OnlyBucs

1B363B2A2D3C2B6B68590 wrote: Compounding all the deficiencies on this team is that 4 of the 25 are deadwood: Jaso, Bastardo, Hanson and Gosselin. Bad enough to lose Kang and Marte but this bench and Bastardo do more harm than good. 


Yep. You named the players I was thinking of.

I agree, but this particular game was over before Bastardo got in and Hanson didn't even play.



I expect Bastardo to be waived or put on the DL.  They have to be trying to make a trade to replace Marte too.



I know Hurdle said Bell will stay at 1B, but if Jaso and Bell are in the line up together, Bell has to play RF over Jaso.



The defense cost them today. Not the pitching or hitting. I just hope it was one of those days and that's all. Every team has one of those games. If they win on Sunday, it was a good series.

484F59515F480F037A5D575B5356145955573A0 wrote: Frankly, these two teams don't belong on the same field together.  Comparing lineups, there is simply nothing in common between the two.



Our young pitchers give the Pirates a chance, but the rest of the roster is simply stunning in their disparity.



And much of the Yankee roster is home grown (or acquired in trades) with some key FAs tossed in. 



If I didnt hate the Yankees this would be an easy team to like.


Were you saying that yesterday too?



Today was a bad game. Errors galore. One of the worst games I have seen in a while.




Yes. This is more than just a bad game.  There are players on this team being plugged into spots they don't belong.  They have bullpen arms they can't use.  They've got bench players they can't use.  Nothing is the same from game to game - lineups, batting order.



I said we've got pitchers that can keep the Pirates in a game.  But they don't otherwise have a roster that works.  They'll win games due to starters.  But this is a broken team.


The part in bold is the most succinct way of describing the situation. Too many round pegs in square holes, with Jaso today the most glaring example.



I'll also throw this out there while admitting I don't have the answer. Between J-Hay last night and Frazier today, I counted three plays that a shifted second baseman really should have made on the RF grass but didn't. Obviously if the shift isn't on, those are easy base hits, so the answer isn't to scrap the shift entirely. But it's maddening to put guys in the right position to make the play, only to see them fail to do so.

Just out of curiosity, has Hanson even played? I know he's pinch run but I can't recall right off-hand him getting a chance to see if he can hit and field at the ML level. I'm fairly sure he won't be able to hit ML pitching if he never gets an at-bat. He was rated pretty highly on defense in the minors, so he might at least be an improvement on that side of the ball.

2F2D373127420 wrote: Just out of curiosity, has Hanson even played? I know he's pinch run but I can't recall right off-hand him getting a chance to see if he can hit and field at the ML level. I'm fairly sure he won't be able to hit ML pitching if he never gets an at-bat. He was rated pretty highly on defense in the minors, so he might at least be an improvement on that side of the ball.
He's been in 2 games at 2B, starting one of them.

Thank you. I read somewhere that Hurdle said today that Hanson is inconsistent in his play and they hope by the end of April or early May he may get to play more. It's depressing to think he's worse than what we've been seeing at second the last few games.

406D60717667703033020 wrote: Compounding all the deficiencies on this team is that 4 of the 25 are deadwood: Jaso, Bastardo, Hanson and Gosselin. Bad enough to lose Kang and Marte but this bench and Bastardo do more harm than good. 
Agree with every one except Hanson. He has speed and that is a valuable tool. Look at B. Hamilton with the reds, he has very little talent other than speed. I'd keep Hanson and give him a chance along with some big league coaching.

Hanson is hardly part of the problem. He's not on the field. Honestly, would he be any worse defensively than Frazier or Harrison? Would he hit any less than Jaso? I don't understand why Hanson can't get on the field.

425F7B7977120 wrote: Hanson is hardly part of the problem.  He's not on the field.  Honestly, would he be any worse defensively than Frazier or Harrison?  Would he hit any less than Jaso?  I don't understand why Hanson can't get on the field.


He would probably out hit Jaso or not be worse, but he doesn't play 1B or the OF (not that Jaso is an outfielder before either). Jaso still has that potential or hope of some power.



Harrison and Frazier are better hitters. You can't start Hanson over them. Harrison was so good in the field last year. I am not a Harrison fan, but I did praise his defense.

Glancing at the Indy roster it seems the only guy hitting is Jason Rogers--hard to justify arguing for calling up Austin Meadows when he's batting at the Mendoza line against AAA pitching.