There has been a lot written here, and all over the net about the Colby Rasmus deal, so I won’t go into to much detail now. Instead, I want to put up all of the relevant statistics Rasmus has put up so far in his Major League career, so everyone can have a complete picture of the Jays new starting centre fielder.
The Bat:
2009
(2.8 WAR)
G 147/ PA 520/ HR 16/ 2B 22/ 3B 2/ AVG 251/ OBP 307/ SLG 407/ wOBA 311/ wRC+ 88/ BB% 6.9/ K% 18.3/ ISO 156/ BABIP 282
2010
(4.3 WAR)
G 144/ PA 534/ HR 23/ 2B 28/ 3B 3/ AVG 276/ OBP 361/ SLG 498/ wOBA 366/ wRC+ 129/ BB% 11.8/ K% 27.7/ ISO 222/ BABIP 354
2011
(1.4 WAR)
G 94/ PA 386/ HR 11/ 2B 14/ 3B 6/ AVG 246/ OBP 332/ SLG 420/ wOBA 332/ wRC+ 111/ BB% 11.7/ K% 19.9/ BABIP 286
Make no mistake about it, Colby Rasmus is a very good Major League hitter. Just 24, Rasmus has already displayed impressive pop (50 career HR), and solid plate discipline. These are skills that typically take a while to develop at the big league level, so it is very encouraging to see such strong BB% and ISO by such a young player. The home run power is particularly special coming from a middle of the diamond position.
The Glove:
2009
UZR: 9.2
UZR/150: 13.6
2010
UZR: -6.7
UZR: -9.4
2011:
UZR: -9.6
UZR/150: -15.9
Ultimate zone rating has not been kind to Rasmus. According to UZR, Rasmus was a very good centre fielder in his rookie campaign, but has regressed ever since. He currently holds a UZR/150 of -3.6 for his career. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see on this one, as defensive metrics are notoriously inconsistent. On the plus side, it seems as though Rasmus has the speed and the arm to play in centre, and he is easily an upgrade over Davis/Patterson/Snider at the position.
The Speed:
2009
SB: 3/ CS: 1/ SB%: 75
2010
SB: 12/ CS: 8/ SB%: 60
2011
SB: 5/ CS: 2/ SB% 71
Not a whole lot in the way of stolen bases. Just 20/31 (64%) for his career, Rasmus has not stolen bases at a clip that would make it worthwhile. This is another component of his game that needs more seasoning. He has the speed to steal bases, now he just needs to work on reading pitchers and getting good jumps.
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