Davis has a higher ceiling and more defensive value so I’d say he’s the favorite. White has the higher floor and more mlb experience, but doesnt have much defensive value and can’t hit for as much power as Davis.
Really odd that Davis is ahead of Reed in the pecking order. JD just isn't that good imo and Reed brings thunder from the left side which is something our lineup is missing.
What reasoning exactly to you have for this sentiment? Not that I expect him to be a perennial all-star, I just have no reason to have any real opinion on him. He posted a decent OPS in the majors last year, and has hit consistently in the minors.
I guess I should have said "I like his upside less than Reed's" Davis doesn't walk a whole lot and I think that really hurts his value as a slugging corner bat.
The only thing Reed has over Davis is that he's LH and can't play LF. Reed did well this spring, all he has to do now is keep doing it in AAA and he'll get his shot. I'm whatever about White, he's never stood out but I guess he's one of those Card-style players who blossom at age 26 or so.
It's not like a LFer needs a great arm, but having one is more useful to LF than 1B. And with neither Fisher nor Kemp distinguishing themselves this Spring, I think Davis would do better in LF -- at least until K Tucker is brought up.
Didnt realize McCann is hitless this spring (0-18). https://climbingtalshill.com/2018/0...e-worried-about-brian-mccanns-hitless-spring/
Not sure this isn't something to be concerned about. Catchers decline FAST. He was bad in the playoffs, and hitless now in ST. Lots of wear on the 34 yo knees. No problem with a wait and see approach, but I'm not convinced we won't need to make a move midseason. The lineup can handle a 240 hitter...not a sub 200.
Oh c'mon. They had a historic offense last season and several core players project to improve. That line-up can certainly handle a .200 hitter. I'm not even saying I think he'll decline that badly, but they can handle one below average position player if he does.
Would be encouraging to see some McCannonballs this spring just to let us know McCann is seeing the ball OK and the hand/eye coordination is still there. But I could also see a trade for a catcher at mid-season if McCann is just too worn down. Stassi, I don't worry about. He's going to surprise a lot of people and in a good way. But I'm not sure that the team would want to rely on Gattis, Federowicz, or Stubbs at catcher in a playoff run. Realmuto may still be available in July. Tyler Flowers will be a free agent at the end of this season but if the Braves don't look to be competitive this year so perhaps they could be induced to send him to Houston for the second half of the season.
Handle? I suppose. Prefer? No, I dont think so. Not a team wanting another WS trophy. The better question is why would they? It does little good to patch up other holes just to create this one. Not saying he will be, just speculating what happens if he does.
The early-season scenario the Astros have to avoid (and which is more conceivable than I'd like to think) goes something like: McCann is so sore that he can't hit better than 2017 Beltran. Marisnick goes back to his old ways and becomes a strikeout machine with very little offensive production. Fisher never masters major league hitting but he's kept on the roster for lack of other outfielders. Marwin goes back to his 2015-2016 form. Some player who usually hits well is slumping (it happens to Altuve, Correa, Springer... sometimes) Gattis fails to adjust to hitting in the DH role. All of a sudden you have half the lineup scuffling at the plate, and then maybe the team doesn't take advantage of that soft April schedule. When May comes around, the competition gets a lot tougher. Having 2 or 3 guys struggling at the plate is manageable because you can play matchups, you can platoon guys, maybe you put a sore guy on the DL and give his ABs to some minor leaguer who is on fire. But when it's half your position players, it gets to be overwhelming.
It's trite to cite a catcher's intangibles but from everything thing I've read the pitching staff gives McCann a ton of credit for their success. It spoke volumes that McCann was so heavily used in the playoffs. Short of being a .100 hitter I don't see him losing his place on the currently constructed team.
Valid points. Time will give us the opportunity to see how Stassi meshes with the pitching staff. If that goes well, and he shows some offense, then reducing McCann's load certainly becomes easier. There is always Gattis if McCann falls into a black hole.
It is refreshing to see all that could go wrong rather than everything going right. We still have the advantage in that most other teams have far more that could go wrong than we do.
