MLB Position Battles -- Your Thoughts

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 3:16 am

There are a lot of teams where I've struggled to understand how their position battles will play out. I'm looking for your thoughts and even your local opinions to help me out before our first magazine goes to press. My opinions have differed from other published opinions. Okay, here it goes:

Arizona 3B: Will Mark Reynolds hold this job when Chad Tracy returns, or will Tracy struggle to get back on the field?

Dodgers' 3B: Is Nomar Garciaparra done or will he hold down this job and take ABs away from Andy LaRoche? Or is LaRoche ready to take this job fulltime?

Cleveland 2B: Will Asdrubal Cabrera earn this fulltime job and keep it all year long or does Josh Barfield still figure into the mix?

Tampa 3B: Is it time for Evan Longoria -- not as pretty as Eva but almost as talented -- to mann the third base job from Opening Day on and move Iwamura to second base, or will he start the season in the minors? Does Iwamura have more value if he moves to 2B right from the start of the season?

Dodgers' Closer: Saito seems to have a lock on this job, but Jonathan Broxton seems like the ideal closer. What will be their save totals in 2008?

D'Backs' Closer: Who will close in Arizona now that Jose Valverde is gone? Can Tony Pena REALLY close for this team?

Any and all thoughts are welcome and I'll more position battles as I work my way through the teams.

[ December 19, 2007, 10:13 AM: Message edited by: Greg Ambrosius ]

headhunters · Post by **headhunters** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 3:54 am

greg- if you can figure out what those goofballs on the dodgers are doing- you need to quit this job and be a gm.

Vander · Post by **Vander** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 5:13 am

Reynolds is horrible defensively. His hitting #'s went way down as the season progressed. I think this is likely to continue into next year. If he can't pick up the pace again offensively, and I question whether he can, the job is lost when Tracy comes back. Longoria is the starting 3b on opening day. He may not thrive from the get go, but I think he's it, much like Gordan last year. Iwamura is more valuable now because of both versatility and he has more value as a 2b than a 3b anyway. Nomar will continue to struggle till he gets hurt, then it's up to Laroche to either play his way to starter for good or not. The Valverde trade made no sense to me. Why trade away one of the best closers for a utlity IF/OF and a middle rp. After the Haren deal it looks like they want to go for it right now, then they give away an important piece of what they need to do that. Don't know whether Pena can handle the job or not. May be a open closer job sooner rather than later.

Captain Hook · Post by **Captain Hook** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 7:26 am

Dave - if Brandon Lyon had not been injured, there might not have been a 47 save Valverde to trade. Between Pena, Lyon and Qualls the Diamondbacks think they have their 8th and 9th innings taken care of, whether one of the three is locked into the closer role or there is some sort of committee.

KJ Duke · Post by **KJ Duke** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 7:41 am

Originally posted by Vander:

Reynolds is horrible defensively. His hitting #'s went way down as the season progressed. I think this is likely to continue into next year. If he can't pick up the pace again offensively, and I question whether he can, the job is lost when Tracy comes back. Reynolds had a hot start then went into the tank, but actually finished strong.

Last season's 280 BA is suspect because his high K totals, but he crushes the ball. I could see him going either way this season - progressing (K'ing less) and becoming a feared middle of the order hitter, or batting around .200 in April and getting sent down. More likely IMO he improves, but far from a sure thing.

kgrady · Post by **kgrady** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 7:56 am

I expect the Indians to trade Josh Barfield at some point, although his trade value has surely dropped a lot.

Vander · Post by **Vander** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 8:04 am

Originally posted by kgrady:

I expect the Indians to trade Josh Barfield at some point, although his trade value has surely dropped a lot. There has been trade rumors concerning Peralta. If he goes Barfield could get 2b back with Asdrubel moving over to Short. P.S. Thanks for the AZ insight Perry. Also not counting out Reynolds, but he's shakey. Greg wanted opinions and I threw one out there. I think Tracy has more than a 50-50 chance of getting his job back.

Vander · Post by **Vander** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 8:28 am

Originally posted by Captain Hook:

Dave - if Brandon Lyon had not been injured, there might not have been a 47 save Valverde to trade. Between Pena, Lyon and Qualls the Diamondbacks think they have their 8th and 9th innings taken care of, whether one of the three is locked into the closer role or there is some sort of committee. Question, why do you think they made the Valverde trade? Even with what you said, wouldn't their bullpen be even better with him than Qualls? I like Burke, but he has failed at least twice now and where does he fit with the Dbacks. Isn't he just utility with them? How much do you want to pay for utlility? I thought pitchers were at a premium?

Captain Hook · Post by **Captain Hook** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 9:59 am

Originally posted by Vander:

quote:Originally posted by Captain Hook:

Dave - if Brandon Lyon had not been injured, there might not have been a 47 save Valverde to trade. Between Pena, Lyon and Qualls the Diamondbacks think they have their 8th and 9th innings taken care of, whether one of the three is locked into the closer role or there is some sort of committee. Question, why do you think they made the Valverde trade? Even with what you said, wouldn't their bullpen be even better with him than Qualls? I like Burke, but he has failed at least twice now and where does he fit with the Dbacks. Isn't he just utility with them? How much do you want to pay for utlility? I thought pitchers were at a premium? [/QUOTE]Both Qualls and Burke have a couple of years of cost certainty. Valverde is arbitration eligible this year and certainly lost the year after. In addition there are several in the organization who weren't entirely comfortable with....stability from their closer. The third player they got in the trade is a pitiching prospect, so with sending six stronger minor leaguers to Oakland for Haren, the team felt they were getting some cost controlled depth that would help the team right away and a pitcher for later. Burke was injured last year, so he really needed to start over with a new organization and this gives him that chance. He still has Speed and is okay defensively at 2B or OF. With Hudson only under contract for 08, and the presumption that he wants to see what he could get in free agency next year, Burke if he played well enough this year would give them a fallback position in case they felt Emilio Bonifacio was not ready in 2009.

Less than Dave · Post by **Less than Dave** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 10:58 am

Tribe won't trade Peralta or Barfield.. especially now that Josh's value is down.. he should rebound, and depending on Asdrubal, if Barfield hits well in the minors we may use him as trade bait for the postseason stretch...

cribgusto · Post by **cribgusto** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 12:10 pm

One thing to remember with Nomar is that he is the Dodgers, at least right now. He is the loudest-cheered player on the team, easily. Torre may have complete control over lineups, but as long as Nomar is around, they're going to try to get him in the lineup, at least on a substantial part-time basis.

Captain Hook · Post by **Captain Hook** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 1:01 pm

Originally posted by cribgusto:

One thing to remember with Nomar is that he is the Dodgers, at least right now. He is the loudest-cheered player on the team, easily. Torre may have complete control over lineups, but as long as Nomar is around, they're going to try to get him in the lineup, at least on a substantial part-time basis. Have to disagree with this - they will give him the opportunity to win the 3B job, but if he doesn't it's pine or highway.

DOUGHBOYS · Post by **DOUGHBOYS** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 2:03 pm

Originally posted by Greg Ambrosius:

There are a lot of teams where I've struggled to understand how their position battles will play out. I'm looking for your thoughts and even your local opinions to help me out before our first magazine goes to press. My opinions have differed from other published opinions. Okay, here it goes:

Arizona 3B: Will Mark Reynolds hold this job when Chad Tracy returns, or will Tracy struggle to get back on the field?

Dodgers' 3B: Is Nomar Garciaparra done or will he hold down this job and take ABs away from Andy LaRoche? Or is LaRoche ready to take this job fulltime?

Cleveland 2B: Will Asdrubal Cabrera earn this fulltime job and keep it all year long or does Josh Barfield still figure into the mix?

Tampa 3B: Is it time for Evan Longoria -- not as pretty as Eva but almost as talented -- to mann the third base job from Opening Day on and move Iwamura to second base, or will he start the season in the minors? Does Iwamura have more value if he moves to 2B right from the start of the season?

Dodgers' Closer: Saito seems to have a lock on this job, but Jonathan Broxton seems like the ideal closer. What will be their save totals in 2008?

D'Backs' Closer: Who will close in Arizona now that Jose Valverde is gone? Can Tony Pena REALLY close for this team?

Any and all thoughts are welcome and I'll more position battles as I work my way through the teams. Greg, The most interesting question could be Nomar. It'll be interesting for him playing under Torre and I'm thinking Torre gives him every chance to succeed. If he stays healthy I believe the job will be his.

Tracy does not hit lefties well, a platoon could be in the making.

Barfield just does not fit in Cleveland. A trade back to the NL would probably help him, he'd be a good fit in St Louis.

Longoria is ready, hopefully Rays management stays with him if he struggles early. KC's Gordon is much more ready for his sophmore year than if they had played the yo-yo game between AAA and the bigs.

Broxton closed for a week last year and had a tough go of it. Maybe he is what he is, a great set-up guy.

I don't think the closer revolvment is done. Arizona will probably make another deal. Fuentes is sure to be dealt to another team. Street could be dealt, same with Nathan. Dotel still hasn't signed. Heck, even Weathers and Guardado could be closing. GM's love experienced closers. The carousel hasn't stopped yet.

KJ Duke · Post by **KJ Duke** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 5:57 pm

Originally posted by DOUGHBOYS:

Greg, The most interesting question could be Nomar. It'll be interesting for him playing under Torre and I'm thinking Torre gives him every chance to succeed. If he stays healthy I believe the job will be his.

The problem could be, does LA trust him? I think they give the rook every shot and Nomar is the fallback.

Originally posted by DOUGHBOYS:

Tracy does not hit lefties well, a platoon could be in the making.

See above. Seems AZ would much prefer playing Reynolds is he can show any consistency.

Originally posted by DOUGHBOYS:

Broxton closed for a week last year and had a tough go of it. Maybe he is what he is, a great set-up guy. Couldn't agree more - and Saito is very good as a closer, no way they make that change unless injury.

Originally posted by DOUGHBOYS:

I don't think the closer revolvment is done. Arizona will probably make another deal. Seems to me Pena is the guy, he gets a chance to prove it and likely succeeds.

DOUGHBOYS · Post by **DOUGHBOYS** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 1:22 am

In fantasy we would "Give the rookie a shot". Real baseball they want to give the guy making more money a real shot. The Torre-Nomar relationship intrigues me, LaRoche has already had a mini shot and didn't shine. Nomar going into spring training.

KJ Duke · Post by **KJ Duke** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 4:41 am

Originally posted by DOUGHBOYS:

In fantasy we would "Give the rookie a shot". Real baseball they want to give the guy making more money a real shot. The Torre-Nomar relationship intrigues me, LaRoche has already had a mini shot and didn't shine. Nomar going into spring training. I'm not sure LaRoche is the guy, but I don't think Nomar is. Could be wrong, but even if I am odds are Nomar will be hurt before April 1 anyway.

DOUGHBOYS · Post by **DOUGHBOYS** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 5:13 am

Originally posted by KJ Duke:

quote:Originally posted by DOUGHBOYS:

In fantasy we would "Give the rookie a shot". Real baseball they want to give the guy making more money a real shot. The Torre-Nomar relationship intrigues me, LaRoche has already had a mini shot and didn't shine. Nomar going into spring training. I'm not sure LaRoche is the guy, but I don't think Nomar is. Could be wrong, but even if I am odds are Nomar will be hurt before April 1 anyway. [/QUOTE]True.

I think Nomar's injuries started when he met Mia Hamm. Maybe she is just too much woman for him.

Captain Hook · Post by **Captain Hook** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 5:23 am

Perfect partner for Nomah - gives new meaning to Hammstring problems

Crazy Like a Fox · Post by **Crazy Like a Fox** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 12:02 pm

Originally posted by DOUGHBOYS:

In fantasy we would "Give the rookie a shot". Real baseball they want to give the guy making more money a real shot. The Torre-Nomar relationship intrigues me, LaRoche has already had a mini shot and didn't shine. Nomar going into spring training. Doughboys, I'm gonna start to call you "THE VOICE OF REASON"

You're spot on. Real baseball is a little different from fantasy because it comes from a slightly different perspective. Although, there are some fantasy players I would seriously consider over some general managers out there. No joke. Some of these general managers are freakin' idiots.

Crazy Like a Fox · Post by **Crazy Like a Fox** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 12:18 pm

Originally posted by Greg Ambrosius:

There are a lot of teams where I've struggled to understand how their position battles will play out. I'm looking for your thoughts and even your local opinions to help me out before our first magazine goes to press. My opinions have differed from other published opinions. Okay, here it goes:

Arizona 3B: Will Mark Reynolds hold this job when Chad Tracy returns, or will Tracy struggle to get back on the field?

Dodgers' 3B: Is Nomar Garciaparra done or will he hold down this job and take ABs away from Andy LaRoche? Or is LaRoche ready to take this job fulltime?

Cleveland 2B: Will Asdrubal Cabrera earn this fulltime job and keep it all year long or does Josh Barfield still figure into the mix?

Tampa 3B: Is it time for Evan Longoria -- not as pretty as Eva but almost as talented -- to mann the third base job from Opening Day on and move Iwamura to second base, or will he start the season in the minors? Does Iwamura have more value if he moves to 2B right from the start of the season?

Dodgers' Closer: Saito seems to have a lock on this job, but Jonathan Broxton seems like the ideal closer. What will be their save totals in 2008?

D'Backs' Closer: Who will close in Arizona now that Jose Valverde is gone? Can Tony Pena REALLY close for this team?

Any and all thoughts are welcome and I'll more position battles as I work my way through the teams. Tracy vs Reynolds - somebody's gotta go.

Nomar's got the advantage to start - the Dodgers won't be patient with him though.

Cabrera or Barfield - They're both mediocre and I don't want either of them on my squad and neither should you.

Evan Longoria - Either draft him or spend $400 to get him via free agency. He's ready, and should get the opportunity to start.

Saito is one of the best closers in the game, PERIOD! Broxton has the stuff to be a very good closer but he'll never take over the job unless Saito gets injured. Has Saito ever faltered?

Tony Pena is not an alternative and Arizona cannot reasonably expect him to be a successful closer.

Just my opinion.

DOUGHBOYS · Post by **DOUGHBOYS** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 12:33 pm

Originally posted by Crazy Like a Fox:

quote:Originally posted by DOUGHBOYS:

In fantasy we would "Give the rookie a shot". Real baseball they want to give the guy making more money a real shot. The Torre-Nomar relationship intrigues me, LaRoche has already had a mini shot and didn't shine. Nomar going into spring training. Doughboys, I'm gonna start to call you "THE VOICE OF REASON"

[/QUOTE]And Crazy, I'm going to call you... ah, this is a family show.

Lets just say I am glad you're not stalking Chest and talking baseball.

Crazy Like a Fox · Post by **Crazy Like a Fox** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 10:35 pm

Originally posted by DOUGHBOYS:

quote:Originally posted by Crazy Like a Fox:

quote:Originally posted by DOUGHBOYS:

In fantasy we would "Give the rookie a shot". Real baseball they want to give the guy making more money a real shot. The Torre-Nomar relationship intrigues me, LaRoche has already had a mini shot and didn't shine. Nomar going into spring training. Doughboys, I'm gonna start to call you "THE VOICE OF REASON"

[/QUOTE]And Crazy, I'm going to call you... ah, this is a family show.

Lets just say I am glad you're not stalking Chest and talking baseball. [/QUOTE]Yeah, I was going through a tough stretch there. Glad I got that off my Chest.

Edwards Kings · Post by **Edwards Kings** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 12:49 am

Tracy if/when healthy. Reynolds has nice pop but many holes in his swing. Who needs another .240 BA CM. Tracy is at best a .280 hitter in my book, but that is a big difference.

Torre will go with Nomar. Joe seems to hang on to his veterens. At least until Mia croons "Nomie...can you come upstairs?" one time too often during the season.

Flip a coin on Barfield and Cabrera. Inconsistent 25 year old versus inconsistent 21 year old. How does 350 AB for one and 275 AB for the other grab you?

Longoria will be the TB starter (barring spring training injury) and just about anybody has more value at 2B over any of the other positions.

Saito for the same reason as Nomar (except for the Mia-thing).

I tend to agree with the good Captain Hook on this on. The D'backs could end up with three guys in double digit saves this year and love it.

ALL-IN JD · Post by **ALL-IN JD** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 2:50 am

I think Brandon Lyon will end up closing. He has closing experience has done fairly well in that position.