Spring Training Gamethread/Discussion

zitothebrave said:
Sample size I think plays the biggest part. Using Heyward he only has 138 PA at leadoff.

I do think there are some lineup spots that favor certain hitters. For example I'd rather have a patient hitter hitting 8th than an impatient hitter. McLouth did really well for us that 1 year hitting 8th because he took pitches and walked a ton. TLS for example may be insane out of the 8 hole. His eye would likely lead to tons of walks. Aside from that, most other hitters do better/worse in decent samples in certain spots has to do with a mental thing, Hitting is largely mental.
Click to expand...

Bobby Cox once put Casey Kotchman in the 8th spot because of his keen eye and ability to walk and clear the pitcher. But you are right in that mental approve plays a key role as well as why some hitters do better in certain spots.
 
NinersSBChamps said:
As for the lineup debate. I want this one at least initially.

Jason

Justin

Freddie

CJ

Gattis

Simba

Uggla

Pitcher

BJ

We can't afford to have Gattis, Uggla, and BJ bat in a row. These three in a row no matter what their order is spells bad news.
Click to expand...

That's another benefit of having BJ hit 2nd.
 
AUTiger7222 said:
Bobby Cox once put Casey Kotchman in the 8th spot because of his keen eye and ability to walk and clear the pitcher. But you are right in that mental approve plays a key role as well as why some hitters do better in certain spots.
Click to expand...

Well, that's what he told Casey.
 
In my baseball coaching days, right or wrong, I created a lineup with the final inning in mind. The question was, if the lineup rolled over in the last inning and we're trailing, who do I want to be the hitters coming up with the game on the line. Heyward, Justin/CJ, Freddie is the threesome I would want hitting in that spot.
 
AUTiger7222 said:
Bobby Cox once put Casey Kotchman in the 8th spot because of his keen eye and ability to walk and clear the pitcher. But you are right in that mental approve plays a key role as well as why some hitters do better in certain spots.
Click to expand...

Expect you have no evidence that players do
 
I see Pena being another Prado-lite. Obviously this would be later in his career and he won't have the power Prado has but I just see a solid hitter when Pena is up at the plate. He even smashed a ball from the right hand side the other day which is not something you expect.
 
thethe said:
I see Pena being another Prado-lite. Obviously this would be later in his career and he won't have the power Prado has but I just see a solid hitter when Pena is up at the plate. He even smashed a ball from the right hand side the other day which is not something you expect.
Click to expand...

Prado at least had a track record in the minors of being able to handle the bat. People were concerned about his power and that he was somewhat of a hacker, but it wasnt on the Hackoeur level.

Pena has literally never swung the bat well at the professional level......except 100 at bats last year. It has be very rare that a guy doesnt hit a lick until hes 29 years old and finally figueres it out. Dont be surprised if he hits .250\.290\.340
 
gilesfan said:
Prado at least had a track record in the minors of being able to handle the bat. People were concerned about his power and that he was somewhat of a hacker, but it wasnt on the Hackoeur level.

Pena has literally never swung the bat well at the professional level......except 100 at bats last year. It has be very rare that a guy doesnt hit a lick until hes 29 years old and finally figueres it out. Dont be surprised if he hits .250\.290\.340
Click to expand...

I know the odds are against him. I get that. The past of course matters because its usually an exact predictor of the future but from what I've seen out of him makes me optimistic about his future performance.

This optimism is nothing more than a guy who can play solid defense around the diamond and have an OPS around 700 which I think would be immensely valuable.
 
I expect Pena to put up an OPS in the .700 to .750 range. It is unusual for a hitter to improve a lot in his mid-20s. But Pena has been hitting better over a period that has stretched from the 2012-2013 winter league season through the last two spring trainings, and his truncated regular season last year. After a while you have to say the improvement is real.
 
nsacpi said:
After a while you have to say the improvement is real.
Click to expand...

I think Peña skeptics agree with that premise, but just have a different definition of a while. For me, "the 2012-2013 winter league season through the last two spring trainings, and his truncated regular season last year" doesn't quite meet that threshold.
 
jpx7 said:
I think Peña skeptics are with that premise, but just have a different definition of a while. For me, "the 2012-2013 winter league season through the last two spring trainings, and his truncated regular season last year" doesn't quite meet that threshold.
Click to expand...

Yeah. If he had not gotten injured last year, we'd have a bigger sample. I'm also going by what I see. He has a nice quick bat and some gap power. He has worked hard the last few years to get stronger.
 
nsacpi said:
Yeah. If he had not gotten injured last year, we'd have a bigger sample. I'm also going by what I see. He has a nice quick bat and some gap power. He has worked hard the last few years to get stronger.
Click to expand...

I do think he'll be a better bench-bat than I imagined when the Braves acquired him prior to last season. I'm just not holding my breath on his jumping Uggla, Pastornicky, and LaStella as options for starting second-base duties.
 
jpx7 said:
I do think he'll be a better bench-bat than I imagined when the Braves acquired him prior to last season. I'm just not holding my breath on his jumping Uggla, Pastornicky, and LaStella as options for starting second-base duties.
Click to expand...

I expect him to get more time at third than second. Pastornicky will probably more games at second.
 
I think we also need to factor in his move from the AL to the NL. Wasn't it Bobby Cox who said something like "He gave up a lot of money by playing in the AL all these years?"

Some guys just have a skill set that is better suited for one league over the other. I am not enough of a stat to tell you why that would be the case, other than defensive versatility, but limited evidence seems to suggest it.
 
2 batters and 2 rockets hit by the Tigers. So glad the Braves thought Aaron Harang was an improvement over Freddy Garcia!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top