Jose Lopez at Third Base? I Hope Not!
In Larry Stone's notes on a conversation with Don Wakamatsu, Stone alludes to speculation that Jose Lopez might make a better choice at 3B than Chone Figgins. All the evidence available points to Jose Lopez being a weak choice for the left corner of the infield. While the sample size is small, Jose Lopez has played 3B for 25 innings as a Seattle Mariner, 15 of them during the 2007 season. During those 5 games, he accumulated 2 errors. Not exactly a defensive dynamo. In contrast Lopez averages an error every 95 innings at second base.
Contrast this with Chone Figgins who averages an error every 79 innings at both second and third base. Most of Figgins' time at 2B came prior to the 2006 season, but he has a large enough sample size of innings to suggest keeping him on the corner may be better for overall run prevention considering Lopez is good for about 2 more error free games at second.
