moonslav59

Great win tonight! I guess the worries about our offense sputtering are put to rest.

...and Kelly threw another scoreless inning.

3+ hits by all our top 5 in the line-up. Damn!

There's a whole lot to like! DD da man!

I thought Cora wasn't a platoon-type guy.

I think Vazquez hits better than Leon, although he didn't show it for the first 2 months of this year. I think Swihart has been given more than enough opportunities to show he can play at the MLB level. We've bent over backwards to help him find a nitch. He made the team due to being out of options. We cut a $22M contract to keep him around, which I was strongly in favor of. He's finally showing something positive- the only time since 2015. I'm pulling for him bigtime. I'd love to see him beat out Leon or Vaz, but it's going to take a heck of a lot more than 32 PAs and a 2 month slump by Vaz to convince me.

Just 3 weeks of development from an another organization is enough to undo all the bad our prospect developers did.

To me, if we can trade Nunez while paying half his future salary, we'd not only get back under that max penalty line for 2018 and better our budget for 2019, but we'd also give Swihart a legitimate slot on the 25 man roster as a 2/3 catcher and utility man.

I'm just asking why you are choosing to judge Swihart on just his last 30 days and 32 PAs but not Vaz and his last 30 days and 60 PAs? If you go beyond the last 30 day sample size, Vaz and Leon both have longer and better stretches of hitting better than any long stretch by Swihart. You are selectively looking at just Vaz and Leon's most recent 3 month sample size and comparing it to Swihart's 32 PA sample siz3 while ignoring his previous 3+ years of performance (or his April-June 2018 numbers).

Maybe Vaz was just having a defensive slump. Those do happen. I refuse to believe Vaz is no longer a more than plus defensive catcher. He may not be "elite", but I think he's close, despite his 2018 blip. I agree Swihart shows more versatility, and I've been arguing we try Swihart at different positions from before we actually started doing it. I definitely feel Swihart has way more upside on offense than Vaz & Leon combined, but he has yet to prove it. Both Leon and Vaz have had longer stretches of hitting better than Swihart's one longer glimpse of good hitting back in 2015 (.712). Swihart hit .840 way back in 2015 at AA. For that, everybody has been all gah gah for years. .539 in 2017 in AAA 9212 PAs) .575 in 2017 in Gulf (38 PA) .720 in 2016 in 74 PAs MLB .655 in 2016 AAA .738 in 2015 in AA/AAA .649 in 2014 in AAA after his promotion from AA Am I missing something other than his last 32 PAs? Leon .845 MLB (283 PA) 2016 Longer good hitting stretch than any of Swihart's .644 MLB (301 PA) 2017 .604 MLB (188 PA) 2018 Vaz .585 (184 PAs) in 2016 .735 (345 PAs) in 2017 Longer good hitting stretch than any of Swihart's Again, I'm not arguing Leon or Vaz are better hitters than Swihart, but both have longer and better sample sizes of doing well than Swihart has had on OFFENSE. Swihart has yet to prove he's a better hitter, and he has a long way to go to show he's better defensively. .548 (218 PAs) in 2018

Vaz was worse than horrible for 2 months and did very well over his last 60 PAs. Swihart has not shown squat for years and has done very well for 32 PAs. Can you admit there is not enough sample sizes here to make definitive judgments at this time? I hate to sound like I'm dissing Swihart, because I like the guy and have always hoped he'd do well. The fact is, he wouldn't have even been on the 25 man roster, if he had an option left.

What was Swihart's WAR from April 1 to June 30th?

Again, it's ALL about most recent sample sizes with you, except when it comes to Vaz's last month. His "little hot streak" was nearly twice the length of Swihart's tiny hot streak.

Why does Swihart's 32 PA sampel size get you all excited, but Vaz's 60 PA sample size before his injury after a full 2017 decent hitting season means next to nothing? To me, it's all about hope and higher ceiling. Swihart has had a long time to prove he could hit like we all hoped he could. Sorry, but I'm not convinced over a 32 PA sample size spread out over 30 days. I'm not saying Swihart cannot win the job, but to claim Vaz is now expendable based on the tiniest of sample sizes and some stats that show Vaz has been weak defensively over the first 3 months on 2018 is just not my idea of making key decision. Yes, Vaz gotoff to a horrible start, as did Swihart, but he was showing signs of turning it around before he got hurt. Vaz is still our #1 catcher. The DL has not changed that. No 32 PA sample size by our 3rd string catcher will change that either. If Swihart plays 60% of the games at catcher this month and hits .860, then maybe some depth chart adjustments might be considered (notice the words maybe and might). Thinking any GM would jump the 3rd string catcher for hitting well over 32 PAs and make his number one catcher expendable after hitting .860 over his last 60 PAs is what is truly delusional.

Before Vaz got hurt, he was the clear #1 catcher and had an .860 OPS in the month before his injury.

Why can't we ever develop kids like this one?

IMO, many teams would take Vaz right now at that contract. And, if you go by most recent sample sizes, like you are with Swihart, then Vaz should be worth $10M a year x 5 for hitting .860 in his last 60 PAs.

Vaz is our number one catcher, and I doubt another month of good/great hitting by Swihart changes that. I seriously doubt managers and GMs put as much stock in recent small sample size trends as some do here. I'm not saying bench a hot hand, but Vaz hit .735 last year over 345 PAs and hit .860 in the month before his injury this year. That was a 60 PA sample size- nearly double Swihart's recent binge. How is it that some posters discount Vaz's recent 60 PA sample size in favor of a 32 PA recent sample size? (Also, Sandy hit .845 over the whole 2016 season in 283 PAs).

It was a great extension. At worst, he could be dealt without paying a cent of his contract. This would also put us back under the max penalty line.

Sorry, but I feel this is extremely absurd. If anything, Leon would be traded or phantom DL'd, or Swihart would be traded. Vaz is the starting catcher until Swihart shows he can do well for months and months- not a 32 PA stretch spread over 30 days.

Updated... What's our 100% healthy 25 man roster (no Pedey)? Lock: Sale, Price, Porcello, ERod Kimbel, Barnes Near lock: Eovaldi, Wright, Johnson Velazquez, Hembree (no options), Thornburg, Kelly Bubble: Pomeranz, Brasier, Workman Lock: Vazquez Bubble: Leon, Swihart Lock: Moreland, Bogey, Devers, Beni, JBJ, Betts, JD Near Lock: Pearce, Kinsler, Nunez, Holt 14 Locks 11 Near Locks 5 Bubles (Leon/Swihart and Pom/Brasier/Workman) Since we need 2 catchers, a "near lock" has to be moved to "Bubble". Who could that be? Wright/Kelly/Thornburg/Hembree? Holt/Nunez?

I forgot Wright, too.

I'd go with a rotation of ... Sale Price Porcello Johnson Pomeranz When ERod returns, I'd send Pom to the pen as of now.

What if both Johnson & Pom pitch great next start?

What's our 100% healthy 25 man roster (no Pedey)? lock: Sale, Price, Porcello, ERod Kimbel, Barnes Near lock: Eovaldi, Johnson Velazquez, Hembree (no options) Bubble: Pomeranz, Kelly, Brasier, Workman:: Lock: Vazquez Bubble: Leon, Swihart Lock: Moreland, Bogey, Devers, Beni, JBJ, Betts, JD Near Lock: Pearce, Kinsler, Nunez, Holt