After today, 1/3 of his hit are home runs. Normally, that would be an awesome stat, but after going 1 for 4 today, he is now 15 for 94. He actually RAISED his BA to .159. So...what's up with that?
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After today, 1/3 of his hit are home runs. Normally, that would be an awesome stat, but after going 1 for 4 today, he is now 15 for 94. He actually RAISED his BA to .159. So...what's up with that?
Plouffe has the talent to make pitchers pay for mistakes. However, in MLB, the pitchers don't make enough mistakes to live on. Plouffe unfortunately spends the majority of his at-bats chasing the pitch the pitcher wants him to chase.
Plouffe is clearly a kid with potential that just has not developed to match that potential. 25 years old and he's still a stiff infielder with poor footwork and he struggles with plate discipline.
He could come around but the light bulb has to come on. He's kinda Liriano like at that plate. You can see the frustration in his posture at times like Liriano but when something accidentally goes right you can see that potential like Liriano.
Plate Discipline has killed many with potential and squashed many promising MLB Dreams.
He has an extremely low BABIP that is at .152. So in addition to not being very good, he has had some abysmal luck as well.
All Plouffe has show in the bigs is an inability to be defensively worthwhile and to show some HR pop while hitting poorly. This being said I still believe that Plouffe still can turn the corner. There's nothing not to like about a 20HR pop type of player who can play all of the IF positions and the Corner OF positions. Good progress needs to be seen this season to justify his worth. He has another 4 months to prove it. The book is not finished on Plouffe.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bark's Lounge
Yeah i would agree...just have to keep running him out there everyday. RF or 3B is where he should be when he's playing.
Most definitely!Quote:
Originally Posted by Dilligaf69
So, does this mean you believe Plouffe is a utility player? How much longer can you go with a guy who isn't hitting and doesn't play very good defense and now doesn't really have a position! I've kind of thought that there's no reason that Plouffe couldn't become a Cuddyer-like player with his defense and be a decent hitter. He probably will never have the intangibles Cuddy has (leadership, community service, MAGIC) but he could probably learn RF and get better at it. But is Plouffe getting more playing time than he deserves? Should someone else be playing instead of him? When should the Twins cut their losses with Plouffe?
I think at this point, as long as Revere is hitting above the Mendoza line Plouffe is not going to have a spot in the outfield. So basically, we're going to be stuck dealing with his sloppy 3b work 7-8 innings a night, at least until Valencia or Burroughs can earn their way back up to the bigs. At that point, Plouffe is going to become a backup or trade bait. I really would be surprised if he actually improves enough this year to make it worth keeping him around for the future.
It is up to Plouffe to decide what kind of player he is. In a season of failure and low expectations, there is no better time to throw Plouffe out there day in and day out. I like him at 3B. I suppose you could throw Jamey Carroll out there as a 38 year old journeyman, I am sure Carroll plays a big part in the Twin's future success 3-5 years down the road. Maybe Casilla? Maybe Valencia? Plouffe is out of options and I think he deserves this year to show he can do it. The afforementioned players (excluding Plouffe) are not the answer. Plouffe may not be the answer, but I sure would like to see him have an ample opportunity to prove that is the case. The 2012 season should be his to show, or not show he can cut it.Quote:
Originally Posted by TwinsTakes-RD
I don't think he's a 3B or an infielder at all. I only see him in the outfield and if he's an outfielder, when does he get playing time? I don't think you can take Ben Revere out of the lineup for Plouffe in the outfield and the Twins have the most prospects in the outfield. Is the answer trading Denard Span and moving Revere to CF? Shouldn't they be looking to trade Span anyways with the need for starting pitching?
Exactly! Plouffe is not an infielder. If we are going to give him a chance, give him some consistent playing time in the outfield. I think Bennie also deserves a chance to play everyday. I wouldn't be surprised to see Span, Doumit and the Hammer all traded for some pitching. I think the market will heat up as the trade deadline approaches. The real question is who will earn a spot on the opening day 2014 roster?Quote:
Originally Posted by TwinsTakes-RD
Other than Mauer, who will still be around in 2014?
Dozier is the next most likely to still be on the team. Other than those two, I really don't see anyone with a better than 50% chance of still being around in 2 years. I think Terry plans to clean house. Every position will be replaced by youth inside the organization or in some cases a select veteran free agent signing, where we don't have any internal options available.
Given ordinary luck according to BAbip, would his expected batting numbers be worthy of a longer look at 3B or RF?Quote:
Originally Posted by YourHouseIsMyHouse
Of the 250 players with 100 PA, Plouffe ranks 250 in BAbip. BAbip isn't entirely luck. Catchers often populate the bottom 10. Currently the bottom 10 includes 5 catchers, Scott Rolen and Ike Davis. Plouffe, Weeks and Raburn are also there. For them, I think it is extraordinarily bad luck.
What's up with Plouffe? He isn't very good.....Quote:
Originally Posted by spideyo
Plouffe has been a shortstop for most of his career. You would think that he would be able to play third base. My sense is that he has the tools, but lacks the focus.
Plouffe's best asset has always bee potential. He kept getting promoted and was always young for his level. Now he is 25, out of options and near his prime with poor stats his whole career.
My guess is he will finish the year with the Twins, be a bench player next year. Get cut and then hit his stride when turns 27 for some other team.
The Twins even said before the season that Plouffe would focus on the outfield as his position and now they are starting to put him at 3rd base. He played 3B in the minors in 76 games with 68 of those coming in 2007 & 2008! So 8 games at 3rd base in 3 seasons in the minors and the Twins are going to put him there in the majors? I'd rather see them bring up Burroughs and give him a shot and send Mastroianni down.
Plouffe apparently has decided that when he swings, he's going to swing very hard.
The rest is all about deciding when to swing, which is difficult.
Plouffe is coming on a bit the last week, he might get it going yet. Keep working!
He should be playing every day, so they get a better sense of what he can/cannot do in the future. But this team has not really committed to either winning, or playing the youth, imo.
It seems like he has been playing just about every day since Valencia got sent down. And he's not getting better. Why would you think a whole season of throwing him to the wolves is suddenly going to make him blossom into a better player than he's ever been? Remember, his minor league stats were for the most part unimpressive