Who has something to prove in ST?

[HowAboutThat]

I agree with Scott, I am expecting to win in the 70s, but it won’t be because of… Well, I kept wondering which bad thing I was going to list first, and there are so many.

I think our pitching is going to be very good. I think our defense is going to be awful and our offense won’t be much better.

But the pitching will be much improved!!

[eddie83]

2 minutes ago, Philip said:

I agree with Scott, I am expecting to win in the 70s, but it won’t be because of… Well, I kept wondering which bad thing I was going to list first, and there are so many.

I think our pitching is going to be very good. I think our defense is going to be awful and our offense won’t be much better.

But the pitching will be much improved!!

Hitting to me comes down to what they get out of Hays, C and DH. Hays is a real wildcard this year. I think trio of Mountcastle, Santander and Mancini will be productive. Infield offense in general will be poor.

I don’t think the defense will be awful. Catching is worst spot on team. Have to see how Rio plays. His glove faded with his bat last year. 

[Moose Milligan]

Everyone has something to prove.  There's no one on this roster that can afford to sit back and take it easy.  

[Can_of_corn]

10 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

Everyone has something to prove.  There's no one on this roster that can afford to sit back and take it easy.  

Cept Davis.

[Moose Milligan]

Just now, Can_of_corn said:

Cept Davis.

In a weird way, you're kinda right.

[HowAboutThat]

1 hour ago, eddie83 said:

Hitting to me comes down to what they get out of Hays, C and DH. Hays is a real wildcard this year. I think trio of Mountcastle, Santander and Mancini will be productive. Infield offense in general will be poor.

I don’t think the defense will be awful. Catching is worst spot on team. Have to see how Rio plays. His glove faded with his bat last year. 

Catching bad, 1B mediocre/average, 2B and SS average or a bit above, 3B dreadful, LF dreadful, CF and RF above average.

Im assuming worst-case scenario, but even best case is bottom half

[HowAboutThat]

It’s too early for roster predictions but I think the goal will be to keep as many “possibilities” as we can. 
Goudeau will be gone, Martin might be DFA-Ed as well, although I’m not sure you can DFA someone on the DL. Lakins and Sulser will be optioned.

Unless they show very poorly, I think every chance will be given to Sceroler and Wells to make the team. 

I don’t think Leblanc makes it, and I’m really skeptical of Harvey, but maybe Felix makes it.

The position players are so many shades of grey, you can pull a random name out of a hat and get someone as good as anyone, but I don’t think Ruiz makes the team. He goes away

[scOtt]

6 hours ago, Can_of_corn said:

I think as long as he keeps payroll down and what's left of the local media doesn't rile up a slumbering fanbase the owners don't care if he loses 100.

100 is a "magic" number. It's like golf. You shoot 80, Meh... OK round. You shoot 79... That's a GOOD round!

[scOtt]

3 hours ago, Philip said:

I agree with Scott, I am expecting to win in the 70s, but it won’t be because of… Well, I kept wondering which bad thing I was going to list first, and there are so many.

I think our pitching is going to be very good. I think our defense is going to be awful and our offense won’t be much better.

But the pitching will be much improved!!

Many many injuries are the only thing I see to make us significantly not better than last year. And last year was fairly decent. For a good while at least... 25 wins is equiv to 67, 68 wins in 162.

 

I see the D as pretty good really. You put Mullins in CF, Hays in LF, Santander in right, that's probably damn good. Sanchez and Galvis up the middle is pretty decent. Rio is fair, Trey is a natural 1Bman. C is a WEAK spot... Seve or Sisco. Hyder was asked today in his press conference how Severino has progressed in the couple years he's seen him. About defense he danced around the question as deftly as Fred Astaire!

 

[Aristotelian]

17 hours ago, survivedc said:

Agreed, I’m glad the org has progressed to a point where we don’t need to rely on improvements shown in the spring to determine the roster.

Oh, I don't think anything has changed. Duquette had a plan too. May not have been a good plan, but I don't think for a second spring training determined much of anything. The only exception I can really think of is the year Britton shifted to closer. He came into spring with a game changing bump in velocity. But that's the kind of exception that proves the rule. For the most part if these were real "battles" it would be a bad sign that the organization doesn't know what it's going. Unless a guy has a visible injury or massive improvement, 20 AB's in the spring should not determine anything.