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BigRapidsJackass · May 8th, 2007, 09:30 PM

Iannetta will start tomorrow, the day game after a night game thing.

And watch: unless Iannetta strikes out 4 times or makes a couple wild throws or something like that, he'll get the next couple starts against the Giants.

Why?

Well, because Yorvit's BA is now .217. I am convinced that Hurdle makes decisions on things like this. His season BA is meaningless since he only has 74 plate appearances. The only thing that's meaningful is his career .247 BA, and that's exactly what he'd be hitting if he had 2 more bloops/dribblers go for base hits this year.

But Hurdle will say it's time for him to take a breather and "slow the game down."

He is a good backup catcher. A fine defensive catcher with occasional pop. He is what he is. He doesn't need to make "adjustments" at the plate since he is doing exactly what any rational person would expect him to be doing this year.

I think this is Hurdle's main flaw: the micro-managing of his roster. Because Denny Bautista had a couple good outings he isn't magically your 7th inning stud, the guy who is so good that a fresh Denny will be better than Taylor Buchholz on his 72nd pitch. But that's not how Hurdle manages. When Yorvit had a couple 2 RBI hits, Hurdle was convinced he was "hot." When Bautista looked o.k. twice in a row he was convinced that he has arrived.

I think it's worth keeping Bautista around because he has real talent, and he may put it together some day. But it just strikes me as idiocy to put him in in a critical 1-run lead game situation in the 7th inning when just a few weeks ago he couldn't even beat out Bobby Keppel for a roster spot. Same with Arias: one nice outing, and suddenly Hurdle is calling on a guy who was completely disposable in AA last year to keep this club in the game in a bases-loaded situation in the 7th with the game still on the line.

One last thought: Jeff Baker is out of options, and he needs playing time if only to reignite some trade interest. He needs to come down with a BK Special right away -- a "thumb contusion" requiring an extended rehab assignment. Look for that to happen very soon.

May 8th, 2007, 09:30 PM	#5 (permalink)
BigRapidsJackass Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 1,176	Iannetta will start tomorrow, the day game after a night game thing. And watch: unless Iannetta strikes out 4 times or makes a couple wild throws or something like that, he'll get the next couple starts against the Giants. Why? Well, because Yorvit's BA is now .217. I am convinced that Hurdle makes decisions on things like this. His season BA is meaningless since he only has 74 plate appearances. The only thing that's meaningful is his career .247 BA, and that's exactly what he'd be hitting if he had 2 more bloops/dribblers go for base hits this year. But Hurdle will say it's time for him to take a breather and "slow the game down." He is a good backup catcher. A fine defensive catcher with occasional pop. He is what he is. He doesn't need to make "adjustments" at the plate since he is doing exactly what any rational person would expect him to be doing this year. I think this is Hurdle's main flaw: the micro-managing of his roster. Because Denny Bautista had a couple good outings he isn't magically your 7th inning stud, the guy who is so good that a fresh Denny will be better than Taylor Buchholz on his 72nd pitch. But that's not how Hurdle manages. When Yorvit had a couple 2 RBI hits, Hurdle was convinced he was "hot." When Bautista looked o.k. twice in a row he was convinced that he has arrived. I think it's worth keeping Bautista around because he has real talent, and he may put it together some day. But it just strikes me as idiocy to put him in in a critical 1-run lead game situation in the 7th inning when just a few weeks ago he couldn't even beat out Bobby Keppel for a roster spot. Same with Arias: one nice outing, and suddenly Hurdle is calling on a guy who was completely disposable in AA last year to keep this club in the game in a bases-loaded situation in the 7th with the game still on the line. One last thought: Jeff Baker is out of options, and he needs playing time if only to reignite some trade interest. He needs to come down with a BK Special right away -- a "thumb contusion" requiring an extended rehab assignment. Look for that to happen very soon.