Swish is Sent, Youk Rebuked, But Was It the Right Call?

The final vote for the 2010 All-Star Game is in and the fans have given Nick Swisher the edge over Kevin Youkilis for the remaining spot on the A.L. roster by a sliver of a hair.  But is this a fair outcome?  Did the burly, bald, and bearded Beantowner deserve the spot more than the half-crazed West Virginia native?  An objective man debates himself.

BY THE NUMBERS

A wise man once told me that numbers don't lie, so let's begin there.

Batting Average: Advantage Swisher by .006 percentage points.  He also has 89 hits to Youkilis's 83.

Home Runs: Advantage Youkilis by 3.  10 of his 17 boomers have come with men on base, whereas just 6 of Swisher's 14 fence-clearers have brought in more than one.  Nick holds claim to the only multi-homer game between the two.

RBIs: It would follow logically from the previous note that Youkilis would have more RBI and he does, boasting 55 to Swisher's 48.  But one must keep in mind that Swisher has been penciled into the 2-hole for the vast majority of games this year, while Kevin has hit clean-up for the Sox in almost every contest.  This has provided Youkilis with 21 more opportunities with runners-scoring-position than the Yankee outfielder.  Which brings me to the next category...

BA w/RISP: In contrast with my assumption, Youkilis has actually hit far worse with runners-in-scoring-position than has Swisher.  The Bostonian has swatted just 21 hits in these situations for a .259 average, compared to Swisher who has notched 24 for .333.  It is fairly safe to assume that had Swisher been hitting in a deeper spot in the Yankee order, he would have had more opportunites to drive in runs, and would have probably outpaced him in this category.  This is definitely an assumption, but an educated one nonetheless.
It also would behoove me to mention that with 2-outs and RISP, Swisher has banged out an impressive .375 mark.  Youkilis?  A surprisingly low .189 posting.  Claro, es muy interesante.

OPS: Here's the one that I can't figure out.  Swisher has 6 more hits than Youkilis, as we've established, and he also has 18 more walks (69 to 51).  Yet the first baseman's on-base percentage is sits at a reputable .409, besting Swisher's .376 by a healthy margin.  Come again?  Is Youkilis getting beaned by that many more balls?  Really strange.

For slugging percetage, Youkilis is pretty much the given winner here, as he's racked up more homers, more triples (5 to 3), and more doubles (19 to 18) in less at-bats (284 to 299).  Thus, the final OPS comparison reads Youkilis .983, Swisher .895.  Overall, the numbers give the edge to Swisher in terms of understanding of the strike zone and clutch hitting, while Youkilis has the advantage in power, production, and contact.  The numbers don't exactly lie, but they don't exactly give us a clear-cut winner yet either.

DEFENSIVE PRESENCE

Defense is an area where numbers can't really give you the true story, especially when comparing an outfielder to an infielder, so these are tougher waters to drag.  I think most baseball heads would agree that having a strong fielding first baseman is more valuable to any given team than a strong fielding right fielder.  This is based solely on the simple nature of each position.  The fact is that the amount of opportunities a right fielder will get to make significant plays on defense are far lower.  That’s not to say Swisher hasn’t made several excellent and timely plays for the Yanks this season, for he surely has.  But one would be a fool to argue that his glove has been a more integral part of New York’s defensive prowess than the glove of Mark Teixeira, just as it would silly to argue for Swish’s glove over Youkilis.

Now, if Youkilis were an average to below-average first baseman, I’d be making a different case all together.  But Youkilis is far from an average fielder.  His reflexes are top-notch, his digging skills among the best, and his ability to make tricky stretches, catches, and snappy, on-target throws rival just about anyone else’s in the game.  Nick has a solid, accurate arm, but it isn’t particularly outstanding.  He has decent range, but there are many with better.  His most remarkable attribute is the unrestrained way in which he continuously sacrifices his body to make the play.  Bomber enthusiasts have cringed on multiple occasions watching Swisher fly full force into the “padding” on the wall in right, just as they’ve cheered multiple times watching Nick go parallel for the diving snag.  But does this put him above Boston’s boy in this analysis.  Sorry, Swish, but this one goes to baldy for sure.


INTANGIBLES/EXCITEMENT FACTOR

‘Intangibles?’ say(s) the reader(s).  ‘How do you judge something that can’t be measured in any concrete way?’  Fair point, fictitious audience, but that’s not going to stop me from making an attempt at it.  Both these guys are high-IQ players.  Both these guys are hustlers.  Both these guys are ‘ra-ra’ type of individuals who play the game with overt passion.  However, I’d argue that Swisher’s spirit is a bit more relaxed and good-natured than that of Youkilis.  Not that Kevin doesn’t cheer loudly and proudly for his guys when they execute well.  It’s just that when someone’s out there not busting their buttocks, the bald, bearded one is guaranteed to voice his displeasure (think the scuffle he had with Manny).  Swisher on the other hand carries the shake-it-off-dude, you’ll-get-‘em-next-time kind of attitude.  That’s great when things are going good, but when things are rocky, it’s sometimes nice to have a ball-buster on the bench getting in guys ears.  No, Mr. Zambrano, that isn’t a pardon for what you did.  You know why?  ‘Cause you’re overrated and Youkilis can actually play.

So to generalize, Nick keeps the clubhouse loose and the camaraderie level high, but Kevin puts pressure on guys to stay disciplined, focused, and in check.  When it boils down to it though, I’d have to say that Pedroia and Lester are the fundamental inspiration for the Sox clubhouse, while the veteran leadership of Jeter, Pettitte, and Posada are the anchors of the Yankee ship.  Youk and Swish’s intangible contributions are significant, but not as pivotal as certain teammates, so we’ll call that aspect even.

How about the excitement factor?  Both players energize the crowd, and I can say this from the standpoint of someone’s who been witness to several Red Sox and Yankee games.  No other player on the Sox gets the fans into it like Youkilis during the game, if not solely because they all love to chant ‘Yooouuuuk’ whenever he does something positive.  He’s got that scruffy, hard-hat Bostonian swagger about him and you can tell that’s a large factor of his appeal to the Nation.  Yet Swisher too is a very engaging and entertaining player to watch, and has become as much as a team/crowd rouser as anyone else on the Yankee roster.  He plays with his emotions on his sleeve and has shown a genuine appreciation and love for the fans.
This category is simply too close to call.  Both men are valuable to the fabric of the team and they both bring the masses to their feet time and time again.  This one’s a draw.

LIKABILITY

Here’s where my biases are sure to show.  Youkilis used to be the kind of player who kicked, cussed, slammed his helmet, and rearranged the bat rack every time he struck out.  While he has toned that down considerably over the last couple of seasons, his temper surfaces every now and then.  Listen, I get that he’s a competitor and a gamer and a seriously hard-worker and so on, but there’s something downright obnoxious about his antics that tend to repel me more than they compel, to put it nicely.  He also just seems like he’d be a prick in real life, but let me say straight out that it’s based on nothing more than superficial assumption.  Additionally, his face is plastered all over Boston in random, pro-New Englandy advertisements on trains, billboards, and newspapers. Gag.

As I said before, Swisher can be a joy to watch when things are going well, but when he or the team is struggling, he can be extremely frustrating.  He gets that sheepish, clueless look on his face that makes you wonder at times if he’d rather be in the clubhouse lighting up a joint than out in right field.  Also, while I presume that many Yankee fans found the whole “Send Swish” campaign to be funny and captivating, I felt that it was a little over-the-top and gimmicky, especially that inane commercial with him and the surfboard.  Really, Nick?  You’re gonna sink to that level to get to the All-Star Game?  C’mon man, I thought you were less douchey than that.  Yeah, I most everyone in the Bronx would tell me I’m just hatin’, but that lame self-promoting garbage tipped the scales for me.

The final verdict?  My head wants to say Youkilis for the numbers and the defense, but my heart tells me Swisher because I like him better and…well, shoot, I am a Yankee man after all.  Plus Swish went 4-for-4 last night, boosting his average to a shiny .307.  Hook.  Line.  Sinker.