OnlyBucs

Would anyone try to extend him for an extra "make good" season the year after that. He might be a bargain.

505951404E340 wrote: Yeah, we are guaranteed. It's a team option next year for nothing


I didn't know that. I don't really understand his contract. Baseball Reference says Team Option at $5.5 million for 2019 and then Arbitration starts. That's the first I have seen that and I have checked before.



Kind of changes things...

I think pegging Moran as below average at this time is quite premature. His .356 OBP is good and the defense has been adequate. This is his first time getting regular MLB at bats and he has shown plenty IMO, just needs to up the slugging percentage to edge into the top half MLB third baseman.

4479676A656F64466E79686E6F0B0 wrote: I think pegging Moran as below average at this time is quite premature. His .356 OBP is good and the defense has been adequate. This is his first time getting regular MLB at bats and he has shown plenty IMO, just needs to up the slugging percentage to edge into the top half MLB third baseman.
I don't see that happening. I like his approach and think he can be ok, decent average, good .OBP. If he can't hit 20HR's I don't think the rest of his game is good enough to be above average.

4A7A766D6D707754786A6A190 wrote: While I am rooting for Kang to come back to anywhere near where he was as much as anyone, don't you guys think you're jumping the gun with him a bit?



Team friendly extensions, trading JHay, sitting Moran more, etc.



He's had 17 AB's as a 31 year old in a league where the average age is about 22 with 2-3 years of pro ball experience.



He;s under control for this year and next, so let's see what AAA holds for him before we go too crazy.

Again, I too want him to succeed and help the big league club.




I agree completely with this. Kang's experience in A ball is at least successful enough to get me to believe there might still be something there. I mean, at least he's not 0-17. But, if Swiggert/Swaggert/whatever our first round pick's name is starts our his MiLB career like that, everyone will say, "It's early, small sample size, etc." This (Kang) is a guy who has played two years of MLB, following a very successful career in the highest level of pro ball in Korea, which supposedly is on par with AA ball here. Frankly, if he wasn't destroying A ball pitching, the should just cut bait with him and be done with it.



dmetz, I appreciate greatly your insight on this board. And, I sincerely hope you're right on Kang. I would love, love, LOVE to be wrong on this. I'm just not going to get excited over a 31 year old big leaguer teeing off on guys fresh out of college ball who might not even be allowed to throw breaking balls.

3D363E3237362D686E192038313636773A36590 wrote: Yeah, we are guaranteed. It's a team option next year for nothing


I didn't know that.  I don't really understand his contract.  Baseball Reference says Team Option at $5.5 million for 2019 and then Arbitration starts.  That's the first I have seen that and I have checked before.



Kind of changes things...


The arbitration can all be thrown out the window I believe, because he was signed to a ML contract.    So we have him for 2019 for a measley 5.5 mil. 



I agree he's going to feel like he owes us, the fans, the org etc..  use that and the 5.5 next year to extend him out to 2022 or something on aggressively team friendly terms.  I'd praise NH if he did that.   That's the kind of core I'd love to build around.

7D747C6D63190 wrote: Yeah, we are guaranteed. It's a team option next year for nothing


I didn't know that.  I don't really understand his contract.  Baseball Reference says Team Option at $5.5 million for 2019 and then Arbitration starts.  That's the first I have seen that and I have checked before.



Kind of changes things...


The arbitration can all be thrown out the window I believe, because he was signed to a ML contract.    So we have him for 2019 for a measley 5.5 mil. 



I agree he's going to feel like he owes us, the fans, the org etc..  use that and the 5.5 next year to extend him out to 2022 or something on aggressively team friendly terms.  I'd praise NH if he did that.   That's the kind of core I'd love to build around.   


But why extend him for 3 more years when they don't know if he can play at the ML level? All he's shown is he can hit at the A+ level and at that, just 17 AB's.

For me, he would need to show something this year at the ML level and then maybe I would think of extending him in the off season beyond next year. No way would I do that now.

If he succeeds. They have time to watch Kang play before they can decide on an extension.

Easy Answer.  He has already proven he can hit at the ML level, and elite for the positions he plays.   



He's a career 129 w/RC in 837 PA vs major league pitching.



Not only that, but he was getting BETTER even after the knee injury and all the mental stuff that was going on with an investigation etc...  .513 slugging and 132 w/RC with 21HR in 318 at bats in 2016.   Those numbers are uncanny for someone who plays 3b, 2b and some probably shortstop, or at least fake it there at worst. 



What he's doing now is just a warmup...  We pencil guys in that have never had real great success at the ML level and extend them.. and  run them out there for years in some cases (polanco) hoping they can get it.   



Here's a guy who's already done it 1.5 years ago.  I know I'm a broken record, but the chance that he's forgotten how to hit is about zero lol.  We bet on such worse bets all the time as an org.. this one is almost a sure thing.



It's all coming to a head soon, so we will see.  What do you think?  another week or two tops?  I hope it's tomorrow    It's obviously fine it we don't extend him right now, I'm just saying I'd love to see it! TODAY!

Kang still wasting away in Bradenton while our offense sputters and Serpico ends up starting 75% of games in the infield for assorted reasons.



yesterday :: 2-3 2b 1 RBI.  OPS is 1.500.   playing SS .



Get off your @** NH and get this guy moving.