03-10-2020, 01:50 PM
(03-10-2020, 10:53 AM)Crazyjdawg Wrote: I see the roster basically breaking down like this:
6 guaranteed infielders:
Barnhart
Casali
Suarez
Galvis
Moose
Votto
4 guaranteed outfielders:
Winker
Akiyama
Senzel
Castellanos
5 starting pitchers:
Castillo
Gray
Bauer
Disco
Miley
8 relief pitchers:
Lorenzen
Iglesias
Garrett
Strop
Stephenson
Sims
2 flex slots (could be Biddle, Jones, Bowman, Reed, Romano or a few others)
That leaves 3 slots for the bench.
The three I would pick for the bench are:
Phillip Ervin
I think Ervin definitely makes the roster based on his left handed splits last season of .349/.411/.628 in 86 ABs.
Add to that the fact that he's out of options and killing it in spring training so far with a .444/.524/.889 line. He seems like a done deal for the opening roster.
Kyle Farmer
Pure, unadulterated versatility. He can play catcher, shortstop, first base, second base and third base and he could probably fill in at LF and RF if necessary.
He also just so happens to be having a fantastic spring, with a line of .389/.421/.667
That basically leaves one space left on the roster for one of the following:
Alex Blandino
Josh Van Meter
Aristedes Aquino
Mark Payton
Derek Dietrich
Now, in terms of who has had the best spring, Josh Van Meter takes the cake, with a .400/.526/.667 line. Plus, he has played all 3 bases and both corner outfield spots, so he's got positional versatility.
However, we already have Farmer as the super utility player and Josh would be 3rd string at a lot of those positions, if not 4th. So I think, since he has options remaining, he's going to be sent down to the minors so he can play every day.
Aquino has the same issue, except he has less position versatility (outfield only) and he isn't even playing well this spring. Down to the minors you go.
Payton, again, is an outfielder only and hasn't even been that impressive this spring. I'd be shocked if he makes it.
So do you go with Blandino, who can back up shortstop since the only back up right now is Farmer, who has never played an inning at SS (but the coaches are confident he can)?
Or do you go with Derek Dietrich? DD is a great locker room presence and he has scheme versatility, at least in theory, with starts at 1B, 2B, 3B and the outfield corners. He also has no minor league options.
He hasn't had a great spring but I don't think it really matters.
Personally, I think DD is going to be the choice for that last spot. I would prefer a true backup at SS with Blandino but, again, he's got options. So the incentive to keep a guy with options on the big league roster when he'd just be sitting as a 3rd string or maybe 2nd string SS doesn't seem that appealing. But if Galvis' injury is worse than they first thought, Blandino may be the choice by default, especially if they don't trust Farmer to be the starter at SS.
Good analysis. I think it comes down to VanMeter and Blandino and they take VanMeter because he would be a left handed bat off the bench. Also he is really hitting well this spring.
