Post by Rog on Oct 18, 2015 8:43:49 GMT -5
An hour ago Nate Wardle reviewed his 2015 AL East third baseman projections. It wasn't pretty.
The East has a very fine collection of third basemen. Alphabetically, Josh Donaldson, Chase Headley, Evan Longoria, Manny Machado and Pablo Sandoval. Wardle's pre-season pick was for Sandoval to be the best.
As it turned out, Donaldson solidified his position as one of the best players in the game. Machado hit 35 home runs and is only 22 years old. Longoria has slipped a bit, but that was from a very high perch. Headley played just OK. Pablo's feet were stuck in the Sandoval.
So the guy Wardle thought would be best turned out to be worst. And Pablo probably won't catch either Donaldson or Machado in the future. That pair each finished in the top four in the American League in WAR. But Headley is certainly reachable, and if Longoria doesn't move back in the direction of his former greatness, he is as well.
It's not that Pablo isn't capable of being a very good player. The guy hit .345 in his first partial season and .330 in his first full year, for crying out loud. But like Longoria, he has been slipping from high perch. Pablo's slide began earlier and has been more precipitous than Longoria's. Pablo's WAR has slipped from 5.5 in 2009 to 0.3 in 2015. In essence, Pablo has slipped from being a star in 2009 and 2011 to being a good player in 2012 through 2014 to becoming a replacement-level player in 2015.
Can he bounce back? That's mostly up to Pablo. For the most part, Pablo has been a good player when he's been in shape and a not-so-good one when he hasn't been. He can no longer get away with what he used to. As many of us have felt, his body seems to be wearing down.
I doubt that Pablo will become a star again. But I see no reason he can't return to being a very good player, at least for a while. It truly is mostly up to him.
I wish him the best. But I'm glad he's playing for the Red Sox. There but for the grace of God go the Giants.
The East has a very fine collection of third basemen. Alphabetically, Josh Donaldson, Chase Headley, Evan Longoria, Manny Machado and Pablo Sandoval. Wardle's pre-season pick was for Sandoval to be the best.
As it turned out, Donaldson solidified his position as one of the best players in the game. Machado hit 35 home runs and is only 22 years old. Longoria has slipped a bit, but that was from a very high perch. Headley played just OK. Pablo's feet were stuck in the Sandoval.
So the guy Wardle thought would be best turned out to be worst. And Pablo probably won't catch either Donaldson or Machado in the future. That pair each finished in the top four in the American League in WAR. But Headley is certainly reachable, and if Longoria doesn't move back in the direction of his former greatness, he is as well.
It's not that Pablo isn't capable of being a very good player. The guy hit .345 in his first partial season and .330 in his first full year, for crying out loud. But like Longoria, he has been slipping from high perch. Pablo's slide began earlier and has been more precipitous than Longoria's. Pablo's WAR has slipped from 5.5 in 2009 to 0.3 in 2015. In essence, Pablo has slipped from being a star in 2009 and 2011 to being a good player in 2012 through 2014 to becoming a replacement-level player in 2015.
Can he bounce back? That's mostly up to Pablo. For the most part, Pablo has been a good player when he's been in shape and a not-so-good one when he hasn't been. He can no longer get away with what he used to. As many of us have felt, his body seems to be wearing down.
I doubt that Pablo will become a star again. But I see no reason he can't return to being a very good player, at least for a while. It truly is mostly up to him.
I wish him the best. But I'm glad he's playing for the Red Sox. There but for the grace of God go the Giants.
