Explain to me why a crusty old Sox fan is to the point of giving himself a stroke over this? Cubbie on the brain, Cubbie on the brain.

Quit using the word "seen" as some sort of crutch. You said since 1984, which is the last 30 some years. If Baez really is one of the best infielders in the last 30 years, that means he is an all-time great. After 200 MLB games that is absolutely absurd to say and to think. Doesn't matter if he plays for the Cubs, the Red Sox, the Royals, the White Sox, the Padres...

He has played 222 MLB games. He is not an all-time great. Absolutely not. To say or think otherwise is positively and completely absurd.

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You've said before on more than one occasion baseball is a game where you need very big sample sizes to determine anything conclusively. Most people agree. But now all of a sudden it's completely reasonable to say a guy with 220 MLB games under his belt who's never lead the league's infielders in dWAR is the best defensive infielder since 1984? I disagree. At the very least, it's clearly not something that would be universally agreed upon.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

See my response to Frank. I didn't take Matches to mean he was one of the "best ever." I took it to mean one of the best he's watched in a very small sample size (a moment in time).

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Since when did being a great defender become a "stat" that one compiles?

And saying I'm basing my opinion on who I've seen play is not a crutch. It's how I formed said opinion.

So you would find it reasonable if someone said Schwarber was the best home run hitter they've ever seen?

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

No, because as Schwarber has never even had a small sample size that would indicate that. I think you're selling Baez's playoff run short. He was headlining nearly every game with plays that a national audience was mesmerized by.

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If he is the best defensive infielder we have ever seen and a better hitter than Addison tha ol merlot joe must not be a great manager for
Starting the inferior player.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

UZR, DEF, RZR, DRS, etc.

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

The only thing I've said in here is that he's not the best defensive infielder ever. And I guess now that is considered selling him short.

Gotta love Cub fans and baseball season.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

He's a head case. If he wasn't, he would be one of the best players in MLB. But you could say that of a lot of players with a fatal flaw.

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Don't be difficult. I was referencing you trying to make some comparison between Schwarbers power and Baez's defensive run.

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But it's simply wrong to suggest we haven't seen amazing power from Schwarber in small sample sizes.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Maybe because nobody else on the team can seamlessly switch between 2nd, 3rd and SS?

What do your eyes tell you about Javier Baez as a defensive infielder?

Let's say I'm wrong and it's fair to suggest Baez is in the conversation for best defensive infielder ever. How many guys are in that conversation? Just curious.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Lock this thread already!

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it's not a small sample size. It's 33 years. It's ~25% of the time MLB has been around. Earlier in the thread I list at 10 guys right off the top of my head who matches has seen play, and all of them are better than Baez is at this point.

In 5 years this might be a legitimate conversation to have. After 200 MLB games, there was only one word to describe this. Absurd.

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Not "best I've seen" power. FreakinCub fans exaggerating things...

Look, I'm just telling you howI interpreted Matches' statement. You're free to interpret it how you want:

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Frank, please re-read what I wrote and see what I am referring to as a small sample size. It's not the period of time since 1984.

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Craig "little hurt" Grebek was able to do this too. And he was good at tagging runners. That doesnt mean he was a great defensive infielder.

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Since 84, I said he's right there with Smith, Vizquel and Simmons.

He's shown what he can do at three different positions.

So now Baez isn't a great defensive infielder? You're nuts.

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This right here is why you can never have a serious baseball discussion.

You're so blinded by your Cub bias that you'll never fairly judge something that has anything to do with them.

What has he shown he can do at SS?

"Baez is not a great defensive infielder" and "Baez is the best defensive infielder of the past 33 years" are probably equally silly and biased.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

I don't lay any claim to the latter so I can't answer for that.

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Theo told me that all of his minor league ss could play any other position besides catcher and pitcher just a couple
Of years ago

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

You've never seen him play SS?

You said one is a completely reasonable statement and the other the person is nuts for saying it.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul