FanPost

My positive take on our Buccos



Hey guys,

I've read this blog for a loooooooooooong time, but I finally decided to register and post. I've posted on other blogs, mainly Pitt boards under the name buccoboy, so some may already hate me...lol

Anyway, here's my take on some positive spin...

I'm not as worried with our hitting as I am with our defense and starting pitching. I could go on and on about how bad the starting pitching and defense could be, but instead I'll focus on what could be good, since I'm sure enough of you guys will point out the bad...lol.

I know a lot of experts are down on our lineup, but I see a couple of guys that seem to have locked in, Cutch and Milledge, and I see some others that are greater than 50-50 to be locked in, Jones and Doumit.

We should have more power potential this year, which shouldn't be a total shock considering how powerless we were last year. Cutch should improve on his 12 home runs, Milledge's hand is finally healthy, Doumit (should he remain healthy) brings a legit stick and the wild card Clement has power oozing out of his AAA bat .

We also have Alvarez who will be up with the team later in the season, I'm guessing June unless he absolutely implodes or gets injured in AAA. His upside, along with Cutch and Milledge, will be worth the $1 (price to see the team on buc nights).

Tabata will also enter the fold, though I don't expect a lot of power out of him. He will sting the ball but he's not a home run hitter, he's a gap-power kinda guy.

At the end of the year we should be able to know if we have some legit pieces for a "core". That's what this year is about, finding answers. This should be the answer year for Milledge, LaRoche, Clement (he's a rookie, but he's got over 1,300 abs in AAA) and Cedeno. This year should go a lot further to answer about Jones and Doumit. Tabata, Cutch, and Alvarez shouldn't be judged on this year alone.

Also moving the pitcher to 8th in the order should help out as well. Most don't know why, so I'll explain. By moving the pitcher to 8th in the order, you essentially move everybody back in the order the second time around, when the opposing pitcher has thrown more pitches and has shown their "stuff". We would essentially have Cedeno batting leading off, Aki (a very good contact hitter) to second, Cutch to third (where he probably should be in the future), Jones to clean up and Doumit to fifth. This clearly sets up more run-scoring and RBI opportunities for our "new" 3-4-5 hitters.

Cutch said in a recent interview, recent as in yesterday's spring training game (yes I watch those as well), that he wants to be more aggressive on the base paths. Considering he had only 20 some steals last year, that's a good thing to hear. I wouldn't be shocked to see him swipe 50+ this year.

Milledge is another guy that should be able to improve on his stolen base total. He has deceptively good speed for a guy with his build. Jones has the wheels to increase his number as well.

The bullpen, a huge weakness in the offseason after letting Capps walk, is now looked at as the greatest strength.

Dotel brings veteran stability and the experience of closing. Lets face it, he can't possibly do worse than Capps did last year, but if he does we have options. Donnelly, the 8th inning guy, can step in and if he doesn't work Evan Meek, the closer in waiting, is...well waiting.

By going with Meek in the 7th, Donnelly in the 8th, and Dotel in the 9th, the Buccos should avoid the late-inning collapses that plagued them last year.

Carasco and Dotel pitched in the AL and did well. Donnelly had a good year in Florida as well. Hayden Penn has the pedigree, but can he put it together?

We actually have some depth for the bullpen in AAA too. With McCutch and Hart we will have one, Veal is being used in a starters role for Indy, but he projects as a nice reliever.

Carasco is the key to the bullpen, imo. The starters will struggle, so a good long man is key. Carasco was signed on a minor-league deal, but will obviously make the club. Last year he pitched 93 innings with a WHiP of 1.41, again I remind you that it was in the AL, the better hitting league.

If he can limit damage that he inherits, the Buccos could pull out some come-from-behind victories.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of the managing editors or SB Nation. FanPosts are written by Bucs Dugout readers.