QUOTE (chw42 @ Sep 6, 2009 -> 11:52 AM)
You say this when he's doing well, but will you say this when he's slumping or injured?
Look, I want Getz to succeed in every way possible. He could be a very effective leadoff hitter down the line for this team. However, he also has A LOT to improve on and if he does not improve on these said things, he will not be a "solid" ballplayer, but just an average one at best.
Here's a list of things that he should improve on.
1. Get on base more often. A .320-.330 OBP just won't do it for a possible leadoff hitter. It might be good enough for a bottom of the order hitter, but that would make him an average player at best. Get the OBP up to .340-.350 and you might be looking at a "solid" player.
2. Better plate discipline. I know he's a rookie, but he needs to lay off the high fastball. Doing so will help him in so many ways. Maybe he should bend down a bit more to lay off of them.
3. Get better on defense. At this point, he's an average defender. He's got the speed to get to almost anything, he should be better on D.
4. Reduce the nagging injuries. He really can't do too much about this one. Maybe his body's just not one that can handle the work load of playing baseball every day. He should be stretching and preparing himself better in order not to get injured.
He's got the base running down so far and he's a decent hitter. I'm hoping he will address the above issues by next season so we won't have to re-sign Podsednik or spend a lot of money on a new leadoff man.
Getz, right now, is a very average player.
You say average I say solid. Every player has things to improve upon. He's one of the top rookies in the league. I predicted his success in the predictions thread at the beginning of the season so its not like I'm jumping on the bandwagon while he's been hot.