Reasons for Optimism

by leftwing on May 24, 2006 9:19 PM PDT Comment 9 comments

This is my first diary here. I was going to just post a comment on the latest win post, but it got pretty long.

I'm not ready to give up on this season yet, and here's why....

The Kids
Napoli is leading the team in average and inspiring mancrushes all over the place. DMac is hitting the ball hard, including 2 homers. Kendry is off to a good start in two games. Between them, they're solidifying what have been our three weakest positions this season - C, 3B and 1B.

Say what you will about Sosh (I think he's overmanaged this team terribly so far), but the "for the forseeable future" comment about Kendry gives me hope that someone in the organization has realized we need to get these kids in there at their regular positions and give them a realistic chance. I think we could easily see all three of them stay at those positions for a good while if they can stay above .250ish and show a little power now and then. That's the best thing for the future, but also for right now, because really, who else is there? Better to give them a shot than waste starts on guys with no upside.

The Rest of the Lineup
After those three positions, we're in reasonably good shape. Kennedy and OC are playing well in both halves of the inning. The Vlad/GA/Figgy/Rivera/Salmon pentumverate can get the job done at OF/DH. Izturas has to come back eventually and will be a solid utility man when he does. Murphy looks like he'll be a good pinch runner/defensive specialist (and if I had my way, he'd be spending every waking moment working on becoming a situational bunting specialist too).

The Standings
Ok, we're 9 games under .500, but as has been said many times here, we're still only 4.5 games out of first in a struggling division.

The Schedule
The next month-ish of games has the potential to be very kind. Here's the next 6 opponents:

vs. Baltimore (21-25 = .457)
vs. Minnesota (20-26 = .435)
at Cleveland (23-23 = .500)
at Tampa Bay (21-26 = .447)
vs. Seattle (21-26 = .447)
vs. Kansas City (10-34 = .227) - 4 game series

If there's going to be a run to get our record back up, that's the kind of schedule that will allow it. After that is a swing through the NL west, which is a little tougher, but those teams (AZ, CO, LA, SF, SD) are the only teams between now and the all star break who are over currently over .500. The first half finishes with Seattle and Oakland.

It may sound crazy, but there's really no reason why this team can't be at or near first place by the break. Give up on the season? No way.

This Fan-Post is authored by an independent fan. Tell us what you think and how you feel.

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Comments

Good times.

It's difficult not to feel positive after two wins against a first place division rival. We should have actually taken three from Texas but oh well.

I do agree that this season is far from lost. Our ace has been on the DL for a long stretch, Weaver can't get any worse (can he?), and we've finally been through the rotation of prospects to see who is ready.

After having watched nearly all the games here is what I view as being our biggest problem areas:

Bullpen could use some help. How many more times do we experiment with Yan before he's gone? I think Gregg being a constant in the pen is going to help us a lot.
LOB. We have been terrible at scoring runs with men on base. Aren't we close to last? Atleast we can't get any worse.
GA and Figgins. I guess it's not fair to single out two guys for the way the team is playing but every time I watch them play it's a strike out waiting to happen. I've never seen GA swing at more bad pitches before this year. I believe that these two are the keys. Figgins getting on base and GA giving the team productive at-bats.
Kotchman. He's been a major let down. Fine, he has mono and I hope that is what has been the cause of his play, but now what? If Kendry is sticking at 1st where does Kotchman play? His defense is too good and his hitting potential is too valuable not to play him.

by george bush on May 24, 2006 11:42 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Kendry

I remember in the spring there was a lot of talk about Kendry making a run at the DH spot... I expect if Kotchman gets completely healthy and excels in a Salt Lake rehab stint that he and Kendry will be experimented with at DH/1B, but we're talking several weeks to months before it is likely that Kotchman will return at full strength.

by Neo8234 on May 24, 2006 11:49 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs