pipers44

To me, it is a mountain/molehill thing but the mountain is made by Donaldson reacting the way he did. He could have simply called time, stepped out, given Arraez a little nonverbal head nod and get back in the box. Then have a subtle conversation in the dugout/tunnel to make sure everyone is on the same page. I like a player with some fire as much as the next guy, but Donaldson is all about Donaldson and I think he rubs a lot of his teammates the wrong way. Or maybe he just rubs me the wrong way. ?

And, reading between the lines of the article, he enjoys having fun on the town. I believe it was Antony who expressed concern about him being in New York for a good part of this off season. He is absolutely critical to the long term success of this franchise and is too young to give up on playing the field. Whoever is brought in to lead this franchise and whoever they add to the coaching staff must find a way to get through to Sano.

I don't understand why everyone thinks Gibson is a lock for the rotation. He is as inconsistent as they come and is no longer young, with upside. Obviously, the options are limited behind him, but he is no more of a lock in my mind than Duffey, Santiago, HUghes, etc.

I would like to hear a little more about Rosario defensively. It mentioned that he moved around the diamond...was it more than 2nd and CF? Also, how does he look as a 2nd baseman? It would be huge for the organization if he can stick at 2nd and become a decent fieder and good hitter at that position. I am tired of having all these utility guys playing the middle infield spots.

He doesn't hit home runs. He doesn't hit home runs. He doesn't hit home runs. He doesn't hit home runs. He doesn't hit home runs. He doesn't hit home runs. He doesn't hit home runs. He doesn't hit home runs. He doesn't hit home runs. He doesn't hit home runs. He doesn't hit home runs. He doesn't hit home runs. He doesn't hit home runs. He doesn't hit home runs. He doesn't hit home runs. He doesn't hit home runs. He doesn't hit home runs. He doesn't hit home runs. He doesn't hit home runs. He doesn't hit home runs. He doesn't hit home runs. He doesn't hit home runs. He doesn't hit home runs. He doesn't hit home runs. He doesn't hit home runs. He doesn't hit home runs. He doesn't hit home runs. He doesn't hit home runs. He doesn't often for sure, but is he capable? I believe he is and should look to drive the ball more. I believe he can drive a ball more (by the way, driving the ball and taking aggressive swings doesn't have to result in a HR, more doubles/triples are perfectly acceptable and will result in more rbis)without making a huge sacrifice in avg and OBP.

I don't believe he has to be a .260 hitter. I think he is capable of being a .300, 20HR 100rbi with a slight adjustment in approach.

2 seasons that he has had 85 or more rbis, can't call that "usually". IMO he is one of the best hitters in baseball, but he does not drive in enough runs or hit for enough power for this team. I believe he can and should do more even if it means sacrificing some average or OBP.

I will admit I am not a stats geek, but I do know that stats never tell the whole story. So, Brock or anyone else, explain to me why he doesn't drive more runs in. He has never driven in more than 96 in his career. My take is that he typically slaps a single to left which does not result in the runner at second scoring very often. He also does not look to be aggressive enough when the count is in his favor.

And his unwillingness to take an aggressive swing when the count is squarely in his favor accounts for the fact that he only has 60 some rbis in spite of these impressive numbers with RISP. He is an incredible hitter, but the teams needs him to do more than just get on base.

Our # 3 hitter has 60 some RBIs. I want more than that from my #3 hitter. IMO he needs to look to drive the ball more in those favorable count situations. He is an incredible hitter, but with room for improvement. Also, does anyone else think his throwing from behind the plate has deteriorated?

I would like them try and get a legitimate middle infielder this offseason, but if they don't, why not get rid of Carrol, offer arbitration to Casilla and have a rotation of Dozier, Cassilla, and Escobar with Nishi and Floriman in the wings? Ugh, I don't really like the sound of that, but at least they save a little cash by getting rid of Carrol. Of course we have to find someone willing to take him off our hands. I actually don't mind Casilla, he occassonally gets a clutch hit, makes some great plays in the field and steals some bases.

How do you know "they certainly could have tried harder on Blackburn, and especially Liriano?" Do you sit in their offseason meetings? Hind sight is always 20-20. It was not unreasonable to think that Pavano would pitch his 200 plus innings with a 4 something ERA. It was not unreasonable to think Baker would pitch most of a season at his career numbers. It was a realistic gamble to hope Blackburn would bounce back and pitch to the level of success he had shown in the past. Same thing with Liriano. If you want to rip them for being locked into contracts with Pavano and Blackburn and Baker, then fine, but to rip them for not signing other starting pitchers when they were already locked in with three pitchers who had shown success is unrealistic. They made a great signing with Willingham in spite of his poor defense, but they were not going to be able to afford him, Doumit, Carrol, and a couple of the many SP FAs. Now, if they do not do something this offseason to address the rotation, I will be the first to rip them. Also, comparing last years record to this years at this point means absolutely nothing. They were coming off a stretch right before the deadline last year that boosted their record and then bombed the rest of the way. Lets see how the rest of the year plays out and then we can compare the two. I am willing to bet that they will finish significantly better then last year.

I am curious as to what many of the detractors expected this past offseason. IMO, this team had so many holes that they had to make a decision on what to address within the confines of their budget. They chose to gamble a bit and hope their starting rotation would bounce back and perform at a level that each of them has shown in the past. Baker and Pavano both get hurt and Blackburn and Liriano both under performed. They tried signing their typical cheap fill in, Marquis. In my eyes, this was a reasonable gamble. They made an unbelieveable signing in Willingham, maybe the best FA signing in baseball. Doumit fits very well with what they want and need to do with Mauer and they fixed their bullpen on the cheap. With the lineup returning and the bullpen mostly covered for next year, I think we need to give TR a chance to address the starting pitching and middle infield this offseason. There was no way he was going to be able to address it all in one offseason.

I wonder if they are considering using Mauer in RF on the days he doesn't catch? A lot may depend of how Parmelee handles things at 1B. Ultimately, I am in agreement with their best outfield being Willingham LF, Revere CF, and Span RF, but Gardy doesn't seem interested in even considering it.