Cardinals’ Randal Grichuk v. Cubs’ Kris Bryant breakdown

Jul 23, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Randal Grichuk (15) catches for an out during a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kane-USA TODAY Sports

Randal Grichuk – Defense

Sure, he’s worth over 2 wins above replacement just based off his work with the bat, but you’d be a downright fool to look past the work he’s turned in defensively.

The Cardinals outfielder has made more than 40 OOZ (out of zone) plays already in 2015, coming in over a run above average in terms of his range (RngR). Grichuk has been been a leader with Holliday sidelined, and while I personally felt he was better than Bryant with the glove, some numbers may point to the contrary.

First off, it’s crucial to preface this discussion with this statement: third base and center field are two very different positions.

That being said, let’s look at some numbers.

His Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR), the same measure we used when looking at Bryant earlier, Grichuk clocks in at 0.6 – after coming in at 5.4 in 2014, his first taste of big league action.

However, when you break down what type of play each player is faced with, Grichuk has fared better than his Chicago rookie counterpart, making this an even more interesting discussion for Cubs and Cardinals fans alike.

Next: The verdict