Wigginton and Mackowiak

Is it a platoon? I assumed it was but maybe that's not the way the team sees it now. Ed Eagle describes Ty Wigginton as the starter at third in his Q & A. I suppose "starter" could just mean the guy who plays there on Opening Day.

Wigginton, a right-handed hitter, hit lefties at a .272 / .343 / .453 rate the last three years. Mackowiak, a left-handed hitter, does not hit lefties. But he's been a .258 / .337 / .447 hitter against righties. And Wigginton has hit righties at a .259 / .317 / .415 rate. Combine them and, if they keep hitting at those rates, you have .788 OPS production at third base. Not great, but better than all-Wigginton all the time.

Maybe the Bucs see something in Wigginton's history against particular kinds of righties. Maybe they believe Wigginton has a edge over Mackowiak against these guys. Otherwise, I don't see why this won't shake out as a traditional platoon arrangement, with Mackowiak playing against righties and Wigginton playing against lefties. Since two-thirds of the pitchers are right-handed, that would seem to give more playing time to Mackowiak at third.

Defensive statistics, for what they are worth, suggest that Mackowiak, Mac's "best athlete," is the superior fielder at third. All the ones I can find favor Rob. Here, for example, he's listed as playing third with a .962 FPCT, a 2.78 range factor, and a .775 zone rating. Wigginton's fielding stats look like this: a .938 FPCT, a 2.62 range factor, and a .731 zone rating. Those are the 2004 numbers. Range factor is nothing but (putouts + assists) * 9 / innings, so for all we know, one guy has a higher zone rating because he more often played behind pitchers that put the ball in play. I don't know how the zone rating is figured. Regardless, it's hard to see a defensive edge for Wigginton in the numbers.

Ed Eagle quotes McClendon as describing Mackowiak as a player who can't get overexposed. By that, I'd guess he means "exposed to any left-handed pitching." Perhaps Mackowiak is considered a player with lower upside because of this. Perhaps there's reason to be hopeful that Ty Wigginton will continue to improve at the plate. Since both these guys are at the probable peak of their careers, odds are that they'll outperform, by a small amount, the three-year averages I just quoted. Certainly Wigginton's streakiness suggests that he still has something to learn. But some players start streaky and retire streaky. Some players never learn.

Wigginton and Mackowiak are pretty natural platoon partners, So why anoint one the starter? It's not at all clear to me that this has happened, but Ed Eagle's Q & A suggests that this is his take on the position.

Here's hoping that Wigginton has a breakout year in his 27th year. There's a chance. It could happen. Crazier things etc. etc. Otherwise, here's hoping that Mackowiak has the chance to challenge him for playing time every step of the way. All things being equal, the average player with the slightly better defense and the more common platoon split should wind up with a greater amount of playing time.