Hot Stove Coal: Yankees Defensive Projections

Beyond the Boxscore posted their Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) projections for 2010 on November 15th. I extracted the Yankees players (and their free agents) and sorted them from best to worst. Here's what it looks like (pitchers and catchers excluded):

Name	Position	Projected UZR
Brett Gardner	CF	3.0
Jerry Hairston	LF	0.7
Melky Cabrera	LF	0.2
Nick Swisher	LF	0.0
Eric Hinske	LF	-0.1
Mark Teixeira	1B	-0.1
Eric Hinske	RF	-0.3
Nick Swisher	RF	-0.3
Melky Cabrera	RF	-0.8
Jerry Hairston	SS	-0.9
Eric Hinske	1B	-1.0
Nick Swisher	1B	-1.5
Robinson Cano	2B	-2.4
Derek Jeter	SS	-2.6
Xavier Nady	RF	-2.6
Melky Cabrera	CF	-2.6
Johnny Damon	LF	-2.8
Nick Swisher	CF	-2.8
Hideki Matsui	LF	-4.5
Alex Rodriguez	3B	-4.5
Johnny Damon	CF	-5.0

I bolded the 2009 Yankees regulars in their starting positions. Now UZR is just one measurement that goes into figuring out the defensive worth of a player and these are only projections, but this does not show a very good defensive team. Now Derek Jeter bounced back this past season with a good defensive season and a guy like Mark Teixeira was better than his UZR reading indicated, so this should all be taken with a grain of salt. Also, the Yankees won't be playing Johnny Damon or Nick Swisher CF (and for good reason), so you can basically ignore that part of the ratings. But this is an aging Yankees team that saw the value in better defense last season after the success of Tampa Bay in 2008, and finding positive UZR free agents/trade candidates may help the 2010 cause as well.

Let's take a look at some free agents or trade candidates who have had their names linked the Yankees with a few names bolded:

Name	Position	Projected UZR
Carl Crawford	LF	9.9
David DeJesus	LF	8.2
Randy Winn	RF	8.1
Chone Figgins	3B	6.4
Matt Holliday	LF	4.2
Mike Cameron	CF	3.2
Mark DeRosa	RF	2.0
Randy Winn	LF	1.8
Rocco Baldelli	CF	1.7
Curtis Granderson	CF	1.6
Craig Counsell	SS	1.1
Craig Counsell	2B	0.9
David DeJesus	CF	0.7
Craig Counsell	3B	0.6
Eric Bruntlett	SS	-0.1
Randy Winn	CF	-1.8
Garrett Atkins	1B	-2.1
Mark DeRosa	3B	-2.6
Mark DeRosa	2B	-2.8
Rick Ankiel	CF	-3.1
Chone Figgins	CF	-3.4
Garrett Atkins	3B	-6.1
Jason Bay	LF	-10.5
Jermaine Dye	RF	-17.5

What to make of this list? Although some may argue that the Green Monster skews UZR ratings for Boston leftfielders, it does not look like Jason Bay is a good defender (and Jermaine Dye is beyond bad). When you look at Matt Holliday, you see the opposite. While the Yankees will almost certainly inquire on Carl Crawford for their leftfield hole, another option in which they wouldn't have to give up so much would be David DeJesus, and excellent defensive leftfielder who is a pretty good hitter (he was also born in Brooklyn and went to high school and college in NJ so he's a local product). While Curtis Granderson is an intriguing trade candidate, a much smarter option for CF may be Mike Cameron who is not only better defensively, but also crushes lefthanded pitching (while Granderson makes Jose Molina look like a good hitter against lefties). And While Chone Figgins looks like he'll have another solid season playing the infield, he may not be as solid if asked to play the outfield.

Other cheap veteran pickups for the Yankees for the bench could be a guy like Craig Counsell to play the infield or Randy Winn to play the outfield.

Just some food for thought...

Pictures courtesy of Reuters and CNNSI