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LH will be fine at SS next year if you really consider and appreciate that in true rebuilding mode of a bad team, many playing next year will simply be placeholders until more players emerge through the farm, trade, or FA.

We should be grateful it seems almost a certainty that we have someone for SS who can catch and throw - LH is way better than what we might otherwise have at this stage.

This is a good point. Now, I would prefer a better SS for next year and still hold out hope the Orioles will get one, but if Hernandez's defense is that good, in a rebuilding year, is it the worse thing in the world to give you pitchers the best up the middle defense you can get?

However, if this is the case, the Orioles can't go into 2008 with Payton/Redmond platoon in center because that would certainly not be good defense out there.

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This is a good point. Now, I would prefer a better SS for next year and still hold out hope the Orioles will get one, but if Hernandez's defense is that good, in a rebuilding year, is it the worse thing in the world to give you pitchers the best up the middle defense you can get?

However, if this is the case, the Orioles can't go into 2008 with Payton/Redmond platoon in center because that would certainly not be good defense out there.

I really feel like the O's would be wasting a year if they went with LH at SS. He is not a long term solution as we probably all agree. SS is such a key position that I think it is one roster spot where the O's need to trade a pitching prospect for a long term answer, or at least someone who has a shot as being a long term answer.

I would not trade Bedard, Guthrie or Loewen, but any one of six or so young major league ready or close to major league ready arms that could be traded to get a SS.

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I really feel like the O's would be wasting a year if they went with LH at SS. He is not a long term solution as we probably all agree. SS is such a key position that I think it is one roster spot where the O's need to trade a pitching prospect for a long term answer, or at least someone who has a shot as being a long term answer.

I would not trade Bedard, Guthrie or Loewen, but any one of six or so young major league ready or close to major league ready arms that could be traded to get a SS.

I don't think anyone disagrees with this, I think we're talking only as a last resort would LH be our SS.... Although I'm sure there are plenty of SS options out there that we feel we could easily get for Player X or Y or both... so I suppose we'll have to continue to let things play out and see where we are. I wouldn't pay any attention to media reports as this is all part of the game..

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I really feel like the O's would be wasting a year if they went with LH at SS. He is not a long term solution as we probably all agree. SS is such a key position that I think it is one roster spot where the O's need to trade a pitching prospect for a long term answer, or at least someone who has a shot as being a long term answer.

I would not trade Bedard, Guthrie or Loewen, but any one of six or so young major league ready or close to major league ready arms that could be traded to get a SS.

Wasting a year in what capacity? McPhail has a 3 season timetable before he thinks they'll even compete again. This is one of the reasons why. You can't guarantee instant impact ML return for every player you trade away. If they do anything before 2010 (the year we make contact) it'll be catching lightning in a bottle.

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LH will be fine at SS next year if you really consider and appreciate that in true rebuilding mode of a bad team, many playing next year will simply be placeholders until more players emerge through the farm, trade, or FA.

We should be grateful it seems almost a certainty that we have someone for SS who can catch and throw - LH is way better than what we might otherwise have at this stage.

This makes way too much sense ... we all know it would be the end of the world if LH is the opening day SS, cause the team is going to be so good anyway.

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Their is one and only one way that the Orioles will use LH as the starting SS at the beginning of next season IMO. That is if they trade for a AA/AAA SS prospect who needs another half season to season in the minors.

You could be right. I can think of 2 additional possibilities:

  • They have some idea of what they want at SS, decide that this year is not the best time to get it, and punt on that until next year;
  • They don't care as much about SS .SLG as some folks do, they notice that LH sometimes forgets how to take a walk, and wanna see if he can calm down and get better at it.

I have no news about what they're thinking, but these seem like possibilities too. I do think it's pretty clear that OPS is not the one-and-only-thing that AM factors into whatever his equation might be. My impression is that he values SS-glove more than some folks do, and that he and DT think highly of LH in the field. In any case, if he does wind up playing SS, the thing I'll be watching (in addition to his D) is his OBP, not his OPS. For a guy like LH, I think OPS is completely beside the point, the only thing about his bat that matters is OBP. If he can play great D and put up a decent OBP, then I'd be happy with him.

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I'm only opposed to Hernandez as the "real" option at SS. Mainly because there are probably at least a dozen readidly availble guys with his glove that have a better chance of contributing for an entire season on offense. Not blowing worlds apart, but contributing. But since we're in full rebuild, I have no problem pencilling him in if we get no other return. Having a good glove up the middle will be nice for young pitching.

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You could be right. I can think of 2 additional possibilities:
  • They have some idea of what they want at SS, decide that this year is not the best time to get it, and punt on that until next year;
  • They don't care as much about SS .SLG as some folks do, they notice that LH sometimes forgets how to take a walk, and wanna see if he can calm down and get better at it.

I have no news about what they're thinking, but these seem like possibilities too. I do think it's pretty clear that OPS is not the one-and-only-thing that AM factors into whatever his equation might be. My impression is that he values SS-glove more than some folks do, and that he and DT think highly of LH in the field. In any case, if he does wind up playing SS, the thing I'll be watching (in addition to his D) is his OBP, not his OPS. For a guy like LH, I think OPS is completely beside the point, the only thing about his bat that matters is OBP. If he can play great D and put up a decent OBP, then I'd be happy with him.[/QUOTE]

Yes, OBP is indeed the most important part of the OPS equation. OBP would be weighted 67% and SLG 33%.

If LH does indeed start Trembley might have to give LH the take sign often!

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there are probably at least a dozen readidly availble guys with his glove that have a better chance of contributing for an entire season on offense.

This is the assumption that many people here seem to make. This is the place where I think many people are dead wrong. It seems to me some folks here are looking at a group of MiL SS's they know zilch about and then do this: "OK glove" = "pretty good glove" = "great glove".

From what I've seen of LH on TV, he is not your run-of-the-mill SS in the field. People here keep insisting that guys like him are a dime a dozen. I'm not buying that for one minute. To my eyes, he looks very, very, very good in the field. If he does end up playing, I will enjoy seeing how good he really is, once he settles in a bit. I don't know if he's great, but I am convinced he is very, very, very good.

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This is the assumption that many people here seem to make. This is the place where I think many people are dead wrong. It seems to me some folks here are looking at a group of MiL SS's they know zilch about and then do this: "OK glove" = "pretty good glove" = "great glove".

From what I've seen of LH on TV, he is not your run-of-the-mill SS in the field. People here keep insisting that guys like him are a dime a dozen. I'm not buying that for one minute. To my eyes, he looks very, very, very good in the field. If he does end up playing, I will enjoy seeing how good he really is, once he settles in a bit. I don't know if he's great, but I am convinced he is very, very, very good.

I think what we are talking about when we speak of this MiL FA SS, is a 30 year old version of Chris Gomez. A decent fielding, ok hitting UT.
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In any case, if he does wind up playing SS, the thing I'll be watching (in addition to his D) is his OBP, not his OPS. For a guy like LH, I think OPS is completely beside the point, the only thing about his bat that matters is OBP. If he can play great D and put up a decent OBP, then I'd be happy with him.

OK, but what makes you think he will put up a decent OBP? Last year his OBP in Baltimore was an even .300 -- and that was with him hitting over his head at .290 BA. His career OBP in the minors is .299. All signs point to a sub-.300 OBP in the majors.

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This is the assumption that many people here seem to make. This is the place where I think many people are dead wrong. It seems to me some folks here are looking at a group of MiL SS's they know zilch about and then do this: "OK glove" = "pretty good glove" = "great glove".

From what I've seen of LH on TV, he is not your run-of-the-mill SS in the field. People here keep insisting that guys like him are a dime a dozen. I'm not buying that for one minute. To my eyes, he looks very, very, very good in the field. If he does end up playing, I will enjoy seeing how good he really is, once he settles in a bit. I don't know if he's great, but I am convinced he is very, very, very good.

It's dangerous for you to draw this conclusion based on 139 innings of play at SS. I will grant you that he looked very good in those games.

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It's dangerous for you to draw this conclusion based on 139 innings of play at SS. I will grant you that he looked very good in those games.
I'm not sure about about the risk RShack incurrs other than being ridiculed around here, and that's already the case. But what interests me about LH, is that in his admittedly small sample size defensive numbers he is in the same league with Tulo: 5.37 RF and .935 ZR to Tulo's 5.39 RF and .872 ZR. Both superior to Adam Everetts'. If LH's small sample size numbers are at all indicative of his play at SS, then he is among the elite with a glove. To bad we can't see his MiL numbers to settle the question.
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