The old saying is that defense wins championships, and while that might be the case for a different sport, Spuds GM Ryan Wangman isn't entirely sure that it's true.
Boise has been putting speedster and defensive wonderkid Shu-yaan Goei into the starting lineup all season, largely as a sub for starter fatigue and as a replacement when shortstop Pedro Martinez was on the shelf with an ankle injury. Let's just say the results have been as bad as the critical reception for Troll 2.
Starting with the positives on Goei's stat line; the 10-rated 2B/SS has been as advertised, with about a +4.4 ZR for the Spuds. And that's it. That's all the good. Time to wade into the ugly.
Goei has started 73 games for Boise this year with 279 plate appearances, so the sample size is certainly significant. Boy, has he done some damage (to his own team). On the season, the rookie's slash line is a nearly unfathomable .153/.220/.212, with and OPS of .432 (that wasn't a typo). His WAR is -1.4, his OPS+ is 19 and for a kicker, his WRC+ is 16!
The former Long Beach product's bat has been so cold and abominable he might as well be this guy. The point is, while a speedster on the basepaths and a gold glover in the field might be nice, nothing beats cold hard production at the plate.
