Non-Phillies 2023 Major League Season Discussion

[Sabin]

The other team may not know he is not ready. He does not actually have to play.

And suddenly the Princess Bride comes to mind..

[allentown]

I don't think Hoskins will realistically be ready for that round.

I agree. Even if he is physically ready, the Phillies need to make sure he isn't. He'll be sooo rusty. He'll have no minor league games to get back in a hitting groove. We know he will be a big defensive negative. Waving the white flag to play him in the playoffs.

To AndyB: and that just wastes a roster spot which we might need during playoffs.

[zambonir]

I mean I get andy's argument, it's a roster spot they likely won't need, especially if they carry five. A guy who can hit just one home run for you might be more useful than carrying Pache. But Pache obviously gives you more utility, including as a ghost or pinch runner. And if Castro actually is a candidate I'd definitely take Hoskins. There is no chance he plays a game at 1B and maybe not DH either. Bench only.

But I just think the timetable is probably longer. And there's not going to be cloak and dagger. If we hear that Rhys is facing live pitching sometime between now and the end of the regular season he might be a consideration by the NLCS but the NLDS starts just two weeks from Saturday.

[andyb]

No ghost runners in the playoffs at least. I actually wish Pache was a better baserunner. He definitely appears likely to not get many starts if at all in the postseason. Imagine Sosa is more likely to get in the lineup than Pache is against a left-handed pitcher.

It really feels like we are going with a set lineup with the only possible platoon being Marsh and Rojas. Cave will probably be around. Just not sure he'll get into many games. We also hope Bryce will be a full time 1B and not DH.

[xogfog]

I wonder if that will be the only platoon, because today for instance, Bryce isn't at 1B, which means he might not be ready to play 1B every day.

[zambonir]

ah right forgot about the ghost runner. But all the more reason to keep a guy who can pinch-run, pinch-hit or double-switch in an extra-innings game then.

I think Harper will play 1B full-time. Maybe he misses one per series. At this point they are past needing to test his ability to do it and more into resting him so he'll be able to do it, I reckon.

Cave would presumably PH for Rojas and then move into LF a few times. I could see them doing the Pache/Rojas OF against a lefty once or twice though. It's just hard to tell what Pache is capable of at this point given how small the sample is and how much time he missed.

[LoneStarPhan]

While it is a relatively small sample size, Rojas has better BA, OBP, SGL, and OPS against RHP than Cave does. Against LHP, Cave is much worse than Rojas. So why would Cave pinch hit for Rojas ever against any pitcher?

[zambonir]

Well you answered your own question. Our manager consistently presses platoon match-ups, which do trump small sample size. So much so that he probably will in fact start Cave/Marsh against some RHP instead of Marsh/Rojas. And if he ever does do a Pache/Rojas starting OF Cave would still probably get in (though after Marsh).

I would personally just take the defense (including Marsh, who looks really good in LF, while Rojas also makes Castellanos better).

[phillychuck]

I think z has nailed this pretty well..statistics don't always tell the whole story, and a manager may trust his own perception of talent beyond what the stats say, especially when the stats are limited by sample size. I don't share Rob's enthusiasm for Cave, but he knows a lot more than I do...

[allentown]

but he knows a lot more than I do...

I think that's a stretch. He's just being stubborn.

[zambonir]

You're always a little loose with the edit button (even if it's just well-meaning typo corrections) Chuck but it seems like this time you put part of your own post or someone else's in mine?

[zambonir]

I think that's a stretch. He's just being stubborn.

I think the overall gospel of platoon advantage as well as some still obvious holes in Rojas as a hitter make it perfectly reasonable. And they also really have no choice. Hall can't play LF and while I'd like to see Muzziotti, he cooled off and would be unlikely to be better at the plate. It would be nice to think they are also trying to decide who actually makes the playoff roster but it's hard to imagine they wouldn't have a single lefty bat on the bench, and Cave's the only one on the team currently.

[phillychuck]

Where? I don't see it...I do correct typos, but nothing beyond that. (at least intentionally)...except for actual moderation, of course.

This might have been a system glitch -- your whole post shows you as the author in the moderator panel, no editing! I see the post written by you replying to LSP.

[julio]

I took a look; allentown (our other moderator) added a paragraph (revision 2) which was subsequently removed.

Certainly unintentional. I know that I sometimes inadvertently click the edit button instead of the reply button at the bottom of a post, when intending to reply. I generally catch it, because I tend to proofread what I've posted after actually post it.

[zambonir]

ah, sorry chuck, wrong mod/wrong reply obviously (yours was the next one, Atown after that).

I was the one who removed it since I could still edit my own post! I can understand the UI issue there; just not sure it should be possible for the mods to actually add copy to people's posts at all. But I realize that would likely also mean not being able to edit offensive content, only wholesale deletion.

[bkox]

Brewers' Mejia gets 162-game PED suspension

[allentown]

My philosophy is to always play the hot hand over the cold hand until the hot hand cools off. The kicker is that you get exceptional D from Rojas and meh from Cave.

[zambonir]

Well, you were originally replying to me saying Cave would PH for Rojas occasionally which was in reply to andy saying "Cave will probably be around. Just not sure he'll get into many games." Let's hope we are all correct (vs. Cave getting starts again RHP as he continues to do now, though he is playing 1B more than LF lately. If Harper can't go at 1B there's also the Bohm/Sosa option of course).

Cave should really have like, an .800 or .900 OPS against RHP to be worthy of starts, or even his bench spot. Instead he's around .730 and that's his career mark too. As LSP noted Rojas is currently better, and even if Rojas was at .600 he'd probably be better. Pache too.

[andyb]

The kicker is that you get exceptional D from Rojas and meh from Cave.

That is clearly a factor in playing Rojas in situations where something like a 600 OPS is expected. Throw out the SSS stats though. Rojas will probably struggle against RHPs. He is not now, which is great, but the league really does not know how to pitch him yet.

Cave is a AAAA OF but he is what we have. We should have a better LH OF but we don't. He is a better hitter against RH pitching even if the SSS stats from this year don't make that clear. But he is also not that good. 725-750 OPS is what should be expected from him. So defense from Rojas could make a difference. Cave is a decent defensive OF himself though. Mostly a CF coming up in the minors and a majority of his major league time has been in center also. He is below average in CF and a little above in LF/RF. He is not as good as Marsh but he is not bad.

Rojas will probably play 75% of the time until he proves he can't. But there is also a role for Cave. Rob is not playing hunches. He just isn't obsessing on SSS stats and looking at the full picture of each player's talents. Cave hit better in AAA than Rojas did in AA. Those stats matter too.

[phillychuck]

Too bad Kroon and Wilson are right handed; both would be better at the plate than Cave I think. Why wouldn't the Phils call up Hall to take Cave's ABs? He would seemingly have to hit better than Cave has. I can't think of why you would start Cave in the playoffs ahead of Rojas, even vs. RHP.