Blake Lalli Recalled, Hart Moved to 60-Day DL

[splitterpfj]

Narveson to DL, Lalli up, Hart to 60-Day.

 

This does not mean Hart starts a fresh 60 days right now, I'm not sure what date he'll be eligible to come off, but since he's already expected to be out until sometime in May, transferring him to the 60-Day shouldn't be a big deal.

[crossface21]

On the telecast today they said that if Hart was put on the 60-day DL it would be late May before he can return because there are different rules from the 15-ay and 60-day DL of when the time can be retroactive from.

[MVP2110]

Maybe this means Maldanado is going to be starting at first from now on. or atleast I hope so. Still don't get why they cant call up Morris

[bork]

3 catchers, 3 shortstops, 3 center fielders, 0 first basemen, 0 third basemen. Yeah, that sounds right.

[markedman5]

So no Corey Hart until June 1? I mean it has to be 60 days from the start of the season right?

 

Wow.....

[packfan79]

According to McCalvy he isn't eligible to come back until may 30th

[craigharmann]

3 catchers, 3 shortstops, 3 center fielders, 0 first basemen, 0 third basemen. Yeah, that sounds right.

 

Correction, 3 catchers, 1 shortstop, 1 shortstop who is playing 1B for the FIRST TIME IN HIS CAREER, 3 centerfielders, 0 firstbasemen, 0 third basemen and Yuni.

[DHonks]

Josh Prince and Aoki can play CF along with Schafer and Gomez. Throw in that Prince can play SS, and pads the numbers to 4 shortstops.

[pogokat]

This should mean that Maldonado and lucroy will play 1b

[splitterpfj]

I couldn't remember how the DL worked when a player was hurt to start a season, I thought you could back date it for a week or so before the season, but maybe not.

 

Whether Hart can come back with a week left in May, or nothing left in May, it seems the original projection was accurate. He tried to get back faster, but obviously, that's not going to be the case.

 

However you break it down, 16 catchers, 14 shortstops, 9 guys named Eugene...this team has a major storm to weather before they can field the team they thought they'd have.

 

By the time June gets here, we're either going to be in love with some of these young guys, or we'll all be up in Appleton, watching the kids in A-ball.

[craigharmann]

Josh Prince and Aoki can play CF along with Schafer and Gomez. Throw in that Prince can play SS, and pads the numbers to 4 shortstops.

 

Good point. Makes the insanity that much more insane.

[Baldkin]

This should mean that Maldonado and lucroy will play 1b

 

Lucroy won't play an inning at 1B. He's said it before, he's a C and only a C.

[FVBrewerFan]

Too bad Brooks Kieschnick isn't around anymore. He could play LF, 1B, and probably be as good as anyone else in the bullpen. Plus, if we need a couple more SS, Counsel and Matt Erickson are still in the organization.

[DHonks]

I once saw a High Desert Mavericks game in San Jose (in 2003) when I believe the Mavs played 4 shortstops and 3 catchers in it...Ozzie Chavez, Mark Ernster, Raburn, and West could all play SS; Foster, Belcher, and I think Villanueva was a C/3b.

[Thurston Fluff]

Why count players by primary position? It appear to me they are just finding guys who they can plug in in multiple spots. When missing your two top first basemen, your short stop, third baseman and two utility infielders it might not be a bad idea to just bring in guys who can hit a little while covering multiple positions.

[PrinceEatMeat]

Lalli and Maldonado will probably platoon, or at least split time, at 1B now. Gonzalez and Betancourt will handle 3B and backup the rest of the IF. Hart going to the 60-day DL isn't a big deal. If they thought he'd be back before June, they wouldn't have done it. I heard that the belief at the end of spring training was that he'd be out the full 2 months, so this move doesn't surprise me. It's also pretty obvious that they just don't want to start Morris' service time clock.

[DHonks]

I guess I don't get the Morris service clock thing. I mean, I'm not high on Morris and expect him to be more like Gomez or LaPorta than Overbay or Hart. So to me, it doesn't make sense worrying about 2-6 weeks of service time when he won't be back in the big leagues for 2 more years anyways.

[endaround]

Or more likely they want to keep the 40 man spot open. DFAing Yuni or Lalli come June won't kill anything.

[rluzinski]

The problem with having backup SS's and catchers play 1B is that they likely to hit like backup SS and catchers. The defensive spectrum smacks you in the forehead in these kind of situations.

 

Do I have an obvious and significantly better solution to suggest? No. It doesn't make any of this anymore more paletable, though.

[PrinceEatMeat]

Or more likely they want to keep the 40 man spot open. DFAing Yuni or Lalli come June won't kill anything.

 

Yeah, that's a good point too. They'll need to open the spot back up for Hart.

[SoupTown]

I am so happy that in the year 2019 Morris will be a $million dollars cheaper, because in 2013 he was kept down. I am thinking Doug is really beginning to lean toward the long term aspects of roster management. And our best defensive catcher will not play catcher anymore.

[MNBrew]

My goodness! When the Athletics figured out they were a better team when versatile/athletic starting C Mike Heath could also start and play capably at 2B, 3B, 1B, and in the corner OF positions, was everyone calling for Sandy Alderson's & Tony LaRussa's heads? NO! They got lots of praise for having a versatile & athletic roster that gave them plenty of options.

 

Now Melvin has zero concept of how to build a roster and again Ron Roenicke might as well be Bozo the Clown? 3/4 of the starting IF is out (Hart, Ramirez, Segura) as are 1-2-3 of the preferred reserves (Gamel, Green, & Bianchi), plus Braun was out for a few days. We need players who are capable of playing where we need 'em, and we have enough positional versatility to weather some of this storm, however un-ideal the options are for a few days in this stretch (which is ONLY a whopping 7 games!).

 

Morris had a terrible ST and isn't hitting well at Nashville. If he came up and kept struggling as he's done all spring, some of you all would be berating Melvin & Roenicke for shattering his confidence in true Macha-esque fashion!

[PrinceEatMeat]

My goodness! When the Athletics figured out they were a better team when versatile/athletic starting C Mike Heath could also start and play capably at 2B, 3B, 1B, and in the corner OF positions, was everyone calling for Sandy Alderson's & Tony LaRussa's heads? NO! They got lots of praise for having a versatile & athletic roster that gave them plenty of options.

 

Now Melvin has zero concept of how to build a roster and again Ron Roenicke might as well be Bozo the Clown? 3/4 of the starting IF is out (Hart, Ramirez, Segura) as are 1-2-3 of the preferred reserves (Gamel, Green, & Bianchi), plus Braun was out for a few days. We need players who are capable of playing where we need 'em, and we have enough positional versatility to weather some of this storm, however un-ideal the options are for a few days in this stretch (which is ONLY a whopping 7 games!).

 

Morris had a terrible ST and isn't hitting well at Nashville. If he came up and kept struggling as he's done all spring, some of you all would be berating Melvin & Roenicke for shattering his confidence in true Macha-esque fashion!

 

Agreed 100%. While I would've liked to see Morris, I don't mind Lalli at all. And you're definitely right about people immediately turning it around on Melvin & Co. if Morris struggled. Same situation as when everyone was clamoring for Taylor Green. Seems almost like a lose, lose situation. Going with Lalli opens up Maldonado to play more 1B, and also gives Roenicke another LH option to use off the bench and at 1B some also. I'm not upset with the move at all.

[SoupTown]

When JJ came up, it took him a month to hit a ball out of the infield.

 

Escobar was a terrible hitter when he first came up.

 

Maldonado was FORCED onto the roster by Lucroy's injury - and Martin had no level of batting success in the minors.

 

Each one of these guys showed you should indeed bring guys up and allow them to grow.

 

re Morris - I think his minor's performance shows that potentially he can be quite good. And he did win a gold glove. So, to crucify Doug for bringing up Morris based on his body of work - in the situation we find ourselves in - would be silly... no matter what Morris does. So, I think it is not good logic to say 'well, Doug knows Morris is no good, so Doug is correct to have third string shortstops playing first base'. Heck, anyone is versatile. I mean you can take the guy from row 2 and give him a glove. Does that make him versatile because he can stand near first base with a glove.

 

I do not know the A's example referred to. But I heard the words versatile and athletic. Does that apply to the guys we are putting on the field?

[valpocrewsader]

Wait, so one week into the season the organization already knows that Hart won't be healthy until at least May 30th? So all recent injuries aside, we'd be sitting here with the organization prepared to trot out a no-hit SS for eight weeks, 1/3 of the season, as our 1B? A player without the bat to play SS on any MLB team was our April and May plan at 1B?