Fiorentino - the new Montanez?

[MarkF]

Against righties, away from Norfolk, and since his promotion - he is very productive!

Looks like he could platoon with someone if we had that need, but I think more and more we have our three OF'ers. No offense Screech. I like Lou or Felix better as the bench OF'er than Fio.

I'd be interested in hearing your reasoning here. My impression of him is that he would be a better fielder than Montanez but not as good as Pie. He would also be a better hitter (assuming his newfound success at Norfolk translates finally to the ML level) than Pie but not as good as Montanez. In other words, he places second in each three horse race.

As a fourth outfielder I would think that his ability to play CF would be a big plus over Lou. And Pie's current inability to hit ML pitching would be a big minus. It looks like a pretty close horse race to me at this point- again assuming he can hit better than Pie. By the way, he is 1yr 4mo younger than Montanez but almost 2 yrs older than Pie.

[Since'54]

Just checked and was astonished to seethat Fio has a total of 84 major league at-bats and a .262 BA in the big leagues.

Hmmmm. Unless I'm missing something, substantially fewer at-bats with substantially better results than Famous Felix who so many say isn't getting a fair shot.

[Fan of Newhan]

Just checked and was astonished to seethat Fio has a total of 84 major league at-bats and a .262 BA in the big leagues.

Hmmmm. Unless I'm missing something' date=' substantially fewer at-bats with substantially better results than Famous Felix who so many say isn't getting a fair shot.[/quote']

Because he isn't considered a "five-tool" prospect with "huge" upside, like Pie is.

I like Felix and hope he stays with the team, but he is here for his "potential," which is often valued over "production."

[markdublya]

I'd be interested in hearing your reasoning here. My impression of him is that he would be a better fielder than Montanez but not as good as Pie. He would also be a better hitter (assuming his newfound success at Norfolk translates finally to the ML level) than Pie but not as good as Montanez. In other words, he places second in each three horse race.

As a fourth outfielder I would think that his ability to play CF would be a big plus over Lou. And Pie's current inability to hit ML pitching would be a big minus. It looks like a pretty close horse race to me at this point- again assuming he can hit better than Pie. By the way, he is 1yr 4mo younger than Montanez but almost 2 yrs older than Pie.

I like Pie better for his age, his upside, speed and defense. Most of all, he most likely cannot pass through to AAA.

I like Lou better for his bat and his splits are much more balanced.

I have nothing against Screech, I just think if we are looking for a 4th OF or platoon OF, we already have a lefty and we likely aren't getting rid of him.

I hope he continues to make it worth debating though!

[Gurgi]

Fiorentino is quietly putting a decent season together in AAA. Over .300 with 7 stolen bases. Mid-twenties now, entering his physical peak. He could be a decent 4th outfielder. Kinda like a JoeOrsulak. Has some pop.

[Frobby]

If someone gets hurt, I will not be at all surprised if Fio gets the call. But it could be Gathright, too.

[wickedwitch]

We already have 5 OFers, plus Salazar. If Scott, Reimold, or Markakis got injured, we wouldn't need to bring someone up. If it was Pie or Jones, they'd chose someone who could play CF.

[Tidesfan]

Jeff can hit. He came out of the game for some reason today. He looks like he has decent speed, but unless he wasn't letting it go, his arm is not suited for right field.

[Birdy09]

Hurt his hand or finger sliding into 3rd base.

[Anonymous]

I'd be interested in hearing your reasoning here. My impression of him is that he would be a better fielder than Montanez but not as good as Pie. He would also be a better hitter (assuming his newfound success at Norfolk translates finally to the ML level) than Pie but not as good as Montanez. In other words, he places second in each three horse race.

As a fourth outfielder I would think that his ability to play CF would be a big plus over Lou. And Pie's current inability to hit ML pitching would be a big minus. It looks like a pretty close horse race to me at this point- again assuming he can hit better than Pie. By the way, he is 1yr 4mo younger than Montanez but almost 2 yrs older than Pie.

Considering how much Montanez reportedly improved his corner OF defense last Winter, along with his past CF experience in the minors (which a lot of folks are ignoring), it seems plausible to me that Lou could put himself in the mix for the # 2 spot in CF next year if he spends the upcoming Winter League season concentrating primarily on his defense at that spot. I wouldn't write him off quite yet as a decent defensive option in CF. He seems athletic and speedy enough for the task. He may just need a ton of reps along with some solid coaching to raise himself to a satisfactory level.

[Tony-OH]

Considering how much Montanez reportedly improved his corner OF defense last Winter, along with his past CF experience in the minors (which a lot of folks are ignoring), it seems plausible to me that Lou could put himself in the mix for the # 2 spot in CF next year if he spends the upcoming Winter League season concentrating primarily on his defense at that spot. I wouldn't write him off quite yet as a decent defensive option in CF. He seems athletic and speedy enough for the task. He may just need a ton of reps along with some solid coaching to raise himself to a satisfactory level.

Montanez has 38 games of experience in center field in the minors and does not have the range to play there effectively. Firoentino has 125 games in center field and although I wouldn't want him out there every day, I'd prefer to have him as the foruth outfielder over Monatnez if there was no Pie. I've never been a huge fan of Fio as a starter, but I have always thought he could wedge out a career as a 4th OF type.