“Average projection. Stiff.”Originally Posted by jacksonianmarch
“Average projection. Stiff.”
Ah. Okay, that’s problematic then.
" Captain , if we just move these deck chairs over to this side , I think we will be able to avoid hitting the iceberg."
What I worry about with Devers is the throwing becomes mental. If it’s not already. Like yesterday. Great stab but toss a lollypop over second. He Knoblauched it. If the kid starts to press and can’t settle down there may ultimately be no choice but to move him to 1B/DH. Still time though.
I'm not sure they've worked him out at 1B any. It's not as easy a move as it may seem, and it's usually something done over the off season with players who have never played a new position, unless they can are in the minors.
I think it is sink or swim with Devers at 3B for 2021.
DH'ing him would mean playing JD in LF, Verdugo in CF and Renfroe in RF (or Cordero in CF and Verdugo in RF). I'm not for that idea, either, but it might be more doable than throwing Devers to 1B , cold turkey.
When you say it's gonna happen now
When exactly do you mean?
Ya I should have clarified. Not talking 21. Agree he is 3B for this season. Just meant as JD comes off the books and looking to the future.
I've felt all along this was the year Devers proves he belongs at 3B or not. I liked the idea, because he had shown long stretches of being a plus-range 3Bman who had some throwing issues that were okay, at times and brutal at other times.
Those who think he cannot play 1B are being very pessimistic. 1Bmen do NOT need great or accurate arms. I think Devers can be a plus 1Bman in a very short time.
He may DH in his mid 30's.
When you say it's gonna happen now
When exactly do you mean?
Agree with all of this.
Devers has the chops to be an excellent 1b. He has smooth hands and for a 1b, would have plus range. His issues seem mental mostly now and he should physically age out of 3b anyway.
Hal sucks
I wonder how Devers reacts to this idea of 1st base or DH. He must have thoughts and if they conflict with the suggested moves does that drive him away from Booston?
If he sucks at 3B, this year, I can't see why he'd be against the idea.
When you say it's gonna happen now
When exactly do you mean?
Exactly.
Kimmi has written meaningfully about batting orders, but I remain a skeptic. Better hitters toward the top of the order makes sense because they might get an extra at bat, but just one. And even then I have seen lineups that worked with good hitters late in the order.
Most laughable of all is arguing about who should bat 2d when the odds are he will bat second one time in a given game.
He's DH or LF. They have a ton of guys that can play 1B. The best defensive 1B they have is also their #1 prospect.
The argument about batting second for the best hitter is actually in line with your first point - more plate appearances. Basically, the argument is every spot a hitter moves up in the order nets him 18 more plate appearances. Obviously that would mean putting the best hitter at leadoff, but with someone like Bogaerts it also would mean that he comes up with a lot fewer baserunners on (re: RBI opportunities). The downside of moving up a great hitter too far is that there is a potential reduction in these opportunities. hitting behind the 7-8-9 hitters creates the fewest. One gets more hitting behind the 8-9-1 and even more hitting behind the 9-1-2. etc.
But putting him in the second hole is a nice sweet spot between maximizing his plate appearances while still having him come up with a decent amount of runners on base. Yes, hitting 3rd gets more RBI chances, but the logic is the 18 more PA outweigh that difference, probably very slightly...
To be fair, Devers is an unknown defensive commodity at first base, and might even be better than Casas given the opportunity. After all, Casas was moved off 3b for a reason, too...
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote