Navarro should be pushing Schoop this spring

[jamalshw]

I have high hopes for Schoop in the long run and am anxious to see how he looks in Spring Training and what adjustments he may have made to help him have better and more consistent at bats.

Obviously, his defense is top notch and gives his offense some wiggle room, but I would like to see a noticeable improvement.

I also think it is possible that Navarro pushes Schoop back to AAA if Schoop continues to struggle at the plate and, provided he handles in maturely, that may not be such a bad thing for Schoop. If he cannot take a step forward at the big league level, maybe a trip to AAA where he can work on things with a bit less pressure may pay off.

All in all, I like the depth moves by DD particularly with Navarro and Hassan.

[DoubleStufOriole]

The player I think Navarro could push off the roster is Paredes.

I'm thinking we will probably add another bat or two (Rasmus?) before Opening Day, but if the season started tomorrow, I could see our most common offense being something like:

C - Matt Wieters

1B - Chris Davis

2B - Jonathan Schoop

SS - J.J. Hardy

3B - Manny Machado

LF - Alejando De Aza

CF - Adam Jones

RF - Steve Pearce

DH - Delmon Young

C - Caleb Joseph

U - Ryan Flaherty

IF - Rey Navarro/Jimmy Paredes

OF - David Lough

[Aristotelian]

The player I think Navarro could push off the roster is Paredes.

I'm thinking we will probably add another bat or two (Rasmus?) before Opening Day, but if the season started tomorrow, I could see our most common offense being something like:

C - Matt Wieters

1B - Chris Davis

2B - Jonathan Schoop

SS - J.J. Hardy

3B - Manny Machado

LF - Alejando De Aza

CF - Adam Jones

RF - Steve Pearce

DH - Delmon Young

C - Caleb Joseph

U - Ryan Flaherty

IF - Rey Navarro/Jimmy Paredes

OF - David Lough

I think Paredes has even less chance of making the 25 man than Navarro. Navarro brings similar offensive profile but can defend more positions.

I do think Navarro could make the club if there are no further additions. The only problem is if Wieters can't catch but serves as platoon DH then we need another C.

[oriole]

Yes, the raw numbers are bad, but consider the context.

http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=400&type=8&season=2014&month=0&season1=2014&ind=0&team=&rost=&age=14,22&filter=&players=

The glass half full argument is he was one of the five best 22 and under position players on the planet last year. Most of his contemporaries haven't earned MLB playing time yet. He played World Series hero and agemate Xander Bogaerts to a standstill and no one's suggesting minor league journeymen are going to push him.

Schoop 2014 reminds of Bedard 2004. At an organizational weak spot, a baby is thrust into a starting position, and keeps his head above water. The ability to survive all season long at that level of inexperience is a sign of considerable talent.

I think there is a case to be had that he did not keep his head above water. He was awful. I expect him to continue to be awful until he is not.

[Can_of_corn]

I think there is a case to be had that he did not keep his head above water. He was awful. I expect him to continue to be awful until he is not.

He provided excess value for his cost. That is a lot more then Markakis did in 2012. To me awful would be replacement level or below.

[Frobby]

He provided excess value for his cost. That is a lot more then Markakis did in 2012. To me awful would be replacement level or below.

You wouldn't want a team full of guys earning 0.6 WAR while playing 80% of the time. So, you can quibble with "awful" but you'll only stick with a guy worth 0.6 WAR for so long even if he's cheap. Bottom line, we invested in Schoop's development because the older alternative candidates weren't better or cheaper, and because we expected that giving Schoop the experience would allow him to be substantially better than 0.6 WAR in future seasons.

[scOtt]

Another thing to consider is that Navarro will be in mid season form during ST having played winter ball. While Schoop will not be.

And mid-season 2015, Schoop will be in mid-season form and Navarro will be burnt out. You seem to think ST numbers will make a lot of difference to Buck.