Outfield quandry

pgjocki · 05-27-2017, 02:49 PM

The year is 2022 and I have Mike Trout as my starting Centerfielder and he is still a superb defender with great range and plus arm but his batting has disintegrated. We are 50 games into the season and he is hitting .216 with 2 homeruns.

I have Nick Plummer who has worked his way up through the minors who got his first call up this year who is hitting .357 with 12 homeruns in only 60 games demanding more playing time. The issue, Plummer doesn't know what a glove is and seems content to chase balls to the fence and fire the through to second over the cut-offs head into bleachers, dugouts or random other locations. His defensive stats are all negative, it's actually amazing how bad he is in the field.

My question is, what do I do? I don't know where to hide Plummer on defense but I want his bat in the line up. Trout hit 29 homeruns last year and finished with a .295 average so I don't know if he truly is following off a cliff or is just in a serious funk.

Thoughts?

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buckeye22 · 05-27-2017, 02:57 PM

No way I'd put Plummer in center if he's truly a terrible fielder, so we'll start there. Maybe you can "hide" him in left or right? Or maybe even DH him? Definitely have to have that bat in the lineup but my CF needs to be able to cover ground and be an asset on defense. I don't care near as much if I have negative D on the corners as long as the bat is good.

As for Trout, it all depends on how far into the season you are. Ideally I'd give a guy with his track record all season and maybe even into the next to try to break out of it...he's just earned that right. But there definitely comes a time in July or August where, if you're still in the race, you strongly consider an offensive upgrade that could push you over the top. As long as he's playing great D in center and you can afford to wait on the bat though, I think I'd stick it out. Maybe he fell off a cliff, but I'd say more likely he'll break out soon for you.

Edit: Nevermind, just saw you said 50 games. I'd definitely give him until around the deadline. If he's still not hitting and you're able to find a nice rental that doesn't kill you out there, that may be something to consider. But I'd bet it's just a bad start to the season if he's shown no real signs of decline until right now.

Rosco Peabody · 05-27-2017, 09:06 PM

You have to DH Plummer and keep Trout in Center. I had a star catcher in my fictional league (usually hits around .280 with 30-40 HRs) have horrible stats for the first 50 games (around .190-.200 BA and like 3 HRs). Once June came, he started crushing the ball.

JackD · 05-27-2017, 09:34 PM

As far as Trout goes, it is definitely too early to give up on him IMO. He could come back next year and return to old form, or have a huge end of season. Having a good defensive CF is important. In my save, I've had a huge gap there for 2-3 years and trust me, it hurts. I'll put pretty good batters (.280 - 15 hrs) in center, but because they have bad outfield ratings they will have a negative WAR every year, and my team will come near the bottom of the league in defensive efficiency.

For Plummer, I would consider giving him reps at 1B, or if you have the DH spot open play him there. While it will hurt when hes making errors at first, he will eventually become a good enough fielder you can effectively "hide" him there. If he has a good infield error rating, he should be fine pretty quickly. If he has experience in left or right, that could work too, but having a poor defensive outfielder starting, even in the less important defensive positions, isn't fun.

05-27-2017, 02:49 PM	#1
pgjocki All Star Starter Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Maryland - just outside DC Posts: 1,677	Outfield quandry The year is 2022 and I have Mike Trout as my starting Centerfielder and he is still a superb defender with great range and plus arm but his batting has disintegrated. We are 50 games into the season and he is hitting .216 with 2 homeruns. I have Nick Plummer who has worked his way up through the minors who got his first call up this year who is hitting .357 with 12 homeruns in only 60 games demanding more playing time. The issue, Plummer doesn't know what a glove is and seems content to chase balls to the fence and fire the through to second over the cut-offs head into bleachers, dugouts or random other locations. His defensive stats are all negative, it's actually amazing how bad he is in the field. My question is, what do I do? I don't know where to hide Plummer on defense but I want his bat in the line up. Trout hit 29 homeruns last year and finished with a .295 average so I don't know if he truly is following off a cliff or is just in a serious funk. Thoughts? Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk __________________ - - - World Series championships: 1926, 1931, 1934, 1942, 1944, 1946, 1964, 1967, 1982, 2006, 2011

05-27-2017, 02:57 PM	#2
buckeye22 Major Leagues Join Date: Jan 2014 Posts: 322	No way I'd put Plummer in center if he's truly a terrible fielder, so we'll start there. Maybe you can "hide" him in left or right? Or maybe even DH him? Definitely have to have that bat in the lineup but my CF needs to be able to cover ground and be an asset on defense. I don't care near as much if I have negative D on the corners as long as the bat is good. As for Trout, it all depends on how far into the season you are. Ideally I'd give a guy with his track record all season and maybe even into the next to try to break out of it...he's just earned that right. But there definitely comes a time in July or August where, if you're still in the race, you strongly consider an offensive upgrade that could push you over the top. As long as he's playing great D in center and you can afford to wait on the bat though, I think I'd stick it out. Maybe he fell off a cliff, but I'd say more likely he'll break out soon for you. Edit: Nevermind, just saw you said 50 games. I'd definitely give him until around the deadline. If he's still not hitting and you're able to find a nice rental that doesn't kill you out there, that may be something to consider. But I'd bet it's just a bad start to the season if he's shown no real signs of decline until right now.

05-27-2017, 09:06 PM	#3
Rosco Peabody All Star Starter Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: South of Boston, Massachusetts Posts: 1,092	You have to DH Plummer and keep Trout in Center. I had a star catcher in my fictional league (usually hits around .280 with 30-40 HRs) have horrible stats for the first 50 games (around .190-.200 BA and like 3 HRs). Once June came, he started crushing the ball.

05-27-2017, 09:34 PM	#4
JackD Bat Boy Join Date: May 2016 Posts: 15	As far as Trout goes, it is definitely too early to give up on him IMO. He could come back next year and return to old form, or have a huge end of season. Having a good defensive CF is important. In my save, I've had a huge gap there for 2-3 years and trust me, it hurts. I'll put pretty good batters (.280 - 15 hrs) in center, but because they have bad outfield ratings they will have a negative WAR every year, and my team will come near the bottom of the league in defensive efficiency. For Plummer, I would consider giving him reps at 1B, or if you have the DH spot open play him there. While it will hurt when hes making errors at first, he will eventually become a good enough fielder you can effectively "hide" him there. If he has a good infield error rating, he should be fine pretty quickly. If he has experience in left or right, that could work too, but having a poor defensive outfielder starting, even in the less important defensive positions, isn't fun.