Batter's Box Interactive Magazine - Stewart Soars; Cats, Bats Sink.

Second verse, same as the first.

New Hampshire 0 at Trenton 1 (12 innings)

Another strong pitching performance, another heartbreak, as New Hampshire has now not scored in 21 innings against Trenton, falling behind 2-0 in their best of 7 series as it heads to the Live Free or Die state. Zach Stewart was the starter for the Jays in this one and he was magnificent, pitching 7 scoreless innings and allowing only 4 baserunners - 3 hits and a walk. He recorded 10 of his 21 outs via the strikeout and another 10 via the groundball, allowing only a single flyout. Danny Farquhar also contributed a scoreless 2 innings of relief, walking 2 and striking out 3 with 2 hits. Meanwhile Trystan Magnuson set down 4 of the the first 8 batters he faced via the strikeout, allowing one hit, before the 9th batter homered off him to win the game with 1 out in the 12th.

As you might imagine, scoring 0 runs didn't lead to many first class performances on the hitting side of the ledger. Darin Mastroianni doubled while Adam Loewen doubled and walked and Adeiny Hechavarria singled and walked.New Hampshire had the leadoff runner on first in the 9th and 12th and on second in the 10th but obviously manged nothing.

Posted by Anders on Friday, September 10 2010 @ 12:58 AM EDT.

Stewart Soars; Cats, Bats Sink. | 48 comments | Create New Account

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China fan - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 06:56 AM EDT (#222174) #

Brad Mills has been called up to the Jays. It's a little odd that he wasn't promoted at the same time as Shawn Hill and Robert Ray. Was it because he pitched on Monday, the last game of the Las Vegas season? The promotion of Hill and Ray was announced on Monday, but I thought it was announced after the Monday game, so Mills could have been included in the announcement. Maybe it was announced before the game, so that could explain it. But still, the Jays waited until Thursday to announce the promotion of Mills.

Why am I parsing this so closely? Because I'm trying to figure out if Mills has fallen behind Hill and Ray in the depth chart for 2011. Looks that way, but I can't be sure.

Denoit - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 07:16 AM EDT (#222175) #

Because I'm trying to figure out if Mills has fallen behind Hill and Ray in the depth chart for 2011. Looks that way, but I can't be sure.

I cant see any of those three being big parts of this organization. I would be very surprised if they even make an appearance next year. They will be behind Drabek and Stewart if not at spring trianing, then before next year is over. If Litsch and Richmond get healthy then the guys you mentioned are not even in the picture.

R Romero Vaughan - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 08:14 AM EDT (#222178) #

Encouraging stuff:

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/yankees/post/_/id/9432/pettitte-looks-sharp-in-trenton-rehab-start

"Stewart showed four pitches, pitching at 90-96 with sink and some tail with a tight, out-pitch slider at 83-87 that he threw for strikes, even back-dooring it to left-handed hitters for called strikes. His changeup was the biggest surprise, as another scout at the game told me he hadn't seen it this good before";

John Northey - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 08:16 AM EDT (#222179) #

I suspect the Jays are using September to determine which, if any, of the 3 to keep for 2011 and if any of them are parts of that future. All 3 have had some success in the minors so with the mess of pitchers for next years rotation (ML and AAA) some thinning of the herd is needed.

For 2011...

Romero, Marcum, Morrow, Cecil - locks for ML
Litsch, Rzep - have shown talent, trying to recover from injuries to claim 5th slot
Hill, Ray, Mills - auditioning for 5th slot right now
Richmond, Jo-Jo Reyes - trying to prove they deserve another shot at the majors
Drabeck, Stewart - hotshot prospects hoping to skip AAA
Carreno, many others - climbing ladder fast from lower levels to put pressure onto rosters

So for the majors/AAA I see 13 starters. You could shift a few to AA to join Carreno and other prospects but we are getting a bit crowded and I'm certain I missed a few anyways.

Smart to see what Hill, Ray, and Mills have right now. If they draw any attention from teams then they might be useful as throw in's (to complete a deal) or to get prospects who are far away still. If they do well then we might have a solid replacement for Tallet in the 6th starter/long man role at less than 1/3rd the price (and possibly a lot more effective).

brent - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 08:26 AM EDT (#222181) #

Anyone have a somewhat up to date 2010 scouting report on Bucholz? Is it a flyer on a bullpen arm or just a body to fill the AAA roster for next year?

China fan - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 09:09 AM EDT (#222186) #

....I would be very surprised if they even make an appearance next year....

Can't agree with your level of confidence on this. The 5th spot in the rotation is wide open to anyone (unless you're a big fan of Zep's recent numbers). It's too early for Drabek or Stewart to be winning a full-time rotation spot in April. But even if Mills, Hill and Ray are unable to win the 5th spot in the rotation, there's still the bullpen -- where several veterans could be departing in the offseason, leaving lots of vacancies. And even if they fail to win a spot in the rotation or the bullpen, they still need to be cultivated as potential trade bait.

....If Litsch and Richmond get healthy then the guys you mentioned are not even in the picture....

But in fact Richmond does seem to be healthy, yet he was not promoted this month. Does anyone have any information to suggest that he's injured? He's been pitching regularly -- most recently on Aug. 31 and Sept. 5 with no reports of injury.

China fan - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 09:12 AM EDT (#222187) #

One final point: the Jays have been quite fortunate that they suffered no significant injuries to the top 4 starters in their rotation this year. They might not be so lucky next year. It's much more common for one or two of their starters to be injured for weeks or longer. In that scenario, the Jays need to have pitchers such as Mills, Hill and Ray available in Las Vegas -- and the major-league experience in September can be valuable in their preparation. So, even if those three pitchers do not win a full-time slot in the rotation or bullpen in 2011, the Jays aren't going to dump all of them. There's a definite chance that one or two of them will be in the majors at some point in 2011, even if it's just as an injury replacement.

Thomas - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 09:21 AM EDT (#222188) #

One final point: the Jays have been quite fortunate that they suffered no significant injuries to the top 4 starters in their rotation this year.

This is very true. There is a quite reasonble chance some pitcher comes down with an injury next year. It is the nature of pitching.

I would be very surprised if they even make an appearance next year.

If all three are part of the team next year, which is no guarantee, I would be very surprised if at least one of them doesn't make an appearance.

ayjackson - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 09:30 AM EDT (#222190) #

It's too early for Drabek or Stewart to be winning a full-time rotation spot in April.

I think Drabek is the best option for the fifth spot from a talent and production point of view. He might not make it as they try to figure out what to do with a few other arms (showcase for trade). He has nothing left to prove in the minors. He has 41 dominating (overall) starts in AA and will be 23 by the spring. He's definitely ready for primetime.

ayjackson - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 09:34 AM EDT (#222191) #

It's quite possible that four players from the Fishercats - Drabek, Stewart, Thames, Hechavarria - make Baseball America's Eastern League Top 20 list this year. I don't think we've had four players make those lists from the entire system in a few years, let alone just one team.

bpoz - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 09:46 AM EDT (#222195) #

I am afraid that we will be talking about options regarding our excess but unproven pitchers in spring training again.

With 2010 being clearly explained to Jays fans as being a building year in which we will not contend, I was OK with the policy to hand jobs to fringe like but "potential value" players like Eveland and M Valdez. Tallet earned his spot due to 2009's 170IP and Valdez being #7 in the pen is OK. Maybe Carlson/Purcey were more deserving than Valdez. But Zep/Cecil were not given a fair chance IMO. If you cannot contend then these guys have a chance of becoming Type B free agents if they perform, that is the plan.

I want to see honest competition in 2011 spring training. Cito explained to players he sent down that it was the "option factor" that decided their fate. I want to see the absolute best team break camp in 2011.

John Northey - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 10:11 AM EDT (#222201) #

Of course we won't see 30 starts from Cecil or Morrow this season due to being left in the minors (Cecil) and an inning limit (Morrow & Cecil soon I'm sure). That means a fair number of starts for other guys (such as Tallet [5] & Eveland [9] earlier, now Hill). Next year with any luck our 5/6/7/8 starters will be guys like a healthy Hill [1], Litsch [9], Rzep [8], Richmond, and prospects like Drabeck & Stewart and near prospects like Mills & Ray will only get emergency starts. So no more Tallet/Eveland starts.

Of course, that could mean ERA+'s in the 70's still but with any luck those guys will be better in 2011 and we'll see only guys with 90+ ERA+'s starting.

John Northey - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 10:17 AM EDT (#222202) #

Options will always be a factor. If it is at all close then you send down the guy you don't lose when sent down. Simple rule of life - keep your options available as long as possible.

Drabeck and Stewart are extremely unlikely to start 2011 in the majors even if they throw 20 perfect innings in the spring as keeping them down for a few weeks adds a year before they become free agents which could be very valuable for the Jays. When you have a big 4 who have to start off in the rotation plus a stack of guys who should be good enough for a slot (Rzep, Hill, Litsch, Richmond, ...) then there is no pressure to bring up kids one minute earlier than necessary.

Now, if injuries occur and they do amazing in spring and the other contenders do horrid then things could change, but I see it needing a lot of things to go just right (or wrong) for it to happen.

ayjackson - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 10:34 AM EDT (#222203) #

Here's Law's blog entry (free) on Stewart.

Mike Green - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 10:46 AM EDT (#222205) #

Pettitte isn't that great a prospect, as he's old for the level, but New Hampshire starter Zach Stewart was extremely impressive in his seven innings of work

Nice line from Law. There is no doubt that Pettitte's upside is limited...The key point that Law makes is that Stewart's changeup has become an effective pitch. That is a big deal.

ramone - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 10:56 AM EDT (#222207) #

While Law had praise for Stewart this morning he also said Thames "isn't a prospect" and Thames "can't catch up to decent velo" on his twitter page.

Denoit - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 11:01 AM EDT (#222210) #

The way I see the rotation shaping up next year is the big 4 the Jays have now. Antholpolous is going to bring in a guy or two and let them fight it out for the 5th spot with Rzepczynski, and Litsch. Obviously an injury in spring training could change this. Drabek, and Stewart will probably start the year in AAA, with a small chance one of them is so good in spring training they cant keep him down. But that being said those two will probably be the first two to be recalled due to injury. So unless there are 4 injuries to pitchers at any one time I dont see Mills, Hill, or Ray getting a shot.

ayjackson - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 11:01 AM EDT (#222211) #

keithlaw Probably yes to both. RT @Ryan_JF_Foley @keithlaw Any chance Stewart or Drabek see extended time in the Majors next season? 4 minutes ago via web

Mike Green - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 11:03 AM EDT (#222212) #

That too is interesting. I know that Thames has troubles with left-handed pitching, but I haven't heard that he can't hit a 94 mph fastball from a right-hander before. Any observations from regular Fisher Cat watchers?

ayjackson - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 11:08 AM EDT (#222213) #

From Keith Law's twitter:

In reply to Gerry:

No, Thames isn't a prospect, can't catch up to decent velo, aided by NH park this year. Loewen's an org player right now.

In reply to GoFisherCats:

Thames at home: .323/.399/.591. On road: .257/.343/.467

Ryan Day - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 11:11 AM EDT (#222214) #

Baseball America had this to say last week:

Thames' strength and power stand out, but he has an aggressive approach that leads to a lot of strikeouts, and he may not hit consistently enough to be an everyday player in the majors. His speed and defense are fringy, so his bat has to carry him.

China fan - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 11:31 AM EDT (#222217) #

So, after discounting all the Vegas hitters because of the PCL and Vegas field factor, now we're supposed to discount all the New Hampshire hitters too? Never heard this before. Keith Law seems to be his usual cynical self on this one.

ayjackson - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 11:37 AM EDT (#222218) #

Take Keith Law at face value. He sees a prospect and makes an assessment. That's his job. He doesn't have the luxury of following each over the course of a season to develop his opinion. It worked in our favour for Drabek and Stewart this week as both moved up his rankings in his eyes after good showings. It worked against Thames.

FWIW, Thames hasn't hit since coming back from injury at the end of the season. His timing may well be off.

bpoz - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 11:48 AM EDT (#222220) #

WOW !! Our pitching is so rich at the moment that we can talk about many many combos that all work. Here is a combo to consider.

Various names have been mentioned for that 5th starter spot and they are all legitimate. I just changed my Drabeck/Stewart opinion from "no" to "it could be the best thing". 3 of our top 4 are recent to that high standard, so looking at their "just before making it" history, I believe their history is not as shiny as that of Drabeck and Stewart.
Consider your views for:-
1) Was Marcum a no doubt about it choice for the Opening Day start for 2010? Who $ Why gets that tasty plum for 2011?
2) Compare R Romero starting the 2009 year to Drabeck/Stewart starting the 2011 year with the Jays. How do you rate the 2 cases?
3) Morrow opening 2010 with the Jays and struggled badly. I would have started Morrow in NH. I was wrong but it made sense to me.
4) All of the other contenders have more ML experience, some with over 20 starts. That experience will definitely be an advantage in the early going. But the possibility is quite good that we end 2011 with another Morrow type as our 5th if Drabeck/Stewart get to open 2011 with the Jays.
The experience of 20+ starts for Drabeck/Stewart in 2011 could make our top 4 a top 5.
5) If our 5th is not Drabeck/Stewart I see that 5th guy as pitching well enough to not lose his job. So Drabeck/Stewart have to wait for an injury or something to get their opportunity but only if their performance puts them at the top of the "deserves to be called up 1st list". So that is the 6th guy, and conditions will determine how many starts #6 gets in 2011.
6) Jays would want to showcase excess pitching for trades. What is the best way? There are different ways to do this too.

Pistol - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 11:50 AM EDT (#222221) #

now we're supposed to discount all the New Hampshire hitters too? Never heard this before.

Not all of them, but right field in NH is pretty short. So if you're a LH who can pull the ball with a little lift you're going to have pretty good numbers at home (think Chip Cannon). But his road stats aren't terrible either. He's probably somewhere in between the home and road stats, but I'd guess closer to the road stats.

bpoz - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 12:28 PM EDT (#222224) #

If the ballpark is over rating our hitters, then does this mean that our pitchers are being under rated?

ayjackson - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 12:54 PM EDT (#222226) #

I don't think it's a hitters park overall. It's a doubles park for lefties and a homer park for lefties with loft in their swing, allegedly.

katman - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 02:23 PM EDT (#222233) #

The factor not being considered in these rotation exercises is Alex A. He knows he still has a couple holes to fill, and his team is gelling so sooner is better than later. I don't see him trading anyone casually, but at the same time it's a definite possibility, even among the front 4.

So, get a handle of everyone, say I - then let's see what happens this off-season.

DiscoDave - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 03:01 PM EDT (#222242) #

I know the Jays brass won't do it, but, why not look to a 6 man rotation with Drabek/Stewart/"the field" sharing starts? Both the #5 & #6 starter gets ML experience and limits the innings on their arms. This kind of out of the box thinking may be what the Jays need to make the jump to a contender...although adding another WC slot would help as well...

FisherCat - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 03:46 PM EDT (#222245) #

A general reply to all the concerns regarding Thames and lefties in general w/r/t the short RF in New Hampshire.

The field is real short at the foul pole and about 15-20ft from it, but from there it quickly becomes a somewhat more normal HR shot as you approach R-CF.

Most HR's I've been witness to @ the 25+ games I've attended wouldn't have gone out at Fenway, but would've likely had a decent chance at Rogers Dome. The majority of RF HRs tend to be of the 380ft + variety, not the 345ft kind.

As for Thames, I've never seen him have issues catching up to good heaters. Now I can't say I've seen a good sample of his ABs against guys throwing 95+, but he seems more capable than others I've seen that have obviously loooong swings (e.g. Kratz, Dopirak, Cannon...).

FisherCat - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 04:04 PM EDT (#222247) #

Just saw a note on the NH FCats website stating the Edwin Encarnacion will be starting his rehab in the game tonight.

Is it just me, or is this the one time I'm not excited about a major leaguer coming down to "help" the minor league team? DH him please!

ayjackson - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 04:10 PM EDT (#222249) #

This has to be in response to the Pettitte start. I don't think there's any other reason to give EE a rehab stint.

dan gordon - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 04:13 PM EDT (#222250) #

Thames only had 3 more HR's at home than on the road. Bottom line to me is that at age 22, he hit .313/.386/.487 in high A and at age 23 he hit .288/.370/.526 at AA and it wasn't in hitters' leagues like the Texas League. Unlikely he can do that if he can't hit a good fastball. I think he's a prospect. Maybe not an A prospect, maybe he's likely to be a platoon player, but he's got a shot. I think he puts up some very nice numbers in LV next year.

Mike Green - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 04:33 PM EDT (#222252) #

Thank you, Fisher Cat. That's what I had thought.

The BA comment about Thames' defensive abilities was also new to me. I had thought that the scouting report indicated that he had more than ample range for a corner outfielder, but a poor arm. Any thoughts, Fisher Cat?

Personally, I would be happy if Thames opened 2011 in a platoon with Mastroianni in left-field in Toronto, with Mastroianni also getting some significant time backing up Wells. There are quite a few decisions about other players that have to be made first, though.

John Northey - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 04:44 PM EDT (#222253) #

Need to send down Bautista for a 'rehab' as well :)

It seems they need to put in real rules on this stuff as it is silly for major leaguers to be used in playoff games. Perhaps a requirement that any players on the roster had to have played for the team at some point in the season would help. Maybe only allowing guys who are optioned to the team to play (as no major leaguer would be). Both rules together would cut down a bit on this stuff.

DaveB - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 04:48 PM EDT (#222255) #

It's interesting to note Law's observations but you have to keep in mind he is now a guy in the media rather than a guy in professional baseball. He's paid to see things in black and white and Thames right now is in that grey area of

a slump, along with just about everyone else on his team. Thames has 827 minor league plate appearances, which is an incredibly low number for a good hitter finishing his first season in AA.

It's by far the lowest number of any of the EL's top 20 hitters based on OPS. The next closest was Nationals recent call-up Danny Espinosa with 1,205; Red Sox prospect Anthony Rizzo has 1,216; most of the others have double or more the number of PA. Brandon Laird, the EL MVP

and almost a year younger than Thames, has 1,766 P

As. There isn't a Major League team that wouldn't consider Thames a good hitting prospect, but he's at least one full season away from any meaningful evaluation.

Considering Law was a staunch supporter of Wallace, and an outspoken critic of the trade for Gose, it's ironic that Thames has put up hitting numbers through two minor league seasons that are almost exactly the same (or better) as Wallace had in his first two years through 2009, right down the line from K/BB ratio to HR to slash elements to line drive percentage to righty-vs lefty disparity (though Wallace had a reverse split). As for college pedigree, Thames' best season was much better than Wallace's best season. Peripherals such as ground ball and fly ball percentages also favour Thames.

So, I'm tempted to c

all his dismissal of Thames as a prospect at best premature (as may have been the case with calling Wallace a great prospect) and at worst a crock of crap.

MatO - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 04:56 PM EDT (#222256) #

Am I the only one getting those strange little boxes with an x in them whenever DaveB posts?

ayjackson - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 04:59 PM EDT (#222257) #

I got 7 red x's in boxes in his post.

MatO - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 05:01 PM EDT (#222258) #

I get 8. 7 in his post and one at the bottom.

Gerry - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 05:11 PM EDT (#222261) #

Mike:

re: Thames defense, I heard, and saw, that he is somewhat raw in the field, or prone to making mistakes. He might not be much different from Fred Lewis come to think of it.

ayjackson - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 05:41 PM EDT (#222264) #

If the F-cats lose tonight or tomorrow, I wonder if Drabek starts Monday in Baltimore. He does have a few innings left until he maxes out.

TamRa - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 05:59 PM EDT (#222266) #

I'm trying to figure out if Mills has fallen behind Hill and Ray in the depth chart for 2011.

No, that seems real unlikely.

But in fact Richmond does seem to be healthy

He is - the reason he's not up is because they sent him to help out NH in the playoffs. He'll be up after that is settled I'm sure.

It's too early for Drabek or Stewart to be winning a full-time rotation spot in April.

If Drabek owns in ST and no one else pitches well he might force their hand, though i think the ideal time frame is early June.

Stewart, despite so many suggesting he has a shot to skip AA, still needs a full season to build up his innings so he would have to be astounding to force the issue. the real interesting question comes next winter when, if Drabek steps into the front 5, then what will the Jays do to make a spot for Stewart in 2012?

I'd sort out the crowd like this, assuming no new bodies or exits before ST:
Locks of course: R-Ro, Marcum, Morrow, Cecil
Stop-gap fifth starter derby:
Hill, Richmond, Mills, Zep, Litsch, Ray (if healthy) McGowan (surely won't be ready)
Eventual fifth starter by mid-season: Drabek
Good enough but needs another season to stretch his innings ceiling: Stewart

My instinct is that Richmond, Ray, and Mills have enough potential to make the team as relievers that the jays will start with a mild prejudice for Hill to make the rotation out of ST and use Listch's option to let him get his polish back in the minors if he can. but if Hill is unimpressive and one of the others shows something, they'd easily change that plan.

another value of Hill being the guy is that if he impresses, they are more likely to be able to flip him for value when Drabek needs room. Other teams might be more skeptical that there is real value in Richmond or ray or even Mills. Hill was well regarded when healthy.

I think Drabek is ahead of all these guys as far as the depth chart, but strategically i think they'd be inclined to give him 6-8 weeks in the minors. Stewart will only reach about 150 IP this year which means he cold go as far as 180 next year, but they went WAY over the +20% standard this year and my guess is they will compensate for that in 2011 given they have the depth to do so (plus, in the long term view, better not to break him and Drabek in at the same time, and plus-plus, you'd have to deal one of the big 4 for him to even have a spot)

In the pen, if they bring back Gregg, then you have him and Purcey and Janssen and Carlson (presumably) and Camp and Roenicke (presumably) and maybe Tallet (though he cold be dealt, non-tendered, or not make it out of ST...just depends on whether it's the starting that's messed him up or if he's in decline) which is seven guys with varying levels of grip on a spot

Then you have Hayhurst and Lewis as fringe candidates and the possibility that Richmond, Ray, and/or Mills might push someone aside. (Mills pushing Tallet or Carlson out for instance)

I DON'T think AA will make a big effort to bring in more candidates, except in the sense that he picks up a Bucholz type for nothing.

cybercavalier - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 06:58 PM EDT (#222269) #

Re: WillRain, with compliments to Ricciardi and AA, our organization is loaded pitchers. Although it is almost always good to have more pitching than necessary, I am also worried that the Achilles' Heel to this organization to push for postseason is too much pitching. Say packaging a deal of hitters and pitchers at the trading deadline to make a push for postseason, the pitching would inevitably replenish itself more quickly than batters, in other words, replenishment without hurting our organizational depth.

So building depth with talented players and prospects is the objective and mindset of AA's management? Maybe this goal is obvious to BB posters here, but I am hesitant to see it.....

Also why EE and Richmond playing now at Fisher Cats playoff? And Pettitte starting yesterday? Some rules might be necessary. I think the minor league playoff (probably except the AAA which itself features numerous ML-experienced players in the regular season) is supposed to give minor league players exposure to playoff intensity and mindset. IMO, ML rehabs cannot start a playoff game, pitching and batting.

TamRa - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 07:20 PM EDT (#222272) #

the Yanks wold argue it'sthe only competiton he has left to rehap
the counter argument is they could have just done simulated games in Florida

The Jays would say the same of EE, and .that NH pitchers are running low n IP

the counter being that Stewart pitched last night despite being 40 IP (coming into the game) past his previous high of 92

Basically, there appears to be no rule against it so its unlikely this is rare.

cybercavalier - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 07:44 PM EDT (#222276) #

Better accommondations to player and roster movement, I think.

Mike Green - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 09:15 PM EDT (#222279) #

Thanks, Gerry. I guess that all the lost time due to injury may have slowed his development in the field, as well as at the plate. Still, if he is somewhat raw in the field at age 23, there is hope that he will improve. Fred Lewis, on the other hand, is 30.

DaveB - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 10:57 PM EDT (#222288) #

Thanks for the note about strange format things showing up in my posts. Not sure why that happens (I don't see them) but I'll try some alternatives.

FisherCat - Friday, September 10 2010 @ 11:47 PM EDT (#222292) #

I never seemed to see Thames enough in the field because they were babying him by going DH/LF/DH/LF etc...When I did, he reminded me slightly of Lind in the OF.

I have to assume the platooning was done mostly to minimize the chance of his lower body injuries from flaring up, but inferior defense probably enters into the decision making process I suppose.

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