Tucson – In baseball, quantifying defense is about as easy as eating Jell-O with chopsticks. Errors mark mistakes, yet can be grossly misleading if a player has no range. But a strong arm is measurable, visual, and in the case of the Rockies, vital to their outfield success.
Willy Taveras possessed the best center field arm in baseball last year and Brad Hawpe ranked second among right fielders behind Toronto’s Alex Rios, according to an evaluation method employed by the Hardball Times.
The elaborate rating system centers on extra bases eliminated either by throwing out a runner or preventing him from advancing. By this measure, Hawpe saved 10 runs last season, Taveras six. Together for the first time, the pair could serve as a human stop sign to opposing teams, particularly at Coors Field, where taking chances on bases is a cottage industry.
“Anytime you can make your opponent have to get another hit to score a run, that’s important,” general manager Dan O’Dowd said Thursday. “During the course of the year, it helps your pitching staff tremendously.”
The strength of Hawpe’s and Taveras’ arms influenced the Rockies’ decision this spring to play slightly more shallow and pinch the gaps. It should allow them to take away some bloop hits, while also putting them in a position to discourage or erase more runners. And remember, the third member of the group, left fielder Matt Holliday, is no slouch when it comes to throwing. He was the nation’s top-ranked prep quarterback in a high school recruiting class that included Carson Palmer and Michael Vick.
This isn’t an outfield, it’s an arms race.
“Hawpe has an absolute cannon, a special gift. Taveras clearly has a strong arm,” Holliday said. “And I’d like to think I am not chopped liver.”
Of the group, Hawpe stands out the most. He leads baseball with 26 assists over the past two seasons. He threw out 16 runners a year ago.
“Teams didn’t run on him as much. He was just able to get guys from unusual positions, like trying to advance to second on a single,” pitcher Josh Fogg said. “To have guys out there like that makes a big difference. You know they can quickly get you out of a jam.”
Taveras’ arm is often overlooked because of his speed and size. He’s only 6 feet, 160 pounds, so the perception exists that he must need a cutoff man. Instead, he rifles the ball – “It’s from my family (genes),” he said – with uncanny accuracy.
Taveras erased nine runners last season and started only 120 games for Houston, placing him first in the Hardball rankings ahead of the Rockies’ Cory Sullivan, his potential backup. Taveras’ arm is more useful when considering he covers more ground than Lewis and Clark.
“People look at me and don’t expect much. I love playing shallow to throw guys out,” Taveras said. “It can absolutely help us win.”
Holliday and Fogg believe Hawpe could get big-league hitters out as a left-handed specialist, with Fogg saying, “I bet he could hit 90 miles per hour.”
The idea, Hawpe and Taveras say, is to throw fast to slow the other team down.
“To play the outfield at Coors Field, you have to have a good arm, or guys will be running all over the place,” Hawpe said. “There’s nothing like getting a hit to win a game, but the rush from throwing a guy out is pretty close.”
Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com.
