David Schoenfield of ESPN picked the Mets’ Juan Lagares as the center fielder for his All Underrated Team heading into the 2015 season.
“Lagares has certainly received recognition as perhaps the best defensive center fielder in the majors — winning his first Gold Glove in 2014 — but because he’s not a big basher at the plate, he still seems undervalued overall. And he’s not a zero on offense. He hit .281/.321/.382, nothing great, but that makes him about a league average hitter.”
“Baseball Info Solutions credited him with 28 defensive runs saved in 2014, and some speculated that maybe he’s not that good. Willie Mays, for example, peaked (under a different system for evaluating) at 21 runs, according to Baseball Reference. Consider this, however: Lagares made 2.85 plays per nine innings in 2014, compared to the league average of 2.48 for center fielders. That’s 0.37 more plays per game, which adds up to 49 additional outs over 1,200 innings; Mays’ career-best was 0.27 more plays per game.”
My memories of Willie Mays were long after his prime playing years and mostly limited to his time with the Mets. But I was raised on the stories of his amazing defensive plays in center field and will always remember the never-ending debates between who was the better all-around player, Willie Mays or Mickey Mantle.
I also vividly recall when Lee Mazzilli debuted with the Mets and how I loved watching him often make plays using Willie’s famous basket catch. We loved it, and every kid on my block, including me, practiced trying to catch fly balls that way. Those were the good old days.
I think it’s great to see baseball people now comparing Lagares to a legend like Willie Mays, who is often tabbed as the greatest center fielder of all time.
As for myself, I’ve seen enough to confidently say that Lagares is the best defensive center fielder I’ve ever seen.
