One of my favorite off season acquisitions for the Baltimore Orioles was Gregg Zaun. I knew that he isn’t the future, in fact he’s just a place holder for Matt Wieters.
But Zaun’s defense is something that Baltimore has lacked for years and it shined through in his performance last night.
Image Courtesy of the Associated Press
For those who watched the game, you must have seen Zaun throw out Ian Kinsler in the bottom of the 1st, tag out Michael Young at the plate in the 3rd, and throw out David Murphy in the 4th.
You might be wondering what Zaun has to do with a tag at the plate, but his play secured an Oriole win last evening. Because Zaun guarded the plate, he was able to re-route Young and make a quick tag on the relay from Cesar Izturis.
It’s these little plays that make Zaun a great acquisition and it’s something that often goes overlooked.
Defensive play at Catcher is critical.
I have been saying for years, there should be a saved run stat of some kind, its as good as an RBI.
I agree Cliff! As much as baseball is a numbers game, defensive stats are too often over-looked!
He’s a quiet hero for sure. And Cliff you’re totally right, that stop is as good as an RBI.