Heroes of the Zeros: Center Field

by Slyde on Dec 24, 2009 8:00 AM EST in All Decade Team

In February of 2000 the Reds traded for Ken Griffey Jr. and locked up their center fielder for the next decade to an 8-year deal. Or so they thought. Injuries and declining play meant that Griffey only started 36% of the games in CF for the decade. Does he still deserve to be the starting CF on the All Decade Team? That's for you to decide! Ballot after the jump.

Click header to sort table by column
	Years	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	wOBA	WAR
Darren Bragg	2004	38	103	94	11	18	3	1	4	9	8	29	.191	.255	.372	.627	61	.263	0.3
Chris Denorfia	2005-2006	67	164	144	22	40	9	0	2	9	17	30	.278	.358	.382	.740	90	.326	1.1
Juan Encarnacion	2002	83	354	321	43	89	11	2	16	51	26	63	.277	.330	.474	.804	106	.343	1.6
Ryan Freel	2003-2008	544	2146	1873	294	509	97	17	22	114	210	323	.272	.357	.377	.734	91	.329	6.4
Ken Griffey	2000-2008	945	3904	3353	533	904	173	8	210	602	476	673	.270	.362	.514	.876	122	.362	11.4
Josh Hamilton	2007	90	337	298	52	87	17	2	19	47	33	65	.292	.368	.554	.922	131	.383	2.7
Norris Hopper	2006-2008	168	440	396	60	125	15	2	1	20	31	43	.316	.367	.371	.738	90	.325	2.9
Brian Hunter	2000	32	48	40	11	9	1	0	0	1	6	9	.225	.319	.250	.569	46	.266	0.4
Corey Patterson	2008	135	392	366	46	75	17	2	10	34	16	57	.205	.238	.344	.582	50	.248	-1.0
Ruben Rivera	2001	117	290	263	37	67	13	1	10	34	21	83	.255	.321	.426	.747	87	.324	0.9
Jason Romano	2004-2005	41	63	56	6	12	2	0	2	6	5	19	.214	.290	.357	.647	69	.285	-0.3
Drew Stubbs	2009	42	196	180	27	48	5	1	8	17	15	49	.267	.323	.439	.762	99	.330	1.7
Willy Taveras	2009	102	437	404	56	97	11	2	1	15	18	58	.240	.275	.285	.559	48	.247	0.4
Reggie Taylor	2002-2003	235	505	467	58	112	20	6	14	57	25	147	.240	.281	.398	.679	76	.286	0.0
Dewayne Wise	2006-2007	36	46	43	4	8	2	1	0	2	1	7	.186	.205	.279	.484	21	.186	-0.8

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used Generated 12/22/2009.
WAR data made available from BaseballProjection.com
wOBA calculated via the formula included in The Book and does not include SB data.

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Comments

Uhh, Griffey?

Start SEEing motorcycles

by Excalib8 on Dec 24, 2009 8:58 AM EST reply actions

nobody on this list impresses me , so griff by default

though freel does get some love for “the catch”

"Some times you get lucky; some times you get Willy Taveras." - Teh Fay

by joshuar9476 on Dec 24, 2009 9:03 AM EST reply actions

catch of the decade for the Reds?

Gotta go with Griffey and always wonder if only…

Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.

by Caleb on Dec 24, 2009 9:11 AM EST up reply actions

If we were doing plays of the decade, this catch

and the one Freel made at 3B in Chicago have to be up there.

by ken on Dec 24, 2009 12:46 PM EST up reply actions

But had Hamilton been around for awhile...

Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.

by Caleb on Dec 24, 2009 9:11 AM EST reply actions

It's never iffy...

"Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury you!"

by "Red" Moskau on Dec 24, 2009 9:40 AM EST reply actions

Ken... Griffey... JUNNNNNNYAAAAAA

"We, as for me all seasons you are affected peculiarly in the edge of my seat and are happy concerning the fact that the Adam Dunn fan has been mixed up exactly." - Reynard-san

by BK on Dec 24, 2009 10:32 AM EST reply actions

Corey

The man who replaced the Mendoza line with the Patterson Standard … I look at this list and wonder why the Reds continue to say “we need a center fielder.” Obviously, there aren’t any to be had. Griffey played it well, though.

by johnu1 on Dec 24, 2009 10:55 AM EST reply actions

i effing LOVED norris hopper.

no homo.

by GrooveLeg on Dec 24, 2009 10:55 AM EST reply actions

Darren Bragg

defiantly Darren Bragg.

"There is no harder thing than to have Glenn Beck outlive your child."-The Onion

by justin007000 on Dec 24, 2009 11:00 AM EST reply actions

"My favorite malopropism is when students replace 'definitely' with 'defiantly

“It makes even the most obvious answer seem like a brave stand.” – one of my favorite commenters.

Seriously, I had no idea Bragg a) was a Red and b) was different then Glenn Braggs

"And then there was the USAID guy in Kandahar who drove a giant pink Cadillac, which the locals set on fire one day. If you wanted to destroy something symbolic during a riot, you just could not do better than that. Good stuff." - Ghosts of Alexander

by Cy Schourek on Dec 24, 2009 1:50 PM EST up reply actions

If Jason Romano doesn't win this entire series is a farce

"Santa Claus doesn't use Craigslist." -- 'tHan

by jch24 on Dec 24, 2009 11:11 AM EST reply actions

Everybody loves Jason!

"We, as for me all seasons you are affected peculiarly in the edge of my seat and are happy concerning the fact that the Adam Dunn fan has been mixed up exactly." - Reynard-san

by BK on Dec 24, 2009 3:53 PM EST up reply actions

all about the expectations

Jr. gave us almost 6 full seasons of 122 OPS+, with passable defense for most of it. If you could guarantee me I’d get that out of Stubbs over the next 8 years, I’d take it.

Trouble is, we were expecting 10 full seasons of 150 OPS+.

"The USA despite its flaws and corruption and overall messiness is still a great and powerful instrument of freedom and hope for the entire world." - Madville

by bbjones on Dec 24, 2009 11:24 AM EST reply actions

The problem was Griffey's defense wasn't passable

The last few years at Center it was atrocious, maybe the worst in the league. Half of his WAR came in his first year. But after all the injuries after 2000 his legs were shot. The move to RF was at least three years too late.

He still wins this beauty contest by having the most playing time and a pretty good bat.

by ken on Dec 24, 2009 12:27 PM EST up reply actions

I'm going with Griffey due to playing time and that one great season

But it was very close between he and Freel for me. In terms of WAR per player season, the’re more or less equals (Freel actually leads, though by the slimmest of margins). As ken said, fielding matters.
-j

I write at:
Beyond the Boxscore | Red Reporter | Basement-Dwellers.com | Twitter: @jinazreds

by JinAZ on Dec 24, 2009 12:57 PM EST reply actions