PETER BOURJOS WAR Angels 2010 Top Ten #6

So good!

Be numbers 1-5 as well?

when we’re all freaking out because Bourjos got robbed for the GG

Doesn’t Fleet Pete look a little like a young Ersty going for that ball up at the top photo?
A little like Dicar (Gary Dicarcina), too. In either case, it’s all good.
But I will take a little of that Ersty-style hitting this season—or even close.
Good choice for the picture, Rev, and good call on Pick #6.
(I’m guessing picking up Haren is in the Top 3, btw . . .)

and I hope he does, I guarantee a gold glove . . . that kid’s defensive ability is off the charts. If he can hit in the .260-.280 range, he is worth it!

Conclusion: No one in the history of the game has played better CF at a better rate over the course of a single season, in limited play or regular time. That’s kind of hard to digest.

Also, Ersty’s 3.8 isn’t just the most all-time by an Angel CFer, it’s the most all-time by a CFer, period. Also the 3rd-most at any position. Erstad is also tied for 13th-most, with 3.2 in 1999, which is all the more impressive since he split time between 1B and LF.

Because I like to constantly impose real-life checks on these stats to see that they make sense:

Before Bourjos, the Angels played 107 games, and allowed 4.67 runs per game. In their last 55 games? 3.67 runs per game. It’s not all Bourjos – having Hunter displace Rivera in the OF, Haren on the mound, and some of the young guns like Walden, Kohn, and Thompson improving the bullpen helped too.

I really wish I had the same detail of stats available to measure the impact of Pettis, White, and even Erstad when they came up. Yes – they have a defensive WAR figure, but it’s more of a guestimation than what we have for current players.

I wasn’t aware how incredible a defensive impact he had and after reading this, hope that he starts in CF for a long time to come.

Along with a a ‘fly ball’ pitching staff, it is essential in Anaheim to have a solid, above average OF defense because of the dimensions, and we’ve had some good ones over the years and for most of the last few years, some mediocre ones. We won it all with Ersty in CF, and ruined a lot of promising future by trading away Devon White.

I’d hazard to guess there’d be somewhat a correlation between our OF defensive WAR and W-L record each year.