Top five left sides of the infield

[metirish]

] BY KEN DAVIDOFF Newsday Staff Writer June 30, 2006 Ranking the top shortstop-third base combinations in baseball. 1) Jose Reyes and David Wright, Mets. Their combined on-base-plus-slugging crushes that of the Yankees' duo. Throw in Reyes' speed and Wright's grace under pressure, and this is the best in the big leagues. 2) Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, Yankees. A pair of future Hall of Famers, and one of modern baseball's most interesting relationships. Jeter's defense continues to be overrated, though, while A-Rod, you might have heard, is experiencing an off year. 3) Hanley Ramirez and Miguel Cabrera, Florida. The soul of the National League's most surprising team. Ramirez has matured quicker than anticipated, and Cabrera is a ridiculous hitter. 4) David Eckstein and Scott Rolen, St. Louis. Eckstein gets on base a ton, and Rolen has been healthy after missing most of last year. Rolen helps make up for Eckstein's limited range. 5) Michael Young and Hank Blalock, Texas. Young gets compared to Jeter in the dreaded "intangibles" category. Blalock, nearly traded to Florida for Josh Beckett last November, has lessened the pain over the deal falling through. Runners-up: Miguel Tejada and Melvin Mora, Baltimore. Tejada's questionable behavior prevents a higher ranking. Bobby Crosby and Eric Chavez, Oakland. Who doesn't love watching Chavez play defense? Crosby, however, doesn't hit enough.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Wow. Theirs costs about 40 times what the Mets' costs.

Do women ever rank things like this?

[metirish]

Don't know about the women but A-Rod makes about half a million bi-weekly so a month's wages would just about pay for Wright and Reyes for the year.

[nymr83]

]Throw in Reyes' speed and Wright's grace under pressure, and this is the best in the big leagues.

Grace under pressure = the 9th inning errors he was being derided for earlier in the year, or are we now ready to admit that those were an abberation?

[Guest Edgy DC]

I don't know what they were, to be honest. He went through a similar wilt-under-pressure thingie last year.

Similarly, he successfully put it behind him. I don't know that it has anything to do with pressure, but I don't know for sure that it doesn't.

[Theoldmole]

I woulda put Eckstein and Roleh higher. Like second.