Stowers not featured in either of the two most recent "opening day" spring lineups

[interloper]

This is mildly concerning to me. Not because I'm worried about an injury, but because I don't trust how this regime handles Kyle Stowers. 

Despite hitting lefties well, they opted to go with Urias at DH yesterday before he was scratched with an injury. Stowers played the day before so maybe just an off day. But then today they're going with another regular season-looking lineup with Frazier playing RF in order to get Santander a look at 1B. Mountcastle is DHing and Hays in LF. 

This regime drafted the guy, they developed him, and they called him up to the bigs. And yet... it just feels like they don't appreciate anything he can do? It's bizarre. He's not the most polished hitter, but he's certainly going to contribute more than a guy like Frazier. He hits the ball hard, he protects himself against LHP, and he's a LH power bat in Camden Yards. What's not to like? 

Hopefully I'm just jumping the gun and today's lineup is more about making sure Santander is an option at 1B and confirming Frazier's OF versatility (we haven't seen much of him in the OF this spring). But consider my jimmies preemptively rustled. Play Stowers damnit! 

[interloper]

This being said, assuming he makes the 26-man roster, I do think he'll still play a lot. Guys will be rotating a ton it seems like, and there should be plenty of ABs to go around.

But I fail to see any scenario where Frazier plays COF in favor of any of the other OFers on this roster, Vavra included, barring some kind of injury. 

[Pickles]

Eh.  He's going to play a ton, at least early in the year.  How he does with that will determine how long a look he gets.

But yea, he's not going to be in the lineup everyday, and they are going to put Frazier in the COF on ocassion it appears.

[MijiT88]

I think this is more about getting a look at frazier in the OF and Santander at 1st while trying to feature what I think is our top 6 in the lineup. I think those 6 will pretty much anchor every day (not position wise) until proven otherwise with the bottom 3 rotating a bit more

[Frobby]

I’m pretty chill about all this.  Every one of the 13 position players on the OD roster is going to get a good bit of playing time.   Some will get less at first, and will have to earn the right to play more, or injuries will dictate when it happens.   You can’t map out exactly how the playing time will be allocated before the season is played.   

In terms of the initial pecking order, the “starting nine” who will get the most PT are Rutschman, Mountcastle, Frazier, Henderson, Mateo, Hays, Mullins, Santander and Urias.  Everyone else including Stowers will be sprinkled in liberally.  Still waiting to see if it’s McKenna and Vavra, or some other mix.  
 

[interloper]

1 hour ago, MijiT88 said:

I think this is more about getting a look at frazier in the OF and Santander at 1st while trying to feature what I think is our top 6 in the lineup. I think those 6 will pretty much anchor every day (not position wise) until proven otherwise with the bottom 3 rotating a bit more

I think you're right. It's only a mild concern for me, but something I'm keeping an eye on based on how they used Stowers last year. 

[Tony-OH]

I'm not going to get too upset over a spring training lineup, but if Frazier is patrolling a corner outfield spot while Stowers is on the bench in a regular season game I will begin to have MAJOR concerns.

Last season was strike one and two with the playing of Odor long after he should have still been playing every day, and the acquisition and playing of Aguilar last year over Stowers. 

All Stowers has done in the minor leagues is produced over the last two years. He's 25 years old. It's time to run him out there everyday and a light-hitting left handed hitter like Frazier should not be replacing him in any regular season lineup unless Stowers is dinged up or needs a day off for whatever reason.

[LookinUp]

5 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

I'm not going to get too upset over a spring training lineup, but if Frazier is patrolling a corner outfield spot while Stowers is on the bench in a regular season game I will begin to have MAJOR concerns.

Be honest. You already have major concerns. We all do.

They're going to give Frazier way too many innings for most of our tastes. Last year you could kind of argue that the young guys weren't ready to play the infield yet. But Stowers was ready to play outfield and they still didn't play him much. And this year, you really can't argue that the infielders aren't ready. 

I hated the Odor situation, but I think I hate the Frazier situation even more already. They should pay $5 million of his salary and trade him to the Astros or Dodgers for 17 year olds.

[Aristotelian]

37 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I’m pretty chill about all this.  Every one of the 13 position players on the OD roster is going to get a good bit of playing time.   Some will get less at first, and will have to earn the right to play more, or injuries will dictate when it happens.   You can’t map out exactly how the playing time will be allocated before the season is played.   

In terms of the initial pecking order, the “starting nine” who will get the most PT are Rutschman, Mountcastle, Frazier, Henderson, Mateo, Hays, Mullins, Santander and Urias.  Everyone else including Stowers will be sprinkled in liberally.  Still waiting to see if it’s McKenna and Vavra, or some other mix.  
 

Interesting, I would have put Stowers in the top 9, probably at the expense of Mateo or Urias. Your "nine" if it were an everyday lineup essentially has Urias as DH, which doesn't make much sense for his skill set. I would think most days Stowers should be RF with Santander at DH. With our current group of OF/DH, Stowers makes more sense to me as an everyday player than either Urias or Mateo in our infield group, plus he is left-handed.

Will be interesting who of Stowers, Mateo, and Urias ends up with the most AB's. Of course, Stowers is threatened by Cowser, but Urias is threatened by Westburg.

I don't know what to read into spring training AB's, but their use of Aguilar over Stowers last year was rather alarming. So while I would personally pencil in Stowers as more or less full time OF, I'm not sure the organization is. 

My top nine is Mullins CF, Adley C, Gunnar SS, Mountcastle 1B, Santander DH, Hays LF, Stowers RF, Urias 3B, Frazier 2B.

[Tony-OH]

5 hours ago, LookinUp said:

Be honest. You already have major concerns. We all do.

They're going to give Frazier way too many innings for most of our tastes. Last year you could kind of argue that the young guys weren't ready to play the infield yet. But Stowers was ready to play outfield and they still didn't play him much. And this year, you really can't argue that the infielders aren't ready. 

I hated the Odor situation, but I think I hate the Frazier situation even more already. They should pay $5 million of his salary and trade him to the Astros or Dodgers for 17 year olds.

I guess it's fair to say I have concerns over some portion of their evaluations especially after the absolutely head scratching signing of Frazier, but it did start with the Odor signing and playing long after he should have last year.

Saying that, having concerns and thinking Elias and his staff are bad at something are two different things. 

Now, I will conceded that they have additional information about players that we don't (something some people held firm onto during the Frazier signing discussion this offseason), but how did that "additional secret sauce" work out with Odor, Chirinos and Aguilar? 

Now no matter what data you have players are humans and some will out perform or under perform expectations for various reasons, but when you sign Frazier to be your second highest paid player ($8 million) coming off a year and half of poor play, with bad metrics like EV, Hard hit %, etc, and then he happens to play a position that one of your top prospects who has over 400 successful PAs in AAA plays, and it's very hard to justify the contract or player.

Now, that statement will trigger some folks who are all about this acquisition. Even though I don't really want to rehash the Frazier signing for the 1000th time, it's fair to say some of his moves, particularly the Frazier move this offseason, does leave him open to criticism on his ability to put together a playoff caliber team. Particularly on the heals of his playing time for Odor last year and the head scratching Aguilar move down the stretch.

At the end of the day though, if Westburg goes down to the minors, tears it up while playing a decent defensive 2B, regardless of what Frazier does the move will still look unneeded. And if anyone uses the argument that Elias is doing this for service time, on a 24-year old, I'm going to just have violently disagree. lol 

Back to Stowers. I really hope he is given the everyday playing time, including against lefties that he deserves. Now what he does with that regular playing time will determine whether he can fend off Cowser or perhaps Kjerstad later in the year, but as long as he gets a fair shake, then things fall how they fall and may the best player get the playing time.

[waroriole]

1 hour ago, Tony-OH said:

I'm not going to get too upset over a spring training lineup, but if Frazier is patrolling a corner outfield spot while Stowers is on the bench in a regular season game I will begin to have MAJOR concerns.

Last season was strike one and two with the playing of Odor long after he should have still been playing every day, and the acquisition and playing of Aguilar last year over Stowers. 

All Stowers has done in the minor leagues is produced over the last two years. He's 25 years old. It's time to run him out there everyday and a light-hitting left handed hitter like Frazier should not be replacing him in any regular season lineup unless Stowers is dinged up or needs a day off for whatever reason.

Agreed. I won’t be too upset about a ST game, but I’m starting to lose faith in Elias and Hyde to manage a ML roster, especially if Frazier is playing any OF with Stowers on the bench. 

[RZNJ]

I think the secret sauce on Chirinos, Odor, and Aguilar was no more than ketchup for items off of the dollar menu.   8 million on Frazier implies a different kind of "secret sauce".   

[Sports Guy]

Are we even sure that he hasn’t been sitting because he has some minor injury?

[Frobby]

2 hours ago, Tony-OH said:

I'm not going to get too upset over a spring training lineup, but if Frazier is patrolling a corner outfield spot while Stowers is on the bench in a regular season game I will begin to have MAJOR concerns.

I’d say this is 99% certain to occur at some point this year.   Not necessarily in April, though.  

[SteveA]

8 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I’d say this is 99% certain to occur at some point this year.   Not necessarily in April, though.  

Really?   I don't think they acquired Frazier to play much corner outfield.