This week, it’s a flawed defensive alignment that’s within the ready room at Metropolis Corridor.
This one, maybe greater than every other Mayor’s Workplace I’ve written thus far, hurts me to kind. It hurts so badly as a result of simply 4 quick weeks in the past, Ceddanne Rafaela (the centerfielder) was on a run so unimaginable it was genuinely exhausting to fathom. In 21 video games from June twentieth to July thirteenth, Ceddanne batted .346/.370/.782 for an OPS of 1.152. In these 21 video games, Rafaela smacked 8 residence runs, 10 doubles, and swiped 3 luggage. All of this whereas taking part in platinum-glove caliber protection in heart discipline. In fact, these gaudy offensive numbers weren’t precisely sustainable, but it surely did really feel like we had been witnessing the ascension of a perennial All-Star. All the pieces nice, proper? Flawed.
On July twenty third, 5 video games into the second half of the season, Crimson Sox infielder (and first second basemen on the time) Marcelo Mayer suffered a wrist damage and hit the injured checklist. In determined want of a second basemen (and in addition partly to facilitate the latest return of designated hitter Masataka Yoshida), it was determined by Crimson Sox higher-ups that it will be greatest if Rafaela would shift to second.
In his twelve video games because the workforce’s main second baseman, Rafaela has been a damaging on either side of the sector. On protection, Ceddanne has totaled -1 defensive runs saved and is sustaining -2 outs above common. Whereas not good, these numbers are serviceable sufficient for the place the Crimson Sox have discovered themselves in. What will not be serviceable, nevertheless, has been the opposite facet of Ceddy’s recreation. Since making the change to the infield, Rafaela is hitting a paltry .197 with a .512 OPS. He has additionally mainly stopped hitting for energy, with solely three doubles and a house run in that point.
Now, in fact — and that is apparent to anybody who has watched the final two years of Crimson Sox baseball — Rafaela is a particularly streaky hitter. However, it is extremely exhausting to not discover the juxtaposition of his stats as a second baseman versus a middle fielder. I’m additionally ignoring maybe essentially the most offensive a part of your complete “Ceddanne Rafaela: Second Basemen Expertise” is that HE ISN’T PLAYING CENTER FIELD!!!!!!!!!! It’s genuinely tough to overstate how particular Rafaela is at his pure place. It’s fully game-changing. He’s second to solely the Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong in each defensive runs saved and outs above common (with 16 in each classes). All of the whereas taking part in simply simply FIVE full video games in his pure place of heart discipline within the final three weeks!
The Crimson Sox defensive alignment is very imperfect, I’m not saying it isn’t. They’ve 5 and a half outfielders, three and a half infielders, a few of them solely play in opposition to lefties, and a few play a number of positions. The factor that’s so irritating, although, is that “Ceddanne Rafaela = Centerfielder” must be one facet of it the lineup that’s locked in. For some motive, the group has determined that transferring a top-five defender within the sport off his pure place to facilitate a number of different poor defenders is the answer to their issues. Is any of this even actually Ceddanne Rafaela’s fault? Probably not! Nonetheless,
Ceddanne Rafaela the second baseman, Mayor Wu will see you now.
