SS: Defense vs. Offense. Your thoughts.

Howdy,

SS gets more balls hit his way per game than any position. 2nd base comes in second, btw. OK, here's my dilemma. My current SS in a '60s league (Cardenas) is a SS-2e23. He's having his worst card (OPS 611), which has a balance of 5L! My backup at SS is the sure-handed Ray Oyler, who's offense is even worse! (Oyler's defense/range is identical to Leo Cardenas, btw.).
Should I consider a Tom Tresh (Switch-hitter, with good OBP and reasonable power) or maybe lefty Wayne Causey at SS instead? Both of these guys are in the SS-3e30 range, btw. When does offense trump defense at Short? Anyone?

PS: FWIW, my 2nd baseman (Mazeroskie), has a defensive rating of 1e15.

You might try platooning Cardenas and Causey. There's a 60 percent chance (Causey's 62, 64, or 65 season) that could work out quite well.

One thing about Cardenas "worst" card is it is 1968, so it's actually a bit better than the stats would indicate. In fact, against lefties, I'd say it's a pretty good card.

The platoon idea with Causey has some merit, but that's an awfully high error rating on top of the disadvantage of also having a "3" rating. Having Maz at 2B balances it out some, I suppose. If you do it, absolutely sub either Cardenas or Oyler for Causey in the late innings.

I personally think that Tresh is never worth it at SS... actually, I don't think that any "3" rating player is worth it at SS except in extreme cases. I also agree with Coyote: that 5L card for Cardenas isn't as bad as it might look. I would look through your league, see if other teams are using a decent amount of lefty starters, and use that info in your decision. Try Causey out and see if he has a good offensive card: maybe if he does, it overrides the defensive disadvantage.

Howdy,

Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone. After careful consideration, I'll stay with Cardenas at SS. There are no other 2s available and I cannot bring myself to platoon a 3e33 at SS, even IF Cardenas is hitting .059 against righties so far (we've played 6 games). This discussion is an interesting one, though. By all means, feel free to chime in!

In the 80s game Hubie Brooks' 3 card at SS is certainly worth it if you land his one phenominal card.
You could easily argue that Ernie Banks' first 3 cards in the 60s game is worth it in a HR park.

In the 80s game Hubie Brooks' 3 card at SS is certainly worth it if you land his one phenominal card.
You could easily argue that Ernie Banks' first 3 cards in the 60s game is worth it in a HR park.

Agreed on both counts... Banks even more so because the SS selection in the 60s set is rather sparse. Depending on the card and the ballpark, Julio Franco in the 80s can be a good selection too.

However, to me, if you go with a "3" at SS (especially one with a higher error rating like Causey/Hubie/Franco), you had better not only have a "1" at 2B, but also a "1" in CF, or at minimum some "2"s with really low error ratings. The number of extra runs you score with a Hubie or a Franco can easily be offset by a poor overall team defense.

I've played in 60s and 70s leagues with Larry before, and I think I remember that he and I usually think similarly in terms of the SS position: we are after the Kessinger/Foli/Cardenas type of player more often than not. I've been thinking of changing things up a bit in future leagues and maybe looking for offense over defense more often... but it's going to be really hard for me to get out of the habit of automatically putting a "2" or better at 2b, SS and CF (and usually C too). It's only worked some of the time (.499 career winning %, although higher in both 60s and 70s), but it's just always seemed to me to be the most sensible blueprint for starting a team.

Howdy,

The Conndor and I agree about defense up the middle. I, too have decided it may be time to give SS/2b a re-think with respect to Leather vs. Wood ratio. If I've already got a good-hitting team, I'm going to continue with a "2" (Or even a "1", if it's affordable) at SS. Now if my team isn't hitting the ball well, I'd be more willing to investigate a "3" at SS/2b who can bring some offense. Fun discussion.

Having played 83 teams, you can count the number of times on one hand that my primary starter at shortstop wasn't a 2 or a 1. However, in a recent 60s league, my team was on the verge of fading into oblivion early in the season.

Kubek was my shortstop, and he was hitting well below .200. In desperation, I picked up Dennis Menke, ss-3 e25. I don't think Menke is a good value unless you get one of his two best years--as I said, I was desperate. I got his best year, and Menke (along with a couple of other changes) helped my team turn things around and get into the playoffs with 92 wins.

Interestingly, for much of the season, I was also playing Ken Boswell, 2b-3 e29, at second base. It was only after someone late in the season foolishly dropped Mazeroski, whom I correctly guessed was on his best season, that I had a good fielding second baseman.

So, while I agree good defense up the middle is important, don't limit yourself with absolutes--especially when you have a set of players like in the 60s where you have limited options.

Here's the team I was referring to if anyone is interested:

http://365.strat-o-matic.com/team/1441259