My point regarding Saunders current split was intended to both note how good he's doing already against righties - and to "caution" about the future against lefties.
No. I do not think Saunders is going to bat .096 against lefties lifetime. But, it is certainly plausible that he might max out as a .500 hitter against lefties, (which renders him effectively useless - and pegged as a pure platoon bat).
The #1 thing going for him? Not that his minor league OPS split is only 30 points, (which is a good sign in and of itself). The #1 thing going for him is that club is continuing to throw him out there against lefties. If the club didn't believe in him, Langerhans, (with no significant split), could be picking up those ABs.
I LOVE the fact they marched him out there to face Cliff Lee. (Okay, Gutz wasn't starting due to illness - so how much of that was choice vs. necessity is unclear). But, I *LIKE* the idea of sending out "developing" players against the monster elite. The concept here is similar to the batting donut -- let them face Sabathia today, and the Washburn's he faces tomorrow aren't going to seem quite so tough. (And, let's face it, the elite pitchers are likely going to 'own' the guys coming off your bench, anyway).
AFTER a kid has developed, and the read on his limitations are more solidly classified - THEN, you can start being selective about which lefties your platoon candidate faces.
2010 has become a perfect season for seeing what Saunders can do. And it is likely that by next year, he'll be a giant leap closer to answering the question of whether he can adjust to lefties at the major league level.
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