2024 Season | Series #9 | Guardians @ Braves | April 26-28, 2024

[CDAV45]

Your opinion changed quick from the first 3-4 series, haha

This series does very little to create such expectations. We have a long ways to go still, and the starting pitching will need to be bolstered.

How so? What did I say to make you state that?

 

[CDAV45]

Johnathan Rodriguez got on base 3 times with a run and RBI. Alex Mooney hit his 5th homerun of the year.

How does it work with him though Criz? I doubt they'll want him in Laureano's role once they promote him and Brennan is on the upswing. Kwan isn't getting a reduced role. The only way I see consistent AB is reducing Freeman's playing time, move Brennan to CF and let Rodriguez play RF. I don't for one instance think that's going to happen. It's just the only way I can see it happening.

 

[BimboColesHair]

That’s not all that needs to change or is the difference between his AAA and MLB success.

28 PAs from the full boat scouting report too. And you’re already seeing teams pitch him differently and his numbers plummeting.

Hope he can come out the other side better. Don’t think a demotion does anything beneficial.

 

[CDAV45]

As well is this team is doing there is a "weird" dynamic to this roster. Laureano and Hedges are in very reduced roles and if they are jettisoned have to be replaced on the roster. Which prospects that look ready to you want to give a limited role? It'll play out awhile longer I'd say.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

It looks to me like Vogt's hands are tied because the front office gave Laureano $5 million so he has to play him at least part of the time, but the guy is a mess. The one thing they want him for is to hit lefties, but he's 4-for-23 with 9 K's. Against right-handers he's 4-for-27 with 12 K's.

He's hitting .091 with nobody on base (3-for-33). When the pitcher has no baserunners to hold and can focus solely on Laureano, he has no chance.

It's an unfortunate situation. Among the other right field options, Floreal is 3-for-4 against lefties with two doubles. Brennan is 2-for-7 with a double. Fry, who can play right field, is hitting .353 against lefties with an OBP of .586. Arias can also play right field and he's hitting .438 against lefties.

So Laureano is our fifth best option, and by far the worst, to play right field against a left-handed starter, but Vogt is stuck with him, for now at least.

 

[33Y0]

That’s not all that needs to change or is the difference between his AAA and MLB success.

28 PAs from the full boat scouting report too. And you’re already seeing teams pitch him differently and his numbers plummeting.

Hope he can come out the other side better. Don’t think a demotion does anything beneficial.

How concerned with you about his trajectory? I know it’s still SUPER early and by no means should anyone be giving up on him, but a lot of the underlying data is definitely at least a little worrisome, right?

 

[33Y0]

As well is this team is doing there is a "weird" dynamic to this roster. Laureano and Hedges are in very reduced roles and if they are jettisoned have to be replaced on the roster. Which prospects that look ready to you want to give a limited role? It'll play out awhile longer I'd say.

I think the Hedges situation is perhaps slightly different, albeit not entirely but. You have Fry who can act as a third catcher so it’s added protection where you’re not trotting Hedges out super regularly. And Hedges has that clubhouse presence, not that that should matter when deciding whether to cut a guy or not, but RL doesn’t have either of those going for him. (Also not advocating RL is bad for the locker room either.)

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

As well is this team is doing there is a "weird" dynamic to this roster. Laureano and Hedges are in very reduced roles and if they are jettisoned have to be replaced on the roster. Which prospects that look ready to you want to give a limited role? It'll play out awhile longer I'd say.

If Fry continues to produce at the same level or close to it and Rocchio continues to hit below the Mendoza line then I expect Arias will start playing short every day and Fry will be DH'ing a lot or playing first base or left field, allowing Josh or Kwan to get a day off. If Fry is getting regular at-bats at DH or in the field Hedges will be the backup catcher.

With all the position flexibility the Guardians have I don't see the need to get Hedges off the roster. It's not like they have a bunch of guys who can only play one position so they need to dump Hedges and bring up somebody who can fill in anywhere.

Heck, Arias played first, short, and RF in one game last week and started at second base last night. He's also started several games at third. Fry has started at catcher, first base, and left field in the last two weeks.

If anybody is going to leave it will be Laureano. As I mentioned in the previous post, he's our 5th best option to play RF against left-handed pitching, and he's even worse against right-handers.

Last night Laureano struck out three times on 14 pitches and weakly grounded out. By the 9th inning he was screaming at the umpire about a called strike three that was clearly in the zone.

 

[thestatman]

It looks to me like Vogt's hands are tied because the front office gave Laureano $5 million so he has to play him at least part of the time, but the guy is a mess. The one thing they want him for is to hit lefties, but he's 4-for-23 with 9 K's. Against right-handers he's 4-for-27 with 12 K's.

He's hitting .091 with nobody on base (3-for-33). When the pitcher has no baserunners to hold and can focus solely on Laureano, he has no chance.

It's an unfortunate situation. Among the other right field options, Floreal is 3-for-4 against lefties with two doubles. Brennan is 2-for-7 with a double. Fry, who can play right field, is hitting .353 against lefties with an OBP of .586. Arias can also play right field and he's hitting .438 against lefties.

So Laureano is our fifth best option, and by far the worst, to play right field against a left-handed starter, but Vogt is stuck with him, for now at least.

What might make matters worse is that Vogt probably has an allegiance to Laureano dating back to his days as a teammate of his in Oakland. Big mistake in resigning that guy.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

What might make matters worse is that Vogt probably has an allegiance to Laureano dating back to his days as a teammate of his in Oakland. Big mistake in resigning that guy.

Vogt played in Oakland from 2013 until halfway through the 2017 season according to baseballreference.com. Laureano didn't join the A's until 2018.

The sad thing is that Laureano has had a string of injuries the last few years. He said this spring he feels great for the first time in years. But he's hitting worse than ever.

 

[CDAV45]

If Fry continues to produce at the same level or close to it and Rocchio continues to hit below the Mendoza line then I expect Arias will start playing short every day and Fry will be DH'ing a lot or playing first base or left field, allowing Josh or Kwan to get a day off. If Fry is getting regular at-bats at DH or in the field Hedges will be the backup catcher.

With all the position flexibility the Guardians have I don't see the need to get Hedges off the roster. It's not like they have a bunch of guys who can only play one position so they need to dump Hedges and bring up somebody who can fill in anywhere.

Heck, Arias played first, short, and RF in one game last week and started at second base last night. He's also started several games at third. Fry has started at catcher, first base, and left field in the last two weeks.

If anybody is going to leave it will be Laureano. As I mentioned in the previous post, he's our 5th best option to play RF against left-handed pitching, and he's even worse against right-handers.

Last night Laureano struck out three times on 14 pitches and weakly grounded out. By the 9th inning he was screaming at the umpire about a called strike three that was clearly in the zone.

Yeah, I think Ramon is on a short leash too. I just don't know who they would promote to replace him.

I think Rocchio is working his way to Columbus too, but I'm hoping he turns things around. Again, who would you replace him with? That might be Schneeman's first taste of MLB?

Like I said...weird.

 

[Mott the Hoople]

I don't see Manzardo here for at least another month. Maybe around Memorial Day. That gives them another month to see if a few guys can straighten out.
If Rocchio can't get right. Arias moves to SS. If Laureano doesn't return to form, he's in trouble too. I'm still not sold on Florial either.
Meanwhile, we are desperate for another SP.
This roster could shake out by mid- June.

 

[CDAV45]

I think the Hedges situation is perhaps slightly different, albeit not entirely but. You have Fry who can act as a third catcher so it’s added protection where you’re not trotting Hedges out super regularly. And Hedges has that clubhouse presence, not that that should matter when deciding whether to cut a guy or not, but RL doesn’t have either of those going for him. (Also not advocating RL is bad for the locker room either.)

It's just my opinion 33, but I think Fry has demonstrated that he is definitely more than just a "third catcher". He is quickly becoming one of the more valuable players in Cleveland and if he continues to hit well he'll continue on that path.

My argument has never questioned Hedges' presence in the dugout. Hell, it has to be good or he'd have less value than he does right now which is negative by the numbers.

 

[33Y0]

It's just my opinion 33, but I think Fry has demonstrated that he is definitely more than just a "third catcher". He is quickly becoming one of the more valuable players in Cleveland and if he continues to hit well he'll continue on that path.

My argument has never questioned Hedges' presence in the dugout. Hell, it has to be good or he'd have less value than he does right now which is negative by the numbers.

I was saying he’s a third catcher just strictly because of how the roster is constructed, not my own personal feelings on him.

 

[BimboColesHair]

How concerned with you about his trajectory? I know it’s still SUPER early and by no means should anyone be giving up on him, but a lot of the underlying data is definitely at least a little worrisome, right?

I've been pretty vocal about my concern for where he was going as a prospect since last year, even with decent AAA numbers.

He hasn’t done anything to alleviate those concerns.