Chris Getz has started at second all year, hitting .267/.325/.367.
When Chris Getz returns from the disabled list sometime in the near future, he'll slide back into his role as the team's starting second baseman. Not surprising, given that Getz has been the Sox' starting second baseman since opening day. But should Ozzie Guillen consider giving Jayson Nix the starting job over Getz?
Comparing their season numbers, Nix has the edge over Getz—both offensively and defensively. Nix has a .761 OPS to Getz' .691, aided by 10 home runs to the two Getz has to his name.
Nix also has the advantage with the glove. UZR has Nix at 5.4 at second base—the highest UZR of any player on the White Sox—compared to Getz' -3.0.
Overall, FanGraphs has Nix worth 1.2 wins and Getz 0.4. It'd be easy to say that the obvious decision here should be Nix, but that'd be way too shallow. A closer look at the numbers reveals that Nix doesn't necessarily deserve to starting nod.
Since June 28, Getz is hitting .333/.387/.463 in 108 at-bats. Around that, time a few articles were written about how Getz made adjustments at the plate, and they've obviously paid off. He's not taking a ton of walks, but he's getting more than enough hits to make up for it.
On top of that, Nix hasn't really gone out and blown anyone away offensively since Getz went down. Since getting the starting 2B job August 12, Nix is just .226/.306/.409 and leads the team in hard-hit foul balls into the left field stands—pretty consistent with what he's done over the course of 2009.
There are a lot of things to like about Nix. First, his defense is obviously stellar. He turns double plays at second base better than any Sox' second baseman I can remember. No matter how hard a runner's coming in, Nix still has a knack for getting off a good, strong throw to first base to turn two. He also has excellent range for a second baseman, something Getz hasn't really shown in his first full MLB season.
But it's hard to put Nix—who Guillen has called time and time again a "great" utility player—in ahead of Getz, especially with the offensive improvements Getz has made in the last month or so. A lot of Getz' defensive problems may be due to something mechanical with his positioning or footwork.
That's something that can be worked on in the offseason, and I'm sure the Sox wouldn't want to risk stunting Getz' offensive growth by playing him sparingly down the stretch.
And as for playing Getz against righties and Nix against lefties, it's not a bad idea, but Getz has actually hit lefties better this year than righties (although his sample size against lefties isn't all that big). However, if the Sox are looking for an excuse to play Nix, putting him against lefties—against whom he has an .832 OPS—wouldn't be a bad idea. He only has a .690 OPS against righties.
I'm going to level with you—I've been sitting here for about 45 minutes deliberating on what direction I would take between Getz and Nix. My gut tells me Getz, but the numbers tell me Nix. Maybe it's because I'm holding on to the notion of Getz as the starting second baseman of the future, or maybe it's because I've never looked at Nix as anything more than a utilityman.
Nix' defense has saved runs this year. About eight more than Getz, to be exact. But I also just get a gut feeling that Nix has a high chance of an offensive flameout if lefties discover how to get him out.
In the end, Getz will probably be the more consistent offensive player while Nix probably will be the more consistent defensive player. And at this point, I'm not sure who exactly is more valuable. WAR tells me it's Nix, but Getz has played much better in the last month and a half.
Luckily, I don't have to be the one making the decision. But, if you want an answer, I'll go with Getz, but with this caveat: in a perfect world, I'd put Nix in there as a late-inning defensive replacement. I just think Getz can improve his defense in the offseason and be a solid, consistent second baseman who ultimately could be a decent enough No. 2 hitter in the Sox' lineup.
It's hard for me to go against the numbers, but in this case, I am.
Links and notes:
- Jim at Soxmachine discusses the Sox' Sunday problem.
- SouthSideSox previews the White Sox/Red Sox series.
- Andrew at Beachwood Reporter sums up the Sox' situation perfectly: "So now, with just over a month left, the Sox find themselves in the awkward position of being able to see the top of the mountain while finding their feet trapped inside blocks of ice."
- Brandon Allen, who was traded from the Sox to Arizona for Tony Pena in July, made his MLB debut over the weekend. He's 2/8 with a RBI in the two games since being called up.
- Beyond the Box Score had an interesting note: the Kansas City Royals haven't had a rookie debut with the team this year. For a team that's second-worst in the majors, that's pretty odd.
Comments