More on Glaus, Rolen

It’s official.  Both players passed their physical today, so the swap of third basemen is now approved.  As promised, I compared some numbers to see what the Cardinals could be gaining or losing with a new man at the hot corner.  Salary and age are both negligible.

I decided to limit the past stats to the last four years.  Due to injuries, Rolen missed most of the ’05 season, while Glaus missed most of ’04.  Both players missed significant time last season.  So, by looking only at 2004-07, both games played and at-bats are nearly the same for both players.

First, let’s compare the basic offensive stats:

YR  Name    G     AB    HR    RBI      BA     OBP     SLG

04  Rolen   142  500    34     124    .314    .409    .598

04  Glaus    58   207    18      42     .251    .355    .575

05  Rolen    56   196     5       28     .235    .323   .383

05  Glaus   149  538    37      97     .258    .363    .522

06  Rolen  142   521    22      95    .296    .369    .518

06  Glaus   153  540    38    104    .252    .355     .513

07  Rolen  112   392     8       58     .265    .331   .398

07  Glaus  115   385    20      62     .262    .366   .473

Totaling  the four year span:

Rolen  452 1609   69     305    .287

Glaus  475 1670   113    305    .256

Now let’s look their 2008 projections from ZIPS:

08  Rolen  106  380    9       55     .255    .331    .397

08  Glaus  134  469    27     82     .247    .350    .469

How about a couple of defensive stats:

Range Factor   04      05      06      07

Rolen       3.06   3.19   3.06   2.99

Glaus       2.07   3.01   2.80   2.52

Zone Rating     04      05       06      07

Rolen        .822   .875   .803    .847

Glaus        .652   .766    .741    .737

Fielding Pct.    04      05      06       07

Rolen        .977   .966   .965   .969

Glaus        .950   .946   .963   .967

The bottom line?  It’s no secret that Rolen is a much better defender.  He’s won seven gold gloves (Glaus has never earned one).  Scotty’s glove cannot be replaced.  What the Cardinals are giving up on defense, they’ll make up for with Glaus’ offense.  His power numbers have remained a plus over the years, while Rolen’s have been in a steady decline since his first shoulder injury.  The Cards’ lineup should look a bit more dangerous with Glaus penciled in behind Pujols.  Protecting Albert in the lineup is often overlooked.  ZIPS projects similar averages for both players, but gives Glaus a clear advantage in home runs and slugging percentage. Now we have something else to get excited about for the upcoming season.