St. Louis Cardinals: A Magneuris Sierra and J.D. Martinez comparison

There has been some talk comparing St. Louis Cardinals prospect Magneuris Sierra and possible trade target, J.D. Martinez.

Over the last couple of weeks, the St. Louis Cardinals have been connected to Detroit Tigers outfielder, J.D. Martinez. However, there are many people beginning to compare Magneuris Sierra to Martinez. The argument is that Sierra saves runs and Martinez scores them.

It comes down to which one is better. This is an argument  only a sabermetric baseball mind can have.  You can go through certain statcast numbers to compare the two players.

Sabermetrics can do a lot of good for the game of baseball, but sometimes it is just silly.  To argue who can help a team more now is something that can only happen through the cover of those who live and die by statcast.  The established power bat will be more helpful than the guy who has played in single-digit MLB games.

For the sake of argument, let’s look into this idea.  To find who is more helpful, we need to look at what the team needs are.  If the team has a ton of mashers who don’t field well, then they need to save runs.  If a team is lacking the power bats, they need to score runs.  It is as simple as that.

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I love Mags and Martinez. They both would be very beneficial to the St. Louis Cardinals’ lineup.

However, if the team wants to make a run at the division this year, then there should be no question that Martinez will be the better piece to do so.

He started the year on the DL, but has hit 11 home runs while hitting .318 since making his season debut.

His fielding percentage this year is at .984.  Sabermetric numbers put him at a 1.3 WAR in 2017, with a UZR of -1.7 this year.

Historically, Martinez is not in the lineup for his glove. Comparing his offensive production to the defensive production of another player is like comparing apples and oranges.  It is pointless.

The potential output of Sierra makes him a great tool.  He had a strong showing in the MLB, hitting .375.  He has the speed to make a difference now, if given the opportunity. Considering the question at hand, current and potential output, along with the type of player, does not matter. Numbers will be looked at, but very few will matter .

I know.  I am really down on sabermetrics right now.  When used correctly, they are a phenomenal tool. However, I am not going to sit here and pretend sabermetrics is the right tool to compare a well-known power hitter and a great prospect. It is not the right usage in this case.

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Based on where the St. Louis Cardinals sit in the division, and how much potential their lineup has, they need offensive production.  If the option arises, and the price tag is not insane, they would be crazy not to pull the trigger to bring Martinez into the lineup.  It is as simple as that.