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March 27, 2007
Adam Everett's flyswatting
Shortstop Adam Everett is the Stros' best defensive player and a truly elegant fielder. As a result, Chronicle Stros beat writer Brian McTaggert attempts to rationalize Everett's horrible hitting:
Set to make his fourth consecutive opening-day start and fifth overall at shortstop, Everett hit .239 last year but posted career highs in RBIs (59), doubles (28), triples (six) and walks (34). [. . .]Twenty points higher for Everett last year would simply have meant 10 additional hits sprinkled over six months. The thin line between perceived success and failure is why it hasn't been uncommon to see Everett spend a few additional minutes in the batting cages this spring.
Talk about rose-colored glasses. Everett is one of the worst hitting regular players in Stros history, just behind the worst hitter, teammate Brad Ausmus. To give you an idea of how bad a hitter Everett is, he set the Stros single season record for worst on base average versus the league average in 2006, the 2nd consecutive year he's done that:
Baseball Prospectus estimates that Everett saved the Stros 20 more runs last season with his defensive prowess than an average National League fielder would have saved for his team. Given that Everett's runs created against average was a -31, that means that Everett cost the Stros at least 11 runs from what an average National League hitter at his position would have generated for the Stros.
With an immobile Biggio at second and an iffy outfield defense, the Stros can ill-afford give up Everett's glove in the everyday lineup. But make no mistake about it, his hitting is very bad and remains one of the big problems for the ballclub.
Posted by Tom at March 27, 2007 4:40 AM
Comments
Tom, are you sure that your your RCAA is adjusted for position? I think the total package Everett offers make him about an average SS.
Posted by: gary ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://blog.kir.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at March 27, 2007 8:50 AM
Gary, RCAA is not adjusted for position. That statistic is RCAP, which indicates that Everett last season generated 21 fewer runs than an average National League shortstop would have.
Posted by: Tom K. at March 27, 2007 8:55 AM
That makes Everett an average shortstop getting paid average money, and thus less of a problem to the team than, say, Biggio, Ausmus, or Carlos Lee and his giant contract (the last of which single-handedly guarantees that the Astros aren't winning anything else this decade).
Posted by: Ted Frank at March 27, 2007 9:35 AM
Ted, if Everett were able to perform in the field as well as he did last season, you may be right. But if his defensive performance last season was a peak that more likely will erode to his traditional merely above-average defensive stature, then Everett will be a decidedly below-average NL shortstop. You are correct that the Stros overpaid for Lee (as I noted at the time of the deal), but I'm not sure that contract is as much of an albatross as the Bagwell deal because of the Stros' better overall financial picture and Lee's better physical condition relative to Bagwell. My bigger concern long-term for the Stros is the farm system, which is bereft of major league-caliber position players, particularly at the higher-levels of the system.
Posted by: Tom K. at March 27, 2007 10:07 AM
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