Ryan Raburn will turn 32 approximately two weeks into the 2013 season. He owns a career batting line of .256/.311/.430, good enough to consider him “Better than available AAA players, but below league average”.
Increasingly popular statistics like WAR and VORP use the notion of a Replacement level player to baseline their statistics. Raburn has been better than the Replacements that those “R’s” stand for, but slightly worse than your everyday MLB regular. He plays many defensive positions, though none of them particularly poorly or well. He has added value on a roster because he can play 1B/2B/3B/LF/RF/CF with startling mediocrity while hitting with equally impressive mediocrity (more information on flexibility value can be found here). His career, as a whole, is nearly the precise definition of league averageness.
What sparked my curiously is Raburn’s complete and utter lack of consistency over the years combined with his complete explosion in 2013 Spring Training. In 2009 and 2010...
Found March 06, 2013 on
Indians Baseball Insider:
Original Story:
THE BACKYARD
BEST OF MAXIM
AROUND THE WEB
RELATED ARTICLES
2013 Indians Top 60 Prospects: #12 1B Jesus Aguilar
Via Indians Baseball Insider
|
March 06, 2013
The IBI's 2013 Indians Top 60 Prospect countdown continues on with first baseman Jesus Aguilar. Aguilar is a guy that a lot of Indians fans and the organization themselves are excited about because good right-handed power is hard to find. He certainly has that and then some, and is arguably the best power prospect in the entire system. Tony talks about that power potential and...
|
March 06, 2013
2013 Spring Training Game #15: Indians 6, Giants 4
Via Indians Baseball Insider
|
March 08, 2013
The Cleveland Indians scored six runs in two innings on Thursday afternoon to give them a 6-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants in support of starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez on Thursday afternoon.
Jimenez, the enigmatic starter that the Indians acquired at the trade deadline in 2011, easily had his best start of the spring. The Indians right-hander went four innings when...
|
March 08, 2013
Then & Now: Nick Hagadone
Via Indians Baseball Insider
|
March 05, 2013
Then & Now is a weekly feature at Indians Baseball Insider during the offseason that takes a look at a player's past and present while also offering a possible glimpse into the player's future.
It was a busy offseason for the Cleveland Indians as a number of significant moves were made to address some glaring holes exposed last season.
Lack of right-handed hitters? Mark...
|
March 05, 2013
'A MANAGER-IN-WAITING'
Francona praises Jason Giambi
Via NESN.com
|
March 07, 2013
|
March 07, 2013
Indians skipper Terry Francona had only nice things to say about Jason Giambi during a recent interview, saying, "I’d be lying if I said he’s not special."
Indians sign Brantley, 10 others to 1-year deals
Indians outfielder Michael Brantley is among 11 players to sign one-year contracts with Cleveland.
Brantley will start in left field following the team's signing of free agent center fielder Michael Bourn. He resumes workouts Thursday after he was spiked last week during an exhibition game and needed 15 stitches. Manager Terry Francona said Brantley could be playing in games...
2013 Spring Training Game #13: Indians 4, Giants 3
Via Indians Baseball Insider
|
March 06, 2013
Apparently hitting home runs was as viral as the Harlem Shake in Scottsdale, Arizona on Tuesday as the Indians slugged their way to a 4-3 victory over the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants. Both teams collected their share of runs via the long ball as Cleveland hitters clubbed three solo blasts while the Giants belted two of their own. Tribe bullpen hopeful Bryan...
|
March 06, 2013
MLB Team Previews: Cleveland Indians
Via Heff's Sports Blog
|
March 06, 2013
Key Additions
SIGNED/RESIGNED: Mark Reynolds (1B/3B), Nick Swisher (RF/1B), Brett Myers (P), Matt Capps (P), Daisuke Matsuzaka (P), Michael Bourn (OF)
TRADED FOR: Yan Gomes (3B), Mike Aviles (SS), Matt Albers (P), Trever Bauer (P), Bryan Shaw (P), Drew Stubbs (CF)
Key Losses
Travis Hafner (DH), Casey Kotchman (1B...
|
March 06, 2013
Indians beat Giants 6-4 on Swisher, Giambi HRs
The Associated Press Nick Swisher and Jason Giambi hit back-to-back homers off Heath Hembree, powering the Cleveland Indians to a 6-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Thursday.
Hembree allowed Swisher's third home run of the spring, a three-run shot in the fifth. Giambi hit his first. Ryan Raburn, who leads the Indians with four homers, hit a pair of doubles, one of...
Mike Aviles Reunites With Former Teammates During Red Sox’ Scrimmage With Puerto Rico (Video)
Via NESN.com
|
March 05, 2013
A familiar face was back in Fort Myers on Tuesday.
Former Red Sox shortstop Mike Aviles returned to JetBlue Park as a member of Team Puerto Rico, which dropped a 4-3 decision to the Sox in a World Baseball Classic tune-up. Aviles has had a tumultuous offseason, first being traded to Toronto in exchange for manager John Farrell (a deal that he called “weird”) before being shipped...
|
March 05, 2013
Ryu allows two in Dodgers' loss vs. Indians
GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) -- Jason Giambi thought he would be a manager this season. Instead, he's still playing.
Giambi drove in two runs and Justin Masterson outpitched Hyun-Jin Ryu on Wednesday, leading the Cleveland Indians to a 4-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
After interviewing for the Colorado Rockies' managerial opening -- which went to Walt Weiss -- the 42-year...
According to Terry Francona, Jason Giambi is a “manager-in-waiting”
Via Gamedayr
|
March 07, 2013
New Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona believes that Jason Giambi is a manager-in-waiting.
|
March 07, 2013
The Corner of Carnegie and Ontario celebrates Ubaldo?
Via Indians Baseball Insider
|
March 06, 2013
I just can help but cringe when I say the name Ubaldo Jimenez.
I was never a fan of the deal that brought him here, and that certainly hasn’t changed over the past 1 ½ years. When he signed my daughter’s baseball last year, I honestly thought, “Holy cow, he just ruined that ball. If I throw it, it’s going to hit the dirt a foot in front of the plate, or end up somewhere...
|
March 06, 2013
WBC Results 3/7
Via Burning River Baseball
|
March 07, 2013
Today saw the first games of the Western side of the World Baseball Classic with Mexico taking a surprising loss against team Italia and the Dominican Republic showing their dominance against team Venezuela. The latter match featured the first two Indians to play in this year's classic. The wildness inherent in these early round games featuring low level pitchers was evident...
|
March 07, 2013
| Latest Rumors | The Backyard | Going Viral |
|
|
Today's Best Stuff |
For BloggersJoin the Yardbarker Network for more promotion, traffic, and money. |
Company Info |
Help |
What is Yardbarker?Yardbarker is the largest network of sports blogs and pro athlete blogs on the web. This site is the hub of the Yardbarker Network, where our editors and algorithms curate the best sports content from our network and beyond. |
