Official Game Thread - 9/13 - Bucs vs Nats

[Ecbucs]

Exactly doc. I keep hearing that Gonzales is doing quite well since he has been down.
Makes no sense

One constant in the Cherington regime has been an apparent lack of valuing playing time. IMHO, they are placing so much emphasis on analytics, that they undervalue gaining experience through repetition. Michael McKenry alluded to this in a podcast when he said the Pirates don't seem to consider the psyche of players when sitting them down because the analytics suggests they should have scheduled days off. Players want to play. They all say that regular playing time is the best way to improve. And the Pirates have a lot of young players who need to improve through repetition at the MLB level.

But the Pirates do the opposite. The lineup--both the order and positions--changes daily. Players like Rivas, Williams and Capra (and previously Mathias and Owings) who aren't part of the team's future play while Peguero or Bae sit or Gonzales languishes at AAA. As if it doesn't matter who plays and who doesn't. It's hard to imagine any player feeling confident about being in the lineup from one day to the next regardless of performance. And they aren't getting better by sitting on the bench.

This team will at most have 2 players with 500 ABs but it's not certain Hayes will get there. Suwinski will barely reach 400 as would have Cutch if he had not been injured. Bae should end up with 300+ along with Joe. It seems clear that Cherington's roster management suggests he puts little value on the benefits of playing regularly. But I guess he's the smartest guy in the room with a stack of charts and graphs from his computer geeks telling him how to run a team.

Here is intro to FoxSports article on the Braves: Ronald Acuña Jr. and Matt Olson have appeared in every game this season. Austin Riley has missed two. How come Atlanta won't rest its starters?