An unorthodox, perhaps heretical, way to get Mancini ML at-bats

[El Gordo]

1 minute ago, FanSince88 said:

Totally valid point, and clearly much of this would depend on how Mancini looks this spring, without a doubt.  

it's absurd to think that after a good ST Buck would platoon Mancini with Davis. Think Davis 160 M v Mancini 500K and Bucks take on the value of ST numbers.

[FanSince88]

1 hour ago, Spy Fox said:

Davis has a career .769 OPS against left handed starting pitchers. It's not a sure thing Mancini would match or beat that. I could see it happening sometimes if Davis has a major clunker year or is banged up, but otherwise I think the big money man stays in there every day.

As mentioned, I think the bigger question for Mancini's role on the team is how much Buck decides to trust Kim against LHPs.

Fair point, and that is a relevant detail.  It was .741 OPS against LH starters last year, but that is a trickier bar to clear than Davis' .711 mark overall for a rookie.  

Perhaps another approach could be to use Mancini as a tactical PH vs against LOOGYs and tough lefty closers.  That's probably not enough to justify a roster spot and won't give him enough plate appearances, though, unless you want to force all three of Mancini, Trumbo, and Davis in the lineup at once vs LH starters which means Davis or Trumbo has to play outfield which I'm not a fan of.  

 

[Just Regular]

If Mancini proves a worthy platoon DH, and Davis scuffles again this year, I could see this being a real thing in 2018, but Davis's glove and track record deserve another shot at full time run this year.

Roster-wise, I hope we see both sides of both platoons almost every day - we're going to get an opposite handed reliever to the SP ~150 times, and none of Kim/Rickard or Smith/Mancini are such great shakes that I wouldn't want to try for the platoon edge the 3rd or 4th time through the order regularly.

[FanSince88]

32 minutes ago, OrioleDog said:

If Mancini proves a worthy platoon DH, and Davis scuffles again this year, I could see this being a real thing in 2018, but Davis's glove and track record deserve another shot at full time run this year.

Roster-wise, I hope we see both sides of both platoons almost every day - we're going to get an opposite handed reliever to the SP ~150 times, and none of Kim/Rickard or Smith/Mancini are such great shakes that I wouldn't want to try for the platoon edge the 3rd or 4th time through the order regularly.

Good thought -- perhaps if not this year, this could be an option for 2018 depending on how Davis and Mancini do in 2017.  

[InsideCoroner]

3 hours ago, FanSince88 said:

Perhaps another approach could be to use Mancini as a tactical PH vs against LOOGYs and tough lefty closers.  

 

Mancini makes for a bad PH option unless it's do-or-die time since you have to burn another bench spot replacing him in the field. I just don't see him getting much action with the club this year barring an injury.

[weams]

Mancini to first, Davis to Outfield. It works late. 

[Ruzious]

How bout just trade Davis for a solid but over-paid outfielder.  Someone like Granderson?  Pay the difference in salaries to the other team.    

[weams]

14 minutes ago, Ruzious said:

How bout just trade Davis for a solid but over-paid outfielder.  Someone like Granderson?  Pay the difference in salaries to the other team.    

148 million? 

[LA2]

1 hour ago, weams said:

148 million? 

And for how many years left in Granderson's career? He'll be 36 next month.

[weams]

30 minutes ago, LA2 said:

And for how many years left in Granderson's career? He'll be 36 next month.

This is Granderson's final season under contract. 

[Norfolk orioles]

Uhhh yeah I don't think that's going to happen.

[PaulFolk]

23 hours ago, FanSince88 said:

Platoon him with CD at first base.  

WITH the provision that CD will enter the game in the late innings either as a defensive replacement (if we're ahead) or a pinch hitter (if we're behind or tied, and he could pinch hit for Mancini, Rickard/Tavarez, Caleb, Castillo, or even Schoop or Hardy if they are slumping).  If you played your cards right, you could still probably find a way to get CD 500 plate appearances this way.  And give Mancini a solid 250-300 ABs.  

There's other advantages here, too, besides a novel way to give Mancini work

1) Never, ever needing to give Trumbo a glove if you don't want to.  

2) Chris Davis gets some extra rest, which I think would help him. 

3) If Mancini can beat CD's .711 2016 OPS against lefties, and especially if he can beat CD's .737 career OPS vs LHP mark, it's a big improvement on offense against lefty starters in a lefty-heavy division. 

I'm a big advocate of giving extra rest for the Orioles' regulars, but this is going too far. If we assume the O's will face around 50 left-handed starters this year (last year they faced 46), that's way too many games to bench a hitter as important as Davis. The Red Sox, for example, have an almost entirely left-handed rotation now. Would Davis just never start against the Orioles' toughest division rival, except when Porcello is pitching?

Davis is perfectly capable against lefties for a left-handed hitter -- it's not like he's Seth Smith bad (.594 career OPS vs. lefties). There are other guys who should be platooned before Davis (namely Smith and Kim), even if that requires sticking Trumbo in the outfield sometimes. And the Orioles aren't going to platoon their $161 million slugger in the second year of his deal, and certainly not for Mancini, who has some upside but isn't a surefire prospect.

[Aristotelian]

No way Buck will ever bench Davis except maybe the occasional day off.

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, Aristotelian said:

No way Buck will ever bench Davis except maybe the occasional day off.

Manny has it figured out, you want time off get injured or suspended.