When I am bored, whether it be in the office or at home, I am not one to put on WFAN to listen to what people have to say about the Yankees or the Mets. My friend said he was listening to the incomparable Ann Liguori one night on the radio and she made a pretty bold statement that caught my friend's attention. She said that when the Mets outfield consists of Carlos Beltran, Endy Chavez, and Ryan Church, that it is the best defensive outfield in baseball.
Upon hearing this, my friend called me to tell of this blasphemous statement and how she couldn't be any more wrong. While I agree with Ms. Liguouri that that is a very good defensive outfield, it is very hard to say that it is the best. Now I am hoping that she did in fact say this, and that I dont sound like an idiot for the next few minutes, but I am going to bring up other outfields in baseball that can match the previously named trio.
Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim- Torii Hunter, Gary Matthews Jr., Garret Anderson: Torii, who for some reason spells his name like a pornstar, is possibly one of the greatest center fielders of all-time and will finish with a trillion Gold Gloves. Gary Matthews also plays exceptional defense and basically any fly ball hit to the right side of the outfield is going to be caught someway, somehow. While Anderson doesn't help the defensive side of the outfield, both Matthews and Hunter make up for the negative Anderson brings. In addition, Reggie Willits, the backup left fielder to Anderson, has a ton of range and a pretty strong arm to go along with it.
Arizona Diamondbacks- Eric Byrnes, Chris B. Young, Justin Upton: Talk about a speedy outfield, I am surprised any balls drop in that ballpark. While Byrnes is on the DL, when healthy he plays with reckless abandon and no care for his own personal health. Young and Upton both have cannons for arms and cover so much ground their nickname should be UPS. Scary thing about Young and Upton are that they are still learning to play and will get better on both sides of the ball with time. While Upton does has 8 errors his year, he does have 6 assists as well and in time those errors will go away.
Colorado Rockies- Matt Holiday, Willy Tavarez, Brad Hawpe: This Outfield is probably one of the more underrated in the game. Coors field has just as much, if not more, room in its outfield than any other ballpark. Hawpe has one of the top 5 strongest arms in the league and guys don't even run on him anymore. He also covers a decent amount of ground, and has help on his left in Willy Tavarez. Tavarez doesn't have the arm but his glove and speed are just as good as anyone else's. Even Holliday is a good defensive outfielder, but he gets overlooked for his offensive contributions.
Boston Red Sox- Jacoby Ellsbury, CoCo Crisp, J.D. Drew: As much as i may hate to admit it, this outfield is just as good as that Mets outfield. Ellsbury and Crisp cover a lot of ground and while Crisp can't get the ball back into 2nd base sometimes, he makes so many great catches it's had to ignore his defense. In Right Field, Drew covers a good amount of ground in that spacious right field of Fenway park and has one of the stronger arms in the league. Ellsbury does it all from fielding to throwing and is only going to get better with more experience.
As for the Mets outfield, it is a very solid defensive outfield, but i don't think it can be recognized as one of the best in the league. While it may measure up to these other tandems, it has plenty of flaws as well. Church covers a decent amount of ground and has had an impressive arm this season, though doesn't have the reputation of having too strong of an arm. He also has some difficulty going back on well-hit balls. Beltran plays too deep in Center Field and should maybe bring it in a couple steps. Chavez has great legs but an inconsistent arm. While it is one of the top defensive trios in the league, i think it's hard to say its the best.
Upon hearing this, my friend called me to tell of this blasphemous statement and how she couldn't be any more wrong. While I agree with Ms. Liguouri that that is a very good defensive outfield, it is very hard to say that it is the best. Now I am hoping that she did in fact say this, and that I dont sound like an idiot for the next few minutes, but I am going to bring up other outfields in baseball that can match the previously named trio.
Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim- Torii Hunter, Gary Matthews Jr., Garret Anderson: Torii, who for some reason spells his name like a pornstar, is possibly one of the greatest center fielders of all-time and will finish with a trillion Gold Gloves. Gary Matthews also plays exceptional defense and basically any fly ball hit to the right side of the outfield is going to be caught someway, somehow. While Anderson doesn't help the defensive side of the outfield, both Matthews and Hunter make up for the negative Anderson brings. In addition, Reggie Willits, the backup left fielder to Anderson, has a ton of range and a pretty strong arm to go along with it.
Arizona Diamondbacks- Eric Byrnes, Chris B. Young, Justin Upton: Talk about a speedy outfield, I am surprised any balls drop in that ballpark. While Byrnes is on the DL, when healthy he plays with reckless abandon and no care for his own personal health. Young and Upton both have cannons for arms and cover so much ground their nickname should be UPS. Scary thing about Young and Upton are that they are still learning to play and will get better on both sides of the ball with time. While Upton does has 8 errors his year, he does have 6 assists as well and in time those errors will go away.
Colorado Rockies- Matt Holiday, Willy Tavarez, Brad Hawpe: This Outfield is probably one of the more underrated in the game. Coors field has just as much, if not more, room in its outfield than any other ballpark. Hawpe has one of the top 5 strongest arms in the league and guys don't even run on him anymore. He also covers a decent amount of ground, and has help on his left in Willy Tavarez. Tavarez doesn't have the arm but his glove and speed are just as good as anyone else's. Even Holliday is a good defensive outfielder, but he gets overlooked for his offensive contributions.
Boston Red Sox- Jacoby Ellsbury, CoCo Crisp, J.D. Drew: As much as i may hate to admit it, this outfield is just as good as that Mets outfield. Ellsbury and Crisp cover a lot of ground and while Crisp can't get the ball back into 2nd base sometimes, he makes so many great catches it's had to ignore his defense. In Right Field, Drew covers a good amount of ground in that spacious right field of Fenway park and has one of the stronger arms in the league. Ellsbury does it all from fielding to throwing and is only going to get better with more experience.
As for the Mets outfield, it is a very solid defensive outfield, but i don't think it can be recognized as one of the best in the league. While it may measure up to these other tandems, it has plenty of flaws as well. Church covers a decent amount of ground and has had an impressive arm this season, though doesn't have the reputation of having too strong of an arm. He also has some difficulty going back on well-hit balls. Beltran plays too deep in Center Field and should maybe bring it in a couple steps. Chavez has great legs but an inconsistent arm. While it is one of the top defensive trios in the league, i think it's hard to say its the best.
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