Snyder looks to be our LT 1B solution

[JTrea81]

You know who else fits these two criteria?

Jacob Arrieta. Brian Matusz.

It's good to see you've come around to letting players get their seasoning in the minors before throwing them in the fire and anointing them as our saviors. It touches me.

Snyder was drafted out of HS. Arrieta and Matusz have both been through college and have more advanced instruction already. They just need refinement and confidence if anything.

[SrMeowMeow]

That doesn't really make a heck of a lot of sense because Snyder has shown he is a much better defender at the hot corner than at 1B and we have holes at both corners after 2010. And you don't want Wigginton at 3B full time in 2010 anyway. Put the guy where he is comfortable and a better defender. He's likely to hit better at 3B as well because he likes it better. Granted we still have Moore, but he can be a decent defender at either corner.

Both the bolded statements are highly questionable.

[McNulty]

That doesn't really make a heck of a lot of sense because Snyder has shown he is a much better defender at the hot corner than at 1B and we have holes at both corners after 2010. And you don't want Wigginton at 3B full time in 2010 anyway. Put the guy where he is comfortable and a better defender. He's likely to hit better at 3B as well because he likes it better. Granted we still have Moore, but he can be a decent defender at either corner.

Where has he shown he's a better defender at third? And in what world should Scott Moore affect what we do with any other prospect?

[Mackus]

He can't handle 1B defensively and yet JTrea wants us to stick him at 3B? More terrible, terrible logic.

Its like nobody ever taught you what a rational thought was.

If Snyder can handle a position more difficult than 1B, that's where he'll play. You do know that 1B is much easier than 3B, right? If he doesn't have the range for 1B, he damn sure doesn't have the range for 1B. 1B is the last refuge of poor defenders before being relegated to DH.

I also think anybody saying that "the Orioles will not try him at 3B" are being something between argumentative and dishonest. He'll get his chances there.

[JTrea81]

Where has he shown he's a better defender at third? And in what world should Scott Moore affect what we do with any other prospect?

The Orioles might be looking at Moore/Wigginton for 3B in 2010 and Snyder at 1B. And in ST he has played well at 3B and ditto in the AFL and in the HWBL the few streaming games I saw him there...

[JTrea81]

He can't handle 1B defensively and yet JTrea wants us to stick him at 3B? More terrible, terrible logic.

Its like nobody ever taught you what a rational thought was.

If Snyder can handle a position more difficult than 1B, that's where he'll play. You do know that 1B is much easier than 3B, right? If he doesn't have the range for 1B, he damn sure doesn't have the range for 1B. 1B is the last refuge of poor defenders before being relegated to DH.

I also think anybody saying that "the Orioles will not try him at 3B" are being something between argumentative and dishonest. He'll get his chances there.

He seems to have poor footwork around the bag and has problems coralling throws as most of his errors were missing throws in the AFL. This wouldn't be as much of an issue at 3B...

[El Gordo]

That doesn't really make a heck of a lot of sense because Snyder has shown he is a much better defender at the hot corner than at 1B. Put the guy where he is comfortable and a better defender. He's likely to hit better at 3B as well because he likes it better. Granted we still have Moore, but he can be a decent defender at either corner.

How has he done this? He has played a total of 6 games at 3B ever in the MiL.

[JTrea81]

How has he done this? He has played a total of 6 games at 3B ever in the MiL.

He played a bunch of games at 3B in the HWBL and from all reports and from the radio and streaming video, seemed very adept at playing the position. The Orioles just don't seem to want to let him play that position.

[El Gordo]

He played a bunch of games at 3B in the HWBL and from all reports and from the radio and streaming video, seemed very adept at playing the position.

How many games did you watch and how many games did he play at 3B in the HWBL? If you are going to base this assumption on such a small sample size, then I stand by my specious claim that he is smoking Smoak in ST ststs.:rolleyestf:

[McNulty]

OK Trea, for the final 24 hours of our little bet (and you got lucky since it was February), please delete everything from you sig line and replace it with:

"Brandon Snyder is good enough, smart enough, and dog gone it, I like him.

If someone cannot handle first base, then they cannot handle third base. I fully admit this statement is true, and I am wrong.

We can get a first baseman, if we need one, via other means then our farm system. I also fully understand this principle now."

[BaltimoreTerp]

One more try:

JTrea, are you going to acknowledge the questions Frobby and I asked?

I would like the links to the videos online where you were able to see the errors.

Or did you get the video at home in some capacity? I'd like to know where I can find some?

Or maybe you spent most of your time watching games in Frederick last season. How many did you attend?

At the moment, based on Smoak's early performance, I think the odds that Smoak will be better offensively and defensively than Snyder are pretty good. Smoak is off to a very promising start.

Where we part ways is your idea that Snyder won't hit well enough to be a good 1B. You have this tendency to ignore points you can't answer, so I will ask again: since Snyder hit .942 in the HWL, .848 in the Carolina League, and 1.047 in the AFL, all at an age where he was one of the younger players in the league, why are you so sure he won't put up an .850 - .900 OPS as a major leaguer? Snyder's OPS was very close to Markakis' at the same age at Frederick, and much better than Markakis in the AFL. He's also looked good when given the chance vs. high level pitching this spring.

You drastically underrate Snyder IMO.

[JTrea81]

OK Trea, for the final 24 hours of our little bet (and you got lucky since it was February), please delete everything from you sig line and replace it with:

"Brandon Snyder is good enough, smart enough, and dog gone it, I like him.

If someone cannot handle first base, then they cannot handle third base. I fully admit this statement is true, and I am wrong.

We can get a first baseman, if we need one, via other means then our farm system. I also fully understand this principle now."

You got til Monday buddy, when I said a month, I meant 30 days...

Consider it done.

[glorydays]

I have a problem with the Orioles forcing a player to play a position they don't want really want to play and aren't that good at playing defensively or comfortable playing to try to fill a hole without going outside the organization.

It's a good thing your line of thinking isn't followed by anyone in baseball throughout the history of the game...

Whoever thought Cal Ripken, Jr. would play anything but shortstop? When Jackie Robinson broke in with the Brooklyn Dodgers, he played first, a position he disliked.

The game's most bankable star in 1918 was Babe Ruth, star left-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, who also happened to be one of the best hitters in the game.

Stan Musial won batting titles while Stan Musial won batting titles while playing left field, first base and center field.

Robin Yount won the A.L. MVP Award in 1982 as a shortstop and in 1989 as a center fielder for the Milwaukee Brewers.

Ryne Sandberg began his career as a third baseman in 1982 before becoming one of the game's best second basemen.

Hall of Famer Frankie Frisch hit .331 in 1925 for the Giants while playing 46 games at third base, 42 at second and 39 at shortstop.

Two-time MVP Dale Murphy broke in as a catcher.

Carl Yastrzemski juggled back-and-forth between left field and first base.

Pete Rose, who started five All-Star games at different positions--first, second, third, left and right field--played 500 or more games at each spot, the only man to ever play that much at those spots.

Link

[Frobby]

He played a bunch of games at 3B in the HWBL and from all reports and from the radio and streaming video, seemed very adept at playing the position. The Orioles just don't seem to want to let him play that position.

Until you mentioned this, I had forgetten that you followed the HWL intently in the winter of 2007-08. You therefore know that not only did Snyder hit very well there, he also hit very consistently from the first day to the last. And if you followed Snyder in the Carolina League and the AFL half as closely as that, you know that he also was very consistent at both those stops, with the exception that he had a pretty cold April last year. I should add that Snyder outhit Wieters in both the HWL and the AFL by a pretty wide margin. Of course I don't expect that to happen in the majors, but I just can't see why you don't think he will be able post an .850 - .900 OPS in the majors in a few years. Not that it's guaranteed, but it's certainly not far-fetched to think he can do that.

As to 1B/3B, I think he'll do some of both this year. I don't interpret Trembley's remark as meaning the O's have ruled out 3B for him. And I'm equally sure that if the O's thought he could be an average defensive 3B in the majors, that's where they'd prefer him to be, since his bat would be more valuable at that spot. If they don't play him at 3B this year, I think you can conclude that the O's simply don't think he can handle it. And I trust them to make that judgment, even if you don't.

[JTrea81]

One more try:

JTrea, are you going to acknowledge the questions Frobby and I asked?

I was looking for them and didn't see them, my apologies.

When I meant see the errors, I meant see them in the box score and reading the commentary for the minor league games. Neither BA or BP is high on him at 1B.

As far as Snyder goes, an .848 OPS while an improvement is not spectacular for a 21 year old in A ball. He still strikes out too often and just doesn't get on base enough to compensate for his lack of power.

I see him as an .750-.800 hitter in the majors, maybe .825 tops...