Friday, September 30, 2016

Was Starlin Castro Better Than Stephen Drew (Sucks)?


You guys know me, you read my stuff and you follow us @GreedyStripes on Twitter, so you know that I was never a fan of Stephen Drew. I clamored for what felt like years to get the Yankees to let go of Stephen Drew and to plug Robert Refsnyder in at the position to no avail so you can understand how ecstatic I was when New York acquired Starlin Castro in the offseason from the Chicago Cubs. I was skimming through other Yankees blogs and new publications lately like I always do when I ran across a post that boggled my mind, the post was explaining how the Yankees got nothing from Castro this year that they didn’t get from Stephen Drew last year. Their basis for the post? One stat. Albeit one pretty heavily weighted stat in the sabermetric community but still just one stat. No stat, however liked or heavily used across the board, tells the whole story so I will look to tell the whole story here for you today in hopes of seeing whether Castro was better than Drew in 2016. 

In 146 games Starlin Castro has played an awesome second base committing just 11 errors while posting a .981 fielding percentage. Castro was a part of 68 double plays this season along with Didi Gregorius and while these were all career bests for the Yankees second baseman there is no reason not to think he cannot keep up this pace defensively. Drew on the other hand? In his final season in pinstripes in 2015 Drew posted 131 games played with seven errors and a .984 fielding percentage. The numbers are comparable yet no one gushes over Castro’s defense like they did for Drew. No one is using Castro’s defense as a reason to keep Robert Refsnyder out of the discussion for the second base job either. Two Robert Refsnyder references in one day. One more and you have to free him. 

In those same 146 games Castro hit 21 home runs, seven more than his career high, with a .273/.301/.434 triple slash, 69 RBI and a 1.2 WAR. Drew on the other hand? .201/.271/.381 with 44 RBI, 17 home runs and a 0.4 WAR. Castro gets the slight edge. 

One thing that was definitely not suggested or mentioned in the article that I will not link because it doesn’t deserve the attention and the views is age. Castro is 26-years old and entering the beginning of his prime while putting up these numbers. This was also Castro’s first season in the American League and the first year in front of the bright lights of Yankee Stadium. The pressure, the fan scrutiny, the media questions, etc. This is all something that Drew was used to by 2015 after heading to the World Series with the Boston Red Sox and playing with the Bronx Bombers the season prior after coming over in a trade. These are things you can’t put a stat on and this is what, in my opinion of course, sets Castro apart from Drew across the board in every category. 


Castro is the man and will continue to be the man while Stephen Drew still sucks! And you can tell him I said that too. 

2 comments:

  1. STEPHEN DREW ?...What did he do wrong ?
    The Yankees signed him !
    He did not point a gun at their heads.
    Things happen...his skills left him.
    He did not plan it that way. All he did was fail at trying.

    Very proud of this team for still playing hard for Girardi.
    Very proud of Sabathia for turning things around. I was wrong.
    Very proud of Pinada in leading MLB in strike-outs per start.
    Although I can't figure him out.

    Very confused with Aaron Judge. Not a sure thing any longer.

    Very proud of patrick, for sticking to his words. For not watching
    a full game all year. Two innings has been the max. Two, and out.
    Refused to be manipulated by $3 Billion dollar puppet masters.

    I relish the off season. Many reasons to think this is fixable.
    So much young talent, that is blocked. Attractive trade chips.
    One must give, to get. Being smart helps.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Drew didn't do anything. This was more in reference to another post on another site that said he had been better than Castro. It knocked the Castro signing. I replied in my own way.

      Delete

Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)