Is Elvis Andrus ready?

by FI2 on Jan 15, 2026 9:35 PM EST

With MLB.com and maybe others reporting that Michael Young has agreed to slide over to 3B, that clears the way for Elvis Andrus to be the Opening Day shortstop.

As someone who owns Andrus in a lifetime keeper league, I'm excited for the kid but nervous that he's being rushed. His defense looks to be waaaaay ahead of his offense at this point, and he doesn't turn 21 until late August.

What do you guys think? Is he ready?

1 recs | Comment 32 comments | Add comment

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

hmmm lets see how he hits in spring training

by Bravesin07 on Jan 15, 2026 10:01 PM EST reply reply 0 recs

no!

i know hes not ready with the bat, and the errors suggest he might not even be ready with the glove, i think this is a move with 2010 in mind

by tulolince on Jan 15, 2026 10:15 PM EST reply reply 0 recs

I've been saying all along that....

I think at somepoint in 2009 he’ll be ready

Maybe by June/ July

by SteveHoffmanSlowey on Jan 15, 2026 10:27 PM EST reply reply 0 recs

No.

"No... JD has been exposed as a kid who trades his remote-controlled helicopters for paper airplanes, then fails to consider the feelings of the paper airplane when he refolded it into a hat." -Telegraph.

by Kinslerhomer on Jan 15, 2026 10:42 PM EST reply reply 0 recs

Not really, but

I’d look for him to get better as the year progresses. He’ll likely be pretty bad initially, both with the bat and the glove. I think he’ll recover and ultimately be fine, and maybe they’re counting on him being more ready to really help a contender in 2010 because of this time.

G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....

by t ball on Jan 15, 2026 10:46 PM EST reply reply 0 recs

Defensively... probably

Offensively? Unequivocally No.

I can understand wanting to emphasize defense… I dont understand why the suddent change of direction from a FO that a year ago gave Michael Young a huge extension. Was defense at SS not important last year? Why is it so important now to make this move? Why is it so important that you risk the development of your A grade shortstop prospect?

by alskor on Jan 15, 2026 10:56 PM EST reply reply 0 recs

Terrible contract

That extension never made sense. I have no basis for this, but it always struck me as one of those things that ownership makes the front office do. They want a “face of the franchise” player to market.

by FI2 on Jan 16, 2026 12:02 AM EST up reply reply 0 recs

No.

I don’t understand this at all. Although he has shown good contact skills (batting .295 at 19 in AA), he hasn’t been good defensively (32 errors last season). In fact, at this point he should be considered a defensive liability.

He produced a wOBA of just .339 while having a BABIP of .357. The BABIP again has a lot to do with very good contact skills, however an ISO of just .073 is horrible. I don’t see any reason to begin his clock at this point. Allow him to fill out so that he can produce some value for the team later on.

Remember: baseball guys... baseball...

by Metty5 on Jan 15, 2026 10:58 PM EST reply reply 0 recs

His range

could very well make up for the errors. Errors dont concern me that much. I dont know this is the case, mind you, but he is young and athletic and very likely gets to at the very least 30 more balls per year than Young does, so he makes up those errors quickly…

by alskor on Jan 15, 2026 11:09 PM EST up reply reply 0 recs

You should read this well written post

by Adam over at LSB talking about how to view error totals in the minors:
http://www.lonestarball.com/2008/5/23/534596/putting-minor-league-error

Short verions, Andrus’ errors per game and fielding percentages are not out of line with those of some other SS considered good gloves, and minor league error totals can be deceiving.

G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....

by t ball on Jan 16, 2026 8:55 AM EST up reply reply 0 recs

RE: Deceiving

This very well could be true. And it probably is. However, without minor league play by play data its hard to accurately say. BA said that

Andrus sometimes relaxes too much on routine plays, helping account for his 32 errors in 2008.

For all i know he could be ranging deep in the whole and making a bad throw to over compensate for a teammate.

32 errors is still a lot which ever way you slice it. I don’t know if it safe to assume that upon reaching the majors those will just disappear. Maybe they will, but I don’t see how one can come to that conclusion.

And while Mr. Morris did a nice job with that article, a 7 player sample size isn’t going to convince me.

Remember: baseball guys... baseball...

by Metty5 on Jan 16, 2026 12:55 PM EST up reply reply 0 recs

32 errors is still a lot which ever way you slice it. I don’t know if it safe to assume that upon reaching the majors those will just disappear. Maybe they will, but I don’t see how one can come to that conclusion.

The thing is, by one school of thought, he just has to be better than Michael Young…

by alskor on Jan 16, 2026 1:01 PM EST up reply reply 0 recs

lol probably

He was below average with the bat and glove last year.

Remember: baseball guys... baseball...

by Metty5 on Jan 16, 2026 1:05 PM EST up reply reply 0 recs

there are plenty more

Omar Vizquel had a high error total one year in the minors. And the sample isn’t infielders in the minors, its people who are viewed as quality defenders. Some people will probably never be convinced. I don’t know about you, but it seems like some value it because it lets them be authoritative and gives them a sense of confidence in their ability to look at data and evaluate athletes. Add in an expert like Neyer or Goldstein and it becomes “there is no question.”

by Lovejoy on Jan 16, 2026 2:03 PM EST up reply reply 0 recs

RE: Plenty More

If there are I’d love an expansive list. If someone had a sortable excel file with some significant data on the issue i’d believe it. And despite your claims about Neyer (who i enjoy to read) and Goldstein (who I’m not 100% sure about. He doesn’t go to games, he isn’t a scout, I’m not sure why his opinion is so valued) when I read things I take them for what they are worth. One has to question a small sample size when one is making a point. Especially when all of the players are cherry picked. There wasn’t a criteria other than being accepted as a good fielder.

Agree to disagree and we’ll see how well he does if he plays this year. But I am not taking a 7 player sample size to mean anything.

Remember: baseball guys... baseball...

by Metty5 on Jan 16, 2026 3:26 PM EST up reply reply 0 recs

Again, you’re not talking about the universe of minor league middle infielders. Its not really a small sample. If the 7 players mean nothing, does that mean you assume they are all bad defensively?

by Lovejoy on Jan 16, 2026 6:05 PM EST up reply reply 0 recs

Not at all.

7 players regardless of their ability is a small sample size. It isn’t the 7 best fielders of the last 30 years. It is 7 random good fielders. It isn’t a sufficient data set. If one was to show me the gold glove winners for the past 15 years I still would say that its only 15 players and the data set is way to small to make any valid assumption about Andrus. If one was to show me the top 10 defenders from the past 10 years then we are getting some where. 7 random top defenders means little to nothing.

Remember: baseball guys... baseball...

by Metty5 on Jan 16, 2026 6:34 PM EST up reply reply 0 recs

If the universe was 10, 7 isn’t a small sample size. If 15 gold glove winners in a row had a characteristic, you could ignore it, but that doesn’t mean a valid inference couldn’t be made. Seven random top defenders means a lot. You’re the one who wants to draw conclusions based on data that you don’t know the reliability or validity of.

by Lovejoy on Jan 16, 2026 8:49 PM EST up reply reply 0 recs

RE: Universe

What are you talking about? Are you trying to tell me in the last 10 years there have been just 10 above average to good short stops in the minor leagues? Thats insane. Many SS are great fielders but can’t hit a lick.

A valid inference could be made from a small sample size, but that by no means makes a small sample size such as this value to interpret future performance.

Remember: baseball guys... baseball...

by Metty5 on Jan 17, 2026 2:43 AM EST up reply reply 0 recs

Andrus probably isn't ready, but...

… I have a feeling that people are really underrating Andrus’s upside. I remember a lot of people were saying similar things about Hanley at this stage of being a prospect. For one, there was a lot of talk of Hanley’s lack of power and that he probably had the upside of a Renteria type SS. I remember hearing a lot of “Sure he has tools, but he’s got no pop and poor plate discipline” etc etc.

I’m not saying that Andrus is going to be a Hanley-type player, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up showing up a lot better in the next few years.

As for this season, I think he needs to start to fill out his tools a little more, but he could be the top SS in the AL by late 2010.

by grozzy on Jan 15, 2026 11:26 PM EST reply reply 0 recs

Hanley, Sizemore,

Those guys are exceptions, certainly not the rule.

And Hanley had MUCH more power than Andrus at this stage.

Remember: baseball guys... baseball...

by Metty5 on Jan 16, 2026 1:34 AM EST up reply reply 0 recs

Maybe they're the exception, but they're jackpots. You can deal with a couple of busts if you

get one of those guys.

It's not the results, it's how you look going about those results -- Tim McCarver

by WaddellCanseco on Jan 16, 2026 3:31 AM EST up reply reply 0 recs

RE: Jackpots

Well duh. I am by no means saying that Andrus isn’t worth any type of risk.

But the definition of the word jackpot is that such an event is unlikely. I’m not even claiming that. All i am saying is that now isn’t the time for Andrus. His power production is so low that it is hard to see him being a positive contributor now.

I really doubt that Andrus ever puts up those types of power numbers. He could be a great player, he just isn’t going to be near that offensively.

Remember: baseball guys... baseball...

by Metty5 on Jan 16, 2026 1:03 PM EST up reply reply 0 recs

People are forgetting

that Andrus does not even need to be better than Young offensively at SS, he needs to be better than what Metcalf or Duran would have provided at 3B.

That is an attainable goal.

This entire thing really has nothing to do with Andrus, and instead with improving the worst left side in baseball.

The worst defensive position per team relative to their peers in all of baseball was the Ranger’s 3B, and the difference from 29th dwarfed the difference from all other positions. By improving 3B and SS in the same move the entire left side gets better.

I would not be surprised to see a guy like Omar Vizquei brought in for a few months and see Andrus get some AAA ab’s and keep him from being a super 2 arbitration guy.

by laxtonto on Jan 16, 2026 1:35 PM EST up reply reply 0 recs

Projections Please

I will admit that I don’t know a lot about Andrus other than the fact that he supposedly has a ML-ready glove already at the age of 20 (?), and that he’s a base-stealer. Other than that, I know nothing. Can I get some offensive projections for the future, specifically what will probably be a “standard” offensive year for him, and what would be expected of him (again, offensively) from his “peak” years? I’m in a Dynasty League where defense doesn’t matter, so I don’t understand why everybody is so high on this defensive “whiz”. I must be missing something huge! Thoughts?

by rmarx01 on Jan 16, 2026 8:46 AM EST reply reply 0 recs

find chone and james projections at fangraphs

in addition to this (pessimistic) article:

http://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/index.php/will-elvis-andrus-make-a-fantasy-impact-next-year

Minor League Trends for 2009

by Goyogringo on Jan 16, 2026 11:32 AM EST up reply reply 0 recs

Andrus

Scouting report

As far as projections go, I don’t think Andrus will ever be considered a major offensive threat, but his bat isn’t as bad as some make it out to be. He should be able to hit for a fairly high average and his legs will definitely make him a threat to steal 25+ bases a year. I think he will eventually be able to hit 25-30 doubles a season with a few scattered homers.

Martin Perez Interview

by jparks77 on Jan 16, 2026 11:33 AM EST up reply reply 0 recs

by Yakker on Jan 17, 2026 2:49 AM EST reply reply 0 recs

Service Clock?

Remember: baseball guys... baseball...

by Metty5 on Jan 17, 2026 3:02 AM EST up reply reply 0 recs

Thats why it is looking like thye are about to sign Omar Vizquel

I would not be surprised to see Andrus get the Longoria treatment this year with Vizquel starting at the MLB level just long enough to delay Andrus service clock

by laxtonto on Jan 17, 2026 3:06 AM EST up reply reply 0 recs