Outfield Debate Class: Choo vs. Cruz
by rotobrian
Smugglingplums for Shin-Soo Choo
You know what you'll get from Choo.
Let me start by saying that I love what each of these players brings to the table. In my opinion, Nelson Cruz has as much raw power as any player in the game, while Shin-Soo Choo is the better overall hitter and has a higher career OBP (.391 to .336). Although, admittedly, I am a guy who loves pure power hitters on my fantasy team, I have to go with Choo, if for no other reason than I am quite put off by Cruz’s highly troublesome hammies. As talented as he is, he just can’t seem to get on the field with the regularity that is necessary to be the impact fantasy player he should be. After missing 54 games last year with (3) separate hamstring injuries, the word on the street is that he is working with a training coach to “alter his running style,” so as to avoid such problems in the future. That’s disconcerting, and leads me to believe that the big fella’s base-stealing days are numbered. At 6’2″ and 240 lbs., he’s not exactly built to be a base stealer anyway, though his career success rate (43 for 56) is quite good. Choo (52 for 68) is a more active baserunner though, and I think he’s a cinch for at least a 20/20 season.
