Aubrey in the field?

Hey birdwatchers, I'm on the other coast with an eye on Aubrey Huff for a Giants/Orioles winter deal. Obviously he can hit, but how bad is his D at third base? Reaction time? His arm? How slow on the base paths?

Your thoughts?

over 3 years ago wcovington 4 comments 0 recs |

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Aubrey isn’t great with the fielding, but he’s not a butcher either. I don’t know much about defensive stats or what they say about him, but he always manages to hold his own from what I’ve seen of him. I would think it’d be better to play him at first rather than third given the option.

What sort of deal are you envisioning?

[Guthrie's] president of my heart. ~PhilR8

by Stacey on Sep 15, 2008 1:25 PM EDT reply actions

Aubrey in the field?

I’m waiting for reports on Lowrey, but it’s obvious we have more quality starting pitching (majors and minors) than almost anyone in baseball. We also have some very fine young hitters beginning to mature at the major league level (Lewis, Schierholtz, Sandoval(!), Buress, Bowker, maybe even Velez). But we definitely need some pop. We are probably closer to being competitive in the NL West than you are in the AL East. Someone like Aubrey might be great for 2 years IF he can play a credible third base. (Giants fans have no patience for defensive liabilities wherever they may be, and with young pitchers that’s even more important.) We have options at first base, albeit that none have (or are likely to have next year) the Huff power numbers. No one will get Lincecum or Sandoval. I’m sure Huff won’t bring Cain. But there are always multi-player deals . . .

Thanks for your input.

Don't believe everything you think.

by wcovington on Sep 18, 2008 9:09 PM EDT up reply actions

Huff daddy's glove

I saw Audrey make a nice play at 3rd over weekend. Slow roller, Audrey ran, picked up the ball, and made a strong throw to first to make the out. He’s fine in limited action. Over the long run, he’ll hurt you.

Wolf, wolf, wolf.

by birdman on Sep 15, 2008 8:19 PM EDT reply actions

Agreed

Put him on first for the most part, use him at third on a limited basis. That kind of action in the hot corner is going to age him much faster than necessary. If the Giants are serious, they’ll need to be eyeing him for a short-term deal before he comes back to the AL as a DH exclusively.

by blawk359 on Sep 16, 2008 9:10 AM EDT reply actions