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| Bronson Arroyo | Andy Pettitte |
| 9 - 6, 2.92 | 8 - 10, 5.08 |
I certainly didn't do the work, and I can't even necessarily say that I understand all of it, but I was nevertheless intrigued by the defensive ratings for infielders that have been posted recently at Beyond the Boxscore.
Anybody who watches when Garner installs Lance at first will not be surprised by Mr. Normandin's position for Berkman in the first base lists; but dare I say Lamb turns out surprisingly average?
Seems to me that Biggio and Ensberg are each slightly overrated, though.
And the ratings for Lamb at third would have been fun, had he just qualified there.
Just for kicks, I took Normandin's ZRate components and figured chances/innings, figuring that Morgan being something of a ballhog might move him towards the top of that list. But I figured wrong: Ensberg has a chances/inning number that was actually towards the bottom of the 28 third baseman listed. Maybe the way it works out, Adam's incredible range countervents Ensberg's vampirish* instincts.
And of course, Everett is deified. Normandin says "Adam Everett is the most valuable defensive player in the league. His run value is roughly 4-5 runs higher than the next highest players at any position."
I noticed that these runs above average numbers seem to correlate only half ass with the zone ratings shown. Take a look at Lance Niekro, who's got a nice zone rating at first, but suffers comparatively in Runs Above Average.
But anyway, this kind of stuff is fun, even though I don't understand all of it. I can't wait for the outfield ratings; love to see how Chris Burke and Preston Wilson stack up.
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* "Great, first he's got Wheeler possessed by demons, now he's got Ensberg as a vampire"