Will Jimmy Paredes force his way onto this team?

[El Gordo]

I know Flaherty is a favorite of many here and BS, but what role does he play if there are no injury replacements. He won't go in for any of the starting infielders for defense. He will give Hardy a rest now and then. He is not a pinch hitter and he has options. I think Paredes stays, Flaherty goes down and plays everyday and is an immediate call up if an infielder goes down. Flaherty's bat is nothing special and let him do his 0-20 season start elsewhere.

When has that ever happened?

[UpstateNYfan]

When has that ever happened?

Rarely, but until something happens, he has literally no role.

[Babypowder]

If Paredes is as bad as you think, you have to wonder why he is even in camp. Maybe SS is not sufficient to reflect his skill level. Have to agree with Frobby that he has looked good at the plate as an O. And I don't mean his numbers, I mean he looks like he knows what he is doing.

Even if last season's sample was a reflection of his actual skill level, which I seriously doubt, he was still a replacement level player. He gave his 110 wRC+ all back on defense and then some. I'm going to go way out on a limb and suggest that he isn't actually a guy that will SLG close to .500 as he did with the O's.

[El Gordo]

Even if last season's sample was a reflection of his actual skill level, which I seriously doubt, he was still a replacement level player. He gave his 110 wRC+ all back on defense and then some. I'm going to go way out on a limb and suggest that he isn't actually a guy that will SLG close to .500 as he did with the O's.

So how come DD and Buck don't see it the way you do? Why is he in camp? They must see something not reflected in the numbers. Dan seems to do this a lot, with some success.

[Slade-OH]

Started a real nice double play today and of course continued to kill the ball. I have questions about his defense, but if Paredes goes north, Flaherty is only a call away from AAA if Manny goes down again.

Agreed, and Paredes looked great at the plate today again, roping an RBI double off Hamels. With Cabrera able to handle SS as a backup, I think there's more of a need on the bench for someone that can hit a little against lefties. Flaherty isn't that guy but Paredes could be.

[Crazysilver03]

Started a real nice double play today and of course continued to kill the ball. I have questions about his defense, but if Paredes goes north, Flaherty is only a call away from AAA if Manny goes down again.

If Manny goes down, it is probably easier to slide Davis over.

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[Frobby]

Even if last season's sample was a reflection of his actual skill level, which I seriously doubt, he was still a replacement level player. He gave his 110 wRC+ all back on defense and then some. I'm going to go way out on a limb and suggest that he isn't actually a guy that will SLG close to .500 as he did with the O's.

FWIW, BB-ref has him at +0.4 rWAR in 18 games played. So they didn't see him as playing at replacement level, though fangraphs did. And just as this was a small sample on which to judge his offense, the same is true of his defense.

That said, I have to agree with you that it would be very hard for Paredes to do enough this spring to convince evaluators that he deserves a spot on the OD roster.

[FanAddict]

If Paredes is as bad as you think, you have to wonder why he is even in camp. Maybe SS is not sufficient to reflect his skill level. Have to agree with Frobby that he has looked good at the plate as an O. And I don't mean his numbers, I mean he looks like he knows what he is doing.

Agreed. The true test will be whether or not he passes Buck's test and breaks camp with the team. I think everyone can agree that Parades hit well last year as well as this spring but the crowd seems divided on whether he actually looks the part. He breaks camp with the O's and I'm convinced that there might be something more than just hitting well in a small sample.

[Frobby]

Jimmy Paredes went 2-for-3 with five RBIs and three runs scored. He's 9-for-21 this spring.

"You talk about Steve [Pearce], you've got to talk about Paredes," Showalter said. "I tell you what I'm most impressed with is his improvement defensively. I think that's probably been the most pleasant surprise in camp is his defensive play down here compared to some of the challenges he had last year. He's been good. He worked hard. He's made just about every play. And we know he'll swing the bat."

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/03/wrapping-up-a-16-4-victory.html

[Babypowder]

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/03/wrapping-up-a-16-4-victory.html

And how do we know that? There's nothing in his major or minor league numbers that suggests it. I guess from the literal definition we do know he will swing the bat since he's not going to walk at all. Is he comparing his situation to Pearce? Pearces minor league resume dwarfs Paredes and he has discipline and power that Paredes only dreams about, not mentioning defensive ability.

I see him as similar to what Steve Lombardozzi was. Depth that shouldn't be counted on for anything substantial but worth having the organization. I know if I'm betting on who jimmy Paredes is, I'm taking his whole career over a handful of ST at bats.

[Frobby]

The quote was taken a bit out of context. I don't think Buck was comparing Pearce and Paredes. He was just switching subjects after talking about Pearce's good spring. My purpose was to call attention to what Buck said about Paredes' improved defense.

[Aristotelian]

And how do we know that? There's nothing in his major or minor league numbers that suggests it. I guess from the literal definition we do know he will swing the bat since he's not going to walk at all. Is he comparing his situation to Pearce? Pearces minor league resume dwarfs Paredes and he has discipline and power that Paredes only dreams about, not mentioning defensive ability.

I see him as similar to what Steve Lombardozzi was. Depth that shouldn't be counted on for anything substantial but worth having the organization. I know if I'm betting on who jimmy Paredes is, I'm taking his whole career over a handful of ST at bats.

The guy has hit .280 or better every year at every level except MLB. In 2014 he seemed to turn a corner in his MLB career and he is sustaining it this spring. His 2014 is a small sample, but it is his most recent sample. Lombo is a good comparison for his bat. Lombo would be a valuable piece if he could defend. That's the question with Paredes, not his bat, in my opinion.

[CA-ORIOLE]

What is Paredes? I would guess Paredes upside as an athletic Ty Wigginton.

[wildcard]

I don't know how this plays out the rest of ST, but right how Paredes looks like he shares time with Delmon at DH/PH. He is not going to get that many at bats at third.

That frees up Pearce to play LF/RF/1B. Buck loses Pearce's flexibility when he DHs.

I don't think Paredes is competing with Flaherty or Cabrera. He is competing with Lough who has been pretty quiet this spring IMO.

[EagleOriole]

I don't know how this plays out the rest of ST, but right how Paredes looks like he shares time with Delmon at DH/PH. He is not going to get that many at bats at third.

That frees up Pearce to play LF/RF/1B. Buck loses Pearce's flexibility when he DHs.

I don't think Paredes is competing with Flaherty or Cabrera. He is competing with Lough who has been pretty quiet this spring IMO.

Agree with this - if Cabrera shows enough in the OF - they could get rid of Lough and Parades could be getting DH ABs with Cabrera the 4th OF and part-time 2B.