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Odd Man Out Post Engel


Who will be the odd man out once Engel is back?  

122 members have voted

  1. 1. Who will be the odd man out once Engel is back?

    • Leury Garcia
      7
    • Jake Lamb
      26
    • Billy Hamilton
      2
    • Danny Mendick
      87
  2. 2. Who would you like to see go when Adam is back?

    • Leury Garcia
      47
    • Jake Lamb
      37
    • Billy Hamilton
      7
    • Danny Mendick
      31


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5 minutes ago, Lillian said:
You all know how much I value right and left handed balance, in the lineup. If any imbalance exists, I'd prefer a more heavily weighted LH hitting lineup, for obvious reasons. Most pitchers are right handed and most hitters fair better against pitchers who throw from the opposite side. A left handed hitter's swing leaves him falling toward first base, which is already a stride closer from the LH batter's box. 
 
Some people here have the mistaken impression that I am obsessed with LH hitters. That is not the case. It's rather simply a matter of it being a particular issue with recent Sox teams, which have been too heavily weighted with right handed hitters. The Sox recent dominance over left handed pitching is evidence of that imbalance.
 
After Jake Lamb was acquired, I argued that he might provide some help, from the left side. Some here rejected the idea and vehemently asserted that he was washed up and could not be expected to return to the All Star caliber player he was during the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Although he is just 30, some argued that 2017 was too along ago to provide any indication of his current ability. They refused to consider his shoulder injury and subsequent surgery, in August of 2018, as a possible explanation for his poor performance in 2018 and 2019.
 
Although it's a very small sample size, he is currently producing at just about the same rate as his breakout seasons, as well as his limited playing time, last year, after Oakland acquired him. He's currently sporting a .882 OPS. Hopefully, he can continue to produce and get more playing time. If so, his track record is good enough to suggest that he might be able to provide some much needed left handed power, in the middle of the lineup. 
 
Lamb's two best seasons were with the Diamondbacks, when Tony La Russa was an executive there. I suspect that La Russa had something to do with the Sox signing Lamb. Therefore, now that Jake has had a chance to play a little and perform, we shouldn't be surprised if he gets more playing time versus RHP. 
 
Until either Eloy and Robert return, I would like to see the following lineup versus RHP:
 
SS Anderson
RF Eaton
3B Moncada
1B Abreu
LF Lamb
DH Mercedes
C   Grandal/COLLINS
CF Engel
2B Madrigal
 
VERSUS LHP:
 
SS Anderson
2B Madrigal
3B Moncada
1B Abreu
DH Mercedes
C   Grandal
RF Engel (Until we're sure that he can run at maximum effort)
LF Vaughn
CF Hamilton
 
I think Mendick is the most logical candidate to be sent down, as he has options. Leury can be the middle infield sub, off the bench, and Hamilton can be the outfield defensive replacement, as well as a pinch runner. So, that means that Collins, Hamilton, Leury and Vaughn are the part time players. If Vaughn continues to slump, perhaps he should be sent down to Charlotte, to work on his pitch selection. He's been swinging at a lot of balls out of the zone. That would also impact his service time, leading to an extra year of control.

You are right about Lamb .  I also have been making  posts here and there about his  good statistics since the bad start in a tiny sample size had everyone calling for his head. It was quite surprising to me that so many still wanted him to be gone in the poll. Against almost any righty it seems like Lamb should be in the lineup now.  That means Mercedes or Vaughn sits more or you see if he can handle 2nd base too or also when Moncada needs a rest at 3rd.

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25 minutes ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

You are right about Lamb .  I also have been making  posts here and there about his  good statistics since the bad start in a tiny sample size had everyone calling for his head. It was quite surprising to me that so many still wanted him to be gone in the poll. Against almost any righty it seems like Lamb should be in the lineup now.  That means Mercedes or Vaughn sits more or you see if he can handle 2nd base too or also when Moncada needs a rest at 3rd.

Yes, I noticed that you have been one of the few here, who has not called for Lamb to be DFA'd. Maybe it just seems that way, because the nay sayers are so hyperbolic about it. Perhaps it's because of my age, but I just don't accept the idea that a 30 year old is "washed up". Injuries are a major obstacle for any player, at any age, but 30 is certainly young enough for a guy to resume his career, at a high level. It's also important to be mindful of potential. If Lamb can return to the kind of hitter that he was in 2016 and 2017, the Sox could finally have that middle of the order, power bat, from the left side. I'd take 30 homers and an OPS in the mid 800's, from the left side, batting behind Abreu. The guy did it two years in a row. If he's healthy, in our lineup, I don't see why it's so hard to believe that it's plausible.

Edited by Lillian
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Engel started rehab nine days ago. He is starting spring training from scratch at this point. Not concerned with the delay to get his timing back and make sure he’s comfortable in all three OF spots.

Don’t need him slumping, trying to get up to game speed after he’s called up.

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