Casey Kotchman To Sign With Indians, According To Report
The first-base market shrinks a bit more.
4 months ago
Charlie Wilmoth
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The more players that we talk about going to the Pirates that sign somewhere else
The more right I think you are about them being pretty much done this offseason.
one more down
yet DLee remains out there, if were going to get any one else, i think its Lee or nothing, which I’m fine with. Hopefully that is the case
Thats what she said! - Michael Gary Scott
1B D.Lee
The Bucs caught a bad break when Lee was injured shortly after coming here last season, and that’s when the injuries started adding up in August. Lee’s only perspective with the Pirates came during the late season struggles, so that must have played a role in his decision making this offseason. Had Lee experienced some of the magic of the first 100 games, his outlook about the club may have changed.
What’s done is done, however, and Lee may not find a team outside of Pittsburgh for his services.
in addition
Lee came back and played a couple of games after the Bucs med staff examined his wrist. Oops; turned out it was actually broken ! Which IMO led to the med staffs dismissal at the end of the season, and likely some bad blood from D Lee regarding the Bucs.
" I think this is probably the best team ever assembled. They talk about the Vince Lombardi Era, but I think the Chuck Noll Era is even greater. " - Mel Blount
IIRC
Lee did bang a triple off the right center wall with the broken wrist (but had a bunch of k’s)
by Brian Cartwright on Feb 4, 2012 12:33 AM EST up reply actions
maybe
but Lee never wanted to come to Pitt in the first place which has more bearing on his decision going forward than anything.
According to the MLBTradeRumors
free agent tracker…the only 1B possibilities remaining as free agents…
Russell Branyan
Ross Gload
Conor Jackson
Derrek Lee
Xavier Nady
If we are going to acquire a 1B…it’s safe to assume it’s going to be by trade.
DLee
This off-season I’ve hoped we would sign DLee, but I’ve kind of changed my stance on that. I think that a Jones/Evans platoon with some Mcgehee sprinkled in at 1st and 3rd if needed will be every bit as productive at 1B as Lee. Lee does nothing for the future, where at least Evans has a possible future, as does Jones if he excels in hi platoon role.
I’ve come to the conclusion that improvement will need to come from Alvarez, Tabata, Presley and some young pitchers. If that doesn’t happen, this team will stink, and one signing like Lee won’t matter.
I still think there is a chance Lee ends up on the Breweres.
I don’t know if Alvarez will be key this year, but all I hope for is an improvement over last year. If he performs more like 2nd half of 2010 then we can look for improvement late 2012 spring 2013.
Tabata just needs to stay healthy so he can make a true impact. Tabata and Presley are good for setting the table for whoever may be in the clean up slot.
Lee's contract demands
Does anyone know how much money Lee wants? The Pirates, through arbitration, offered around 9 mil if I am remembering correctly. How much does he realistically believe his services are worth?
He wants to not play in Pittsburgh.
Occupy MLB! Down with Seligula!
by WTM on Feb 2, 2012 6:40 PM EST up reply actions
Pirates seemed content with G. Jones and C-Macgahee at 1B
For better or worse.
Still think Pedro should be moved to 1B although I understand that would move G. Jones to the bench.
I think you are going to see Jones/Evans at 1B and McGeehe/Alvarez at 3B until Pedro can prove himself. It may very well be that Pedro starts the year at AAA and McGeehe starts at 3B. I certainly hope that is not the case, but….
Don’t just dismiss Nick Evans. He has some talent and has produced when given regular playing time. He and Jones could wind up posting solid production at 1B.
Would've liked a Kotchman flyer...
…particularly after he got his eyes fixed, but not disposed to complain too much.
Maybe it’s forced optimism going into spring training, but I’m hopeful about McGehee at 1B. If he can recover 2010 form & pick up the position quickly, hopefully he can break free of a platoon and become the everyday guy. In that event, we’ve got ourselves a damn fine first baseman at a bargain price.
This is assuming, of course, he doesn’t start the season at 3B because Alvarez gets shipped to Indy after a woeful ST. But I’m not letting myself think too much about that right now.
Jose Tabata is the truth
The following is a list of everything Darren McFadden is bad at: 1) Giving birth. End of list.
Saw an article earlier looking at Kotchman
His eye issue getting fixed did coincide with his increased output, but his GB/FB/LD rates all stayed about the same, with a leap in BABIP. Maybe the eye fix did help, but the numbers indicate that he was hitting the same type of balls, but they were getting through.
For what it’s worth, Kotchman had a .250 BABIP on ground balls last year compared to the .237 league average and his .194 career mark.
I feel he just had some fortunate placement that coincided with his surgery. I think he’s done.
by Wizard of Woz on Feb 3, 2012 2:54 PM EST up reply actions
I've never been very high on Kotchman,
even when I lived in L.A. and the Halos were touting him as this up-and-coming monster.
________________________________
Free your ass and your mind will follow.
by cocktailsfor2 on Feb 3, 2012 5:40 PM EST up reply actions
I've learned to discount all Angels prospects...
So many of them have been over-hyped.
I’m even in “wait and see” mode on Mike Trout.
It's the home park.
For a long time, people weren’t properly accounting for the hitting environment at Salt Lake.
Hello everyone
My first comment here. I’m confused already. I thought McGehee was going to play 3B when a lefty was on the mound because Alvarez really can’t hit them. I thought Evans was going to play 1B in the same way because Jones struggles against the lefty as well. Can we carry both McGehee and Evans?
probably
i expect that to push Alvarez to AAA, but in that scenario we can certainly carry both McGehee and Evans
Roster
3 starting outfielders + McLouth
2 catchers
4 starting infielders + McGeheeheehee
1 utility infielder who can play SS/2B
That’s 12, leaving space for Evans—and no one else—if Bucs go with 12 pitchers.
Scary that a 90 loss team already has a locked-down roster!
by Groat2Maz2Strangeglove on Feb 3, 2012 1:06 PM EST up reply actions
It's not entirely locked down.
There’s the possibility that Pedro might play his way out of the starting 3B job, which would probably put McGehee at third and give us room for one more position player.
Evans has also played both corner outfield spots
mcgehee can fill in at 2B, 1B and has even caught a little bit
I’ve always thought McGehee would be suited for catching because he has soft hands and arm strength and is a tough, gritty competitor.
by SuperBaes on Feb 4, 2012 2:42 AM EST up reply actions 3 recs
its locked down
inasmuch as you can claim locked-down when you put tautologies such as 3 starting OF+2 catchers + 4 starting IF + 1 UTIF. At least 4 spots there are far from clear, in terms of who is going to fill them.
Which four spots?
3 starting outfielders (McCutch, Tabata, Pressly) + McLouth
2 catchers (Barajas, McKenry)
4 starting infielders (Pedro, Barmes, Walker, Jones) + McGeheeheehee
1 Util infielder who can play SS/2B (rule 5?)
Evans or someone else
The above is so obvious, I sort of assumed you could connect the dots: no tautologies. Hurdle has already said recently that Pedro and Pressly will start at their respective positions through Spring Training into the season. It would be a MAJOR upset if Pedro doesn’t start season at 3B. There’s only 2 catchers on 40-man.
Which 4 spots are you talking about?
by Groat2Maz2Strangeglove on Feb 3, 2012 8:11 PM EST reply actions
depends on whether you count 3B
The other three are the utility infielder, the backup C, and the other bench guy. McKenry has an option left so it’s not a guarantee that he makes it, and Morales has an opt-out if he doesn’t make the team, so he might make it. (If they put him on the roster, they run the risk of losing whoever they DFA, but if they don’t roster him, they run the risk of losing him — there’s a risk either way.) So even if Pedro is locked in, the last three guys could be McKenry/Nunez/Evans, or they could be Morales/Navarro/Harrison with Morales taking Nunez’s spot on the 40-man, or something else.
(I’m completely spitballing as to Harrison being the other backup IF in the latter case — figuring that if the backup SS is Navarro, who is kind of shaky with the glove, they might want to have another backup who can at least fake it at middle infield rather than Evans or Fox. They’ve said d’Arnaud will be getting regular PT at Indy, and though Mercer seems like the obvious alternative to Nunez for a defense-minded UT I’m guessing they give him more PT in Indy as well. But there’s a few different guys who could take the last spot.)
Not actually affiliated with whygavs.
by WHYG Zane Smith on Feb 3, 2012 9:39 PM EST up reply actions
Pinatas
I give you credit for at least trying here——much better than the other guy who fails to engage his brain while misusing a word he must have heard in his college seminar——but I still think the roster is pretty set.
All that’s missing is the final identity of the SS/2B utility guy: Navarro or Nunez, or some other scrapheap late pickup———and finalization of whether Evans or Harrison fills that last spot.
It makes no sense to send down McKenry to Indy, where Bucs will want Tony Sanchez catching 4 out of 5 games; an older back-up type in Indy as insurance for the big club and a good teacher/model for Sanchez, like Morales, would seem a better course of action. Indy has had an older, career catcher at Indy for last few seasons. If Sanchez gets his head and his glove on straight, then maybe he and McKenry could switch at All-star break.
Lots of folks here seem definite on Evans. I’m still not convinced that Harrison doesn’t beat him out; we’ll see.
I hold true to my original thought——other than identity of backup SS (we know one roster spot is needed for a SS gloveman) and whether Evans fills that last spot, the non-pitching roster of 2012 Bucs is locked down.
by Groat2Maz2Strangeglove on Feb 3, 2012 11:04 PM EST up reply actions
What would possibly make you think Sanchez starts the year in Indy?
I’d almost be willing to bet that Sanchez starts 2012 in Altoona. With the intention of promoting him to Indy, sometime during the season.
Which means there’d be plenty of room for McKenry to start the season in Indy, staying sharp, waiting for Barajas to take his annual trip to the DL.
When Barajas goes on the DL, McKenry gets recalled, and Sanchez gets promoted. And Huntington doesn’t worry about losing Morales.
Which means the back-up catcher position is far from “locked in”.
Furthermore, we know that GFJ is going to have a platoon partner. What we don’t know is who, and that will probably be one of the more interesting Grapefruit League battles, in a month. Just behind Alvarez battling the ghosts of 2011.
Plus, like you said, the battle for the back-up MIF.
So, I agree with WHYG. As I see it, there will at least 4 battles for spots this spring – Pedro vs a bus ticket to Indy, Morales vs McKenry, Navarro vs Nunez vs Anderson Hernandez, and Evans vs Hague vs Harrison.
by Midnight Moose on Feb 4, 2012 2:50 AM EST up reply actions
I completely forgot about Anderson Hernandez AGAIN
Not actually affiliated with whygavs.
by WHYG Zane Smith on Feb 4, 2012 7:46 AM EST up reply actions
early scouting report
Pedro’s D has improved, but the bus ticket to Indy is more aggressive early in the count.
Not actually affiliated with whygavs.
by WHYG Zane Smith on Feb 4, 2012 7:47 AM EST up reply actions
much better than the other guy who fails to engage his brain while misusing a word he must have heard in his college seminar
Ah, i didn’t see this before I posted my reply below. Hey, thanks for that, but it’s nice to see a guy start being condescending while blathering through his backside.
All that’s missing is the final identity of the SS/2B utility guy: Navarro or Nunez, or some other scrapheap late pickup———and finalization of whether Evans or Harrison fills that last spot.
So, that’s 2 spots already that you’ve accepted as not being set. It makes no difference what you “believe” since it counts for jacksquat.
a word he must have heard in his college seminar
The first rule of Tautology Club is the first rule of Tautology Club.
[a] Who is Pressly?
[b] Condescend much?
________________________________
Free your ass and your mind will follow.
by cocktailsfor2 on Feb 4, 2012 8:07 AM EST up reply actions
Thanks for your help
a/ Presley—thanks for your help in correcting my spelling
b/ Sorry—I don’t have as much practice condescending as you do
by Groat2Maz2Strangeglove on Feb 4, 2012 9:02 AM EST up reply actions
"Sorry—I don’t have as much practice condescending as you do"
Perhaps you could practice elsewhere, and come back here if and when you’re good at it.
________________________________
Free your ass and your mind will follow.
by cocktailsfor2 on Feb 5, 2012 8:48 AM EST up reply actions
4 spots
McKenry isnt a lock
Pedro isnt a lock
obv the UTIF isn’t a lock
and obv the 13th spot isn’t a lock
It would be a MAJOR upset if Pedro doesn’t start season at 3B
I certainly don’t consider it as such. I’d be (pleasantly) surprised if Pedro sticks the whole year at 3B
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