Yankees signed Chase Headley today to a 4-year contract for a reported $50 million or so. A good move.
You win with Defense. And Chase Headley is the best defensive 3rd baseman Yanks have had since Graig Nettles — as good as Scott Brosius was, and as well as ARod played 3rd, and as good as Pags was — nobody has had the Cat-like reflexes at 3rd like Headley. Saved so many runs for Yanks last year with STABS down the line robbing other teams of doubles, or to his right in the hole.
Offensively — .371 On Base Average for the Yanks last year in a half season. That’s HUGE — in a post-steroid, post-amphetamine era. We’re back in the 70’s with starting shortstops batting .200.
Headley also had an over-.370 OBA in 2011 and 2012. That’s 3 of last 4 years discarding first half of last year in San Diego.
Moneyball taught us what Gabe Paul knew in seventies — OBA is everything; batting average not as important.
And Defense wins titles — remember Graig Nettles winning the 1978 World Series with his Defense (like Brooks Robinson had done in 1970).
Year Age Tm G PA AB R H HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG 2007 23 SDP 8 21 18 1 4 0 0 0 0 2 4 .222 .333 .278 2008 24 SDP 91 368 331 34 89 9 38 4 1 30 104 .269 .337 .420 2009 25 SDP 156 612 543 62 142 12 64 10 2 62 133 .262 .342 .392 2010 26 SDP 161 674 610 77 161 11 58 17 5 56 139 .264 .327 .375 2011 27 SDP 113 439 381 43 110 4 44 13 2 52 92 .289 .374 .399 2012 28 SDP 161 699 604 95 173 31 115 17 6 86 157 .286 .376 .498 2013 29 SDP 141 600 520 59 130 13 50 8 4 67 142 .250 .347 .400 2014 30 TOT 135 531 470 55 114 13 49 7 3 51 122 .243 .328 .372 2014 30 SDP 77 307 279 27 64 7 32 4 1 22 73 .229 .296 .355 2014 30 NYY 58 224 191 28 50 6 17 3 2 29 49 .262 .371 .398 8 Yrs 966 3944 3477 426 923 93 418 76 23 406 893 .265 .347 .409 162 Game Avg. 162 661 583 71 155 16 70 13 4 68 150 .265 .347 .409
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/15/2014.
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