First Base and Right Field

[burgh_fan66]

News is kind of slow right now and I was thinking about doing a write up about this so I'm taking opinions. The Pirates have 7 internal options for the positions of 1B and RF. Some quick rough math says they should have about 1,650 PA* to distribute amongst those 7 this upcoming season. My question is how would you like to see those PA distributed this upcoming season. Keep in mind it is unlikely anyone would wind up with more than 650 PA.

Garrett Jones
Gaby Sanchez
Clint Robinson
Travis Snider
Jose Tabata
Jerry Sands
Alex Presley

*This assumes about 680 PA per positions (1B and RF), about 160 PH oppurtunities and about 130 PA in relief of Marte, McCutchen and maybe in Sanchez's case Alvarez.

[Tomahawk27]

Sands can/has played both 1B and OF correct?

[burgh_fan66]

Correct.

Jones 1B/OF
Sands 1B/OF
Sanchez 1B/3B?
Robinsin 1B
Snider OF
Tabata OF
Presley OF

[Tomahawk27]

Well, I'm not going to fathom guesses as to PA, but I'll list who should start/be on the bench.

Jones and Sanchez should be a platoon at 1st. If Jones has some success against lefties this season though, I would be in favor of him getting more starts.

I'd keep Sands, assuming he does well in ST, as a bench player. Nice versatility to give people some rest.

Idk if Robinson has any options left but as of now, I would put him in AAA, we have enough people for 1B.

I would enter the season with Snider as my RF unless he plays terribly or the other two play very well. Personally, I like Tabata's game better and what he can bring so I would have him as my other bench player

[burgh_fan66]

Presley, Robinson and Sands all have options remaining (as does Marte if you want to go that direction).

I'm assuming Presley and Robinson will start the year in AAA but that still leaves 5 players, Jones, Sanchez, Sands, Snider and Tabata for what is likely only 4 spots. The Pirates could in theory keep all 5 but it would require them only carrying one bench infielder, something they have shown an unwillingness to do in the past.

[burgh_fan66]

My thinking right now is:

Jones: 400
Snider: 400
Tabata: 250
Sands: 250
Sanchez: 250
Presley: 70
Robinson: 30

Snider and Jones should get the lions share of the time but the 3 RH (Tabata, Sanchez, Sands) all need a chance to prove thier worth so the 250 PA gives them an extended audition. The 70 PA for Presley is just enough to get a look at him so I know if I want to keep him around next season as the 4th OF. The 30 PA for Robinson would be an audition for a 2013 bench role (he can kind of sort of play the OF) as my primary LH stick on the bench.

Of course things rarely go according to plan maybe Matt Curry will just crush the ball in AAA and force the Pirates hand in giving him a look. Or who knows?

[Tomahawk27]

I'd be okay having Sands in AAA to start the year and see how things go, in addition to Robinson and Presley. This is assuming there are no surprise performances, good or bad, in ST. They are the 3 who I believe need to prove the most (Tabata too to an extent), so they might as well do that in AAA.

Curry could also become the new Matt Hague...

[ManRamForPrez24]

I tried to do this last night but it was way too jumbled for me to even make a decent attempt at it.

Yours look about similar to what mine would have looked like had I actually finished.

Jones and Snider should get the bulk of the ABs at first and RF respectively. I think Jones will, and should, see fewer ABs, but that might be contingent on how Sanchez and Sands play. I'm hoping they can play well and take basically all of Jones' ABs against lefties away from him...but Jones needs to be out there against most/all of the righty pitchers we face.

Ideally Snider plays well enough that he can earn the lion's share of ABs in RF. His R/L splits aren't very drastic, and neither are Tabata's, so a true platoon seems unlikely. I basically just hope that one of them catches fire and takes a vice grip on the starting RF spot, but I don't think either one of them will do so. In a dream world one of them plays to a 2.0+ WAR, but that just seems too implausible.

I think Presely will find more ABs than you've allotted for him some how.


A lot of options, unfortunately few/none of them are terribly exciting.

[burgh_fan66]

That is sort of the thing none of these options are very exciting although I do want to see what Snider can do. However if this plethora of options can just do an adequate job (something like a ~ .775 OPS) holding down 1B and RF the Pirates lineup doesn't look all that bad. Barmes wasn't horrible after May of last year and I think he should put up similar numbers over the full season in 2013 and Martin should be an upgrade over Barajas and at least provide somewhere in the neighborhood of average offensive production from the catcher position.

Take those 4 holding their own and add it to what we all hope will be above average production from Walker, Alvarez, McCutchen and Marte and the Pirates offense could be in the middle of the NL pack or maybe even just slightly above.