If Washington is going to get credit for "taking the team" to the WS, then Dr. Defense needs to also take responsibility for the lack of fundamentals that his teams consistently shows.

The team's defensive ratings are good - but that is typically a product of each player's individual talent level and abilities. Coaching isn't going to change Kinsler's range or Gentry's ability to get to a ball. But in terms of making routine plays, Wash's teams have never been good.

Here are the Texas fielding % rankings since Wash took over:

2008: 30th
2009: 25th
2010: 19th
2011: 26th
2012: 16th

Yes, everyone is aware that fielding % doesn't tell us which teams are good defensively. But it does indicate which teams are able to consistently make the routine plays. This isn't a short stretch or a small sample size. Since Wash took over, Texas has been one of the worst teams in baseball at making routine plays. And he has an unwarranted reputation as a guy that stresses fundamentals.

If, as many suggest, Wash should only be judged based on end results and not micro in-game decisions, then his abilities to infuse a fundamentally sound approach to the game is significantly flawed.

Two of those plays could have been avoided by NOT playing that scrub Yorvit. Napoli should have been behind the plate, not playing first. He 99% of the time blocks the plate better, and calls a better game. The bottom line is we need a better backup catcher. One that doesn't have emo issues, can call a decent game, and hit for average. Yorvit is clearly not that guy. Moreland should be at first. (Young isn't the answer either because he's a immobile defensive liability). Too bad the bench coach...err manager has no faith in him because that probably eliminates the dropped pop up.

this team is going to be swept by the pathetic angels because they couldn't make routine plays. i don't really see how it's washington's fault, though. i hate to be that guy, but the errors just smack of lack of concentration. this team could easily win 100 games. they SHOULD have several more wins at the moment. i should be happy that they have the best record in the league but i can't fucking stand the fact that 30 unearned runs have resulted in a lot of losses and that the angels have gained a lot of ground.

Top fielding percentage of 2012 so far:

Yankees and Mariners tied at 1st with .989
Rangers, Dodgers, and Marlins tied at 13th with .983

Yeah, that's worth getting worked up about. The number of routine plays we've botched is annoying, but to suggest that by virtue of it being 13th makes it sound like it's a big deal.

Yeah, we're tied for 14th in errors, but we all know errors alone aren't the best indicator of quality defense.

All that said, I'm also very disappointed in the quality of our defense over the last few games.

@ Andy

Maybe you missed the rest of the post:

2008: 30th
2009: 25th
2010: 19th
2011: 26th
2012: 16th

This isn't a one-season thing. This is a trend suggesting that Texas simply isn't very good at making routine plays. It doesn't mean that the team isn't a good defensive team - it just suggests that Texas is more apt than most teams to make careless mistakes.

@utb

Another way of looking at it....is Wash took over a team that was the worst in fielding percentage and has improved every year with a one year aberration.

I'll be the first to admit I don't really agree with that view. But I also don't see how you can blame Wash for players not making routine plays. He's emphasized defense and making the right play consistently since he's been here. How is he supposed to MAKE the players consistent?

Would you have had him bench Elvis last year, when he made a ton of errors? And play Michael Young at SS?

I see the coach being more responsible for drilling into players expectation on things like covering first in a bunt situation; throwing to the right base, backing up plays, etc. Those are FUNDAMENTALS, which poorly-coached teams often screw up and well-coached teams consistently do not. Those types of things don't show up in any rating I'm aware of.

Do you guys really look at fielding percentage as an indicator of success? The Rangers get to more balls, have more range, and thus are deemed to create more "errors" because the people running the books think they should make plays that most people can't. Some of the Rangers errors are created due to the fact they get to balls that other teams wouldn't sniff.

What about all the outstanding plays the team makes? Those aren't put into your "fielding rankings".

Seriously, if you are going to use fielding percentage as an indicator of success you are showing what little knowledge you have.

@ ilovetrades

Can you point to the part of anyone's post where someone said that success is defined by fielding %. Because I don't see it.

I simply suggested that Texas has been a pretty sloppy team under Wash's guidance. I don't necessarily think that he should be blamed for every miscue that occurs, but if he is gong to get credit for the positive team results (as many do), then he should also be responsible for negative results.

Texas is a fine defensive team. I just get tired of hearing how Wash was an infield coach in Oakland and how he stresses defense and the fundamentals. At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter what you "stress" if the results aren't there. And when it comes to making routine plays, the results haven't been there.

i don't think anyone is discounting their range or ability to make tough plays but you can't deny that they've botched a lot of routine plays this season.