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| TODAY: Monday, May 15 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player ratings: Right field | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Welcome to the ESPN.com player ratings. Our panel of baseball authorities will rank the 10 best at each position. The basic question is this: Which player do you want at that position for the 2000 season?
For more about our panel, check the the catchers page. The numbers used in the chart below are explained at the bottom of the page.
Other positions: C | DH | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | LF | CF | SP | CL
Position comments Graham Hays: Defense really isn't a requirement for these guys. Several of the right fielders on this list have impressive arms, but few if any are complete defensive players. Some of those deficiencies would be enough to cost players a place in the top 10 at other positions, but when we're talking about the kind of offense these 10 produce it just didn't matter. One of the better defensive players was probably the toughest to leave out of my top 10, Chicago's Magglio Ordonez. A few more walks (.349 OBP) might make it impossible to keep him off next year's list but it's not as if Ordonez is costing his team with needless strikeouts (only 64 in 1999). With Frank Thomas possibly needing a change of scenery or a change of professions, it's up to Ordonez and Paul Konerko to emerge as leaders capable of backing up clubhouse rhetoric with outstanding run production. Underrated: Brian Giles. There's a tendency to discount Giles because he'll be 29 on Opening Day and will have only one season of 400+ at-bats under his belt. While his late arrival will hurt his overall career totals, there is no reason to think his production between the ages of 28-35 will be any less impressive than younger emerging stars like Vladimir Guerrero or Bobby Abreu. His 1.032 OPS in 1999 was better than that posted by Ken Griffey Jr. or Sammy Sosa. Giles ranked 17th in OBP and 7th in SLG, one of only eight players to rank in the top 20 of both categories. His numbers as a part-time outfielder in Cleveland weren't quite as impressive as last season's breakthrough, but back to back OPSs of .827 and .854 were pretty good for someone who always had to look over his shoulder at the next prospect coming through John Hart's system. Overrated: Juan Gonzalez. Gonzalez is a very good hitter who can be a dominating offensive presence during hot streaks, but he's not one of the 10 best position players in baseball, as some would claim. His patience at the plate has improved the last two seasons (.378 OBP in 1999) but Gonzalez has only cracked the 1.000 OPS mark twice in his career. For someone who is a little better than a liability in the field and on the bases, that's not enough to merit the acclaim he receives. Keith Law: This position is as stacked as left field is weak; Magglio Ordonez, Raul Mondesi, Brian Jordan and Jermaine Dye couldn't even crack my top 10, and names like Richard Hidalgo, Trot Nixon, Gabe Kapler, and Travis Lee could force their way into the mix by the end of the year. However, the old definition of the ideal right fielder has changed, as few right fielders really have the cannon arm that fits the stereotype, and some who do (think Jose Guillen) don't have any other defensive skills to speak of. Underrated: In 1998, Dmitri Young hit 48 doubles and slugged .481 despite hitting just 14 homers. He was rewarded with 163 fewer at-bats and several benchings, but still hit 30 doubles ? and 14 HR, for a final slugging percentage of .501. He's an emerging star if Jack McKeon would just let him play. Overrated: When Tony Gwynn whined to the Padres about his contract situation, they should have pointed him to the door and advised him not to let it hit him. Gwynn's gaudy batting averages don't put him in the top half of major-league right fielders anymore, and he has only topped 500 AB twice in the past six full seasons. You have to wonder if he would have had a shot at 4,000 hits if he had stayed in better shape. David Schoenfield: Albert Belle's numbers have been all over the board the past three seasons. HR: 30, 49, 37; average: .274, .328, .297; slugging percentage: .491, .655, .541. If he hits like he did in 1998, the Orioles could sneak into the wild-card picture. And did you realize Belle stole 17 bases in 20 attempts last year? Underrated: Brian Giles moves over to right field this year after his monster season a year ago -- a season that saw him produce a .614 slugging mark, the seventh-highest in baseball and better than guys named Griffey, Bagwell, Green or Piazza. By the way, how's Ricardo Rincon doing for the Indians this year? Overrated: OK, I'm not saying Larry Walker isn't a great player -- he is. Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd is the only the latest person to call Walker the best player in the game (admittedly, O'Dowd has a bias), but how can you be the best when you've only played more than 131 games in a season once in the past six years? Oh, and over the past five seasons, Walker is hitting .399 at home, .283 on the road. Rany Jazayerli: This is such a deep position that outstanding players like Paul O'Neill, Tony Gwynn, Raul Mondesi, Jermaine Dye and Magglio Ordonez didn't even crack my top 10. The most interesting player at the position is Trot Nixon, who hit like Otis Nixon the first half of last season, but had an OPS close to 1.000 in the second half. If he can sustain his improvement this season -- and hit better than .116 against southpaws -- the Red Sox are going to be a lot tougher for the Yankees to shake than anyone thinks. Underrated: Bobby Abreu is the most underrated player in baseball, so it figures he's the most underrated right fielder as well. And Jack McKeon needs to figure out that Dmitri Young is not just an everyday player, but a potential star. Overrated: Paul O'Neill is slipping, and slipping fast. He's already a platoon player (he hit all of .190 against left-handers last year), he's slow, and his once-great defense is now merely adequate. Brandon Funston: Poor Matt Lawton. He has 20-home run power, is a master thief on the basepaths and has walked more than he has struck out in his major league career. But, stuck in the Twins' inept lineup, he has yet to reach his potential because of lack of support. Anywhere else, he'd be a threat to knock in 100 runs, score 100 runs and steal 30-40 bases. As it is, he'll probably continue to reach 75 percent of those totals. Underrated: Bobby Abreu. Everybody's favorite underdog, Abreu has quietly become one of the game's elite players. His discipline at the plate (second in the NL in number of pitches seen per plate appearance) has helped put him over a .400 on-base percentage the past two seasons. He's also excellent on the bases and a skilled fielder. His polish is remarkable for a player who just turned 26. Overrated: Raul Mondesi. His batting average and slugging percentage have dropped off steadily the past two seasons. Despite all the talent in the world, he seems to be digressing at an age when he should be hitting his prime. Plus, he's no joy in the clubhouse. The numbers We've avoided most of the traditional numbers in favor of "sabermetric stats": Pts: Total points from our panel (10 for first, etc.) G: Games played OBP: On-base percentage SLG: Slugging percentage OPS: On-base + slugging RC: Runs created. Using all of a player's offensive statistics, tells how many "runs" a player was responsible for. Added together, individual runs created match closely with a team's overall run total. OW%: Offensive winning percentage. The percentage of games a team would "win" with nine of that player in the lineup, given average defense and pitching. |  | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||