The Los Angeles Dodgers are currently

[missouridawg]

playing Carl Crawford (elite speed) in LF and Yasiel Puig (great speed) in RF... and then Andre Ethier in CF (very average speed) while Matt Kemp is on the DL.

Why in the world is Crawford or Puig not playing CF?

 

[msstate7]

Crawford has no arm. Puig has an arm, but not sure about his instincts. It's tough to read the ball off bat in center at times

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

Puig is not a center fielder. Like msstate7 said, he doesn't have the instincts or the knack to play center.

 

[kired]

It's amazing the difference natural instincts make in the outfield.

Even in something as basic as church league softball -- I can compare my brother (slow & almost 40) to a much faster 18-year old. They can cover pretty much the same amount of ground becaue my brother has an uncanny ability to judge flyballs... he was born to play CF. You never turn around and see him "thinking". He's on the move even before the ball is hit.

 

[DAWG61]

Because Puig is an excellent RF not CF and Ethier is a smart veteran than can get the job done in CF plus Puig's arm in RF is top 3 in all of baseball.

 

[msstate7]

The more interesting question to me is how does DM handle the outfield when kemp is back?

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

Ethier platoons.

 

[Memphis Dawg]

Good question. I'm a Dodger fan and it'd make more sense to put a faster guy at Center..

 

[Memphis Dawg]

Kemp won't be back until September