Let me elaborate so (perhaps) you can comprehend. Maldonado bad, Abreu bad. Yainer good. Maldonado has some magic that makes team think he is good. I want Yainer playing more, so due to Maldonado magic, more realistic to replace Abreu.
No doubt about that. His first 2 months of the year were as bad as maldonado. After that he was somewhere between serviceable and pretty decent until he fell off a cliff and went on the IL. He has a 99 wRC+ since coming off the DL with better underlying numbers. There is reason for optimism is all I’m saying.
I really do hope you are right and that he is just running into bad luck. He has had much better at bats lately, so there is some hope. One other thing he does bring is a history of success (outside of this season), so opposing managers might not pitch around others before him in the lineup. It's that history that also fuels a lot of our hopes, so right now, we can only hope.
If he doesn’t get it together by the end of the year I’m fine with someone else at 1B if we make the playoffs. At either rate he should bat 8th.
Unfortunately you are right about this. Unfortunately, he is also going to start 75+% of the games at 1B. It sucks But nothing is going to change it. I just hope Good Framber shows up tonight and this lineup pushes across 1 more runs than South Oklahoma does.
The problem is that Yuli had an awful year in 2022 but Dusty pushed and pushed until he won out and he started the whole post season. Same thing coming this year. I hope for the same result.
Glad Dusty is benching him...really got to send a message that 1 home run just isn't enough. Maybe get 2 homers next time Yainer and quit slouching. Hope Dusty moves him to the 9 spot whenever he plays him again.
Next time he can learn from Maldy and actually get 2 hr in 1 game. Until then, on the bench he stays.
So, you read my entire post - and perhaps my dozens of posts before that - arguing with data (and correct grammar) why Diaz should play more, and you decided to reply with “OK” and then this insulting drivel? If you are going to be insulting to make a point, at least make it a good one. It is no more realistic for Baker to choose to start Diaz frequently at 1B than at C. Go look at games played at 1B for Diaz, games off for Abreu when healthy, Dusty’s quotes about Diaz at 1B, or Nook’s posts about the organizational opinion on the matter, then reevaluate your half-assed opinion on what is realistic. And please use complete sentences when you do.
I know it's just conjecture, but I think the organization keeps trying with Abreu because of their big investment on him, and because of his track record prior to this year. With Maldonado, even this year, they value his handling of our most important starting pitchers, and it doesn't seem to be only Dusty who has that opinion. I believe that they do put more weight on Maldonado's intangibles than on Abreu's potential to stop sucking - but Abreu is on a 3 year deal, so they have to keep trying. Last year, we won with Maldonado as primary, even when we had a better hitting catcher in Vazquez. The rest of the team was pretty much the same as what we have this year. This year, Maldonado's production, per WAR, has been very similar to last year. This is why I give them some leeway on their decision to keep Maldonado as the main catcher - this organization deserves the benefit of the doubt. On the other hand, Abreu has no history with this team, other than him being awful this year, arguably even worse than Maldonado. So it's hard for me to accept him taking potential reps away from Yainer. With that said, you are probably right that it's not any more realistic to expect Yainer to play at first on the days he is not catching than him taking over full time over Maldonado. I am not privy of all the opinions the organization has on Yainer, but I reckon that prior to Brantley's return, this was a moot point. Now I am just hopeful that they will at least try it, as while Diaz did make some mistakes defensively at 1B (mostly on pickoffs), he seemed competent. We have given Dubon plenty of opportunities to become a better outfielder, despite all the terrible reads and routes he has taken in the past, so why not with Diaz as well? Finally, I try to treat people with respect, whether we are in agreement, that person is misinformed, doesn't write with perfect grammar, etc. But when somebody starts an interaction calling me an "idiot", especially over something as trivial as to what we are discussing here, it's hard to show respect back. Hopefully we are good moving forward, if not, then just ignore me and move on.
I’m not taunting or anything because I get your POV because Abreu was so bad at the beginning of the year and then again in August before the IL trip and injections. But I’m telling you this is a completely different dude and the guy we thought we were getting. He’s old. Hope his back holds up and if it doesn’t he will tell someone this time.
@Tomstro and @IdStrosfan yall were doubting too. It’s ok if you are still doubting but this isn’t the same guy since the IL trip that was so terrible at the beginning of the year. You see how quick that bay has been the last 10-12 days?
Yes. I was critical because of age and performance. I admit it. He was not good. That said, I was thrilled at the signing at the time and you can't take away from his history. I am very happy that he is doing so well. Now they need to manage his health. Give him 1-2 days off each week. It allows Diaz another avenue for playing time. But I love the idea of vintage Abreu in the 6th-7th spot in the playoffs
