One-Offs, 3.26.17
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DAN VOGELBACH'S HERE!
The M's site proclaims the victory we all craved, "Prospect Daniel Vogelbach on Mariners Roster." How does the Mainframe process this? In other words, what is jemanji's own pickles-and-aiki baseball take on this situation?
There are several ways this will develop:
1) He won't play for ten days, get 3 PA's or something, and will get sent back down. This depends on Scott Servais' prejudices about 'Bach's visually unkempt baserunning and defense. Call this 40%.
2) After three weeks, given a fair shot, he'll obviously be outplaying Healy and his PT will slowly drift towards 60% by August. Call this 30%.
3) After two weeks, given a few games here and there, he'll fail to hit .300/.400/.600 -- simply by the vagaries of baseball; Cruz and Cano might not be hitting well after two weeks, right? -- and failing to impress the shot-callers in his first 20 AB's, he'll go back to Tacoma. Call this 30%.
Don't forget that Divish over the winter, following the crowd around Dipoto's office and also following several Scott Servais quotes, flatly categorized 'Bach to have "failed to have taken hold of his chance" based on ---- > precisely 31 PA's.
But there's that sweet, wonderful 30% shot that 'Bach will be given his fair shot, will happen to be hot when it arrives, and from there --- > You make your own prediction, as to whether Dan Vogelbach is Kevin Youkilis, David Ortiz, or something else. Quick reminder: 'Bach hit .400 with 7 doubles and 6 HR in 50!! at-bats. Spring Training stats mean nothing ... if you're Robinson Cano or Taylor Motter putting up stats that are roughly inside your norm. Once in a while a player Emerges, and I've noticed over the last 40 years that sometimes this occurs starting in that season's Spring Training.
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:: dryly :: It's odd that 1B continues to be the position at which the Mariners find themselves platooning. :: shrug ::
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WADE LEBLANC
RockiesJeff had warned us to remember that the M's think in labels. (Of course, HE put it much more nicely than that.) And here we go, Moore - Miranda - Povse - Whalen all lined up neatly like spoons on the Tacoma dinner table, ready to "stay stretched out" when (when) the first SP injury occurs.
We need hardly remind the Denizens that there is much value to be had in the Earl Weaver long role, wherein a young player learns the league, talks to the Big Guys about the batters, and so forth. But Wade LeBlanc tells you just how far Jerry Dipoto leans into the conventional wind.
The M's fan can derive some consolation that a month out, when the first SP goes down, then Jerry Dipoto will be able to SELECT from a bevy of young SP's in Tacoma, will be able to take the one who is running the 15:2 CTL ratio.
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CASEY LAWRENCE
Funny thing, the first TV game I saw (in FEBRUARY!) Lawrence came in and I kinda laughed, wow, that guy's ahead of everybody in camp. He had tremendous frontal extension and CG smoothness, hit the mitt with the fastball, hit a basketball-sized area with his slider. Wound up with a 17:2 CTL in 15 innings and looked great every single outing.
'course, a 91 fastball and a located slider, you'd have to be AWFULLY consistent to make that work as a plus reliever. But, a few guys do.
Even funnier thing: the M's website doesn't have him on the roster. It has Erasmo Ramirez.
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HISASHI IWAKUMA
The M's are giddy about how well he is bouncing back, which ... I'm guessing IcebreakerX will tell you not to be surprised if he has a few months here and there left in him, after long layoffs. Anyway, the M's tell you, it's just May or June and then "you can't find a pitcher on the market like that. You just can't.
True dat. And Dr. D. could not believe his EYES over the $100,000 roster retention they swiped from him. Did I read that wrong?
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'BACH AGAIN
Wouldn't it be HILARIOUS if the M's did stumble into a David Ortiz. Just as Zuumball began smoking a .550 SLG. And Mitch Haniger wound up in a top-10 MVP count. And all these guys were the 6-7-8 hitters.
Enjoy,
Dr D