The Buhner.com Blog

Many players in baseball have lived off of having a good glove. For certain positions on the field (shortstop, center field, catcher), teams are willing to look past offensive shortcomings. Darin Erstad could easily have a long career as that type of player.

The problem right now is that Erstad is being played much more than a “defensive specialist” would, and on top of that, is being played in his secondary position - a position where a “defensive specialist” isn’t called for.

Erstad goes into 2005 as the Anaheim Angels’ first baseman. Don’t think that Erstad, a natural outfielder, is a bad first baseman. He won a Gold Glove at first last year. The question is what the Angels should do with Erstad, as they have to play him to justify the $16 million he is owed over the next two years. The Angels will be starting him at first base; his defensive abilities say that he should play in center field. Many Angel fans say he shouldn’t be playing at all.

Well, let’s look at the options:

Erstad at first - Erstad at first gives the Angels an outfield of Garrett Anderson in left, Steve Finley in center, and Vlad Guerrero in right. Jeff Davanon and Juan Rivera, the Angels fourth and fifth outfielders, sulk to the bench and fight over DH time, and uberprospect Casey Kotchman attempts to hit .400 in AAA. Now, Kotchman could make the major league roster, but the question is what hurts Kotchman more, letting him sit on the bench in the majors and playing every 5th day or so, or playing every day in AAA where he asks over and over again why he’s there. Kotchman’s the one with the most to lose here, as the Angels are putting their best bats in the outfield, and capable backups are getting the DH at-bats.

Erstad in center - Putting Erstad in center, his best position, means that either Anderson, Finley, or Guerrero go to the DH spot, Kotchman gets the opportunity to play first, and Davanon and Rivera struggle to see the playing field. While this doesn’t seem like a feasable option now, it was possible several months ago, before the Angels signed the 40 year old Finley to a two year deal for $14 million. Finley, coming off one of his best seasons last year at the age of 39, seems like a lesser risk than many other 40 year olds, but with the $14 million to spend at one of two positions, one wonders how “necessary” it was for the Angels to put the resources in a center fielder when one was already on their roster.

Erstad on the bench - Understand that Erstad got the 4 year $32 million contract by doing more than flashing the glove. Erstad had a great year in 2000, batting .355 with 25 home runs and 28 stolen bases. As a 23 and 24 year old previous to that, Erstad posted an OPS over .800. Plus, Erstad was a hard-nosed player, a player who gave 100% on the field. While injuries (and perhaps other factors) have kept him from repeating those stats, he still had an OBP of around .350 last season, with success in 16 of his 17 stolen base attempts. While not necessarily a great player, he’s not a horrible player. Putting him on the bench puts Kotchman into the spotlight, starting at first in Erstad’s place.

So it all comes down to three players - Erstad, Kotchman, and Finley.

Kotchman had an opportunity to play last season, putting up .224/.289/.276 numbers in 38 games - not overly impressive. It’s not really fair to judge Kotchman from those 38 games - he was 21 years old at the time, but that thought had to be sitting in the back of the minds of the Angels braintrust going into this offseason.

Sure, one could trade Erstad, but why? If Erstad gets traded, the Angels will likely pay most of his salary anyway, and have nothing to show for it except a mid-level prospect. While Erstad may not make the best starting player, he gives the Angels a flexabilty - even if the Angels decide to go with Kotchman, Erstad is there if Kotchman fails at the major league level again, and can play all three outfield positions, including center, a position currently manned by a 40 year old.

The Angels made a decision - they could have ignored Finley during free agency, put Kotchman at first and Erstad at center, but they felt that they had to add another bat during free agency, and instead of investing a lot of money in a Carlos Beltran in center (whom priced himself far out of what the Angels wanted to spend) or a Richie Sexson or Carlos Delgado at first (both of whom were also large financial investments that would have blocked Kotchman even more than Erstad), they went with a more “affordable” option with Finley, a good guy and a low risk option.

In a community where some pour seemingly endless money on a problem to cure it while others find it easier to complain about their lack of money, the Angels took the cards they were dealt and made the most of them.