Ward, GREAT Outfielder?!
Fine Hitter, Slow Overweight Outfielder
A Chron columnist writes,
He may not have the prototypical outfielder's body or the best legs in the league, but Ward's defense has bordered on great at times. He's not clumsy out there, which is why he got away with a magical catch on Saturday.WHAT?! Daryle Ward is a DISASTER in the outfield. Quite possibly the slowest outfielder in the league, and a definite defensive liability. His bat is great, but his defense has not "bordered on great" at ANY time. He IS clumsy out there, he is overweight, and he gets such a slow break on the ball that routine plays sometimes turn into "great" catches as he recovers from his initial misjudgment.
Ward is a fine hitter, and his bat may actually make up for his defensive problems. But let's not pretend the guy is anything other than an overweight defensive liability. It strains credulity for a beat writer to write such nonsense.
[Posted at 23:49 CST on 04/29/02] [Link]
