If you judge him solely by his selection to be the National League’s starting third baseman in the All-Star Game as well as his Gold Glove award, Placido Polanco had a terrific season.
The reality is that the 36-year old was a glaring weakness on the offensive side of the ball for the Philadelphia Phillies. Polanco hit .275 with five home runs in 523 plate appearances, giving him a .674 OPS – a new career-worst. To put Polanco’s OPS in perspective, Wilson Valdez has a .652 OPS since joining the Phillies.
Among the 32 qualifying third basemen in plate appearances since 2010, Polanco is 27th in OPS. He was at his worst in the postseason, going 2-for-19 (.105) in the five-game playoff series.
His defense was phenomenal as always. He deserves credit for that, as he led the NL with a .977 fielding percentage at the hot corner, his eighth such time leading the league in fielding position at either second or third base. He’s as reliable as they come in the field.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t...
Original Story:
16
3
