Another Day, Another Game Without a Pinch-Hitter For Ned Yost

by Freneau on May 14, 2011 2:02 AM EDT in Kansas City Royals News

The Royals 25 man roster really doesn't make much sense. Somehow the Royals have a bullpen that isn't quite big enough and a bench that can't be deployed. The Royals are basically playing with a 22.5 man roster as far as I can tell. Ned Yost isn't entirely blameless however, as he's not using the tools he does have.

We can see this most clearly in the fact that the Royals have only deployed a pinch-hitter five times in 38 games. Five.

This refusal to pinch-hit is especially curious given the fact that the Royals have played in close games more or less all season. Look at Friday's game. In the 8th inning of a 3-1 game, the Royals sent Treanor-Escobar-Getz to the plate. Wilson Betemit needs a PA somewhere in there. Mitch Maier is an upgrade over all those guys, unless you believe TREANOR!'s now an OBP machine. A version of this scenario happens every day.

If the Royals can't ever hit for the catcher (because there's a one in a million chance the 2nd catcher gets hurt) and half the lineup are Yost untouchables (Francoeur, Melky, etc.) and a PH has to play the same position for a variation of the catcher rule, then why even carry a bench at all? Just go with a 16 man pitching staff and an extra catcher and hope for the best.

I love that Mitch Maier is getting Major League checks to do almost literally nothing, but the Royals have to figure out what they are doing carrying two backup CFs who combined have 42 PAs. Again, the entire position player side of the roster is seemingly predicated on being prepared for that 15 inning game the Royals are going to have once a year.

The better option would be to keep Dyson as the backup CF and the PR specialist and replace Mitch with someone that Yost will actually use as a pinch hitter for Getz/Escobar late in games. With Gordon's ability to play 3rd in a pinch, there's no reason to be this rigid. Bring up C-Rob. Hell, bring up Irving Falu, who is a better hitter than Getz or Escobar. Or, as weird as it sounds, bite the bullet and replace Maier with a third catcher. This way, whoever doesn't start in the Betemit/Aviles combo can PH late in games for whatever catcher is playing.

The Royal lineup has been much better than expected this season. However, because of the catcher/Escobar/Getz combination that plays everyday, they still have an entire inning that's being given away every game. It's odd that Yost has embraced the marginal advantage of PRing Dyson, while Alcides Escobar can bat with the game on the line with regularity.

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The impression is that Aviles and Betemit each, in less appearance, has more error than Getz.

by Yamfun Cheng Kamfun on May 14, 2011 2:19 AM EDT reply actions

if they hit at the end of the game

we can live with the lesser defense for an inning

by Freneau on May 14, 2011 2:24 AM EDT up reply actions

^this

Of the three, I’d say Getz is the most worthwhile pinch, then eskie… If Trainer comes up with a baserunner on pinch for him, if no ones on yet I’d leave him, he’s about as good so far at getting on as anyone.

by Prime2U on May 14, 2011 2:48 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions

As we all know, he did PH Gordon for Pena the other night,

and my cynical side wonders if this failure will dissuade him from doing so again. In this case, I’m probably being a little too cynical, but it was certainly frustrating to see.

"That's fine wood from... somewhere."

by KeepItCopacetic on May 14, 2011 2:20 AM EDT reply actions

Escobar has played all but 2 innings this year...

I’d say this is a failure for a team ostensibly trying to now win the division

by Freneau on May 14, 2011 2:24 AM EDT reply actions

No kidding

If you are trailing in the 7th/8th/9th then whatever defensive advantage he has over Aviles at SS is irrelevant and there is no excuse for him to “hit” at all. You need all the offense you can get.

It really is bizarre.

by kcbottom9th on May 14, 2011 2:40 AM EDT up reply actions

Is Escobar leading the league in innings played?

I should probably look this up.

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by averagegatsby on May 14, 2011 2:42 AM EDT up reply actions

And he is third

behind the defensive Juggernauts that are Dan Uggla and Nate McClouth, both of the Atlanta Braves.

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by averagegatsby on May 14, 2011 2:44 AM EDT up reply actions

Wow...

In a very small sample size of 338 innings in the field, Nate McClouth already has an astonishing -7.9 UZR, 2nd worst in all of baseball.

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by averagegatsby on May 14, 2011 2:46 AM EDT up reply actions

that IS horrible

I’m surprised we haven’t attempted a trade to get him

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by upamtn on May 14, 2011 12:40 PM EDT up reply actions

He Was Good

In 2008; he’s ours in 2013.

I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.

by philofthenorth on May 14, 2011 3:23 PM EDT up reply actions

Escobar not being pinch hit in the 8th was the most ridiculous thing that never happened

You have WilBet and Mitch on the bench for god sakes. Bat WilBet, send Micah to SS and Wilson to 3rd… orrrrrr Bat Mitch, send Alex to 3rd and Mitch to left. My god that was the most frustrating thing about this game. I could give a shit less about J. Ver dominating, that’s what that dude does against us, but my goodness atleast put up a fight. This is the most WTF moment of the season. for me atleast.

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by splitty on May 14, 2011 2:53 AM EDT reply actions

It would be the most WTF moment, if it hadn't already happened at least half a dozen times this season so far.

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by averagegatsby on May 14, 2011 2:57 AM EDT up reply actions

true

jeff or wil, whoever is going to the bloggers deal. please address this issue. who cares if you get booted forever and banished from royals land. it isn’t the greatest place to be.

Do these effectively hide my thunder?

by splitty on May 14, 2011 3:01 AM EDT up reply actions

FWIW, Yost has said that his choice to not pinch hit often is because of “developmental reasons.” I guess basically he’s saying that he’s trying to develop these young hitters (like Escobar) so that they can hit against both RHP and LHP and hit in a variety of situations. His argument is that if you take the batter out against a good RH reliever in a close/late situation, then the player will never learn how to hit against those pitchers in those situations. I don’t think it’s a very good argument, but that’s Yost’s answer.

You also have to remember that on average, a batter loses about 24 points of wOBA when pinch hitting. So the potential PHer needs to be a lot better hitter than the player he’s replacing for pinch hitting to make sense in a given situation. Of course in this situation, Maier against a RHP is a ton better than Escobar.

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by Scott McKinney on May 14, 2011 8:43 AM EDT up reply actions

I was going to post basically what you said, Scott

and I would add that this is the part that leaves me scratching my head:

So, are they trying to win this year (that’s what Dayton Moore keeps saying, especially regarding the Hosmer early call up – that his job is to put the best team on the field every night, and he doesn’t worry about the future payroll implications),

Are they trying to develop for the future (which is what Ned is basically admitting when he explains his reluctance to PH for Escobar)?

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by loyal2sdad on May 14, 2011 2:20 PM EDT up reply actions

They would say (and they probably believe it)...

…that they are trying to do both at the same time. And this is why they haven’t promoted at least Duffy to the majors yet. They think they might contend deep into the season, but they aren’t sure. So they aren’t willing to all-in by calling up every prospect who would likely be an improvement over whoever they’d replace.

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by Scott McKinney on May 14, 2011 2:40 PM EDT up reply actions

also the other times, i was giving it the benefit of the doubt.

the idea that things might turn around but Al has had plenty of AB’s and just b/c he had that hit last night in a game that was essentially over doesn’t mean that he deserves to bat again in a divisional game that acutally matters. no more benefit from this point on

Do these effectively hide my thunder?

by splitty on May 14, 2011 3:02 AM EDT up reply actions

Well, this is like having a scratch itched

Been bugging me all season. Giving a guy a chance to prove himself is one thing. Failing to acknowledge that there are better options is another. Last night’s game might have been salvaged with a few obvious moves. It seems to me the same applied in the first game of the Yankees series, though I don’t remember the particulars.

by LaFLamme on May 14, 2011 9:18 AM EDT reply actions

Scratch itched?

by LaFLamme on May 14, 2011 9:29 AM EDT up reply actions

Sometimes after something scrapes you,

the scratch can be pretty itchy.

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by mazoboom on May 14, 2011 10:19 AM EDT up reply actions

Yeah, I shouldn't try to express myself before noon.

by LaFLamme on May 14, 2011 10:27 AM EDT up reply actions

Another Onions appearance

http://www.onionsportsnetwork.com/articles/every-player-begins-hitting-home-runs-after-copyin,20385/

by Yamfun Cheng Kamfun on May 14, 2011 9:54 AM EDT reply actions

As far as Alcides goes

He might as well give it a shot.

by LaFLamme on May 14, 2011 10:14 AM EDT up reply actions

I think Yost sees not PH-ing for Escobar as a developmental move

They want to stick with him for the next 5 years at SS, so they’re trying to build his confidence in those situations. It’s a win-later over win-now move. You can agree or disagree with it, but at least there’s a logic.

Not PH-ing for Getz has no logic. I’m guessing that playing Getz is a way to bolster the young pitchers’ confidence (I’ll bet Getz has played in every Hochevar start), but I don’t think anyone sees Getz as a long-term solution. If you want to give your pitcher a strong defense to help his confidence, fine, but when the game is on the line and there’s little defense left to be played, put in someone who can swing the bat.

by kcdc1 on May 14, 2011 9:56 AM EDT reply actions

Can this logic be defended? I'm not saying you're defending it but really wonder if it can even be defended.

Escobar has 150 plate appearances this season, would hitting for him 10 times leaving him with 140 in any way effect his development? I guess some people will say that he has to learn how to hit in the “clutch situations” but doesn’t he really need to learn how to hit in any situation?

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by Warden11 on May 14, 2011 11:03 AM EDT up reply actions

It would prevent him from becoming clutch.

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by Scott McKinney on May 14, 2011 12:51 PM EDT up reply actions

funny, and all this time I thought it was ability that would prevent that from happening

but then, I’m sure striking out and hitting weak ground ball outs in current “clutch” situtaions must be improving his confidence level, otherwise they wouldn’t allow him to continue as he has, right?

failure must be good for a player! right, that’s the ticket …

by upamtn on May 14, 2011 12:54 PM EDT up reply actions

Maybe they should lsend him down to AAA for half the season to work on his "approach"

and bring up Irving Falu. It worked wonders for Alex Gordon, allegedly.

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by Matt Klaassen on May 14, 2011 11:11 AM EDT up reply actions

Escobar

doesn’t look quite so pathetic when compared with the development of a legendary Royals defender, Frank White:

http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=1013872&position=2B

Frank didn’t break .700 OPS til his sixth and seventh seasons, then dropped back below. His second year OBP was .239.

“I don’t think anyone sees Getz as a long-term solution.”

Not at the moment, no, but no good options to replace him with a significant upgrade. Colon may be the nearest offensive upgrade and he is still playing SS. Bianchi is at 2nd, but the bat sucks, Gio isn’t hitting righties at Omaha, and Aviles isn’t hitting righties in the bigs. Suggests that when the Royals start their trade fair in a month or so, 2nd base should be at the top of their wish list. Maybe Francis and Soria for Cano?

by Jim Fetterolf on May 14, 2011 3:38 PM EDT up reply actions

Leaving aside the issue of estimating platoon skill

in light of year-to-year variance (e.g., Aviles actually hit RHP better than LHP last season; for more on platoon skill, click here), there’s always this:

If one really thinks that in-season platoon splits (particularly this early have any significance, Aviles has indeed hit horribly versus RHP this season

Aviles vs. LHP in 2011: .464 wOBA
Aviles vs. RHP in 2011: .275 wOBA

So we should definitely platoon him with Getz, amirite?

Getz vs. LHP in 2011: .281 wOBA
Getz vs. RHP in 2011: .256 wOBA

Career wOBA:
Aviles vs. LHP: .351
Aviles vs. RHP: .316

Getz vs. LHP: .298
Getz vs. RHP: .279

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by Matt Klaassen on May 14, 2011 3:51 PM EDT up reply actions

So we should definitely platoon him with Getz, amirite?

We should get a 2B that can both hit and field, as well as a SS, as our current makes both Getz and Aviles look like major league hitters. Best would be to package Aviles with someone valuable and try to get a major league 2B. We’ve seen lots of righties lately and Aviles looks like Getz against them, so no compelling reason to make a change. Aviles has been playing recently but hasn’t really grabbed the job, has he? Production has been close enough the last week or so as to not warrant a change.

“"I don’t think anyone sees Getz as a long-term solution."

Not at the moment, no, but no good options to replace him with a significant upgrade."

I’ll stick with that.

by Jim Fetterolf on May 14, 2011 4:10 PM EDT up reply actions

It's a bit bothersome

I guess it depends on how you look at it: pinch-hitting for position players is generally one of the most over-used tactics in baseball, given the evidence that the difficulty hitting off of the bench usually is greater than or equal to the gained platoon advantage. So on the face of things it doesn’t bug me so much.

Of course, it would make more sense if the team wasn’t giving so many starts to players who arguably ARE worth pinch-hitting for like Getz, Treanor, and Ozzie Escobar, Jr. ( the “developmental” argument for Escobar is hilarious — if this is really an issue in his development, he needs to be sent down, which would have happened with organizational non-favorites like Gordon or Aviles in similar situations).

Getz shouldn’t ever start over Aviles. I guess you could make an argument about the horror that is Betemit’s glove, but that’s an argument of Getz vs. Betemit. The consequence of platooning those two, though, would be jerking Aviles between third and second, not an easy thing, which would reinforce the organizational bias against him (just trade him).

And then there’s the Pena vs. Treanor! issue.

The lack of pinch-hitting for offensive zeroes like Getz, Escobar, et. al. would ber less irritating if Yost didn’t seem do addicted to pinch-running. It’s silly to do it so often even with Dyson, but when you’re doing it with MITCH for Butler…

This organization has a lot of promising talent coming up. Hopefully between now and then, they figure out how to deploy those players properly.

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by Matt Klaassen on May 14, 2011 11:22 AM EDT reply actions

that's the thing...

I’m not wishing Yost would chase 10 point wOBA platoon advanatges or something. We have a number of auto-matic outs in the lineup, with Betemit frequently sitting there unused.

by Freneau on May 14, 2011 12:40 PM EDT up reply actions

sad, isn't it?

of course, if our old buddy Trey Hillman was making HIS moves we’d be equalliy stunned and disappoined …

as Rustin Dodd of the KC Star noted …

Philosophy

Yost: Installed aggressive base-running style while generally being hands-off during game.

Hillman: Small-ball tactics, fundamentals, passion. Wasn’t afraid to insert himself into game more in late innings.

Source

by upamtn on May 14, 2011 12:47 PM EDT up reply actions

regulars

All good teams have had a regular lineup. We need a regular player at third and second instead of changing players at these positions daily. Mike Aviles would be more comfortable playing one position most of the time and his bat is needed in our lineup everyday. We also need Wilson Betemit to swing his bat everyday. For us to compete we must put our best lineup on the field almost everyday. Getz is going to be batting a buck something real soon. I do wonder why this team thinks so much of this guy when he should be a backup player only. Getz has three errors and Aviles has four. Not much difference and Mike is switched from third to second constantly. The only way for us to win (with these starting pitchers) is to score runs. Mike has proven he cannot only hit for average, but his power is beyond Getz’s ability hitting from a pitching machine.

by Benswt2 on May 14, 2011 11:39 AM EDT reply actions

We dont' need to pinch hit

We need to stop playing Getz.

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by RoyalsRetro on May 14, 2011 12:03 PM EDT reply actions 3 recs

I wish I'd just written this

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by Matt Klaassen on May 14, 2011 12:27 PM EDT up reply actions

Says it all in one neat statement.

by LaFLamme on May 14, 2011 12:28 PM EDT up reply actions

around the horn with Betamit, Escobar, Aviles, Hosmer every day

Getz as late inning replacement

Maier start 2-3x/week to give a break to Gordon, Frenchie, Melky … or … cut the guy and haul up a 3rd catcher (when is Kendall coming back?)

by upamtn on May 14, 2011 12:51 PM EDT up reply actions

I can't understand why we keep playing Getz.

Some say it is too early but Escobar is really rough at the plate and idk if i see him improving.

When Moustakas is ready i wouldn’t mind moving Aviles to short and letting Betemit play second. Getz and Escobar are so worthless at the plate i wouldn’t be mad about replacing their defense with Aviles and Betemit.

by vic1124 on May 14, 2011 2:44 PM EDT reply actions

TREANOR!'s now an OBP machine.

http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=2265&position=C

Treanor appears to have a .379 OBP according to fangraphs, likely reflecting that he is walking one out of six appearances.

Falu is an interesting possibility, as he can also play 2nd and isn’t a bad glove. Giavotella isn’t forcing anything at the moment, nor is Bianchi, but Escobar and Getz both might profit from a visit to Omaha while giving Falu and Gio a shot at the bigs to see what they got. Can Falu hit righties? Neither Aviles nor Betamit seem part of the future.

by Jim Fetterolf on May 14, 2011 2:51 PM EDT reply actions