8 hours ago, Woof Bronzer said:

It was a 50 arm when he got drafted.

Someone should check that scout's pulse.

[TheLeviathan]

I like Keaschall a lot.  I want him in this lineup....but let's be real, the best we can hope for is passable.  He's got a terrible arm. 

He's quick-footed enough that you might get him to be able to have good range in RF and not screw up enough to be a negative.  That's our best case.

[MinnInPa]

21 hours ago, DJL44 said:

He has about 400 PA in AAA with an 867 OPS and is considered a good defender. Plus, he's only 23 years old so there is upside beyond that performance. He's going to be on the MLB roster next season because he will have exhausted all of his options.

i dont see a player better than Larnach or Roden.. just another player hitting .230 and striking out over 30 % of the time... i hope i'm wrong

[USAFChief]

On 8/25/2026 at 9:09 AM, jmlease1 said:

Yeah, I'm not sure why there's already this belief that Keaschall can't improve defensively, especially in the OF where his speed should play pretty well. Maybe his hands will never be good enough to get back to 2B, but he should be able to improve his route running, reads off the bat, etc.

Interesting to see Lawton on this list; I didn't really recall him being all that terrible of a fielder, except when they tried to have him cover CF, which was stretching him too far. Ironic that both of his "all-star" seasons were years that he had pretty terrible defensive numbers.

Defensive metrics from more than a few years ago are made up numbers. 

I'd argue all current defensive metrics are suspect. But anything done from history is complete garbage. 

[Linus]

2 hours ago, USAFChief said:

Defensive metrics from more than a few years ago are made up numbers. 

I'd argue all current defensive metrics are suspect. But anything done from history is complete garbage. 

Whatever year it was when Josh Willingham was in LF and Hunter was in RF and some defensive metric rated Willingham as the better defender. It was a joke.