OnlyBucs

I see absolutely no improvement in this offense from last year. Marte is disappointing to say the least, I like the looks of Palonco so far but I really see nothing else to fear in this lineup. Just can't understand why Freese, Marte, and Mercer are is still around. Marte should bring some propects if NH new a real propect when he saw one. Moran and Dickerson won't scare anyone, just sad to see the same old same O as we've seen the last 2 years.

Well, at least Freese, Marte and Mercer are good defensive players. Take Marte and Mercer out of the lineup and who is going to provide even close to comparable defense at short or center with significantly better offense?



Believe me, I get it. This team is going to be a mediocre offensive team at best which is very frustrating, but short term there's nothing to do about it except to hope that Moran and Dickerson (the two "big" additions to the lineup) perform like All-Stars.

2F373532322534332E2F395C0 wrote: I see absolutely no improvement in this offense from last year.  Marte is disappointing to say the least, I like the looks of Palonco so far but I really see nothing else to fear in this lineup.  Just can't understand why Freese, Marte, and Mercer are is still around. Marte should bring some propects if NH  new a real propect when he saw one.  Moran and Dickerson won't scare anyone, just sad to see the same old same O as we've seen the last 2 years.


Well, you did predict the same amount of runs as they scored in 2017.



I would think Bell, Cervelli, Marte and Polanco will improve from last year. Third base should be better. I also think the bench is stronger. Losing McCutchen hurts. Dickerson did have similar numbers last year. Maybe he can improve too?

This may be a bad or mediocre offense, but hey at least we've got a lock-down starting pitching rotation that won't allow many, if any, runs.



We'll probably be winning lots of games, 2-1 and 1-0.

I think the offense will surprise us. I expect Polanco and Cervelli to have bounce back seasons. Josh Bell will also show improvement over his first year in the league, and Moran and Dickerson will supply power from the left side of the plate.

I get Horse's sentiment that nothing about this lineup screams major upgrade. However, I think Dog summed up my thoughts pretty well. Betterment should come in small increments across the diamond. It may be a lot to ask for, but I think the three keys will be Marte, Polanco, and Moran. I think they have have the most upside for improvement over what they, or their predecessor, produced last year. Frazier should see regular starts all over the field.

As I think about this team, my biggest concern is outfield defense. It could be the sun in Florida is a big factor (they don't normally play that many day games, and in a ML stadium, the stands block a lot of angles that the smaller spring training stadium doesn't), but even considering that, the fielding from Dickerson in left and Polanco in right leaves me wondering, and Marte seems pretty casual about the whole 'catching the ball' thing. If Meadows starts well and stays healthy and June finally gets here, perhaps his addition would help. Marte may be better suited to center than right. They'll score runs. They've added more than they've given up. The key will be keeping other teams from scoring even more than they do.

46445E584E2B0 wrote: As I think about this team, my biggest concern is outfield defense. It could be the sun in Florida is a big factor (they don't normally play that many day games, and in a ML stadium, the stands block a lot of angles that the smaller spring training stadium doesn't), but even considering that, the fielding from Dickerson in left and Polanco in right leaves me wondering, and Marte seems pretty casual about the whole 'catching the ball' thing. If Meadows starts well and stays healthy and June finally gets here, perhaps his addition would help. Marte may be better suited to center than right. They'll score runs. They've added more than they've given up. The key will be keeping other teams from scoring even more than they do.
I'm not worried about Dickerson in LF. Polanco has always been problematic defensively. BTW-the sun is brutal at McKechnie/Lecom Park. It rises right behind home plate and can make it impossible to pick up the ball in the OF, particularly LF and CF.

5854550E070E060B0C13093E0 wrote: I think the offense will surprise us. I expect Polanco and Cervelli to have bounce back seasons. Josh Bell will also show improvement over his first year in the league, and Moran and Dickerson will supply power from the left side of the plate.
The sooner Gregory Polanco gets replaced the better. Bell may show some improvement, but I'm not sold on Moran at all. Moran will have to hit 20+ bombs to make up for the rest of his liabilities. This offense will be just as bad as last year. I predicted even less runs than last year.

What are Moran's other liabilities?



I know it's just Spring Training, but the games I watched showed some improvements. I am not just talking about results either. Cervelli looks different at the plate. Bell hitting right handed. Polanco with a quicker swing. It is getting me excited.