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From: [email protected] (Eric Roush)
Subject: Re: The Mystery of Ron Gant
Organization: Biochemistry
Lines: 83
Nntp-Posting-Host: bruchner.biochem.duke.edu
In article <[email protected]> [email protected] (Forrest Smith)
writes:
>In article <[email protected]> [email protected]
(Mike Silverman) writes:
>>o any of you experts want to analyze Ron Gant?
>
>omeone sure needs to analyze him. Gant is a head case. In his, what, six or
>seven years in the Majors, he's put together a combined total of maybe one
>good season? He lacks self-confidence, but worse, he doesn't really
>understand baseball. Curiously, he seems to perform best when his job
>is threatened. Sit him down for a game, and he might get a hit the next
>night. But let him play, and what is he thinking about? Getting hits,
>driving in runs? No, he's worried if he's going to get that 30 stolen
>bases, or that 100th career home run. He appears to have no learning curve.
>He never figured out how to play third base (what a fiasco). He still
>plays the outfield with his legs. He's lucky he's so fast, because it enables
>him to outrun his mistakes (but, as I suggested earlier in the season, it
>looks to me like he's slowing down a little bit, or else every groundskeeper
>is watering the infield dirt a little extra).
>
>Gant has had way too much of a chance already. He may get hot again for
>a couple of months, but he'll always revert to his true level.
Gant's ML record Age 28 this season.
Year G AB BA OBP SLG HR SB CS
1987 21 83 .265 .271 .386 2 4 2
1988 146 563 .259 .317 .439 19 19 10 <-- 3rd Base Expt. year
1989 75 260 .177 .237 .335 9 9 6
1990 152 575 .303 .357 .539 32 33 16
1991 154 561 .251 .338 .496 32 34 15
1992 153 544 .259 .321 .415 17 32 10
In the majors for parts of 6 seasons, total playing time
approx 4.5 seasons.
Just looking at his hitting record, he's had 2 seasons of OPS
greater than .800, which is pretty good for an OF. His
1988 season is pretty decent for a rookie 2B. The move to
third base explains a lot of his 1989. When he returned as an OF,
he began hitting again. And of course, last year he slumped.
But no learning curve? He has obviously improved his batting eye
over the years, as well as his SB/CS ratio. As to his fielding,
he was an infielder when he was drafted, a 2Bman as he came
up through the Braves system, and then the Braves put him through
2 position changes in the space of a year. He's an adequate OF,
although not great, and at least some of your perception of his
fielding is colored by watching him learn to play the OF at the
ML level. (I know you're another long-term Braves fan :)
About playing 3B...IMO, that's the 2nd most DIFFICULT position
to field, after catcher. At SS or 2B, you need more range and
speed, but at 3B, you've got to have quick reflexes and have
a GUN for an arm. There are NO second chances at 3B, even when
playing sandlot softball! Granted, I'd still put my best
overall infielder at SS, but that's because he gets more
chances, not because the job is harder. It still amazes me
that so many teams have tried to convert other position players
to 3B. But maybe that's because the supply of "natural" 3B is
scarce.
Finally, Gant is a player who puts pressure on himself to
perform well, and works hard to improve. You don't get
those amazingly huge arms on that relatively small body without a
lot of weight work. Now, whether he's been overdoing it these
days may be a valid question, as is the question of whether
he tries too hard to make something happen during each at-bat.
But frankly, if a player is going to not live up to potential,
I'd much rather they fail by trying too hard, than by not
trying hard enough. You might be able to teach relaxation
to an adult; but at that age I don't believe you can teach
hustle.
All that said, I don't think I'd sign Gant to another long-term
contract. He's 28 now, and I think he's free-agent eligible
in 2 years, when he'll be 30. Given his career curve and
limitations, I wouldn't expect him to last much past 35
as a ML ballplayer. He might surprise me here, but Atlanta's
got some talent on the farm, and I'd rather take my chances
down the road with Nieves et al.
Eric
