Gaby Sanchez Wins 1B Starting Job

[Swifty]

Since we've got our first official soundbites, I thought it'd be fun to follow the race between Gaby and Logan for 1B.

Most intriguing: the Gaby Sanchez/Logan Morrison competition at first. ``They're really good prospects and major-league ready,'' said Larry Beinfest, the Marlins' president of baseball operations. Advisor Jack McKeon said Morrison, a left-handed hitter who batted .277 with eight homers and 47 RBI in 79 games at Double A Jacksonville, ``reminds me of Sean Casey a bit. Decent power, uses the whole field.''

Sanchez, a right-handed hitter, batted .289 with 16 homers and 56 RBI in 85 games at Triple A New Orleans, and the Marlins believe his struggles last spring weren't reflective of his skills. ``I'm better prepared than last spring,'' said Sanchez, who is quicker after losing 20 pounds to get to 217. ``Logan and I are comparable hitters.'' The Marlins want to settle on one and not platoon.

...[I]f both flop, ``Wes Helms is the contingency, short or semi-long term, at either corner,'' Beinfest said.

And awaaaaaaaaaay we go!

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/02/2...link=email_msg

[Metes]

And a new nickname is born.

Wes Helms. "The Contingency"

[Bobbob1313]

I'd rather have Gaby win the job and give Logan time at AAA. Make sure he's got at least some power back from last year's injury.

I've always thought Gaby would be close to Sean Casey's career line, with a little less AVG and more walks.

[Ralph]

Logan's gonna run away with this. He'll have a huge spring. I would prefer him to go down to AAA to delay his arby/free agency clock though.

[Swifty]

Logan's gonna run away with this. He'll have a huge spring. I would prefer him to go down to AAA to delay his arby/free agency clock though.

I think / hope thinking like that is a thing of the past. If you're ready, you're here, and when we need to pay you, and you're someone we want, we're going to pay you.

[Party]

Yeah if this is a win now thing and Logan tears it up in Jupiter I want him on the team ASAP.

[Swifty]

The thing is, I can see the race shaking out much like this:

Gaby has 5 or so spring homers, putting him 3rd or 4th on the team (and presumably ahead of Logan). Logan shows off a strong opposite field approach and a good eye (which is basically the book on him), and we go with Gaby because of the power numbers. Basically, if it ends up in a coinflip kind of situation, I think Gaby has to be the favorite because his skill set (light tower power) gets Beinfest off more than the OBP guy.

(And I realize the irony in this since Gaby was inexplicably in the dog house last season and I'm shocked he's still here).

[Bobbob1313]

Gaby has anything but light tower power. Gaby is an advanced approach, good OBP, gap power type of guy more than anything. 18-20 home runs in a career year. Gaby has 400 or so more PAs in his minor league career and only like 15 more home runs.

The biggest question is whether Gaby can hit RHP at an adequate level. He's going to crush LHP, so if he can be decent against RHP, it's his job right now. By all measures, he's more ready, even if he's got a lower ceiling.

[lou]

I think this competition is to not just hand Gaby 1B.

When all is said and done, delaying Super2 and arbitration, coming off injury, and that he's not on the 40 man roster when we can still horde pitchers, is going to be to much to pass up for whatever "nominal" increase a rookie Logan is to a rookie Gaby.

This is a June decision to see if Logan is obliterating NOLA and how Gaby is hitting.

[Bobbob1313]

I think / hope thinking like that is a thing of the past. If you're ready, you're here, and when we need to pay you, and you're someone we want, we're going to pay you.

Eh.

Hopefully the stadium changes the way we do things, but there is still value in getting an extra season of Logan essentially for free by delaying his arbitration for a few months. Yeah, we won't have to pinch pennies, but I think the best case scenario is that since they likely aren't very different right now (PECOTA has gaby for a .275/.355/.439 line, Logan for .271/.354/.441. Chone has Gaby for .786 OPS, Logan for .753, and Bill James has Gaby for .821 OPS, Logan .835. Eerily similar to each other in all, really) you keep Logan down and get that free season in 2013 as opposed to paying 2-3 million if he is what we think he is.

[Swifty]

Well, like I said, if it's a toss up at the end of spring, I think the job goes to Gaby and Logan goes to AAA.

You say it's to get a discount in 2013, and that may well be it.

However, I think (hope) that it's simply because Logan hasn't seen AAA and we need to figure out what we have in Gaby.

Ultimately, we can't say definitively what's right, but under either scenario/mindset, Logan ends up in AAA, so it's really Gaby's job to "lose."

[Bobbob1313]

I mean, it's not just to save money. Contrary to what Todd says, there's something to be learned in AAA for a guy who has shown every tool you want (avg, power, patience) but never in the same year. You hope he puts the .332 average from '08 with the 24 HR power from '07, and the insane K:BB ratio from last year together in one place and embarrasses people in New Orleans.

But the money is cool.

It's not being cheap, it's being smart. Everyone does it now because it gives you a (minor) advantage.

[THE_REAL_MIBS]

The one variable I'm interested in seeing is Gaby's mindset. The first base job was his to lose last spring training and that's exactly what he did. If he can't handle the pressure and chokes again this spring training, I'd rather start Logan's clock sooner.

[Metes]

I want the one that sounds like an X-Men, not the one that sounds like a gossipy girl in high school.

[Bobbob1313]

BroncoBob, aka the biggest Gaby hater not named Todd, and Marlins2003 on the "other board" are using their performances in the winter leagues as reasons why Bonifacio should be given another chance over gaby.

They are the worst.