I came across a post at Pirate Revolution this week comparing the Cardinals to the Pittsburgh Pirates, position by position.
It’s a pretty fair evaluation, as a cursory look. Obviously, it doesn’t take into account positions where advantages are disparate, like {{bbref|p/pujolal|Albert Pujols}} versus pretty much anyone on the planet. 
There is some amount of bias, as I’m sure there would be on a similar Cardinals site (say this one for instance, who wouldn’t trade {{bbref|m/molinya|Yadier Molina}}’s glove, arm, and management of the pitching staff for {{bbref|d/doumiry|Ryan Doumit}}’s bat) – but it’s a fair comparison.
The one spot I took interest in was at center field. {{bbref|a/ankieri|Rick Ankiel}} versus {{bbref|m/mclouna|Nate McLouth}}. I disagree with the premise that the position is a slam dunk for the Pirates, particularly if these are the merits:
I love Ankiel’s arm and defense. I like his bat. I’m not sold that Ankiel is a legit power bat, or that he’ll turn into one. He will strike out, he doesn’t hit for average and he’s not a base stealer. Ankiel still has some upside, and maybe he’ll improve a bit after being a pitcher for so long, but I’m taking McLouth for now — He’s got tools across the board.
Seems contradictory to me, but it’s fun to discuss, isn’t it?
For your reference – you can click the player names above to get their MLB statistics. Below are their stats from the minor leagues and fielding numbers from the site that carries the most variety of those metrics:
Ankiel’s journey from pitcher to arbitration incomparable
Ankiel’s fielding stats (from Fangraphs)
Would you rather have {{bbref|a/ankieri|Rick Ankiel}} in CF, or {{bbref|m/mclouna|Nate McLouth}}?
(Kudos to the Pirate Revolution folks, they do a wonderful job – and I love debate like this.)
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