Quote:
Originally Posted by VaChief
I know it is drastic but I would drop him down in the lineup and let him sit more until he proves he can produce. Let Gyorko play third. Keep Fowler hitting leadoff, followed by Pham, Ozuna, Martinez, Molina, DeJung, and Wong/Carpenter.
|
Not a chance of Carp batting 7/8.
Quote:
Originally Posted by VAChief
Carpenter does not look healthy. He doesn't seem either willing (or able) to go with any pitch away and the shift is killing him.
|
His back may be hurting more than he and the team are letting on. If thats true, that means its not going to get better.
Quote:
Originally Posted by VAChief
We can't afford Carpenter at 3rd on an everyday basis and you can't take significan at bats away from Martinez. Best fit for him is 2b where he is also a defensive liability, and at least right now not even an offensive upgrade there either.
|
How many plays a year does an "arm" make a difference at 3B? Usually the best at 3B are the best because they gloved a ball or got to one that others couldn't. But, thats still not his strength.
Quote:
Originally Posted by VAChief
We missed our chance to collect big on him in the off season.
|
I dont know if he had "big" value but he had some. He needs to bat leadoff tonight. We dont need stats or WAR. We all can see it, for whatever reason, if you put Carp at leadoff he will give you a season of .285/12/70 and a OPS of near .400. We have enough data. We have seen enough. You want that line, put him in the leadoff spot.
We need a #3 hitter. 3B is the obvious spot unless as part of the trade we open up a spot or get a SS and slide DeJong over to 3B.
With our young pitching and a solid #3 hitter we can beat the Cubs and win playoff games.