Of the regular players, that means these guys will sit: Pudge Rodriguez, Brandon Inge, Gary Sheffield, and Marcus Thames. Also knocks out minor-major player Clete Thomas.
Pudge, having been traded, is no longer an issue. Inge has to be in the lineup as the everyday catcher, and that I am fine with. Hit him ninth and convert him to an NL-style hitter. Make him bunt. Bring back the drag bunt, try the softball-style slap-bunt, just make him get on base. In fact, this is the perfect time to teach him about plate patience. Essentially, I don't care what he does in the box, as long as it isn't striking out. I want him to be on base when Granderson comes up, and I want him to be prepared to run fast. Sheffield, either compete for a position, or retire. Leyland doesn't even have the option of throwing him into left at this point; that shoulder has had how many surgeries in the last five years? Marcus Thames should then be switched to the everyday DH. I am confident his BA with RISP will rise when he gets more at-bats, more consistently. If he isn't effective, send him out for some prospects.
Clete Thomas is a youngin' who should be competing with Matt Joyce for an everyday spot, say, left field. Thomas has an incredible amount of plate patience (two bases-loaded, two-out, two-strike walks in one game), and Joyce has power. Let them fight it out, and rotate them until you decide. Or, if Thames doesn't perform, try this: let Thomas become the everyday DH. Hit him sixth. Make him a scrappy guy who just gets on base. The DH shouldn't be pigeon-holed as an aging power guy with bad knees and shoulders. Mix it up a little bit. If Tony LaRussa can hit his pitchers eighth, why can't Leyland reimagine the role of the DH?
Here's what else you do: you reward Brandon Inge's loyalty (well, loyalty and the fact that Dombrowski couldn't trade him) by anointing him Leyland's guy. Tell him to own the effing team. Call the game with no signals from the bench. Be the Steve Yzerman, the quiet power. Hell, be the holy terror, but take control of this team. I don't see Ordonez or Guillen doing it; be the Wyatt Earp, Brandon.
Cut Fernando Rodney. Immediately. Tell Zumaya he'll be the closer in spring training provided he starts mixing his pitches. If Inge comes along as the catcher you don't shake off, Zumaya will continue to improve. Chalk Farnsworth up as the guy who unloaded Pudge's contract. Nothing more.
Don't bank on Dontrelle Willis coming back as a starter. Have him practice middle-relief in some bullpen sessions with Chuck Hernandez. If nothing else, it'll force him to think about what he's throwing and improving his pitch location if he does come back as a starter.
Why are we getting smacked around by teams like Minny and Tampa Bay? Easy. They scrap. TB had less hits than us in the second game but won. We had 11 hits and lost. Take a cue from Minny and drill the hell out of situational hitting in batting practice. If your batters are mentally lazy, tell them to stay home.
Most importantly, hire me as your bench coach. I'll swear and take smoke breaks with Leyland. I'll do it for 50K. I'll wear cleats in the dugout. I just won't chew tobacco.
1 comment:
I agree with just about everything. I would bury Thames in the line-up and move Joyce up. Thames only hits solo jacks and strikes out.
I'm concerned about Inge at catcher as a long-term solution. Watching him ole three pitches in Tampa was disturbing.
The entire bullpen has been a disaster since Jamie Walker was let go. Jones being put on the DL is a start and sending Rodney back to the DR would work for me.
I'm not a big Zumaya guy, either. He's a dude who throws so hard he's hurting himself. When he does find the plate, batters have a 5 to 10 percent chance of making contact. When they do (and the odds are that they will at some point) that ball goes a LONG way.
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