Randal Grichuk

Taveras vs. Grichuk revisited

Published Oct. 14, 2014 4:46 p.m. ET

foxsports

Before Game 2, I wrote that Oscar Taveras instead of Randal Grichuk should be playing right field. In the event, Grichuk singled in a big spot, turned in a big play in the field … and Taveras hit a huge pinch-hit homer.

So Mike Matheny was right and Rob Neyer was wrong!

Well, sure. But even leaving aside the vagaries of a single game, it’s fair to mention that Grichuk’s big hit in Game 2 was a bloop, and that Taveras might have made that same play in the field.

It’s also fair to mention that Travis Ishikawa’s triple in Game 3 might well have been an out if Taveras had been out there; Grichuk, in right field once more, gave up on the long fly, only to see it carom off the bottom of the wall.

What was the chance that Taveras makes the play in Game 2? All we know for sure is that Grichuk made the play 100 percent of the time.

But by the same token, we know that Grichuk didn’t make the play in Game 3 100 percent of the time.

Which means we don’t know much of anything. Which is why instead of looking at one game, we look at percentages. And the percentages continue to argue that Taveras should be playing against right-handed starting pitchers.

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Randal Grichuk