It’s no secret that Jhonny Peralta plays shortstop like he’s wearing a set of iron loafers. If the ball isn’t hit directly at him, Jhonny seems to miss every groundball by one step. (Even when it is hit at him, that only precedes an adventurous throw to the surprisingly limber Ryan Garko.) Either opposing hitters have an uncanny ability to ground swiftly to just avoid Peralta’s outstretched arms, or he’s just a step too slow to get to balls just out of his zone.
This wouldn’t be a huge problem if he were hitting like Peralta Version 2005-2006, but he’s chilling around the Mendoza line these days, which is never a good thing for your starting shortstop. Be a great fielder, or a great hitter, or preferably both. Just don’t be neither. (Click ‘More’ to keep reading …)
This article appears in May 14-20, 2008.