OnlyBucs

Small sampling; but I am not impressed by Newman.

He has good speed but so far his hitting and defense have been subpar for a first round pick.

75545C755E56310 wrote: Hey Bobster did the ghost of Dick "Dr. Strangeglove" Stuart haunt Mercer and the Bucs on defense today!  :'(
I thought maybe they had important that old, rock hard infield of Forbes Field. (Of course even that never bothered Maz.)

0E2B28283D162B232136440 wrote: Small sampling; but I am not impressed by Newman.

He has good speed but so far his hitting and defense have been subpar for a first round pick.


I agree, but I thought Diaz's defense looked bad when he hit the majors too. Now he looks like a very solid defensive catcher.



I think Newman will come around in both respects.

It takes a bit to adjust to the majors, and more for some than others. That's why people keep suggesting the younger guys start. The hope is that at some of that adjustment is over before next year gets under way. (And speaking of younger guys, with Indianapolis now eliminated, we should see more of those guys soon.)



In Neverauskus's defense, the bases were loaded when he came in. He struck out one and got a grounder to third for another. The wild pitch was a fast ball that bounced, hit the catchers shin guard and caromed away. Without the ricochet he might have gotten out of the inning unscathed.

130E2A2826430 wrote: Small sampling; but I am not impressed by Newman.

He has good speed but so far his hitting and defense have been subpar for a first round pick.


I agree, but I thought Diaz's defense looked bad when he hit the majors too.  Now he looks like a very solid defensive catcher.



I think Newman will come around in both respects.
Yeah, he was too good in the minors to be a total flop in the majors based on his initial experience. Awhile ago I cited the example of Mike Trout, arguably the games' best player, going 7 for his first 43 ABs (.163) and finished his rookie season at .220. Hall of Famer Cal Ripken was first called up in 1981 and went 5 for 39 (.128). He opened the 1982 season 7 for 60 (.117).



The point is that even some of MLB's greats got off to terrible starts making the adjustment from AAA to MLB. A little closer to home, Neil Walker's 1st taste of MLB was in 2009 as he went 7 for 36 (.194). Jeff King batted .195 in his rookie year with 215 ABs. I guess we can be a little patient with Newman.

504D696B65000 wrote: Small sampling; but I am not impressed by Newman.

He has good speed but so far his hitting and defense have been subpar for a first round pick.


I agree, but I thought Diaz's defense looked bad when he hit the majors too.  Now he looks like a very solid defensive catcher.



I think Newman will come around in both respects.


Agree with your comments on Diaz. He tried to show off his arm and made many ill advised throws. Now he is rock solid and his bat is above average. He has steadily improved and deserves the starting role in my opinion.

I would like to see Luplow called up and play everyday.