Cantu’s Comeback

It’s not a big surprise that some members of the Florida Marlins are hitting well this year. We knew that Hanley Ramirez, Jeremy Hermida, Dan Uggla, and Hanley Ramirez, Jeremy Hermida, Dan Uggla, and Mike Jacobs all had offensive ability, and as Eric noted last night, they’ve even gotten some production from Cody Ross as well. But there’s one guy who hasn’t gotten a lot of recognition despite tearing the cover off the ball for Florida this year – Jorge Cantu.

After going deep twice last night, Cantu now has 14 long balls in 250 at-bats, leading to a strong .296/.346/.532 line that has made him one of the most productive third baseman in the National League on the year. His above average power is his main calling card, as 31 of his 76 hits have gone for extra bases. He’s still the same aggressive hitter he’s always been (career 5.2% BB% and 18.8% K%), and he can be exploited by pitchers with good breaking balls. However, there aren’t many guys on earth who can tear the cover off a fastball better than Cantu, and the Marlins were willing to overlook what he can’t do to get the value from the thing he can do.

You see, Jorge Cantu might be the worst defensive player on earth. MGL released the 2008 UZR leaderboards the other day, and surprising no one, Cantu ranked out as the worst defensive third baseman in baseball so far this year. This isn’t anything new – Cantu has ranked at the bottom of practically every defensive metric ever invented in every single season he’s played. It isn’t just a numbers thing, either – scouts and managers alike cringe every time a ball is hit his direction.

By most accounts, Cantu costs his team something like 20 to 25 runs a season versus an average defender over a full season. If Cantu keeps hitting at this level, his offensive value will make up for almost all of his defensive flaws, and the Marlins will have found themselves a league average third baseman for the league minimum. But realistically, Cantu’s not going to hit this well all season, and with his glove issues, he really belongs at DH. If ever there was a player who the designated hitter was invented for, Cantu is it.

The Marlins, however, will gladly take the combination of his bat and glove as long as he’s hitting this well, and teams that continue to believe that they have to spend millions to find somewhat useful players should remember that guys like Cantu are easily found if you’re willing to look around.