How is Darwin Barney so good?

[markakis8]

Barney is currently tied for 8th in the NL with a 4.6 WAR (with Melky Cabrera) according to ESPN. My question is, with him not playing a premium position (I rank C, SS, and CF above 2B), and an average of .256, POS below .700....how the hell is that?

Is he THAT miraculous at second base defensively?

 

[rob167]

I'm not saying he is a superstar, but he did just set the MLB record for consecutive games played at second base without an error...

 

[ballerskrip]

I'm not saying he is a superstar, but he did just set the MLB record for consecutive games played at second base without an error...

Yep, this

 

[cubfanbudman]

So glad we didn't trade him at the deadline. I know he doesn't hit for much but his value is in his defense

 

[Pine Tar]

Now if him and Castro could team up and be the best infeilders combo in MLB The Cubs may have something. But Castro is a error machine so that will never happen.

 

[ballerskrip]

Now if him and Castro could team up and be the best infeilders combo in MLB The Cubs may have something. But Castro is a error machine so that will never happen.

When derek Jeter was 21, he made 31 errors. Starlin's 21 year old season, in 20 MORE games, he made 29 errors. In his 22 year old season, Derek Jeter had a .969 fielding percentage, Starlin in his 22 year old season has a .967 fielding percentage. He is young, and getting better. To think he is a finished product would just be silly. Starling working with Barney is only going to help him get better and better defensively.

 

[markakis8]

So Cub fans love Darwin? I was under the impression through previous comments he was worthless...(I'm not saying he is, I have watched him play 5 games at most...I got a consensus from "local" Cubs fan he was no good)...that being said....I live in MD and Cubs fans might as well root for the Astros.

 

[scotty216brs]

With a name like that you have nothing to lose...

 

[scotty216brs]

But yeah that's all from defense. 1044innings with only 1 error at 2B is quite good.

 

[Zambrano38]

Castro is no longer a negative fielder and only getting better. Errors are not the only important aspect of defense. Range is far more important because by simply getting to more balls, you can prevent hits and runs. A good range (which Castro has) makes him a break even fielder (at least when it comes to WAR) at the moment even with all the errors.

 

[elmalo]

Barney is currently tied for 8th in the NL with a 4.6 WAR (with Melky Cabrera) according to ESPN. My question is, with him not playing a premium position (I rank C, SS, and CF above 2B), and an average of .256, POS below .700....how the hell is that?

Is he THAT miraculous at second base defensively?

Why would you leave 2b off of this list, the 3 that you listed were up the middle. 2b is up the middle as well and it is and incredibly imortant position. If you arent strong up the middle, c, ss, 2b, cf than you are putting your team at a disadvantage.

 

[craftysouthpaw]

I think his WAR shows the flaws that are still inherent in the defensive portion of the metric - especially over time frames of less than 2 or 3 years. Still better than most other defensive metrics but still a ways to go as well. Barney's defense is good but most don't think it is THAT good.

 

[Pastretta]

He was working on a lot of defense starting around February 1st or sooner at Fitch. I watched him a lot and he was out there taking ground balls and drills. I never saw him miss a ball that was playable.

 

[ballerskrip]

So Cub fans love Darwin? I was under the impression through previous comments he was worthless...(I'm not saying he is, I have watched him play 5 games at most...I got a consensus from "local" Cubs fan he was no good)...that being said....I live in MD and Cubs fans might as well root for the Astros.

Nah, not really. For me, he is a stop gap until a better offensive player comes along. Or, he is a nice peice if you have a strong lineup around him.

 

[James52411]

Darwin Barney is a solid player, but there is no way he is a top 10 player in the NL.

 

[katieneack]

Is his WAR actually better than Brandon Phillips? I don't know where Phillips ranks, but I have never seen a 2nd baseman make the plays that he does consistently. And his offense is leaps and bounds above that. As for Castro, you can't just base his defensive ability on errors. Sometimes the players with the best range make the most errors. Plus errors are subjective, it is up the official scorer. From the games I have seen, Castro is an incredible fielder. Barney doesn't make as many errors because he doesn't get to as many balls as Castro, and at 2nd you have more time to gather and throw. At SS you have to do it on the run a lot, and from much further distances.