Friday, October 12, 2018

This Indecision's Bugging Me. Episode II

Great response to our opening episode, folks!

Alphonso cut right to the root of the matter, as usual:  to give the musical answer from Cindy Lauper, what they have we couldn't keep.  And they're not giving it back.

The Warbler, of course, gets extra points for quoting "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"—once beloved by sportswriters for the line, "he stoppeth one of three."

But let's get right to the breaking news that Vampifella brings us:  Didi Gregorius will miss at least part of 2019 due to Tommy John surgery.

If you say that you are mine
I'll be here to the end of time...

Sir Didi:  No, of course we don't want to get rid of the beloved Didi, and even if we did, his injury would make this impossible.  But the question arises:  what do we do now?

Option 1:  Sign Manny.  The upside?  Manny is just 25, actually younger than Didi, and a terrific all-around player.  At that age, even some dangerously long contract gets a lot less dangerous.  With a 10-year deal, he would still be "only" 35 at the end of it.

The downside?  It would be another dangerously long contract.  And Manny seems to be a much better fielder at third than he is at short.

And it would shift us more than ever to being a right-handed team in a ballpark now tailored to left-handed hitters.  It would probably force us to sign Harper as well—something we should probably do anyway—to offset that, and thereby give us still more long-range exposure to catastrophe.

Finally, Manny seems to be somewhat injury prone—but then, so is everyone we seem to acquire.

Option 2:  We move The Gleyber, El Conquistador, to shortstop, his original position, and acquire somebody else to play second.  This could work very well—and make Torres feel more at home in the field.

Anyone know what second basemen might be at large?

Option 3:  We move The Gleyber to shortstop...and re-sign Neil Walker.

For this we give another musical answer, from the Cole Porter musical, Can Can:  If you love me truly/ Then you would not, should not, could not do that to me.

Si no me quieres, líbrame

El Matador:  Losing Miguel Andujar becomes all the more unlikely due to Didi's injury.  For which we can only go on our knees to say that the ways of the JuJu gods are wise and good, however harsh they may seem.

Miggy was fingered for removal during the Sox playoff series as surely as a mobster given the kiss of death by a rival capo.  First, a steady drumbeat in the press about how awful El Matador's fielding was—He has no concept of a glove!   He was blowing into it! —followed by that absurd and self-destructive benching during Game Four.

I can well-remember Old George, the Mad King trying to win the 1981 World Series while benching both Reggie Jackson and Jerry Mumphrey, whom he had come to loathe for some reason.

But really, Cashman/Boone trying to win that series with their best hitter on the bench was no less absurd.  I think the skids were clearly being greased for what could not help but have been a ludicrous move that would have haunted us for years.  El Matador dealt away for another of Cashman's "great young arms"—Weaver, Vazquez, Wright, ad nauseam.

But...now we're free of that.

It looks like Miggy stays.  So...do we try to take advantage of his excellent arm and move him to left?  Install him at first?  Or just try to make him into a better third baseman?

Hell, if Toby Harrah could play the position, El Matador can!

To be continued...








10 comments:

Alphonso said...

I have yearned for Miggy to become our left fielder. He has all the tools;

A good arm
Speed
Ability to hit
Athleticism

But they need to discuss it with him now, get his agreement, and start to work.

Do not tell me he can move to first base ! Please. It takes years of training to play that position well.

You don't just select the " nearest Yogi," buy him a foot long pine-cone collector's glove, and say, " you da man." It takes footwork ( which Miggy doesn't have at third ) and a special kind of athleticism. You almost need to be born at the position.
Sure, anyone can catch the routine throws. We saw Neal Walker do that! We have had all manner of lunk-heads trying to play there.

But cleanly fielding the short-hoopers in the dirt, wide of the bag? The stretching to the point of ballet flexibility? Knowing when and how to move to the dugout side of the bag to make a catch? Those flip plays to the pitcher?

It is a hard position to play well, and not like sticking the "worst kid" in the right field in a sandlot, pick-up game.

As you can tell, it drives me crazy when reporters say, " they can move Andujar to first." They fucking cannot and, if they do, it will degrade the infield far more than if he stays where he is.

Left field is his spot. If that doesn't work then he is gone.

I would DH him and bench Stanton, but what are the chances of that?



KD said...

I have a dumb question: try Miggy at 2nd? He's an infielder. The position is open and the ball isn't on you as fast as playing 3B. seems a better solution than 1B where I agree with Fonzie that the position is more difficult than people think.

HoraceClarke66 said...

Very interesting, guys. And quite true, in both cases. I guess I would still say that Miggy's arm would be wasted at second.

But why not left field? He could actually be a terrific fielder in left; few guys out there have his arm.

But if we do that, once again, who besides you-know-who might be available to play second?

TheWinWarblist said...

I told you all after the last post THAT WE WOULD NOT SPAKE OF IT!!! AND HERE YOU ALL GO SPAKING ABOUT IT AGAIN AND AGAIN!!?!!? HOW MUCH MORE DO YOU THINK I CAN STAND AFTER TUESDAY NIGHT!?!?!?!??? WELL!?!??? HOW MUCH MORE!?!??!!!?????

Anonymous said...

Alphonso,

I could not agree more about 1B being a skill position. It drives me nuts as well when people think it's dumping ground for the immobile. The only players that touch the ball more are the pitcher and catcher.

AnDUjar in left!

Doug K.

Anonymous said...

HELLO? What about giving Tyler Wade a shot at second base? He's got incredible speed and is a plus defender and a good hitter.

Seems like the indifference to the team's own young talent has infected HC66.

Anonymous said...

I WILL TELL YOU ONE THING.....

IF WE ARE INSANE ENOUGH TO TRADE A 23 YEARS OLD ROOKIE WHO DID WHAT HE DID THIS SEASON IN THE PRESSURE COOKER THAT IS NEW YORK....

THEN, I WANT A FUCKING STUD PITCHER, AND I MEAN A STUD!

I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF SUCH A PITCHER IS OUT THERE AND AVAILABLE NOW.

I THINK WE ARE NUTS TO EVEN THINK ABOUT DEALING HIM.

NOBODY SEEMS TO AGREE WITH ME, BUT I WOULD KEEP HIM AT 3RD.

HE'S 23.

WAS ADRIAN BELTRE A GOLD GLOVER IN THE BEGINNING?

WAS DEREK JETER?



HoraceClarke66 said...

Just for the record, I wouldn't mind giving Tyler Wade a shot at second. But considering that he seems to have trouble hitting .170 at the major-league level, he has to at last show us something, or go quietly into that good night.

thecontrarian said...

I would prefer Machado at 3B, but wherever he ends up, Machado somewhere. Miggy in left - OK, but do be prepared for it not working out. Then what? Torres at short preferably, and trade Didi now, or perhaps at the trade deadline. We might be able to get good pitching pieces for Didi.

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