That seems plausible. He left the team without any press about it, got his stuff, and really is on his way.
Unfortunately, that would have been plausible had this tweet not existed: <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Just a heads up that he is here in OKC stretching before BP. <a href="https://t.co/t7Lq8NxD8S">https://t.co/t7Lq8NxD8S</a></p>— Jacob Unruh (@jacobunruh) <a href="https://twitter.com/jacobunruh/status/605495049468534785">June 1, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
That would be unusual. Most of the time they come with what they have and either the team or their family takes care of getting their stuff. I ran into Bud Norris the weekend he was called up at the hotel he was staying at. He was getting ready for a road trip and had hardly anything because all his stuff was still where he was staying before the call up. He was making arrangements with his dad to get everything packed and brought in. I'm not saying it isn't plausible because they could be bringing him up and giving him a couple of days off at the same time. I just don' think it is likely with the lack of fanfare.
so if/when Correa comes up, presumably Villar or Marwin (prob Villar) are off the 40 man...what about when Lowrie comes back? Can't really keep his bat out of the lineup..does he take over 3B? 1B? interesting to see what happens
a lot of us have already surmised that Lowrie will become a jack of all positions. Could easily play all 4 infield positions...potentially platoon Valbuena at 3B and then split time with the other 3 positions and DH?
The platoon with Valbuena against lefties could be particularly valuable. Lowrie has performed well against lefties over his career, while Valbuena has struggled mightily against them, particularly in recent years. I'm not sure how much desire Lowrie has to not be an everyday player, but he doesn't seem like a rock the boat type. If he finished the year strong he would have some good trade value in the offseason, or maybe a 3 team trade in which we send him to a another contender that nets us major league help from a non contender.
I'd move Lowrie to 3B & put Correa at SS, though I bet they would do just the opposite. Correa doesn't have 3B experience, but Lowrie does. In that limited time at 3rd he was an above average defensive player, but he is below average at SS.
Lowrie has had a total of 180 chances in his entire major league career at third base. Compare that to Valbuena who has had 110 total chances this year alone. Lowrie hasn't played third base since 2011. Sometimes things aren't as simple as just moving a guy.
Some guys can make move, others can't. Moving Lowrie to third seems the simplest solution and will likely be tried first. If it doesn't work, more complicated solutions will be needed.
Not saying it can't be done, but doing it in-season isn't an optimum solution. If only Gattis could really catch.
this seems to make the most sense. He can still get regular playing time and rotates guys in and out of the lineup when its their turn for rest. I think Lowrie is the overall better player than Valbuena even at 3B. The only advantage Valbuena has is his ability to hit the long ball. The platoon at 3B (with Lowrie batting against lefties) and then giving SS, 2B and 1B a breather makes the most sense. But how badly do we need the occasional HR bat of Valbuena vs the most consistent OPS of Lowrie? If push came to shove, I'd put Lowrie at 3B and bench Valbuena or trade him.
To be fair to Valbuena, he is a better defender than Lowrie at third. I have been really happy with his glove work and cannon of an arm. That being said, do what you need to do to get Lowrie in the lineup and try to move Valbuena. I could see him being an attractive trade piece.
I prefer Lowrie to Valbuena unless he shows he can not play 3B. However, Valbuena had a bad month of May that may cause him to seem more one dimensional than he has been in the past. He was 8th among 3B last season in OBP. Yes, he could continue to be a hit or miss guy, but his career stats suggest he's more likely to rebound to become a more well-rounded offensive weapon.
