Let’s project an opening day line up
- Thread starter Slippyjms
- Start date
idk, think it would be wrong not to give the nod to Soroka. certainly won't go to Hernandez.
Interesting. Why do you have Riley replacing Camargo vs RHP but have him behind Duvall vs LHP?
I think you have the lineup nailed vs a RHP (possibly slight tweaks to the order), with Flowers obviously in there 2-3 games per week. I would also like to see the Braves get a better LHH platoon option for 3B if possible.
vs a LHP all the RHH should be in, and assuming Riley shows he can handle LHP in ST:
Acuna CF
Albies 2B
Freeman 1B
Ozuna LF
Duvall RF
Swanson SS
Camargo 3B
d’Arnaud/Flowers C
Riley DH
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I could definitely see that lineup out there vs lefties. My only issue is I’d have to think the contributions of Inciarte’s glove in CF would outweigh the contributions of the bats of at least one of Duvall Riley or Camargo even against LHP. I’d also rather see Riley in LF over Ozuna if we’re going with that lineup.
Have a feeling darnaud is going to surprise a lot of people. Dealt with injury issues which hurt his ability to get consistent reps. As long as stays away from concussions I think we will have one of the top 5 catcher productivities in the league and darnaud specifically will force his way up the lineup.
Catcher will be fine. Only position I worry about is 3rd.
only if he has anything left. he may not.
OcalaBrave
Spring Training Invitee
I'm all in on Riley at 3B. I think the fact the Braves entered ST with Riley and Camargo as 3B options means AA is all in as well.
32 PA in 2020 ST isn't much of a sample size, but he took 4 walks and only K'd 5 times. In 297 PA in 2019 he only took 16 BB and K'd 108 times. His minors history says his plate discipline is better than 2019, but not as good as 2020 ST. If at 23 he has truly found an approach at the plate that makes pitchers throw him strikes, he's proven he can mash them.
Riley has absolutely not proven that. One of the big problems he had last year is that he was swinging and missing at pitches in the zone at a very high rate.
zbhargrove
Well-known member
Hey we can agree on something!
OcalaBrave
Spring Training Invitee
As a 22 year old rookie he had a .226 BA, but a .471 SLG. Can we agree he wasn't getting 2b and HR on sliders in the dirt? If he isn't getting himself out on swings out of the zone, I'll take my chances with what he gets in the zone.
When Riley made contact he would do damage. That is clear. But it was few and far between. On the year Riley made contact on just 73.7% of pitches in the zone he swung at. He didn't have enough PA's to qualify but if he did that would of been dead last in baseball. His overall contact percentage was 63.2% which again was dead last in baseball. This is also compounded by the fact that Riley swung a lot. His swing percentage was 56.3% which was 7th highest in baseball.
That is a problem. The good news is that Riley does much better at everything when facing a lefty. Whether it's at 3rd, DH, or LF he needs to be in the lineup against a lefty. With Camargo also being in a similar situation I would lean on him at 3rd and Riley at either LF or DH.
But the problem remains. IMO the Braves have an issue at 3rd when facing a righty. That is good news in that I think it should be the only problem with their lineup in 2020. I like where everything else is at currently.
that isn't ideal