All things Moncada

[Hugh2]

So, you were okay with Bogey playing 3B in the World Series after just 10 games in the minors at 3B?

 

You were okay with Swihart playing LF this year after 11 games in AAA in LF?

 

You were okay with Betts sudden shift to OF?

 

All worked out, but don't you think we may have gotten a little lucky? That we could have prepared for these situations that to me, all looked probable (not in hindsight either)?

 

What if Bogey had made 4 errors in the playoffs and cost us a game or two?

 

The Betts move couldn't have cost us anything, because as it turned out, it would not have mattered in 2015.

 

Swihart has not cost us any games on defense in LF, so far.

 

All looks okay in hindsight, but I think we should have planned better.

 

So you hypothetically disagree with this but you just made the case against it? I'm not going to go against what is widely held to be best industry practices by everyone in baseball because something could go wrong. Something could always go wrong even with the most optimal sure fire strategy.

 

I trust the Sox now what they are doing.

[Hugh2]

Teams don't switch a players position while they are developing, they do so when they are or close to MLB ready.

 

This means you won't see Moncada move until either he reaches AAA or he's had at least a month or two in Portland with success.

[sk7326]

I understand your concerns but that's not how player development necessarily works. I can see how it makes sense from our perspective as a fan as we try to imagine a star studded home grown team down the road but you let guys play their natural position and let them outplay it. It was the right thing to do to develop Swihart as a catcher, and perhaps the team has made a mistake (I'd say they did) in switching him too soon but they did so out of necessity. There are just as many times were a player easily makes the transition to another position too though however. And as I said before it's not optimal to put the burden on a player of learning a new position while also developing his bat.

 

Teams put players where they believe they profile best, not where they may fit the team better several years down the road. It's a similar argument in terms of drafting for need. You don't draft a catcher if you need a catcher when there is a much better pitcher at your pick...you can always trade one for the other down the road. Once a guy like Moncada has moved up the later and has a bat more developed it is much less detrimental to his development to move him to another position. Also, a ton could happen in a year and going ahead a few more years can be much more unpredictable. A player could severely decline or get injured or even become a trade chip.

 

Us as fans often look at player development from the top down, but in reality in should be much more from the bottom to the top. Not that it couldn't work out great to move a guy like Moncada now, but I think the Sox system of player development as they do it as good if not better than any other team (with position players at least)

 

Also - for a lot of teams, their best defensive coaches are higher up the ladder - Butterfield is known as an elite infield instructor for instance. You want to keep the guy on the premium position as long as possible. Moncada might eventually move to 3B or something, but there's no rush - stay with the harder up the middle spot until you have to leave.

[moonslav59]

So you hypothetically disagree with this but you just made the case against it? I'm not going to go against what is widely held to be best industry practices by everyone in baseball because something could go wrong. Something could always go wrong even with the most optimal sure fire strategy.

 

I trust the Sox now what they are doing.

 

Well, the way Bogey played at 3B in 2014 kind of made it look like we got lucky with his defense in 2013, don't you think?

 

I also think giving Swihart just 11 games in LF before throwing him out there in the bigs was a mistake that ended up not hurting us, though he is hurt now, and we may never know.

 

The Betts move worked brilliantly, but it seemed like even Sox management was surprised by how quickly and how well he adjusted to a radically different position (2B to CF).

 

I don't I made a case against myself, but I can see how some can say everything worked out well, so no criticism is needed.

 

I just hope we don't miss out on a chance to bring Moncada's ML-ready bat into our line-up, because all he do is play 2B or DH.

[Hugh2]

Imagine if we moved Bogaerts off of SS because Iggy was there and people thought he'd end up there anyways????

 

I mean we could find examples one way or the other all day, the fact remains this is player development gold standard for a reason.

[Hugh2]

Well, the way Bogey played at 3B in 2014 kind of made it look like we got lucky with his defense in 2013, don't you think?

 

I also think giving Swihart just 11 games in LF before throwing him out there in the bigs was a mistake that ended up not hurting us, though he is hurt now, and we may never know.

 

The Betts move worked brilliantly, but it seemed like even Sox management was surprised by how quickly and how well he adjusted to a radically different position (2B to CF).

 

I don't I made a case against myself, but I can see how some can say everything worked out well, so no criticism is needed.

 

I just hope we don't miss out on a chance to bring Moncada's ML-ready bat into our line-up, because all he do is play 2B or DH.

 

MLb ready after less than one week above A ball????

[moonslav59]

Teams don't switch a players position while they are developing, they do so when they are or close to MLB ready.

 

This means you won't see Moncada move until either he reaches AAA or he's had at least a month or two in Portland with success.

 

I have never disagreed with what the standard practice is. You guys keeps saying it over and over like I'm not getting it. I do get it, but I also know there are exceptions to every rule or guidleline. Look how Betts shot through the system quicker than anyone anticipated. His bat was probably ML ready when he got to AA in 2014. He zipped through about 50 games at AA and AAA and was in the bigs by August. Guess what? He was promoted to AA and switched position very quickly afterwards, although he did play more 2b than CF. So, "rules" can be broken. When he got to AAA, he played 33 games in CF and 6 at 2B. They did a much better job prepping Betts, because I think they realized his bat was ready. Now, we didn't even need Betts in 2014, because we were out of it by the time he came up, so the rush was not on an as needed basis. It was a conscious choice.

 

Now, I do trust Sox management, and maybe they do not equate Moncada's bat with Betts' early 2014 bat. Maybe they do not think his bat is ready yet, and so that is why they see no rush to have him learn a new position. If that's the reason, I'm fine with holding off giving him some reps in practice at 3B and/or LF. However, in my opinion, I think Moncada's bat right now, is probably better than Holt's and maybe even better than HanRam's and possibly Shaw's going forward.

 

Holt had a .664 OPS before going down. His second half of 2015 was pretty bad as well.

HanRam has looked better than 2015, but maybe Moncada can improve on his .718 OPS (.590 over the last 4 weeks).

Shaw has been a bright spot this season, but his minor league numbers have always kept a doubt in my mind. He's been slumping for over 4 weeks (.618 in the last 4 weeks), and I'm beginning to wonder, if it may be more than just a slump. If he and/0r HanRam continue hitting around .600 for the next month or two, we may need Moncada sooner than anyone thinks we do.

 

Swihart just got his boot taken off. I wouldn't count on him running around the OF much this fall.

 

Even if we just need Moncada as a platoon with Shaw and/or HanRam and to spell Papi at DH here and there, his offensive value may be needed sooner rather than later.

[Hugh2]

Ok, so why is Moncada the exception?

 

And how do we not know Betts and Bogaerts wouldn't have grown slower if they tried learning a new position in the minors???

 

We don't.

[Hugh2]

Still you are using the current situation of the Sox to justify breaking away from normal player development procedures. It should be all about the player and whats best for their development. When they are MLB ready then you can make it all about the team needs.

[Bellhorn04]

Well, the way Bogey played at 3B in 2014 kind of made it look like we got lucky with his defense in 2013, don't you think?

 

The third baseman at the start of the 2013 postseason was Middlebrooks. They switched to Bogaerts because they didn't like what they were seeing from WMB. Sure there was risk involved, but they thought it was a necessary risk.

[Hugh2]

How do you know what Moncadas offensive value is at the MLB level? milb is tiered for a reason. It's not just fantasy, the jump from each level is significant and real, and even if an elite guy can move up to the next level and still mash doesn't mean they can do it by moving up two. Moncada JUST moved up from A ball.

 

The last time we rushed a really really good player who had very little time in AA ball it appeared to screw him up for a few years (JBJ)

[moonslav59]

Imagine if we moved Bogaerts off of SS because Iggy was there and people thought he'd end up there anyways????

 

I mean we could find examples one way or the other all day, the fact remains this is player development gold standard for a reason.

 

We'll never know. Maybe he'd be a GG 3Bman by now.

 

The whole Iggy situation was different. My contention all along was that I loved Iggy and wanted him as our FT SS a full year before almost anyone else was on his bandwagon. However, I knew early on that the Sox were never going to hand the FT job to Iggy. They saw Bogey as their SS of the future.

 

I'm not saying they were wrong, and I've said many times over, they know more than I do, and they got the Bogey choice right. He has more than surprised me with his defensive development at SS. They also appear to have judged Iggy correctly. However, the fact is, they ended up needing to use Bogey at 3B in a pressure situation after only 10 games at 3B in the minors. That was high risk. Nobody can convince me otherwise, and even though I was calling for Bogey to be given some reps at 3B long before that 10 game stretch, I never said he should be moved to 3B 100% in the minors. I just said, why not give him some reps at 3B, just in case Middy sucked and I thought that was highly probable) or someone gets hurt, but also because he may end up there eventually anyways.

 

It wasn't just about me thinking he'd "end up there eventually".

 

Fact: we need a LF right now.

Fact: we may need a 3Bman/1Bman or both soon.

Fact: we could use a good bat to give Papi some days off at DH without taking a good bat away from another position.

 

With Young, Holt and Swihart out, our bench, particularly on offense, is not very good.

 

Leon's bubble is going to burst.

Marrero may never have a bubble.

Hernandez may give us a spark here or there on offense, but IMO Moncada is already better on offense than any of these guys and maybe even some of our starters, but what's holding him back from helping us now or in a month or two is his ability to only play 2b and DH.

[moonslav59]

The third baseman at the start of the 2013 postseason was Middlebrooks. They switched to Bogaerts because they didn't like what they were seeing from WMB. Sure there was risk involved, but they thought it was a necessary risk.

 

Exactly, but they waited too long to start giving Bogey reps at 3B.

 

Does anyone really think 10 games in the minors is the standard practice before promoting a player to the bigs at a new position in the midst of a playoff drive?

 

My contention is that we got lucky he did well for a month, and his 2014 season at 3B is evidence that supports that position. He should have gotten exposure to 3B long before 10 games to the big show. I'm not saying they needed to play Bogey at 3B 100% or even 50% of the time to start 2013 in the minors...just practice a little after practice and get a few reps in games here and there before that 10 games came up.

[Hugh2]

We'll never know. Maybe he'd be a GG 3Bman by now.

 

The whole Iggy situation was different. My contention all along was that I loved Iggy and wanted him as our FT SS a full year before almost anyone else was on his bandwagon. However, I knew early on that the Sox were never going to hand the FT job to Iggy. They saw Bogey as their SS of the future.

 

I'm not saying they were wrong, and I've said many times over, they know more than I do, and they got the Bogey choice right. He has more than surprised me with his defensive development at SS. They also appear to have judged Iggy correctly. However, the fact is, they ended up needing to use Bogey at 3B in a pressure situation after only 10 games at 3B in the minors. That was high risk. Nobody can convince me otherwise, and even though I was calling for Bogey to be given some reps at 3B long before that 10 game stretch, I never said he should be moved to 3B 100% in the minors. I just said, why not give him some reps at 3B, just in case Middy sucked and I thought that was highly probable) or someone gets hurt, but also because he may end up there eventually anyways.

 

It wasn't just about me thinking he'd "end up there eventually".

 

Fact: we need a LF right now.

Fact: we may need a 3Bman/1Bman or both soon.

Fact: we could use a good bat to give Papi some days off at DH without taking a good bat away from another position.

 

With Young, Holt and Swihart out, our bench, particularly on offense, is not very good.

 

Leon's bubble is going to burst.

Marrero may never have a bubble.

Hernandez may give us a spark here or there on offense, but IMO Moncada is already better on offense than any of these guys and maybe even some of our starters, but what's holding him back from helping us now or in a month or two is his ability to only play 2b and DH.

 

Fact, the Sox are better at developing players than me or you....stick to the plan and stay the course.

 

You're talking to the wrong people here, you should be talking to those who develop the players. Sure, this is a talk forum but you're trying to convince me and others why your plan would be better than the Sox. You're not convincing me otherwise.

 

We can't just do it because we could assume everything would work out great at it would help the MLB team. Again that's not how player development works. Teams are literally almost never doing what you're talking about for a reason. It is detrimental to a players development You can ignore that all you want why trying to justify why the Sox should do what you want them to do.

 

But I will continue to advocate proper player development and good standards. I don't care what is happening at the MLB level. If the team needs a LFer now and Moncada isn't ready then you go out and get a LFer you don't force the issue and rush a guys bat AND his glove.

[moonslav59]

How do you know what Moncadas offensive value is at the MLB level?

 

I don't and I went out of my way to sayit was juyst my opinion and that maybe Sox management knows his bat is not ready, and I'd be fine with the decision.

 

My other point is that even if Moncada's bat is not fully "ML ready", it may be better than our subs are right now, and perhaps even better than the slumping HanRam & Shaw. I'm also talking a month from now at the earliest, so by then, we'll know more about Shaw and HanRam and Holt, but if one or two of those guys are struggling and we need Moncada by then, are we going to just give Moncada 10 games at 3B aor LF nd then call him up?

 

You're all okay with that?

 

 

milb is tiered for a reason. It's not just fantasy, the jump from each level is significant and real, and even if an elite guy can move up to the next level and still mash doesn't mean they can do it by moving up two. Moncada JUST moved up from A ball.

 

Please stop pretending I don't know what the standard guidelines are.

 

The Sox themselves promoted Betts to AA in 2014 without ever playing CF beforehand. He even played winter ball at 2B and SS only. By August he had been promoted to AAA and the bigs while learning a new position along the way. He also kept playing 2B some along the way.

 

He kept mashing the ball and ended up getting a look before we really even needed him.

 

Imagine if we had been in a pennant race and needed him in June?

 

Ooops!

 

 

The last time we rushed a really really good player who had very little time in AA ball it appeared to screw him up for a few years (

 

Who Betts?

Edited June 24, 2016 by moonslav59

[Hugh2]

Exactly, but they waited too long to start giving Bogey reps at 3B.

 

Does anyone really think 10 games in the minors is the standard practice before promoting a player to the bigs at a new position in the midst of a playoff drive?

 

My contention is that we got lucky he did well for a month, and his 2014 season at 3B is evidence that supports that position. He should have gotten exposure to 3B long before 10 games to the big show. I'm not saying they needed to play Bogey at 3B 100% or even 50% of the time to start 2013 in the minors...just practice a little after practice and get a few reps in games here and there before that 10 games came up.

 

So how come no teams do what you are advocating? what is it you know that they do not?

[Hugh2]

How do you know what Moncadas offensive value is at the MLB level?

 

I don't and I went out of my way to sayit was juyst my opinion and that maybe Sox management knows his bat is not ready, and I'd be fine with the decision.

 

My other point is that even if Moncada's bat is not fully "ML ready", it may be better than our subs are right now, and perhaps even better than the slumping HanRam & Shaw. I'm also talking a month from now at the earliest, so by then, we'll know more about Shaw and HanRam and Holt, but if one or two of those guys are struggling and we need Moncada by then, are we going to just give Moncada 10 games at 3B aor LF nd then call him up?

 

You're all okay with that?

 

 

milb is tiered for a reason. It's not just fantasy, the jump from each level is significant and real, and even if an elite guy can move up to the next level and still mash doesn't mean they can do it by moving up two. Moncada JUST moved up from A ball.

 

The last time we rushed a really really good player who had very little time in AA ball it appeared to screw him up for a few years (

 

So because MAYBE his bat is close to ready now we should move him to LF/3B because the teams needs him because HE MIGHT be better than those options at the MLB level a month or two down the road.

 

Yet you ignore the argument, which is backed up by how every MLB team handles prospects, that players shouldn't learn new positions and levels at the same time while developing. Also, when we've thrown a new level and position at a player at the same time it has seemed to really set them back. We rushed JBJ up and stuck him in LF and that could have contributed to screwing him up for 2 years, Bogaerts at 3B to SS and his 2014.

 

How do you not now that moving Moncada off of 2nd slows down his bat? because that seems to be the premise of why that is not done in player development. If that's the case then he is NOT going to be MLB ready this year.

 

You're still not convincing me why your plan is better than one of MLBs best at player development.

[moonslav59]

Fact, the Sox are better at developing players than me or you....stick to the plan and stay the course.

 

You're talking to the wrong people here, you should be talking to those who develop the players. Sure, this is a talk forum but you're trying to convince me and others why your plan would be better than the Sox. You're not convincing me otherwise.

 

We can't just do it because we could assume everything would work out great at it would help the MLB team. Again that's not how player development works. Teams are literally almost never doing what you're talking about for a reason. It is detrimental to a players development You can ignore that all you want why trying to justify why the Sox should do what you want them to do.

 

But I will continue to advocate proper player development and good standards. I don't care what is happening at the MLB level. If the team needs a LFer now and Moncada isn't ready then you go out and get a LFer you don't force the issue and rush a guys bat AND his glove.

 

Betts had less than 40 games under his belt at AA, before they moved him to CF, then shortly afterwards, they moved him to AAA where he played mostly OF. It has been done before and without any pressure from need at the big league level, so if can be done without need, why can't it be done (in theory) with need.

 

Again, I'm only assuming that Moncada's bat is jusged to be a month away from ML ready at worst. If that's not true, then I have no issues.

 

Personally, my opinion is that his bat is already better than a few players on the 25 man roster right now.

 

I'm never going to say I know more than the Sox, because I know I don't. My point is that Sox management might think Moncada's bat is ready or very near ready, but may not move him to another position until it's too late. Or, they may end up rushing him at 3B or LF like they had to with Bogey in 2013 and Swihart this year.

 

Nobody doubts those two weren't rushed at a new position, and sometimes unforeseeable things happen. It's my opinion that the Middy swoon was project-able or at least had a significant known risk of happening. Yes, I think teams, including the Sox, make mistakes. I'm hoping they are not repeating one now.

[moonslav59]

So how come no teams do what you are advocating? what is it you know that they do not?

 

So, is your position that no teams make mistakes in judging when to switch a player's position and sometimes wait too long?

 

But, I guess they just shrug their shoulders and say, "That's what everyone does and it's standard procedure, so it wasn't a mistake".

 

I'm not talking about making a radical change in a player's development plan. I'm talking about taking the player aside after practice and hitting him some grounders and pop-ups at a new position for a few weeks. Then, maybe after few weeks, if the player seems to have a knack for the new position, trying him a game here and there at that new position. I seriously doubt that's going to mess with anyone's head. If they appear to be struggling with the new position,then by all means, stop.

[moonslav59]

So because MAYBE his bat is close to ready now we should move him to LF/3B because the teams needs him because HE MIGHT be better than those options at the MLB level a month or two down the road.

 

Yet you ignore the argument, which is backed up by how every MLB team handles prospects, that players shouldn't learn new positions and levels at the same time while developing. Also, when we've thrown a new level and position at a player at the same time it has seemed to really set them back. We rushed JBJ up and stuck him in LF and that could have contributed to screwing him up for 2 years, Bogaerts at 3B to SS and his 2014.

 

How do you not now that moving Moncada off of 2nd slows down his bat? because that seems to be the premise of why that is not done in player development. If that's the case then he is NOT going to be MLB ready this year.

 

You're still not convincing me why your plan is better than one of MLBs best at player development.

 

You make it sound like I'm calling for a radical change in player development (see my previous post).

 

How much time in the minors did they give JBJ in LF and Bogey at 3B? You're saying they were set back, because they moved them too early.

 

My position is that they did not give them enough time in the minors to learn a new position before thrusting them under the spotlight to learn it at the big league level. To me, those two cases back up my position, not yours.

[Hugh2]

Betts had less than 40 games under his belt at AA, before they moved him to CF, then shortly afterwards, they moved him to AAA where he played mostly OF. It has been done before and without any pressure from need at the big league level, so if can be done without need, why can't it be done (in theory) with need.

 

Again, I'm only assuming that Moncada's bat is jusged to be a month away from ML ready at worst. If that's not true, then I have no issues.

 

Personally, my opinion is that his bat is already better than a few players on the 25 man roster right now.

 

I'm never going to say I know more than the Sox, because I know I don't. My point is that Sox management might think Moncada's bat is ready or very near ready, but may not move him to another position until it's too late. Or, they may end up rushing him at 3B or LF like they had to with Bogey in 2013 and Swihart this year.

 

Nobody doubts those two weren't rushed at a new position, and sometimes unforeseeable things happen. It's my opinion that the Middy swoon was project-able or at least had a significant known risk of happening. Yes, I think teams, including the Sox, make mistakes. I'm hoping they are not repeating one now.

 

So what you're saying is that you agree with me and the Red Sox on player development. You don't move a guy to a new position until he is on the cusp of his MLB career. Now that very well could be Moncada Towards the end of this season early next but the guy was JUST promoted from A ball.

[Hugh2]

No offense Moon but you're kind of all over the place here, I'm not sure where you stand. Now you're trying make it sound more like you agree with us, but earlier in this thread it sounded like you were advocating moving guys off position earlier in their development.

 

That's a bad ideal, it doesn't happend and it shouldn't happen. How do you even know he would make a good 3B??? what I've heard from a lot of scouts is they think his skills would transition better to the outfield.

 

Regardless it doesn't matter, if his bat is still developing you don't switch him off position. It made it sound earlier that you are advocating making a guy develop his bat and switch positions at the same time. You don't do that, that is a horrible ideal with the only caveat being when a guy first is indroduced to pro ball or you move a guy from starting pitching to the bullpen.

[Hugh2]

So, is your position that no teams make mistakes in judging when to switch a player's position and sometimes wait too long?

 

But, I guess they just shrug their shoulders and say, "That's what everyone does and it's standard procedure, so it wasn't a mistake".

 

I'm not talking about making a radical change in a player's development plan. I'm talking about taking the player aside after practice and hitting him some grounders and pop-ups at a new position for a few weeks. Then, maybe after few weeks, if the player seems to have a knack for the new position, trying him a game here and there at that new position. I seriously doubt that's going to mess with anyone's head. If they appear to be struggling with the new position,then by all means, stop.

 

No I'm not saying that you're saying that. You're confusing outcome with strategy. It's like putting Mike Trout on 1B to get to the next hitter and he hits a HR, it might be the right decision with the wrong outcome.

 

You can't completely contradict standard player development procedure and then claim you're not talking about radical change because that is EXACTLY what you're doing. I can call an apple a duck but it's still an apple. You're completely contradicting yourself here.

[moonslav59]

I trust Sox management, but believe they have made some mistakes in the past. Those mistakes were not hindsight judgments on my behalf. I thought they should have given Bogey more reps at 3B before they did. I thought they should have given Swihart Betts some reps in the OF before they did. I wasn't for moving JBJ to LF. I was for moving Ellsbury there for two reasons:

1) JBJ was better than Ellsbury in CF, and that's the more important position.

2) Ellsbury had already played LF: JBJ had not.

 

I do agree that the standard guideline of not making a player change position very soon after changing levels is a good guideline, and if a player is not viewed as being close to ML ready, then there is no hurry.

 

My position is not to change Moncada's position 100%. I'm just saying we should begin giving him some practice at 3B and /or LF and maybe a few games later on. That's different from making a total change of position.

 

Hugh, I repsect the hell out of you, and I value your opinion. I'm not even sure we disagree that much here. If Moncada is not close to ML ready offensively, then we have no argument. I happen to believe he is, or at least he's better than what we have right now on the bench and in a month, I may believe he's better than Holt, Shaw or HanRam (all starters). Maybe I'm caught up in wishful thinking, but I am pretty certain that in a month or two, we'll be looking to Moncada and/or Benintendi for help or grossly overpaying for a decent player.

[moonslav59]

No I'm not saying that you're saying that. You're confusing outcome with strategy. It's like putting Mike Trout on 1B to get to the next hitter and he hits a HR, it might be the right decision with the wrong outcome.

 

You can't completely contradict standard player development procedure and then claim you're not talking about radical change because that is EXACTLY what you're doing. I can call an apple a duck but it's still an apple. You're completely contradicting yourself here.

 

How would giving Bogey some extra practice and a few spotted starts at 3B before the 10 games he was put there at the end of 2013 be a radical divergence from standard procedure?

 

With Swihart, I did suggest we start playing him a different positions long ago, but I never suggested he stop catching (even less than 60-70% of the time).

[Hugh2]

I trust Sox management, but believe they have made some mistakes in the past. Those mistakes were not hindsight judgments on my behalf. I thought they should have given Bogey more reps at 3B before they did. I thought they should have given Swihart Betts some reps in the OF before they did. I wasn't for moving JBJ to LF. I was for moving Ellsbury there for two reasons:

1) JBJ was better than Ellsbury in CF, and that's the more important position.

2) Ellsbury had already played LF: JBJ had not.

 

I do agree that the standard guideline of not making a player change position very soon after changing levels is a good guideline, and if a player is not viewed as being close to ML ready, then there is no hurry.

 

My position is not to change Moncada's position 100%. I'm just saying we should begin giving him some practice at 3B and /or LF and maybe a few games later on. That's different from making a total change of position.

 

Hugh, I repsect the hell out of you, and I value your opinion. I'm not even sure we disagree that much here. If Moncada is not close to ML ready offensively, then we have no argument. I happen to believe he is, or at least he's better than what we have right now on the bench and in a month, I may believe he's better than Holt, Shaw or HanRam (all starters). Maybe I'm caught up in wishful thinking, but I am pretty certain that in a month or two, we'll be looking to Moncada and/or Benintendi for help or grossly overpaying for a decent player.

 

Ok fair enough, so lets revisit this position in a month from now if Moncada is absolutely mashing it in Portland.

 

FWIW, everything I've read about his defense has eluded that his errors have come on balls on the ground. He gets to and makes fantastic defensive plays on whats in the air, and the kid has a strong arm too....sounds like LF/RF might be a better position for him than 3B. But that's speculation.

[Hugh2]

How would giving Bogey some extra practice and a few spotted starts at 3B before the 10 games he was put there at the end of 2013 be a radical divergence from standard procedure?

 

With Swihart, I did suggest we start playing him a different positions long ago, but I never suggested he stop catching (even less than 60-70% of the time).

 

It wouldn't but giving a guy only 3 games above A ball or less reps at multiple positions would.

[Spudboy]

Holy crap.

[User Name]

How is this argument still going on?

[Spudboy]

How is this argument still going on?

 

That is why I posted Holy crap.