Apparently, the Rays have been looking at creative ways to use McKay, and one possibility (no idea how seriously it got considered) was having a RHP at 1B at times, and then being able to switch them back and forth depending on the batter.
It's not easy switching to a new position, but obviously going from OF to 1B is less difficult than OF to SS. Wouldn't mind teaching Tucker 1B to give him more playing time, but it looks like Seth Beer is being groomed to take over 1B once he's ready. Can anybody comment on what Beer's defense at first looks like?
I agree, playing a player out of position is setting them up to fail. Was wondering why Wulaw thought playing Reddick at 1st was a good idea and not Tucker. I'm assuming the like 4 innings Reddick's played at 1st in the bigs was due to absolute necessity.
Sure. But regardless you don't just tell an OF "Hey, tomorrow you're playing 1st full time in the big leagues" in order to get a kid up from the minors which is what Wulaw and you seem to be suggesting is doable. If you want to switch a player you spend the time teaching them the new position in the minors .
Sorry if I misworded what I was trying to say. When I said "Wouldn't mind teaching Tucker 1B" that meant TEACHING him the position (as in, actually learning it), not just dumping him there. Moot point, Beer looks to be developing fine.
Is it as hard to play first base as it is to play SS or catcher? No.... but in a 5-6 year span we have gone from the belief that major league players can only play one position (even sometimes LF vs. RF) to the belief that any ******* on the 40 man roster can play just about any position. Tucker could likely be passable for an inning or two in an emergency. However it isn’t as easy as people think. Look no further than Gurriel. He has a lot of ability and it took him awhile to get good at 1st.
Slow but strong hand-eye coordination and soft hands. Right now range is an issue but with time and better positioning he could become pretty good.
This. Moving positions takes practice. Lots of practice. It's much easier to move an IFer to the OF than the other way around. What Straw has done is really impressive, a testament to him and his coaches, but it's not the norm at all.
Seriously, people, it’s the easiest position on the baseball diamond to play for a reason. When I say anyone can play first base I don’t mean “drag Wulaw out of the stands and give him a hat and glove and laugh,” what I mean is anyone with the aptitude to play elsewhere on the diamond as a major league player has the aptitude to play 1B. I mean, Altuve and Kemp are probably too short and I suppose there might be a catcher or old dude that’s literally just too broke down to move and are the exceptions that prove the rule, but seriously guys, y’all are overestimating the demands of the position and underestimating the skills of the typical big leaguer As to why Reddick vs Tucker? Bc they’ve actually played Reddick there, he’s messed around with it in Spring Training, and as an older guy losing his athleticism it makes sense of him to start thinking about finding a place on the easier side of the defensive spectrum and 1B is probably more valuable than LF for the Astros.
Straws incredibly impressive. Not many guys move toward the harder positional spectrum and IF is certainly more skills based than athleticism based so good for him. I didn’t think it would work as anything other than emergency insurance. The fact that the Astros are actually giving him occasional starts there is a real testament to him being a stud athlete and processor of new skills.
When's the last time Tucker took IF practice? Maybe high school? It's not as easy as you make it out to be, but it can be learned. The Stros tried his brother there and said "nope", and this was after him being voted the best defensive 1B in the SEC as a senior. I imagine that if the Stros thought he could play a serviceable 1B the would have tried him there by now in game situations.
Reddick has played a handful of innings. All the innings came in blowouts 14-1 loss 12-0 loss 9-1 won
Uh, yeah? Stros will be fighting for the playoffs in September, he'll be here but he'll be playing the OF. I'm all for them telling him to work at 1B in winter league and ST and see what happens.
