This is the third of three parts in my offseason preview series. If you want to know more about the methodology, check out part one here. You should also just read the first two parts anyway! I feel like that’s a natural reaction when you stumble on part three of something. Part two is here.
Tag Archives: Ian Desmond
How Good is Espinosa’s (and Turner’s) Defense?
Today is May 28th. Estimates vary, but the date that Trea Turner can be called up and be under team control through the 2022 season instead of 2021 is somewhere in the range from May 29th to June 1st (the Washington Post says May 30th), so it’s possible the sun will rise tomorrow on a Nats roster with Turner as starting shortstop. It’s no sure thing that Mike Rizzo and Co. will call up Turner the moment they can, but with Turner shredding Triple A and Danny Espinosa struggling somewhat in the majors (despite another home run last night), it’s hard to think of a more opportune time.
Obviously, much ink has been spilled about the relative merits of Turner and Espinosa, including an excellent post by our own Frank Lattuca, so I won’t totally dive into that. In this post, I will attempt to take a thorough accounting of what kind of defender Espinosa is — a topic that has been surprisingly controversial — and take a look at how good (or bad) Turner’s defense might be.
Continue Reading How Good is Espinosa’s (and Turner’s) Defense?