Stat Boy Presents: The Curious Case Of Ryan Theriot

 
Lee: "Seriously, how can a guy this short be our everyday shortstop?"

Did I call it or did I call it?  Again.  Ryan Theriot epitomizes everything that is Chicago Cubs baseball.

Fun to watch until September.

Get off your knees, Riot, you're blowing the game.

For the third straight season, the diminutive Cubs shortstop slumped in September.  Over those 317 plate appearances, Theriot has racked up a .240/.320/.276/.597 line.  Cub fans want him to be a lead-off hitter, but how can they do so with a .320 on-base percentage when it gets down to the nitty gritty?

Theriot's career OBP leading off a game is .329.  Oh wait, no it's not.  That's Alfonso Soriano's.  Want more of an indictment against The Riot in the lead-off spot? His career OBP leading off a game is .312, and when leading off an inning it is .332.  His career OBP when batting first in the order is a respectable .356.

Common sense tells me Theriot just wears down over the brutal 162 game season.

In 2007, his average dropped from .280 to .266.  In 2008, it only dropped from .323 on July 30 to .298 on Sept. 20 before finishing on a tear to get his average back up to .307 to end the season.  After a 7-1 win against the San Diego Padres, Theriot held a .300 batting average.  It would be the last time Theriot would see the big .300 as he finished with a .284 average.

Personally, I'm of the new school of thought that believes batting average is not the be-all, end-all.  So, let's take a look at his OPS, shall we?

In 2007 he posted an OPS of .520 after posting a .701 number in the season's first five months.  The same can be said in 2008 where Theriot notched a .754 OPS through August 31 before watching it drop to .676 in the season's final month.  Wash. Rinse. Repeat in 2009.  Remember Theriot's killer month of May where he ripped 5 home runs, 8 doubles and a triple en route to an .865 OPS.  Well, it was all downhill after that as he posted a .666 OPS in the four months afterward, only reaching an OPS of .700 once.

In each of the last three seasons in which Theriot has been the Cubs' full-time shortstop, his number of strikeouts has risen.  Last season, he drew 73 walks and only struck out 58 times.  In 2009, Theriot struck out 93 times while only drawing 50 walks.  That's an alarming strikeout rate than can be overlooked when you're mashing 40 home runs a year.  But when you're not, those numbers pop up as red flags.

The free agent class of shortstops is void of difference makers unless you have access to a time machine and can acquire the Miguel Tejada that hit 34 homers, drove in 131 runs and posted an .861 OPS en route to an American League Most Valuable Player trophy.

At least that guy posted a .313/.373/.515/.888 line in September.

Ryan Theriot's September Swoon Should Remind Cubs Fans You Must Be 'This' Tall To Play Shortstop

Despite all the Cubs' shortcomings, the one that stands out to me is one that won't stand out even if he stands up.

Ryan Theriot, who enters his third straight September sulking and slumping, has done a serviceable job as Chicago's everyday shortstop since coming out from behind the shadows of infielders such as Dusty Baker favorites such as Neifi Perez, Cesar Izturis and Jose Macias, who earned playing time in front of the upstart spark-plug.

Theriot shined in the No. 2 spot in the order in 2008, as hitting between Alfonso Soriano and Derrek Lee allowed the diminutive second sacker to get some good pitches to drive through holes in the infield.  He hit .307 with a .387 OBP and .745 OPS.  The Riot has already set career highs in home runs, runs batted in so far in 2009.  That's the good news.

The bad news is that he has also set career highs in strikeouts while seeing the number of walks he's drawn tip from 73 to 36.  And let the record show that the much-maligned Alfonso Soriano has drawn exactly four more walks than Theriot -- the guy that everyone in Cubbie blue seemingly wants to anoint as the team's lead-off man.

And I doubt Mark DeRosa's bat is going to help him any.

But if it was up to me, I'd hold off and see if the team could get a real shortstop.  Once upon a time, you could get buy with a no-hit, all-glove shortstop.  Not anymore.  The Cubs could (and should) move Theriot to second base, a position the Cubs have received little-to-no offensive production from and a position that would be easier for him as a defender.

Miguel Tejada (.300/.331/.760, 10 HR, 72 RBI) help strengthen the middle of the Cubs' order, while Marco Scutaro (.280/.380/.787, 11 HR, 57 RBI, 12 SB) could provide a stable force at the very unstable lead-off spot.  Hanley Ramirez and Jose Reyes could be trade bait, and would be welcome with open arms.  But that's unlikely, especially if Jim Hendry is still in charge.

The only way I can justify Theriot's return to the team's starting shortstop is if the Cubs sign free-agent-to-be Chone Figgins to play second base.

But that's a different blog for a different day.

Hey Ryan, Stat Boy Needs To Check Out Your 'Riot' Stick

Ryan Theriot has more home runs than David Ortiz, Matt Holliday, Chipper Jones and David Wright.

That stat alone is worth Bud Selig demanding a urine sample from the diminutive Chicago Cubs shortstop ... especially after a two-homer game Wednesday against the San Diego Padres.

And even though it is May 14th and Theriot will certainly be passed by all of those players before the season is over, it is never too soon for Stat Boy to take a closer look at what the Cubbie blue spark plug is up to.

Theriot hit four homers for the National League Central champions in 1,258 plate appearances from 2007 to 2008. Now, one-fourth of the Middle-Infield Midget Society (along with Mike Fontenot, Ryan Freel and Aaron Miles) has five homers in about 130 plate appearances.

The Cajun Shortstop Sensation is on pace for a 20 home run season. If Theriot followed the pace he had set the last two years, it would have taken 6,290 plate appearances for him to hit the 20-homer plateau.

Yep, sounds like the stuff that laboratory-created ballplayers is made of. I hope Theriot has Peter Gammons on speed dial when the day of reckoning comes. Or a good alibi at the least.