White Sox Writers Talk Andruw Jones

by Brandon C. on Feb 8, 2011 2:01 PM EST in New York Yankees Analysis

I posed two questions to the writers of South Side Sox: 1. What are Andruw Jones' strengths and weaknesses?, and 2. How do you think Jones will play for the Yankees? Here is what the White Sox writers had to say:

U-God: 1. Strengths: While he'll never get the at-bats required to hit 30 homeruns again, he still has that kind of power as evidenced by his .246 and .255 ISOs the past two seasons. His BB% seems to be trending upwards (as so often happens with older players), allowing him a decent OBP despite his low AVG. Even with his diminished bat speed, he can still get around most fastballs. He can still be used positively in the OF, as long as it's as a fourth man.

Weaknesses: He strikes out a lot and seems to swinging for the fences more than he used to. His defense is nowhere even close to what it once was. There are some durability and conditioning concerns.

2. If the Yankees use Andruw Jones in a similar manner to how the White Sox and the Rangers have over the past two seasons, they'll get their money's worth easily. He's a very solid bench option for a mere $2MM plus incentives.

colintj: Caveat: I'm less certain about Andruw than Freddy. I think he's still a solid outfielder, probably a bit below average in center field. As a hitter, he's always swinging for the fences, but there were a few fastballs he put in the seats that surprised me. So the bat speed is definitely still there. His command of the zone is also good, but he struggles with offspeed stuff, which is where the big K rate comes from. At this point in his career, I think he's best leveraged by protecting him from RHP with good command and good breaking balls. Gavin Floyd or even maybe Freddy Garcia CC Sabathia, Blake Wood and Francisco Liriano were the last four victims of his bombs. The one commonality? Big fastballs.

Thanks again to the White Sox writers! I think Andruw will be an interesting player to watch this year, given the comments I have heard from Dodgers fans and these comments from White Sox fans.

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I like getting the perspectives from the writers

who had previously covered these players. However, they mostly sound like the Yanks have been picking players from the scrap heap.

by powerlifter610 on Feb 8, 2011 2:59 PM EST reply actions

Thames Clone

Sounds like we got a Marcus Thames clone with a little more agility in the outfield. I was very disappointed when we let Thames go but it sounds like Cashman made a good substitute.

by alouishes on Feb 8, 2011 3:01 PM EST reply actions

Jones has a bit more power (last year’s .255 ISO vs. Thames’ .203) and draws walks at a better rate. He could also swipe a base if need be. I’d say Jones is better than Thames.

by Scooby Snacks on Feb 8, 2011 3:08 PM EST up reply actions

better defensively

I’d still take Thames’ bat over Jones though. I loved what I saw from Thames during limited ABs last year.

"I'll do whatever it takes to win games, whether it's sitting on a bench waving a towel, handing a cup of water to a teammate, or hitting the game-winning shot."- Kobe Bryant

Thanks for the memories Andy

by nyyrocks29 on Feb 8, 2011 4:01 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

Skewed view from the Timmay walk-offs last year? Jones’ bat > Thames’

by Scooby Snacks on Feb 8, 2011 4:25 PM EST up reply actions

Definitely

There's always next year

by david d on Feb 8, 2011 11:22 PM EST up reply actions

Agree, but even if

Jones bat = Thames bat, Jones glove and baserunning is still >>>>>>>>> Thames in his dreams.

by steelerwheeler on Feb 10, 2011 12:15 PM EST up reply actions

thames clone

By a little more agility do you mean fairly good versus thames awful defense?

Never under estimate the grittiness and guttiness of Bret Gardner.

by yankees97 on Feb 8, 2011 3:08 PM EST via mobile reply actions

South Side street cred

Baseball knowledge AND a member of the Wu-Tang Clan? Gangsta!

"I'm just tryin' to be the great, tryin' to get a piece of cake
Take it offa your plate, eat it right in your face" --Lil Wayne

by Sgurd0187 on Feb 8, 2011 3:45 PM EST reply actions

Good replacement for Thames

I like Thames’ bat better, but Jones is more versatile and can play the outfield. I think he’ll be a good fit.

"I'll do whatever it takes to win games, whether it's sitting on a bench waving a towel, handing a cup of water to a teammate, or hitting the game-winning shot."- Kobe Bryant

Thanks for the memories Andy

by nyyrocks29 on Feb 8, 2011 4:02 PM EST reply actions