Author Topic: Danny?  (Read 3841 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Lintyfresh85

  • Posts: 35128
  • World Champions!!!
Re: Danny?
« Reply #75: October 13, 2012, 12:15:00 PM »
I'm completely with Linty on this.  Lombo is as good an insurance policy as there is in baseball, but he's not better than Danny.

Before people jump on you and I... I hope they take the time to read my post completely.

I fully admit for certain situations Lombo does make more sense... but over the 162 grind, Espinosa is going to prove more helpful to the Nats.

Offline DPMOmaha

  • Posts: 22875
Re: Danny?
« Reply #76: October 13, 2012, 12:16:29 PM »
Before people jump on you and I... I hope they take the time to read my post completely.

I fully admit for certain situations Lombo does make more sense... but over the 162 grind, Espinosa is going to prove more helpful to the Nats.

Let 'em jump.  Then we lose on a little duck snort that Lombo can't get to that Danny can, let's see what happens.

Offline Ray D

  • Posts: 10073
Re: Danny?
« Reply #77: October 13, 2012, 12:41:14 PM »
I would send him to winter ball and have him bat RH exclusively.

He'd refuse to do it. He's that obstinate about the issue.

  To hit righthanded against righthanders he needs to learn to hit with the ball coming from his side, something he's never done since his dad made him into a switch hitter at age 7 (I think.)

His dad didn't do him any favor there, and let that be a lesson to dads out there.

Anyway, you can't all of a sudden learn this at the major league level.  So he would need to be sent down to the minors, for at least half a season, maybe a whole season.   Would management have the courage of conviction to do that?


Offline nobleisthyname

  • Posts: 2674
Re: Danny?
« Reply #78: October 13, 2012, 01:29:48 PM »
Why should there be? Lombo is the inferior player. I'm all for replacing Espinosa with a better player... but certainly not Lombo who is a downgrade at the plate and in the field.

Peopl are blinded by strikeouts. They both get on base at a .315-.317 clip, Espinosa hits for more power and is a much better runner and defender.

Lombo hit .273 this year and Espinosa hit .247... you know how many more hits that is over 100 at-bats? 3.

You really want to replace a superior player with an inferior one over three hits? I don't.

To put it in better prospective, if you give Lombo full time work 600+ PA's... that's a total of 18 extra hits a year... or one extra hit every nine games. Losing a better defender with more power and more speed is not worth one hit every nine games.

You certainly can make the argument that Lombo improves your chances of success in certain situations like when you have to score a run and you have a runner on third with less than two outs... but over the course of a 162 game season, Espinosa is going to help the team more than Lombo possibly can.

By all means improve second base... but Lombo is the opposite of improvement.

Sanity!

I really don't understand some of this board's obsession with Lombo.

Offline Vega

  • Posts: 5512
  • Party’s Over
Re: Danny?
« Reply #79: October 13, 2012, 01:33:50 PM »
What was the league average offensive production at second? I have a feeling that Danny was likely better than the league average by quite a bit.

Offline JCA-CrystalCity

  • Global Moderator
  • ****
  • Posts: 39277
  • Platoon - not just a movie, a baseball obsession
Re: Danny?
« Reply #80: October 13, 2012, 02:48:27 PM »
He'd refuse to do it. He's that obstinate about the issue.

  To hit righthanded against righthanders he needs to learn to hit with the ball coming from his side, something he's never done since his dad made him into a switch hitter at age 7 (I think.)

His dad didn't do him any favor there, and let that be a lesson to dads out there.

Anyway, you can't all of a sudden learn this at the major league level.  So he would need to be sent down to the minors, for at least half a season, maybe a whole season.   Would management have the courage of conviction to do that?



I don't think obstinate is the right word here.  I think he and the team are in complete agreement that he should continue to pinch hit. At least every public quote is to that effect.  If you can find one from anyone in the organization, player or management, who has implied otherwise, then that would be a great addition to the thread.  Here is the Webster's definition of "obstinate":

 "1) perversely adhering to an opinion, purpose, or course in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion.

I just don't see any evidence of the team trying to persuade him to do anything else and him refusing.  I don't see this as something the team thinks is good, so I don't think it's his hard-headedness against "reason, arguments, or persuasion."

His function in the batting order is to be the 3d lefty power threat in addition to Harper and ALR.  14 out of his 17 homers this year were left handed.  He had one homer every 34 plate appearances vs. righties as a lefty.  That is still worse than Morse, Zimmerman, and Desmond (and Suzuki, post-trade) did against same-handed pitchers, so maybe the power threat isn't all that important to the roster balance, but I'm guessing that is the thinking.  In comparison, he had one homer every 60 PAs as a righty.

He had a pretty good May, July, and August (OPS .760, .820, and .750 overall, with that .820 being driven by freaky high BABIP so it should be discounted).  We know he had a cortisone shot in September after hiding an injury. We also know he bunted 14 times all year, with only 3 for sacrifices, yet he bunted at least twice in the 5 game series.  I would not be shocked if he has some sort of off season surgery. 

If the team does not re-sign ALR, I don't see them going into next year with just one lefty power bat.  With Morse's difficulties in the OF, the right move replacement for ALR would be be a power hitting corner OF, unless you move Morse to get that player.  If the new power hitting lefty does not come in, then I don't see Espinosa losing his job.

If ALR is back, or replaced with another lefty power hitter, I could see Espinosa being traded, with Lombo as a fill in until Rendon is ready.  This is viable if they project Rendon as a mid-season call up. Bring in two lefty power bats (or ALR plus one), then this becomes very sensible. 

Offline zimm_da_kid

  • Posts: 7931
  • The one true ace
Re: Danny?
« Reply #81: October 13, 2012, 02:50:05 PM »
I'm thinking Rendon will start at AA and will be ready by early June.

Offline JCA-CrystalCity

  • Global Moderator
  • ****
  • Posts: 39277
  • Platoon - not just a movie, a baseball obsession
Re: Danny?
« Reply #82: October 13, 2012, 02:52:20 PM »
I'm thinking Rendon will start at AA and will be ready by early June.

ZDK - then a trade of Espinosa with a short-term backfill of Lombo is viable.

Offline zimm_da_kid

  • Posts: 7931
  • The one true ace
Re: Danny?
« Reply #83: October 13, 2012, 02:53:47 PM »
ZDK - then a trade of Espinosa with a short-term backfill of Lombo is viable.

that's what should happen, yes.

Offline Ray D

  • Posts: 10073
Re: Danny?
« Reply #84: October 13, 2012, 05:59:04 PM »
I don't think obstinate is the right word here.
Fine. I was really just responding to the suggestion that he drop switch hitting:  Not going to happen.

Offline JCA-CrystalCity

  • Global Moderator
  • ****
  • Posts: 39277
  • Platoon - not just a movie, a baseball obsession
Re: Danny?
« Reply #85: October 13, 2012, 06:22:37 PM »
Fine. I was really just responding to the suggestion that he drop switch hitting:  Not going to happen.


Yes. I recall I replied inappropriately when you used it before about Danny, and you correctly called me on it.  Think I acknowledged that and apologized.  When you used it here, I wanted to focus on the merits as you had suggested.  I honestly don't know if they are right in not finding out whether he can hit righties right handed.  You may be right.  I just think I understand what they are trying to do. Understanding is not necessarily agreeing.

Re: Danny?
« Reply #86: October 13, 2012, 06:44:11 PM »
Lombo should be starting next year.  Heck, he should have been starting ever game this year.

Offline welch

  • Posts: 16281
  • The Sweetest Right Handed Swing in 1950s Baseball
Re: Danny?
« Reply #87: October 14, 2012, 02:50:44 AM »
What was Lombo's bating average in the long stretch -- most of August -- when he started at 2B? Lombo's random stats and pinch-hitting don't show much. I think Lombo hit better. Maybe Espi can learn to shorten his swing to meet the ball, but, meanwhile, leading he league in K's doesn't make up for 17 home runs.

Desmond, Espi, and Lombo make a good MI trio, and the team needs all three. Don't trade Espi, but his K's are harmful.

Offline mmzznnxx

  • Posts: 11912
  • lol Nats
Re: Danny?
« Reply #88: October 14, 2012, 03:45:09 AM »
I thought Desmond was total trash at the end of 2010. If nothing else, Espinosa deserves the same leeway just because of the way Desmonster hit this last year and surpassed most of people's expectations and Espi is usually a great defender at 2B and that's not usually a big offensive position in today's MLB.

I think Espi can be great, and I love Lombo and am happy he's on the roster next season, at worst he seems like a LH bat that can get on the bases often next season. If Espi fails Lombardozzi is great insurance. If Espinosa doesn't work out, it's unfortunate, but I think we're in good shape. I don't think we should upgrade so quickly.

Offline Slateman

  • Posts: 63061
  • THE SUMMONER OF THE REVERSE JINX
Re: Danny?
« Reply #89: October 14, 2012, 09:00:03 AM »
Espinosa and Lombo can compete next spring.

Rendon needs to move to second now. Or LF