Opening Day Lineup

[Lee Stone]

Mistakes that Mattingly will make:

1) Batting Bour fourth every day. Bour is an entirely different hitter vs. LHP (not very good). A platoon with Cooper is the right path, but Mattingy will not do that. If he insists on playing Bour vs. lefties despite all we know, he should be dropped to sixth or seventh in the order on those days.
2) Castro batting third. A guy who bounces grounders to third and short with consistency is a rally killer. Anderson is the right choice to hit third.
3) Ziegler at closer. Steckenrider is the right choice, with Barraclough next in line. Those two ARE the BP right now.
4) Hitting someone other than Galloway at lead off (Galloway won't even make the roster). IG would provide 40-steals and excellent OF defense. If spring was a competition, as Mattingly suggested, Galloway won it.

Correct moves he will make:
1) Hitting DD second.

[emkayseven]

We’re losing 95+ games so none of this really matters. I think everyone in the world knows Barraclough and Steckenrider are better options at closer, but closing games successfully could drive Ziegler’s trade value up.

I was furious last year that they weren’t platooning Bour...but he hit very well against lefties last year (.259/.333/.494). Could be sample size but last year everyone on these boards saw a lot of adjustment on his part and I think he’s fine to play every day.

Agree with you on Castro - he should be down in the order.

Galloway shouldn’t be anywhere near a major league roster and steals are not a necessary part of today’s game.

[lou]

Also keeps Steckenrider's arbitration tenders down as saves have value to arbiters. Ziegler is the right choice. And then Barraclough after him so they can trade him too as the don't need luxury relievers close to arbitration with what's coming up from the farm. Get Steckenrider to arbitration with the least saves possible, even if that's just no saves until August 1.

The lineup doesn't really matter either to me, but I think it is putting Brinson and Anderson in the best spots to succeed, and then after them the best place for Castro, Bour, and Realmuto to succeed to hopefully ramp up their trade value with positive offensive stats. I would probably do something like this, to get the best 2 hitters on the team behind Brinson and Anderson to protect them, but ultimately, that front 6 is interchangeable:

Brinson
Realmuto
Anderson
Bour
Castro
Dietrich
Maybin
Rojas

Three guys in baseball got 40 steals in 2017. Projecting Isaac Galloway of all people to get that is silly.

[Lee Stone]

Also keeps Steckenrider's arbitration tenders down as saves have value to arbiters. Ziegler is the right choice. And then Barraclough after him so they can trade him too as the don't need luxury relievers close to arbitration with what's coming up from the farm. Get Steckenrider to arbitration with the least saves possible, even if that's just no saves until August 1.

The lineup doesn't really matter either to me, but I think it is putting Brinson and Anderson in the best spots to succeed, and then after them the best place for Castro, Bour, and Realmuto to succeed to hopefully ramp up their trade value with positive offensive stats. I would probably do something like this, to get the best 2 hitters on the team behind Brinson and Anderson to protect them, but ultimately, that front 6 is interchangeable:

Brinson
Realmuto
Anderson
Bour
Castro
Dietrich
Maybin
Rojas

Three guys in baseball got 40 steals in 2017. Projecting Isaac Galloway of all people to get that is silly.

14 Steals in 159 ab last season. 4 in 35 ab's this spring. I don't know how Galloway fails to steal 40 with regular playing time, but that's just math.

[Nick]

14 Steals in 159 ab last season. 4 in 35 ab's this spring. I don't know how Galloway fails to steal 40 with regular playing time, but that's just math.

Would you say the quality of play is different in the MLB than Spring Training and all of the minor league levels? Might take that into consideration.

Also, what were your thoughts on Isaac Galloway before last year where he played well when he did play, but missed 2/3rds of the year with injuries. What are your thoughts on the guy you want to leadoff having a career OBP of .285 in the minor leagues?

[emkayseven]

leadoff = high OBP. Not Galloway's strong point

To steal 40 bags you have to get on base a good amount of times. He wouldn't.

[Lee Stone]

Career numbers are what got Jake Arrietta a huge contract that his current performance will not justify. How truly significant are career numbers? On the other hand, Galloway showed huge improvement last year. He followed that up by continuing to hit this spring. Call me an optimist, but I choose to believe in him. His trajectory appears to be upward. His play passes the eye test with flying colors. I think he'll excel at New Orleans.

I always favor an underdog - whether a Trevor Richards or Galloway or in this year's case the Marlins. I don't think that cheering on the underdog is a function of being silly or clueless, particularly in the face of evidence that the sun is starting to shine on a few blue collar system veterans.

[tjfla]

Not in the Galloway Fan Club but we tried the all speed/great D OF with Yefri Perez. Problem is if u can't hit or get on base it doesn't help much. Maybe Galloway can get hurt and tear up the GCL and FSL like LY

[Nick]

If Galloway plays well at AAA this year, he'll get his shot. What Lee just needs to understand is a good 75 ABs at AAA and 35 good ABs during Spring Training does not supersede 9 years of being terrible in the minors. Prove he can do it for an extended period and he'll get a shot.

[tjfla]

If Galloway plays well at AAA this year, he'll get his shot. What Lee just needs to understand is a good 75 ABs at AAA and 35 good ABs during Spring Training does not supersede 9 years of being terrible in the minors. Prove he can do it for an extended period and he'll get a shot.

Why would he get a shot? After Mid May u can call up Braxton Lee OR Sierra. Both are better than Galloway,long term options and already on the 40 man

[Nick]

If Galloway puts up 2-3 months of .900+ OPS he'll find himself in the majors. No doubt in my mind.

- - - - - - - - - -

Also, you can bring Galloway up and stick him on the bench and not feel bad. You call up Sierra and Galloway, they have to be playing every day.

[fish16]

If we were going by pure stuff id say Steckenrider has earned the closer job, but as Tjfla pointed out, it will save us in the long run in arbitration when it gets to that point (as stupid as that is), though i think having Ziegler as the closer has nothing to do with that and is more about just trying to get Ziegler more value by the deadline.

[rmc523]

If Galloway puts up 2-3 months of .900+ OPS he'll find himself in the majors. No doubt in my mind.

- - - - - - - - - -

Also, you can bring Galloway up and stick him on the bench and not feel bad. You call up Sierra and Galloway, they have to be playing every day.

Huh?

[Nick]

meant Lee, he mentioned Sierra and Lee above.

[fish16]

I hope Sierra spends the entire year or at least until August/September in the minors. His bat needs time to develop given that he cant make up for lack of experience with pure power. I hate that the cardinals fucked with his development last year by keeping him on the team as essentially a pinch runner for a long time when they already had a ton of OF depth in the organization.