Dutton on Defense

Because Bob Dutton (KC Star) is the coolest beat writer in the world, he was kind enough to answer a few questions I had about the Royals’ defense, and some of the recent changes therein.

Q: How does Alex Gordon compare to Mark Teahen at third last year? What have the coaches been working with Gordon the most on?

A: At this point, the general view is Teahen is still the better third baseman. The word on Gordon from scouts is he plays with his legs too close together, which limits range, and “alligators” grounders—meaning he slaps his throwing and glove hands together in a vertical motion. His throws also tend to be a little wild.

All that said, the general view also is these flaws are all fixable, and that he has the potential to be an above-average defensive third baseman.

Q: Speaking of Teahen, how is he handling his new role in right field? Has his shoulder surgery been limiting?

A: Looks like he’s been playing there for years. That’s not to say he won’t make mistakes. He will. But I think he’s already major-league average. I haven’t noticed any limitation from the surgery.

Q: Tony Pena, Jr. had a pretty good defensive (and offensive) day on Opening Day. How is he looking, perhaps in comparison to Angel Berroa? On TV they showed Gil Meche pumping his fist after a fine jump and great throwout from Pena. Does the Pena / Grudzielanek middle infield change the way pitchers approach an at bat?

A: Pena has plus range, especially to his left, and a plus throwing arm. He was a bit shaky in his first few games in Arizona, but that’s probably attributable to two factors: He was nervous coming to a new team, and the infields are rock hard in Arizona, particularly in comparison to Florida.

Those triples on Opening Day aside, Pena is likely to struggle at the plate. I think the Royals would be delighted at .240.

In comparison to Berroa, Pena doesn’t come close to the overall package that Berroa offered in 2003 as the AL Rookie of the Year. Then again, the Royals haven’t seen that Berroa for a few years now. Overall, I’d say Pena is a definite upgrade over what the Royals were likely to get this season from Berroa.

Having Pena and Grud isn’t likely to affect how a pitcher approches a hitter, except in terms, perhaps, of confidence.

Q: Can you talk about the defensive ramifications of the LaRue/Buck and Brown/Gload platoons?

A: Scouts believe Buck has the greater upside, while LaRue is what he is—at the moment, the two are pretty even. LaRue has the reputation of being a superior pitch-caller, but Gil Meche, unprompted, attributed a portion of his success in the opener to Buck.

Brown has a better arm and is probably a little faster, but his reputation as an adventure has some merit. Gload is just a solid pro who will make the plays you expect an outfielder to make.