Tracy Defends Bizarre Bay Decision

by Charlie Wilmoth on May 11, 2006 6:15 PM EDT in News

Via Primer, Jim Tracy defends his decision to bay Jason Bay sixth:

Bay went 1-for-5 with three strikeouts and a double-play grounder in a 7-4 loss to Arizona on Wednesday night, failing to drive in any of the seven runners on base.

"We want to let him have an opportunity where he feels like there's a little more room around him to sort some things out," Tracy said.

Burnitz has one hit in his last 26 at-bats, but was strongly defended by Tracy after being asked if the outfielder had to start producing soon to keep playing. Burnitz also was booed Wednesday for not running hard on a groundball he possibly could have beaten out.

Spend more than a couple seconds trying to parse that, and your head will spin the way Tracy's is probably spinning right now. First you've got to figure out what "room" is, or how a sequential, time-based entity like a batting order can have anything to do with "room." Then you've got to figure out how batting later in the order gives a player any more "room." Then you've got to wonder whether "a little more room around him" is actually just a euphemism for "fewer plate appearances." And then you've got to wonder how it is that a player with a .408 OBP needs "room" to "sort some things out," but Jeromy Burnitz and his .229 OBP are doing just fine and should be batting ahead of Bay.

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Obviously

Bay has not passed his Certified Veteran test and is there not eligible for the Veteran Presence accorded Burnitz.

Really, hiring Tracy was a good idea how? Did he pull this crap in LA? Because he and his staff have not been shy expressing their belief that their "winning" formula they brought from LA would turn this club around.

Tracy had to have had some impact on personnel decisions this off-season. And undoubtedly he had a hand in choosing the makeup of his 25 man roster. So this is his team, even if it is only year one. I'm sure there are players he would like to add, but if Tracy really truly believes that Burnitz is the answer to anything and that Bay needs space (rather than an effective hitter behind him in the lineup) the Pirates are truly sunk.

by Greg Schuler on May 11, 2006 6:52 PM EDT reply actions