Week in Review: Mixed Feelings

[Minny505]

2 hours ago, Bigfork Twins Guy said:

I get the comments regarding Max and not just letting him go for nothing from a depth perspective.  Why can't he sit on the bench rather than start every day and hit cleanup (like he did yesterday).  Also, somebody suggested that he go to CF against his wishes.  I'd rather have MAT there than Max.

Agreed on this. Max seems like a fine fit as the perpetual 4th OFer that gets 250-300 PAs a year, starting 1-2 games a week in CF* against a RHP, and the 4th or 5th man on the depth chart for extended play in the COF. 

This situation is downright Punto-nian. It's not that either player is useless on a MLB roster. It's that the way the manager utilizes them that over-exposes their weaknesses, turning the fanbase against them. In both situations, the player can be a solid contributer and in both situations the manager is sabotaging the opportunity for that result.

*Kepler has clearly been surpassed by other options in the COF that are either better or deserve runway to prove they are better. As such, Kepler needs to be the CF backup. He is being paid millions of dollars to play for a MLB team and will do what they tell him he needs to do to stay on the roster. If he is not willing to do that, he gets let go. This is a rare comparison where his job and your job actually are the same.

[Guest]

9 hours ago, John Belinski said:

Max was a favorite of mine, but he just cannot hit anymore. Setting Wallner down was really a big mistake for a team that needs hitters. Rocco just cannot make changes.  How long will it take for Rocco to stop using a .200 hitter in the 3 spot? I can only assume that Rocco keeps thinking that Correa will start hitting so he leaves him in the 3 spot. Correa is the worst hitter in the 3 spot in all of baseball. Move him down until he starts hitting and then move him back to 3 spot. For a manager that looks at numbers it is really hard to understand why he is keeping a .200 hitter in the 3 spot.

Max and Wallner are both favorites of mine.  But Matt still strikes out 33% of the time at AAA (not improving), and his BABIP is .442 so he looks like a bright shiny penny right now.  He'll be 26 this year and I'd love to see his plate discipline improve, but I'm unsure we need to add a guy who can out-Gallo Joey Gallo when we're leading the world in SO.

[Doctor Gast]

22 hours ago, Nash Walker said:

Hey Doc! Appreciate the comment. I am loving Reno and the Aces. It's a great opportunity here and I am calling games and growing every day!

Yeah, & the weather is nicer