Agree with this.. Lofton was an all time great.. should be a HOF'er..and will be..Straw gets very good jumps, runs good routes, is able to adjust on the run...and when he makes an initial mistake, he has the speed to overcome it.
IMO Lofton was the best defensive Tribe centerfielder that I have ever seen...and we have had several. Loftons prowess was sheer speed, athleticism, and ability to climb walls and dive without hurting himself. But he didn't have good jumps and often ran bad routes. He just out ran everything.
Straw isn't a world class athlete like Lofton, but he may be just as good defensively.
Lofton's career dWAR was 15.5, good for 107th all time. Most of the top ten of total dWAR all time isn't all that surprising.Straw gets very good jumps, runs good routes, is able to adjust on the run...and when he makes an initial mistake, he has the speed to overcome it.
IMO Lofton was the best defensive Tribe centerfielder that I have ever seen...and we have had several. Loftons prowess was sheer speed, athleticism, and ability to climb walls and dive without hurting himself. But he didn't have good jumps and often ran bad routes. He just out ran everything.
Straw isn't a world class athlete like Lofton, but he may be just as good defensively.