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Davis had forearm tightness in KC. He was ridden hard by Madden, and I was shocked he made it tbrough the year. All strains are tears, and I suspect a situstion similar to Reyes could develop where one day soon he id throwing 95 free and easy and the next thing you know, he is scheduling for Tommy John.
We will pay for future saves, and our FO knows just how many innings Holland’s repaired elbow has left and will offer a deal accordingly. We may be the dreaded bride’s maid, but we have at least four baby Rosenthals ready right now in Fui, Hudson, Hicks, and my choice…Reyes.
What I found interesting about Helsley when I saw him at AA was that he was clearly working off his change and cutter. He threw about 33% fastballs in the first four innings and topped out at 94 or 95. As he went deeper, his fastball frequency turned up a notch and his velocity jumped up to 96 and 97. At the end of his night in the 7th or 8th, he hit 99 and one 100. He seems coachable and willing to take risks in order to get better.
Those are measurements to ascertain levels of superiority. They offer little to show incompetence. There is a difference. Again I am fighting a losing battle defending Fowler solely on his defensive prowess; I get that. I am defending Fowler as a winning component on our team.
Frazier will cost money that we don’t have. We have money to spend, but not on guys who are spiraling downward. I am not sure I could stomach watching Hosmer hit rockets at the opponents’ second basemen all summer any more than I could take Darrell Porter hitting drives to the warning track. Our team has enough money to sign Reed, Tillman, and a closer, plus take on Donaldson’s remaining year. After trading Gyorko, Wacha, and Grichuk, we would be poised to strike next year and still have all our young pitchers and outfielders to go into next off season loaded for trades like this year. I remember Easton once stating an argument for not wasting innings of young arms at AAA, and I would be fine with forgoing a Davis or Holland signing with the idea of keeping some powder dry and seeing if Hudson and Reyes could move from the Memphis rotation into the pen in August.
I watched him; I just have reasonable expectations. He played with foot injuries. That is really tough. I get that he wasn’t the difference maker we wanted in center. He wasn’t Gorman Thomas out there either. No body complained when that big lumbering oaf played center for the Brewers because he did a respectable job for a big,lumbering oaf. You want Fowler to be Willie McGee? You are going to be disappointed. You want him to be Edmonds? Sorry he isn’t. He is a 6’5″ guy who can play center. We are very lucky to be able to move him to left or right next year. He is not a liability at all at any outfield position.
Whitey always said you should trade three good players for one great one. Longoria isn’t great, but Donaldson is. I would give Gyorko, Wacha, Grichuk, and a pitcher like Artie Reyes for Donaldson without hesitation. This would improve the Blue Jays and Cards right now. That group might not produce 7 war, but they would be close. It takes the years of control down from the 18 Mo lamented to a more palatable 8 or 9 not counting Reyes.
Did we all watch the same season unfold last year? Fowler was not the defensive upgrade we dreamed of in center, but he played well all season. He got on base, drove in runs, got timely hits, provided leadership, and earned his money. We value defensive versatility, but rarely recognize it on the offensive side. It still has value. He is a big, wiry guy. He is never going to be a quick-twitch explosive player, but he covers ground and is a winner. I can tell you that counts for a lot. People who have never managed a group of diverse personalities don’t recognize the power of nuances. You can’t cure cancer…not even with winning. Teams win in spite of cancerous personalities sometimes, but that is rare and fleeting. Players like Dexter are wildly important and analytics fall short in that area. I find it hard to believe the negativity I am reading is coming from posters whose insights I have enjoyed for years.
It is not out of the question that Munoz would be our starting shortstop next year, and we are improved at that position. He could be the real deal with a 70 arm, a good hit tool, great hands, and speed. Think about Dejong at 3B with Gyrko as super sub with the guy we dreamed Diaz would become suddenly standing there in the form of Munoz. Sefarina is the real deal, too. Shrock is the real deal. Both of these guys should pass Valera (who can flat out hit) and Tovar. We have a lot of MLB ready depth when you add Mejia.
You should be excited because his bad season still contributes to a bullpen averaging more than 10 strike outs per game which heavily contributes to winning.
