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Best MLB hitters who were below average fielders
4for4
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Non-DH
Guys like Tony Gwynn and Manny Ramirez who started in the field.
They had to be great hitters but below mlb average in fielding.
I can’t think of one infielder.
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Erba - coolstanley-dallasactuary-SDsportsfan
daltex
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Luzinksi for the outfield
Ryan Howard infield
Luzinski in his 11 years in Philly hit a superb .281/363/.489 for a 133 OPS+. For context Steve Garvey only had a 122 OPS+ in his LA career.
Luzinski was a statue in LF though.
Juan Samuel and Steve Sax at 2B.
Was it Sax or Knoblauch who couldn’t make the throw to 1st base.
Yankees ? Can’t remember.
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Erba - coolstanley-dallasactuary-SDsportsfan
daltex
Jeff Kent
Knobhead
Both developed the yips throwing to 1st base.
Ortiz and Thomas got moved to DH for being bad at first, Soriano got moved to the outfield from 2nd, Jeter was a terrible defensive SS who had no range and had to try jump throws on routine plays because he couldnt get to the ball. Obviously Manny who was just hysterical with his diving play to cut off a throw.
For current ones Devers and Boegarts are bad defensively, Stanton got moved to DH deciding to be a body builder that cant move anymore, Soto is bad defensively,
Derek Jeter and Ken Griffey, though they were more terrible than below average.
I do remember when Steve Sax forgot how to throw to 1st base...
I don't remember or recall anything about Chuck Knoblauch though....
Not the 1st half of Griffey's career.
Dick Stuart, whose colorful nickname "Dr. Strangeglove" referred to his problems fielding.
When he made it to the majors in 1958, he had been converted from the outfield to first base as a way around his defensive problems. Stuart made 16 errors in 64 games in 1958.
In 1963, the first baseman made 29 errors while playing for the Red Sox. That season, however, he led AL first basemen in putouts and assists.
"Everybody liked Dick -- but he did have trouble with that leather thing," said Dick Schofield, former Pirates teammate, in an interview.
Samuel wasn't much of a hitter, but he was miles better than Sax. Agree about their fielding, though. How did Sax manage to hang around the big leagues for 14 years and make $19 million? Boggles the mind.
Yes. The first half of Griffey's career he was just below average. After 2000 he simply couldn't play the field anymore. Problem was he also wasn't very good at the plate and the NL didn't have the DH anyway. After 30 Griffey essentially became Dave Kingman.
He was fine in Minnesota, but it developed when he was with the Yankees I think.
He ended up in the outfield.