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Post by Saint on Apr 16, 2023 9:56:40 GMT -6
Last 7 games for Pena: .286/.333/.500 Pena is a 20+ HR guy with good speed, but he'll never be a high OBP guy. He's going to hover between .290-.320. And that will be totally fine if the other areas are good. |
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Post by bearbryant on Apr 16, 2023 11:27:21 GMT -6
Last 7 games for Pena: .286/.333/.500 Pena is a 20+ HR guy with good speed, but he'll never be a high OBP guy. He's going to hover between .290-.320. And that will be totally fine if the other areas are good. Yesterday's order made sense but Tucker needs to bat higher
OBP last 10 days
Dubón .452 Bregman .421 Tucker .412 Álvarez .406 McCormick.345 Díaz .308 Peña .286 Abreu .200
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Post by Saint on Apr 16, 2023 11:29:57 GMT -6
Pena is a 20+ HR guy with good speed, but he'll never be a high OBP guy. He's going to hover between .290-.320. And that will be totally fine if the other areas are good. Yesterday's order made sense but Tucker needs to bat higher
OBP last 10 days
Dubón .452 Bregman .421 Tucker .412 Álvarez .406 McCormick.345 Díaz .308 Peña .286 Abreu .200
Tucker should be hitting leadoff or 2nd right now. |
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Post by bearbryant on Apr 16, 2023 11:42:20 GMT -6
Yesterday's order made sense but Tucker needs to bat higher
OBP last 10 days
Dubón .452 Bregman .421 Tucker .412 Álvarez .406 McCormick.345 Díaz .308 Peña .286 Abreu .200
Tucker should be hitting leadoff or 2nd right now. Tucker rf Dubón 2b Álvarez lf Bregman 3b Abreu 1b Peña ss designated hitter
catcher centerfielder
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Post by mihdennabios on Apr 16, 2023 16:56:37 GMT -6
Alright I read Evan Drellich's book about the Astros (thru a Library e-book so as not to give him money).
I know Saint asked about it beforehand, but here are some tidbits.
Remember how the Astros sent Kyle McLaughlin to spy on Cleveland to see if they had our signs? The Stros were suspicious of Cleveland because Verlander heard they were stealing signs when he was with the Tigers. Rumor was an groundskeeper would yank on a string tied to a tree in CF.
Speaking of Verlander, he wasn't upset when he learned about THE SYSTEM. Rather, he jokingly said "You F*ckers" when the team admitted they had his signs in a May 17 start in MMP.
Back to Kyle. Taubman wasn't alone when he confronted the Yankee employee with the Fastec camera. Kyle and a muscleman were with him. Why did they suspect the Yankees? One of Evan's sources say that came from Joe Espada, who worked with NYY before 2018.
More on the argument between Geoff Blum and Alex Cora after coming back from Tampa/Hurricane Harvey. The mess stemmed from Cora's jealousy of Hinch. Hinch had been ejected from a game at Tropicana and Cora didn't want to listen to Strom's suggested pitching moves. Cora was upset with the relationship between Hinch and Geoff Blum. Not only did Cora start sh*t with Blum on the team bus, he also got into it with Hinch with witnesses saying everyone thought Hinch was about to punch Cora for all the sh*t Alex was giving him.
The Astros had just recently bought their advanced scouting gizmos when they drafted Appel. They couldn't use the gizmos on Appel at his college games, but they did use it on Mark for his farm team games. Basically, the Astros knew he sucked early on and wouldn't have drafted him if they had Trackman data on him.
Luhnow wanted to hire Hinch after Brad Mills was fired, but Hinch didn't want to manage a terrible team after already being fired once from the DBacks. Enter Bo Porter.
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Post by Saint on Apr 17, 2023 14:22:27 GMT -6
So how long does the team continue to go with Meyers, especially if Chas continues to miss time? How bad does he need to get before they make some type of move? At this point, anyone would be better. Leon, Dirden, a 3-legged dog... somebody HAS to be better.
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Post by unionstation82 on Apr 17, 2023 14:40:28 GMT -6
Alright I read Evan Drellich's book about the Astros (thru a Library e-book so as not to give him money). I know Saint asked about it beforehand, but here are some tidbits. Remember how the Astros sent Kyle McLaughlin to spy on Cleveland to see if they had our signs? The Stros were suspicious of Cleveland because Verlander heard they were stealing signs when he was with the Tigers. Rumor was a groundskeeper would yank on a string tied to a tree in CF. Speaking of Verlander, he wasn't upset when he learned about THE SYSTEM. Rather, he jokingly said "You F*ckers" when the team admitted they had his signs in a May 17 start in MMP. Back to Kyle. Taubman wasn't alone when he confronted the Yankee employee with the Fastec camera. Kyle and a muscleman were with him. Why did they suspect the Yankees? One of Evan's sources say that came from Joe Espada, who worked with NYY before 2018. More on the argument between Geoff Blum and Alex Cora after coming back from Tampa/Hurricane Harvey. The mess stemmed from Cora's jealousy of Hinch. Hinch had been ejected from a game at Tropicana and Cora didn't want to listen to Strom's suggested pitching moves. Cora was upset with the relationship between Hinch and Geoff Blum. Not only did Cora start sh*t with Blum on the team bus, he also got into it with Hinch with witnesses saying everyone thought Hinch was about to punch Cora for all the sh*t Alex was giving him. The Astros had just recently bought their advanced scouting gizmos when they drafted Appel. They couldn't use the gizmos on Appel at his college games, but they did use it on Mark for his farm team games. Basically, the Astros knew he sucked early on and wouldn't have drafted him if they had Trackman data on him. Luhnow wanted to hire Hinch after Brad Mills was fired, but Hinch didn't want to manage a terrible team after already being fired once from the DBacks. Enter Bo Porter. All I read was that Espada was actually useful. |
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Post by Ashitaka on Apr 17, 2023 16:15:58 GMT -6
So how long does the team continue to go with Meyers, especially if Chas continues to miss time? How bad does he need to get before they make some type of move? At this point, anyone would be better. Leon, Dirden, a 3-legged dog... somebody HAS to be better. Dirden's slow start, Leon's continued lack of improvement, and now Chas' problems mean there's not a great option sitting out there. If Dirden were tearing it up I'd be close to calling for a move, but we might as well stick with him for now. His BAbip is quite low and his walk rate is dramatically improved; if the former comes up like you might expect and the walk rate stays good, he'd at least provide good range in CF and a respectable OBP. |
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Post by unionstation82 on Apr 17, 2023 16:56:09 GMT -6
So how long does the team continue to go with Meyers, especially if Chas continues to miss time? How bad does he need to get before they make some type of move? At this point, anyone would be better. Leon, Dirden, a 3-legged dog... somebody HAS to be better. Dirden's slow start, Leon's continued lack of improvement, and now Chas' problems mean there's not a great option sitting out there. If Dirden were tearing it up I'd be close to calling for a move, but we might as well stick with him for now. His BAbip is quite low and his walk rate is dramatically improved; if the former comes up like you might expect and the walk rate stays good, he'd at least provide good range in CF and a respectable OBP. They should send Blanco down and bring up Whitley and then figure out what to do when Lance decides to be ready. |
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Post by Saint on Apr 17, 2023 18:03:40 GMT -6
Dirden's slow start, Leon's continued lack of improvement, and now Chas' problems mean there's not a great option sitting out there. If Dirden were tearing it up I'd be close to calling for a move, but we might as well stick with him for now. His BAbip is quite low and his walk rate is dramatically improved; if the former comes up like you might expect and the walk rate stays good, he'd at least provide good range in CF and a respectable OBP. They should send Blanco down and bring up Whitley and then figure out what to do when Lance decides to be ready. Yeah, Blanco is quickly showing why he didn't get a chance until he was 28yo. |
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Post by Ashitaka on Apr 18, 2023 0:39:50 GMT -6
It's been 8 innings for Blanco. His BAbip is sky high and his strand rate is very low. His strikeout rate is excellent. Way too soon to pull the cord. He does need to stop walking so many though.
If we're talking about who to send down, I'm still trying to figure out why Salazar is on this roster.
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Post by unionstation82 on Apr 18, 2023 8:16:30 GMT -6
It's been 8 innings for Blanco. His BAbip is sky high and his strand rate is very low. His strikeout rate is excellent. Way too soon to pull the cord. He does need to stop walking so many though. If we're talking about who to send down, I'm still trying to figure out why Salazar is on this roster. Nobody knows. All they’ve said is Lee needs regular playing time in the minors. |
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Post by Saint on Apr 18, 2023 8:33:32 GMT -6
It's been 8 innings for Blanco. His BAbip is sky high and his strand rate is very low. His strikeout rate is excellent. Way too soon to pull the cord. He does need to stop walking so many though. If we're talking about who to send down, I'm still trying to figure out why Salazar is on this roster. I'm not saying to give up on Blanco, but it's not encouraging. I'm not even saying to give up on Meyers completely, but I don't think he should be on the MLB roster right now even with his HR yesterday. His arm still isn't right. |
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Post by unionstation82 on Apr 18, 2023 10:08:57 GMT -6
It's been 8 innings for Blanco. His BAbip is sky high and his strand rate is very low. His strikeout rate is excellent. Way too soon to pull the cord. He does need to stop walking so many though. If we're talking about who to send down, I'm still trying to figure out why Salazar is on this roster. I'm not saying to give up on Blanco, but it's not encouraging. I'm not even saying to give up on Meyers completely, but I don't think he should be on the MLB roster right now even with his HR yesterday. His arm still isn't right. Blanco is an example of how you can’t expect minor leaguer success to translate immediately into MLB success. All you can do is hope with the next guy, Forrest Whitley. |
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Post by olpapa on Apr 18, 2023 10:33:48 GMT -6
It's been 8 innings for Blanco. His BAbip is sky high and his strand rate is very low. His strikeout rate is excellent. Way too soon to pull the cord. He does need to stop walking so many though. If we're talking about who to send down, I'm still trying to figure out why Salazar is on this roster. I'm not saying to give up on Blanco, but it's not encouraging. I'm not even saying to give up on Meyers completely, but I don't think he should be on the MLB roster right now even with his HR yesterday. His arm still isn't right. I suspect that his arm is as good as it is going to get. |
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Post by Saint on Apr 18, 2023 10:36:39 GMT -6
I'm not saying to give up on Blanco, but it's not encouraging. I'm not even saying to give up on Meyers completely, but I don't think he should be on the MLB roster right now even with his HR yesterday. His arm still isn't right. I suspect that his arm is as good as it is going to get. If that's as good as his arm can get, he is a LFer at best. |
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Post by ɮօʀȶǟʐ on Apr 18, 2023 13:01:11 GMT -6
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koolade2
Veteran
15K Thief
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Post by koolade2 on Apr 18, 2023 13:05:43 GMT -6
Beat me to it. Just read the article. It seems all these new rules stuff are tested first in the Atlantic League. |
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Post by kyledriver1980 on Apr 18, 2023 15:41:30 GMT -6
Chas to the 7 Day IL with lower back tightness. Calling up Ryan Bannon to take his spot.
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Post by Ashitaka on Apr 19, 2023 0:52:00 GMT -6
Chas to the 7 Day IL with lower back tightness. Calling up Ryan Bannon to take his spot. I thought they said it was some kind of vision problem, how the heck did that turn into back tightness? LOL |
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Post by kyledriver1980 on Apr 19, 2023 5:17:08 GMT -6
Chas to the 7 Day IL with lower back tightness. Calling up Ryan Bannon to take his spot. I thought they said it was some kind of vision problem, how the heck did that turn into back tightness? LOL they said he got past the vision issues and tweaked his back lifting weights. |
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Post by bearbryant on Apr 19, 2023 13:05:15 GMT -6
For those who subscribe to The Athletic, Chandler Rome has an article about Yainer's lack of playing time, and Brown's thoughts on it. It appears to be behind a paywall
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Post by Saint on Apr 19, 2023 13:36:26 GMT -6
Does anybody subscribe to The Athletic?
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Post by unionstation82 on Apr 19, 2023 13:52:38 GMT -6
Does anybody subscribe to The Athletic? I heard if you take a screenshot of a page, you can scroll through the whole thing. |
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Post by churchill on Apr 19, 2023 18:17:52 GMT -6
Does anybody subscribe to The Athletic? l do.
HOUSTON — Yainer Diaz did not seem to be himself, and almost all of the Astros took notice. Hitting coaches saw a young player pressing during his first extended chance to establish himself. Manager Dusty Baker, juggling a lineup missing two linchpins, tried to let the 24-year-old prospect work through it. He started Diaz twice in the team’s first four games, including on Opening Day against the Chicago White Sox.
In the 10th inning of the fifth game, Baker summoned Diaz to pinch-hit with two outs and the winning run at third base. Houston included him on its Opening Day roster for this precise purpose: late-game at-bats in place of starting catcher Martín Maldonado. Diaz saw six pitches, swung at four of them and struck out against Tigers reliever Trey Wingenter. The Astros lost the game one inning later.
“When I made the team, there were a lot of other young guys that made the team as well, all very good baseball players,” Diaz said Tuesday through an interpreter. “I think when it first started, I wanted to show that I could be in the lineup every single day, play every single day.”
Diaz struck out during three of his seven at-bats on the Astros’ season-opening homestand. In the middle of the misery, Hazael Wessin pulled Diaz aside. Wessin, one of the Astros’ assistant strength coaches, worked with Diaz at Triple-A Sugar Land and in the Dominican Winter League. The player he saw at both stops did not match the big-league version.
“He told me every time he saw me at the plate, it looked like I was trying to prove something,” Diaz said Tuesday through an interpreter. “That’s something I really don’t need to do.”
“Everyone here knows the potential you have,” Wessin told him, ” just go out there and trust yourself.”
The conversation changed Diaz’s demeanor. Demonstrating it on the field or in the batter’s box is becoming more difficult. Diaz has started three times in the 11 games since Houston’s season-opening homestand, sporadic playing time that’s prompted a plethora of questions surrounding roster construction, player development and whether Diaz can tailor his free-swinging approach enough to earn more regular playing time.
Diaz has taken 22 plate appearances this season. Among his Astros teammates, only fellow catcher César Salazar has fewer. Diaz did not appear in Tuesday’s 4-2 loss to the Blue Jays, with Salazar receiving a pinch-hit at-bat in the ninth for Maldonado. Salazar, who represented the tying run, struck out against Toronto closer Jordan Romano.
Manager Dusty Baker has not gone to Diaz in what might seem like suitable situations for the rookie. (Bob Levey / Getty Images)
The team surprised some by passing over former first-round pick Korey Lee to carry both Diaz and Salazar on its Opening Day roster behind Maldonado. Baker and general manager Dana Brown said they prioritized more offense for a lineup missing both Jose Altuve and Michael Brantley.
On Tuesday, Diaz said the team “didn’t really talk to me” about playing time when it finalized the roster. On paper, the roster construction should make it easier for Baker to either pinch-hit for Maldonado later in games or play Diaz at first base, designated hitter or left field. For myriad reasons, neither option has manifested. Diaz has carved out a niche as rookie Hunter Brown’s personal catcher, but otherwise, his performance hasn’t forced Baker’s hand. Hitting Salazar instead of Diaz on Tuesday offered another example of the enigmatic situation — one where a supposed offensive weapon isn’t being deployed at all.
“I think he’s getting some valuable at-bats here,” Dana Brown said before the game. “At some point, we may be able to give him a few more at-bats. Dusty can get a little more creative, whether it’s DH or potentially left field. I don’t think he’s losing development time. I think, at some point, he’ll get over the 300 at-bats that I think we need him to get. I don’t think his development will be hindered at all, but sooner he’ll get in more games, hopefully.”
Diaz’s primary position remains catcher, but the team exposed him to first base and left field in the minor leagues and during spring training. His defense is uninspiring at all three positions — and carrying Salazar at catcher underscores it — accentuating just how much of Diaz’s value is tied to his bat. Corey Julks’ impressive start has stolen some of the time in left field or designated hitter Diaz might have received. Yordan Alvarez will play one of those two positions nightly, too.
Julks is a far superior outfielder to Diaz, while Maldonado is the team’s unquestioned starter behind the plate. Maldonado’s value to the pitchers is so immense that Baker is often reluctant to hit for him late in games — especially when the Astros are tied or leading. Maldonado, it should be noted, entered Tuesday’s game with a .310 on-base percentage, averaging a 90.8 mph exit velocity and a 27.3 percent chase rate. All are better than his career marks.
Diaz slashed .321/.358/.510 in 340 minor-league games, boasted a sub-17 percent strikeout rate and hit his way onto the roster with a strong showing in spring training. His approach is distinct: an almost too-aggressive, free-swinging style that translated well against minor-league competition. The bump up to big-league pitching is proving more treacherous.
Diaz saw just 2.9 pitches per plate appearance in his minor league career and struck out only 208 times. Diaz has seen 127 pitches in 31 career major league plate appearances. He is swinging at 62.2 percent of them. The major-league average swing percentage is 47.1 percent. Diaz has seven strikeouts in 26 major league at-bats. The sample size is far too small to draw any grand conclusions, but it’s clear the Astros’ staff would like him to make better swing decisions.
“We would obviously like him to swing less, but we don’t want him to lose his aggression at all,” said Astros assistant hitting coach Jason Kanzler. “The goal would be for him to just compress all of that free aggression into the (strike) zone, or more into the zone. He’s got amazing bat-to-ball skills, incredible power. He’s a really good pure hitter. The stuff up here is a lot better, so if he can just be a little more selective without losing all those good qualities, he’s going to be a good player.”
Diaz bemoaned his propensity to chase sliders down and away, but that’s a problem for almost all young, right-handed hitters. His whiff rate is just 23.7 percent and he’s made great contact throughout his minor-league career. Diaz’s plate coverage and bat-to-ball skills are the least of the team’s worries.
“I do think given his really natural, hitter-ish qualities that he is going to end up being less prone (to swing-and-miss) than most hitters,” Kanzler said. “He is going to cover a lot more of the zone than you would expect from a player as young as him.”
Kanzler and hitting coach Troy Snitker are Diaz’s primary coaches at the major-league level. Their job is a delicate one: trying to discover a balance between the aggression that got Diaz to the major leagues and the control he must show to stay. It is their “main focus” when working with Diaz in the batting cages, Kanzler said, during which the coaches are “more strict with the standards” of plate discipline and pitch selection.
In Brown’s eyes, therein lies the value of Diaz’s time on the major league roster. Debate can rage whether young players benefit more from everyday playing time in the minor leagues or simply being around the major-league team. Diaz graduated his prospect status earlier this month but, entering the season, The Athletic’s Keith Law ranked Diaz second behind pitcher Hunter Brown in his preseason Astros’ Top 20. Law wrote Diaz “just missed the just missed category” for inclusion in his league-wide Top 100.
“I think if you’re far away, you need to play every day,” Brown said. “I think when you’re as close as Yainer is to being an everyday big leaguer, he’s probably getting a lot of value from being around major-league players, facing some major-league pitchers, having some of our hitting coaches go through at-bat sequences with him after the game. I think being here is going to help him.”
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Post by Saint on Apr 19, 2023 18:19:40 GMT -6
Does anybody subscribe to The Athletic? l do. Are you able to copy and paste the article here, kind sir? |
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Post by thomasj13 on Apr 19, 2023 18:46:35 GMT -6
Does anybody subscribe to The Athletic? l do.
HOUSTON — Yainer Diaz did not seem to be himself, and almost all of the Astros took notice. Hitting coaches saw a young player pressing during his first extended chance to establish himself. Manager Dusty Baker, juggling a lineup missing two linchpins, tried to let the 24-year-old prospect work through it. He started Diaz twice in the team’s first four games, including on Opening Day against the Chicago White Sox.
In the 10th inning of the fifth game, Baker summoned Diaz to pinch-hit with two outs and the winning run at third base. Houston included him on its Opening Day roster for this precise purpose: late-game at-bats in place of starting catcher Martín Maldonado. Diaz saw six pitches, swung at four of them and struck out against Tigers reliever Trey Wingenter. The Astros lost the game one inning later.
“When I made the team, there were a lot of other young guys that made the team as well, all very good baseball players,” Diaz said Tuesday through an interpreter. “I think when it first started, I wanted to show that I could be in the lineup every single day, play every single day.”
Diaz struck out during three of his seven at-bats on the Astros’ season-opening homestand. In the middle of the misery, Hazael Wessin pulled Diaz aside. Wessin, one of the Astros’ assistant strength coaches, worked with Diaz at Triple-A Sugar Land and in the Dominican Winter League. The player he saw at both stops did not match the big-league version.
“He told me every time he saw me at the plate, it looked like I was trying to prove something,” Diaz said Tuesday through an interpreter. “That’s something I really don’t need to do.”
“Everyone here knows the potential you have,” Wessin told him, ” just go out there and trust yourself.”
The conversation changed Diaz’s demeanor. Demonstrating it on the field or in the batter’s box is becoming more difficult. Diaz has started three times in the 11 games since Houston’s season-opening homestand, sporadic playing time that’s prompted a plethora of questions surrounding roster construction, player development and whether Diaz can tailor his free-swinging approach enough to earn more regular playing time.
Diaz has taken 22 plate appearances this season. Among his Astros teammates, only fellow catcher César Salazar has fewer. Diaz did not appear in Tuesday’s 4-2 loss to the Blue Jays, with Salazar receiving a pinch-hit at-bat in the ninth for Maldonado. Salazar, who represented the tying run, struck out against Toronto closer Jordan Romano.
Manager Dusty Baker has not gone to Diaz in what might seem like suitable situations for the rookie. (Bob Levey / Getty Images)
The team surprised some by passing over former first-round pick Korey Lee to carry both Diaz and Salazar on its Opening Day roster behind Maldonado. Baker and general manager Dana Brown said they prioritized more offense for a lineup missing both Jose Altuve and Michael Brantley.
On Tuesday, Diaz said the team “didn’t really talk to me” about playing time when it finalized the roster. On paper, the roster construction should make it easier for Baker to either pinch-hit for Maldonado later in games or play Diaz at first base, designated hitter or left field. For myriad reasons, neither option has manifested. Diaz has carved out a niche as rookie Hunter Brown’s personal catcher, but otherwise, his performance hasn’t forced Baker’s hand. Hitting Salazar instead of Diaz on Tuesday offered another example of the enigmatic situation — one where a supposed offensive weapon isn’t being deployed at all.
“I think he’s getting some valuable at-bats here,” Dana Brown said before the game. “At some point, we may be able to give him a few more at-bats. Dusty can get a little more creative, whether it’s DH or potentially left field. I don’t think he’s losing development time. I think, at some point, he’ll get over the 300 at-bats that I think we need him to get. I don’t think his development will be hindered at all, but sooner he’ll get in more games, hopefully.”
Diaz’s primary position remains catcher, but the team exposed him to first base and left field in the minor leagues and during spring training. His defense is uninspiring at all three positions — and carrying Salazar at catcher underscores it — accentuating just how much of Diaz’s value is tied to his bat. Corey Julks’ impressive start has stolen some of the time in left field or designated hitter Diaz might have received. Yordan Alvarez will play one of those two positions nightly, too.
Julks is a far superior outfielder to Diaz, while Maldonado is the team’s unquestioned starter behind the plate. Maldonado’s value to the pitchers is so immense that Baker is often reluctant to hit for him late in games — especially when the Astros are tied or leading. Maldonado, it should be noted, entered Tuesday’s game with a .310 on-base percentage, averaging a 90.8 mph exit velocity and a 27.3 percent chase rate. All are better than his career marks.
Diaz slashed .321/.358/.510 in 340 minor-league games, boasted a sub-17 percent strikeout rate and hit his way onto the roster with a strong showing in spring training. His approach is distinct: an almost too-aggressive, free-swinging style that translated well against minor-league competition. The bump up to big-league pitching is proving more treacherous.
Diaz saw just 2.9 pitches per plate appearance in his minor league career and struck out only 208 times. Diaz has seen 127 pitches in 31 career major league plate appearances. He is swinging at 62.2 percent of them. The major-league average swing percentage is 47.1 percent. Diaz has seven strikeouts in 26 major league at-bats. The sample size is far too small to draw any grand conclusions, but it’s clear the Astros’ staff would like him to make better swing decisions.
“We would obviously like him to swing less, but we don’t want him to lose his aggression at all,” said Astros assistant hitting coach Jason Kanzler. “The goal would be for him to just compress all of that free aggression into the (strike) zone, or more into the zone. He’s got amazing bat-to-ball skills, incredible power. He’s a really good pure hitter. The stuff up here is a lot better, so if he can just be a little more selective without losing all those good qualities, he’s going to be a good player.”
Diaz bemoaned his propensity to chase sliders down and away, but that’s a problem for almost all young, right-handed hitters. His whiff rate is just 23.7 percent and he’s made great contact throughout his minor-league career. Diaz’s plate coverage and bat-to-ball skills are the least of the team’s worries.
“I do think given his really natural, hitter-ish qualities that he is going to end up being less prone (to swing-and-miss) than most hitters,” Kanzler said. “He is going to cover a lot more of the zone than you would expect from a player as young as him.”
Kanzler and hitting coach Troy Snitker are Diaz’s primary coaches at the major-league level. Their job is a delicate one: trying to discover a balance between the aggression that got Diaz to the major leagues and the control he must show to stay. It is their “main focus” when working with Diaz in the batting cages, Kanzler said, during which the coaches are “more strict with the standards” of plate discipline and pitch selection.
In Brown’s eyes, therein lies the value of Diaz’s time on the major league roster. Debate can rage whether young players benefit more from everyday playing time in the minor leagues or simply being around the major-league team. Diaz graduated his prospect status earlier this month but, entering the season, The Athletic’s Keith Law ranked Diaz second behind pitcher Hunter Brown in his preseason Astros’ Top 20. Law wrote Diaz “just missed the just missed category” for inclusion in his league-wide Top 100.
“I think if you’re far away, you need to play every day,” Brown said. “I think when you’re as close as Yainer is to being an everyday big leaguer, he’s probably getting a lot of value from being around major-league players, facing some major-league pitchers, having some of our hitting coaches go through at-bat sequences with him after the game. I think being here is going to help him.”
Thank you |
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Post by bearbryant on Apr 19, 2023 19:13:23 GMT -6
A rookie can get experience watching veterans similar to that of getting at-bats. I don't think I've seen a GM say that before
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Post by Ashitaka on Apr 20, 2023 0:58:05 GMT -6
That article is hilarious.
"Hitting coaches saw a young player pressing during his first extended chance to establish himself. Manager Dusty Baker, juggling a lineup missing two linchpins, tried to let the 24-year-old prospect work through it. He started Diaz twice in the team’s first four games, including on Opening Day against the Chicago White Sox."
He didn't impress during two games out of the gate and so they've benched him and he has a grand total of 14 ABs, but they're talking about extended chances and letting him work through it? Good grief.
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Post by Saint on Apr 20, 2023 6:16:40 GMT -6
The bottom line is that Dusty chooses guys he likes, and then fails to see when better options are available as "his guys" struggle.
It was the same thing with Chas the last two years.
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