Monday night, I posted an item in this space about Jesus Montero. I hardly predicted that Montero's finally going to become a star, but I did suggest he'd give the Mariners more from the DH slot than they've gotten this season from Corey Hart and a cast of castoffs. Which led to a long exchange in a different space, which I will share with you here ...
Hey, here's something easy the #Mariners could do to score more runs! http://t.co/1dkRi9nM2g
- robneyer (@robneyer) July 22, 2014
@robneyer Jesus Montero in Tacoma: .240/.324/.397. Jesus Montero in rest of PCL: .361/.413/.621. http://t.co/TCG2Sv8c6U
- David Cameron (@DCameronFG) July 22, 2014
@DCameronFG @robneyer I'd take the Tacoma slash line over what M's have gotten out of DH this season: .195/.272/.292
- Steven Johnson (@stevie_j13) July 22, 2014
@DCameronFG We used to say exactly the same about Saunders. Same AAA line, too. Turns out he could actually hit.
- robneyer (@robneyer) July 22, 2014
@stevie_j13 @robneyer You're not replacing what team has gotten; you're replacing what team will get in future. Not the same.
- David Cameron (@DCameronFG) July 22, 2014
@DCameronFG @robneyer True, but are you saying we should expect better from Smoak/Hart/Romero than Montero's #s in Cheney?
- Steven Johnson (@stevie_j13) July 22, 2014
@stevie_j13 @robneyer Montero's numbers in Cheney are against Triple-A pitching. Hart > Montero, yes.
- David Cameron (@DCameronFG) July 22, 2014
@DCameronFG I'm not excited about Montero at all. But Hart hasn't hit since 2012. Is there good reason to think he'll start now?
- robneyer (@robneyer) July 22, 2014
@robneyer Since 2012? That was the last year he played. So yes.
â David Cameron (@DCameronFG) July 22, 2014
@DCameronFG Seems to me the injury that cost him 2013 might have changed his ability to hit.
- robneyer (@robneyer) July 22, 2014
@robneyer Maybe. Maybe not. It's 200 at-bats. We have far more than that showing Montero can't hit.
â David Cameron (@DCameronFG) July 22, 2014
@DCameronFG We used to say exactly the same about Saunders. Same AAA line, too. Turns out he could actually hit.
- robneyer (@robneyer) July 22, 2014
@robneyer The Michael Saunders with a career 89 wRC+?
- David Cameron (@DCameronFG) July 22, 2014
@DCameronFG Cherry-picking! He's been much better over last three seasons and many hundreds of PA.
- robneyer (@robneyer) July 22, 2014
@robneyer Okay, just last three years; 106 wRC+. If that's Montero's upside, and he's a DH who can't run, he's worthless.
- David Cameron (@DCameronFG) July 22, 2014
@DCameronFG Only if Corey Hart or someone else on roster is better. Which has not been demonstrated (to my satisfaction).
- robneyer (@robneyer) July 22, 2014
@robneyer Canât claim that I'm cherry picking and then use 200 AB sample to say Corey Hart is done. Have to pick one side or the other!
- David Cameron (@DCameronFG) July 22, 2014
@DCameronFG Not using 200 AB. Using 200 AB + injury that cost him a whole season. Is injury not relevant at all?
- robneyer (@robneyer) July 22, 2014
@robneyer Plenty of guys come back from knee surgeries and can still hit. Never seen evidence that knee surgery = immediate collapse.
- David Cameron (@DCameronFG) July 22, 2014
Well, it seems to me that depends on the knee injury. Of course the Mariners are in a good position to know if Hart's injury really is somehow debilitating. He does seem to have hit in some tough luck. It just seems to me that if your DH's have the worst numbers in the league by a ton, you might want to see if the 24-year-old with power in Triple-A -- and yeah, I do get park effects -- might be able to help a little bit, at least against left-handed pitching. But you know, Dave's been burned by a ton of young M's hitters, these last few years. We can excuse his pessimism.
And yes, I'm giving myself the last word. It's one of the privileges of power.
