Erick Aybar got his first ever All-Star nod in 2014 in one of his finest seasons yet. However, it still feels like he isn’t getting the appreciation that he deserves. What gives?
Was 2014 Aybar’s best season ever?
According to fWAR, yes, but not rWAR or WARP. They both thought he had a pretty good season, but not his best. The disagreement, as it always does with Aybar, revolves around his defensive value. UZR loved Aybar this year (7.5), DRS was not so hot on him (-3) and FRAA kind of hated him (-11.8). That disparity creates a 1.5 win swing in his valuation, so you’ll have to decide for yourself where in that range you think his glove’s value lies and by extension whether or not this was his best season.
Of course, this was Aybar’s first time being named an All-Star, so I’m sure there are some people that think that overrides everything I just said.
What was going on with Aybar batting fifth so much?
I’m trying to quit my bad habit of complaining about lineup construction, but Aybar logging 221 PAs in the five-hole has me relapsing. It isn’t that Aybar is a bad hitter, it is more that he isn’t a good hitter. In 2014, his wRC+ was 101, a step up from his career number of 94. But comparing him to the rest of the team, Aybar’s wRC+ was actually the second-worst out of the 12 Halos that logged more than 200 plate appearances. He only beat out Hank Conger. He also had the lowest ISO out of anyone of those 12 players, yet was prominently featured in a lineup spot where he would be tasked with driving in runs.
And before you, ask, no, he wasn’t clutch. His wRC+ with runners in scoring position was 97. His OPS in high leverage situations was .617 (a 77 sOPS+). So you can save all your talk about his strong situational hitting. On the bright side, this misplaced sense of Aybar’s ability to drive in runs limited Scioscia to having him lay down just three sac bunts all season, his lowest total since his 79-game rookie campaign.
At least he wasn’t hitting leadoff again, right?
Yes! This is progress for Scioscia. Aybar’s OBP was better only than Cron’s and Conger’s, so for Scioscia to only expend 77 PAs at the top of the order is a big step forward for Sosh. If him batting fifth is the trade off to him not batting leadoff, I’ll take it.
Look, I get the temptation. This Angels roster does not have the same kind of speed as previous incarnations in the Scioscia era. Their baserunning threats are pretty much just Trout, Kendrick and Aybar. OBP still takes precedence, but if you want to avoid having someone on base in front of Trout clogging up the bases, your options are limited. Of course, if you pick Aybar, he won’t be clogging up the bases because he won’t be on them.
What the hell is going on with Aybar’s platoon splits?
I don’t know and I give up. In 2014, Aybar really struggled against lefties, just like he did in 2010 and 2011. But in 2012 and 2013, he raked against lefties. IT MAKES NO SENSE.
Final Answer
I realize that this post comes off as griping about Aybar, but that wasn’t the intention. He’s quite good. He’s probably the guy the Angels would have the hardest time replacing if he were to miss an extended period of time (non-Trout division). He’s definitely one of the most underrated players in the game with one of the most reasonable contracts too.
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