Winter League Update for 12/15/2009
by Kyle Lobner on Dec 15, 2009 6:52 AM CST
in Minor League Notes
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PrintIn Venezuela: Alcides Escobar went 4-for-5 with three doubles and scored a run. That raised his VWL batting average to .408.
On the leaderboards, Escobar's batting average is the best in the VWL by 27 points (ahead of Mets catcher Josh Thole, who has already gone home). He's one of just four players batting over .360. His .445 OBP, .973 OPS and 12 stolen bases are also in the league's top five.
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Which begs the question
Why the hell is Escobar still there? What more is he going to get out of that level of competition? How is it possibly worth the risk of pulling or tearing something causing him to games that actually matter?
Fair points all
My argument is that he isn’t really gaining anything. One only gets better at a sport through (a) practice and (b) competing against individuals better than you. I don’t know that he’s really getting either in Venezuela.
Then again, if he already lives in Venezuela it’s probably not a really big deal to just be down at the ball park. There are worse things. He could be riding a motorcycle around Pittsburgh. _
Practice is primarily repetitions
How many opportunities does a player, even a shortstop, get to make a play in the field during a game? 10 over 3 hours, at best? It’s also only 4 or 5 ABs over 3 hours. Playing in a game does little to improve skills.
At this point, Spring Training is long enough that he could get plenty of in-game reps before the season.
How is he not gaining anythign by playing?
Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, "That’s all they need is another home run hitter".
Would your opinion change if he was playing and hitting .240?
Maybe doing so well is confidence-building for him.
Perhaps it would change my opinion
I would argue that by hitting .400 and most believing he already has major league-ready defense, he’s demonstrated that he’s got little more to gain or learn from the VWL. Maybe you give a guy hitting .240 a few more reps to, as you point out, build some confidence.
If we’re talking about building confidence, doesn’t it make sense to shut him down when he’s hitting .400 rather than after he regresses back to a .300 by going 1 for his last 15 or whatever?
My Dad would have said:
“They should shut him down so he can save those hits for next year.”
What begins in fear usually ends in folly.
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Dec 15, 2009 9:51 AM CST reply actions
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NL Central Standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | STRK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chicago
|
0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | Lost 0 |
|
Cincinnati
|
0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | Lost 0 |
|
Houston
|
0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | Lost 0 |
|
Milwaukee
|
0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | Lost 0 |
|
Pittsburgh
|
0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | Lost 0 |
|
St. Louis
|
0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | Lost 0 |
(updated 2.13.2012 at 7:02 AM CST)
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