Okay, so i get that I'm supposed to be shocked and confused by Travis Snider's demotion but I'm just . . . not feeling it. Maybe i should turn in my blogger card but I'm not suddenly struck with an urge to bloviate about how much more i know what to do than the GM.
What I do know is I have a pre-disposed bias to not like it for the simple reason that i have this vision in my mind of Travis Snider blossoming this year and being a team offensive leader and that vision didn't include being sent down. the easiest thing in the world for me would be to scream bloody murder. But it just rings false to me, as if I'm aggrieved that my little fantasy has hit a snag. Anything i could say by way of analysis has already been said, and most of what was said was empty emotion rather than actual analysis.
What I will say is I still believe that in the end he's going to be one of the top 2 or 3 hitters this team has ever produced. I have no patience for the idea that he's gonna be a "4A player" - he's just not. I'm happy for Cooper, and i think he's gonna be an ok guy, but his ceiling is low and I'm not all that excited by what's likely to be a brief stay.
Turning to other players - I'm beginning to be convinced that Jose Bautista actually is THAT good. Mind you, he sold me last July and August that he was for real, but I, like pretty much everyone, figured he'd drop back to somewhere in the land of the mortals this year and instead, in an admittedly limited sample, he's gotten BETTER. The temptation to believe the best hitter in baseball plays for your team is always strong, if there's a reasonable candidate, and i try to be aware of it but . . . damn.
Juan Rivera seems to have found his stride too, and I hope he hits well- if for no other reason than trade value - but i can't get enthused with him.
JoJo Reyes? My plan would be either let him swap roles with Zep, or (if I thought Cecil's rebuild would be short) just let Villianueva sub in for him and put him in the second lefty role. I fully understand the "hoard an asset" mentality, and the potential for getting good return on a trade, but in this case, the heart won't accept what the head says. There are six guys I'd rather see in the 2012 rotation than Reyes, and a couple or three more I'd just as soon see. I don't think he's as bad as many of you do, but i just don't care about him.
Coming soon: the 1/6th Review.
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3 comments:
Good post. Think I agree on most of that.
My blogging partner posted on similar stuff today: http://rantsabovereplacement.com/2011/04/30/anthologic/. He agrees about Snider, but has some food for thought on Jo-Jo.
(Being said blogging partner, I should drop in.)
I'm quite glad, in fact, that someone else shares my lack of vitriol over the Snider demotion. Angry Internet Man syndrome is kinda high these days in the Jays blogosphere, and it's...unfortunate. I didn't see it as jerking him around (and neither did he, based on AA's presser and Snider's own tweets) and I doubt he'll be down long. Surprises the hell outta me that so many are so quick to disbelieve the (reasonable) explanation given and cry foul.
As for Jo-Jo, he's pitched better than his ERA and our collective frustration would suggest (my post has more numbers). He could still be quite useful, once his BABIP comes down and he stops walking so many lefties. I'm increasingly comfortable with Zep in the bullpen, and I'll never be amazed by Litsch. It's only April - keep Reyes on for a bit longer.
Thanks for the feedback guys. I grow increasingly intimidated by the ease with which me peers navigate some of the graphs and stats that I just am not really groking.
I'm trying to find a balance between "silly fangirl" and "statistical nerd"
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