77 replies to this topic

[TwentyThirtyFive]

Hes the strong side of a platoon. Hes gonna get the majority of ABs as long as he continues to hit. Hays should still be starting vs LH SPs. its not even debateable at this point. Cowser will get his chance like yesterday to stay in and get ABs vs lefties. 

[Mackus]

Hays should still be starting vs LH SPs. its not even debateable at this point.

Why?

He's got fine splits but it's not like he's a lefty masher. 786 in 2023. 703 in 2022. 768 for his career.

I think that's probably better than Cowser will do against lefties, but I don't think it's beyond all debate.

[TwentyThirtyFive]

Cowser is 1-9 vs LHP in his career with 4 Ks.  I understand tha is an extremely SSS but come on. He will get the ABs there in game like yesterday. We are already exposed enough to LHP with our lineup. Hays .768 career OPS vs lefty is probably 3rd or 4th on the team. I know Mounty is higher.  Pretty sure Adley too. Only other that may be is Santander. Hays has to play vs LHP and yes I get that you could find a way to play both, and maybe that happens if Cowser shows enough, but if its a Hays vs Cowser debate which is the way it was framed then it isnt debatenble. 

[jamesdean]

I think it's a bit premature to give up on Hays completely.  It's easy to forget he was one of the best hitters in the AL for the 1st half of last year.  It's also hard to believe he's declined so much in a year that he's virtually useless now.  I don't have any issue with him starting against LHP but Cowser does need to play regularly against most RHP.  

[TwentyThirtyFive]

3rd career wise vs LHP on the team behind Mounty and Santander. Just ahead of Adley. SO Hays has to start vs LHP. Period. Not debateable right now.  

[Mackus]

Its debatable if we have cause to think that Hays won't be able to reach his career numbers and might be 700 or lower.  I don't think that is a conclusion we can reach yet, I think he's the same hitter just off to a slow start, but if the slow start turns into a whole bad first quarter while Cowser holds his own, I would start having Cowser eat into Hays' LHP time as well as RHP.

[TwentyThirtyFive]

Its debatable if we have cause to think that Hays won't be able to reach his career numbers and might be 700 or lower.  I don't think that is a conclusion we can reach yet, I think he's the same hitter just off to a slow start, but if the slow start turns into a whole bad first quarter while Cowser holds his own, I would start having Cowser eat into Hays' LHP time as well as RHP.

Well Im glad you made this post because I was gonna bring up you bitching about me giving up on Urias already. Of course things can change at some point but again the initial post was laid out like its a mistake to platoon the two right now. So when I say it isnt debateable I shouldn't have to throw in the obvious addition that things could change down the road. I actually said its not debateable "at this point" anyway. 

[TwentyThirtyFive]

BTW Im not even a big Hays fan. Never have been but IM glad we have him right now to still play vs LHP and be depth should something happen to one of the other OFers

[Mackus]

Well Im glad you made this post because I was gonna bring up you bitching about me giving up on Urias already. Of course things can change at some point but again the initial post was laid out like its a mistake to platoon the two right now. So when I say it isnt debateable I shouldn't have to throw in the obvious addition that things could change down the road. I actually said its not debateable "at this point" anyway. 

 

I agree with the conclusion but think saying it's not debatable is too strong of a take.

[TwentyThirtyFive]

I agree with the conclusion but think saying it's not debatable is too strong of a take.

So lets circle back around, you think there is a legit debate today to playing Cowser everyday and moving Hays to the bench everyday? Again, I understand both could play vs LHP but it was laid out as a 1vs 1 strict  LF only platoon.

[BSLSteveBirrer]

The only way to find out if Cowser is a full time option and not a platoon guy is to found out. And that doesn't happen if he's platooning. So it clearly is debatable right now that Cowser should be starting most days and Hays should be on the bench.

 

Not saying that's what I would do today. Id give it like two more weeks but I want to see Cowser getting lots of at bats against LH pitching and the sooner the better. If Hays starts to get hot then I'd find another way to do so and keep Hays in the roster. But I have Hays on a really short leash.

 

So its debatable. Every opinion is debatable. Mine might suck. But to declare this as not debatable is just flat wrong.

[Slidemaster]

I think it's sensible to ease Cowser into a full-time role, but the only way for a guy to get comfortable hitting lefties is to let him hit lefties. I often wonder if the reason some players have such extreme splits is because they've been told they can't hit against same-side pitching from the moment they came up. Then you keep sitting him against those pitchers because he can't hit them, and he can't hit them because he never sees them. Rinse repeat.

The goal should be for Cowser to be an everyday player. That could happen as early as this summer.

[Mackus]

So lets circle back around, you think there is a legit debate today to playing Cowser everyday and moving Hays to the bench everyday? Again, I understand both could play vs LHP but it was laid out as a 1vs 1 strict  LF only platoon.

 

I think any argument that Hays should be benched for Cowser against LHP would be based on scouting of Hays having had a negative state change and/or Cowser having a positive one.  I wouldn't trust any less-than-amateur scout watching two weeks of games on TV (and probably way less than that) to be able to say that Hays has lost something and isn't the guy he's always been, so I'd say that'd be a really flimsy argument for anyone here to make.  I'd trust the actual scouts in the organization a lot more if they made such a move, they are both actually skilled at scouting unlike most/all of us and have a lot more info available to them.  I'd still question that decision even coming from the organization at this point.

[85Knight]

I think it's debatable because Hays might be on the downside of his career. These streaks and injuries are becoming more frequent and it's up to management to decide when it's time for him to take a lesser role. Maybe they ease Cowser in to see if he can handle lefties but their roles on this team should definitely be debatable right now.

[BaltBird 24]

A 30 AB anytime but the beginning of the season is barely anything to notice, but being at the beginning of the season definitely intensifies it.

[russsnyder]

I'll just say that Cowser is obviously the stronger platoon partner in LF. He'll likely get more Abs in a straight platoon because there are more RHPs.

Hopefully, Hayes finds some footing and starts to turn on the offense sooner than later.

[Mackus]

I'll just say that Cowser is obviously the stronger platoon partner in LF. He'll likely get more Abs in a straight platoon because there are more RHPs.

Hopefully, Hayes finds some footing and starts to turn on the offense sooner than later.

No e in Hays.

[russsnyder]

No e in Hays.

There is when I spell it.