Scooter Gennett gets called up to MLB

[reillymcshane]

What would Scooter be hitting this year if he had played full time at 2B?

 

Here's a looksee:

 

Scooter has 244 ABs with 76 hits. All but 8 ABs have been while playing 2B. Only 31 have been against lefties.

 

Weeks (and Bianchi) have a total of 104 ABs and 28 hits while playing 2B.

 

Let's say that Scooter played full time instead of the platoon. Let's give him 75 more at bats, assuming all are against lefties - giving 29 ABs to the back up. That would be 319 ABs for Scooter so far this year.

 

Let's say that Scooter, with more exposure to lefties, can manage to hit .200 vs southpaws (that's up from .129 so far this year). That means he'd have a total of 106 ABs vs lefties and 21 hits. That's just under a .200 BA for the season against lefties.

 

As a note, Daniel Murphy has 84 ABs vs lefties and Dee Gordan has 71 ABs. Both are left handed hitting second baseman who aren't considered 'platoon' guys. So my 106 ABs might be considered a little high. But we'll stick with it.

 

Using his number against right handers, plus the new numbers against lefties, that would turn into the following:

 

319 ABs

93 Hits

.292 BA

 

The BA is still solid. The OBP probably drops a solid 20 points, down to .330ish. Slugging would definitely go down as well.

 

All in all, Scooter's overall numbers would be looking pretty similar to the rest of the top second basemen, but nothing exceptional. And it should be noted that no one is really having a great year in the NL at 2B.

 

Again, this goes on the assumption that with more exposure to left handers, Scooter to hit .200 against them. If he can get to .250ish, he'd be a solid .300 hitter even if starting 150 games (assuming he can keep raking against right handed pitchers).

[The stache]

Scooter has now played the equivalent of one full Major League season (155 games. I guess I'm old fashioned, and thusly count 154 games as a full season).

 

Anyhow, in 155 games, Scooter has 501 at bats, 71 runs scored, 157 hits, 33 doubles, 5 triples, 14 home runs, 55 RBI, 28 walks, 87 strike outs, he is 7 for 10 in stolen bases, and is hitting .313 for his career. His slash line thus far: .349/.483/.832.

 

I for one am very happy to see Scooter playing so well early on. Two things I'd like to see him work on is, obviously, hitting against left handed pitchers. I'd also like to see him walk a little more.

 

If he can get even close to Major League average against lefties, I think he can be our solution at second base for a good while. I like his game, and I don't see him ever being an expensive contract.

 

I think he's certainly played better than his doubters ever thought he would or could.

[igor67]

Even if he doesn't improve much (and stat wise he almost certainly has to improve a split of over a .400 OPS points is just silly for a guy who has shown he can hit major league pitching). A person can certainly find a right handed hitting back-up IF who would look a lot better with a platoon advantage on a regular basis. Herrera is certainly not great, but even his .662 OPS against lefties give Gennet effectively an above average offensive performance.

[Bombers]

Game 7 and a lefty is on the mound - do you start Weeks or Scooter?

[logan82]

Weeks then replace him later for defense.

[Funketown]

Weeks.

 

I'm fine with Gennett being the more productive 3/4 of a platoon. If he learns to hit lefties that's great, but he would need to improve quite a bit to be better than a fairly cheap platoon partner.

[TooLiveBrew]

One option to keep in mind as a possible platoon partner with Gennett in coming years is Yadiel Rivera. Last year, playing with a home park that's notoriously tough on RHBs, he didn't hit lefties well. But in both '12 & so far this season, he's put up a slash line around or north of .800 against southpaws. He probably won't ever be much more than a Yuni Betancourt-esque option (career .699 MLB OPS v. LHP) as a hitter, but Rivera is generally regarded as the best defensive SS the Brewers currently have in their system. He also took reps at 2B, as did Arcia, when the two were together this season with Brevard County.

 

Rivera is probably still a year or more away from being ready to contribute in the bigs, but that could well mean the Brewers will only need to buy a one-year stopgap to partner with Scooter. It would also be nice to have a slick-fielding middle infielder to additionally serve as cover for Segura at SS.

[JohnBriggs12]

I don't see them using a young player like Rivera in that type of role. I see Gennett gradually being used more against left handed starters. He's only facing lefty specialists now who's only job is to get lefty hitters out and that's making his numbers look worse vs. LHP. He's a good enough hitter that if he sees enough lefties, he'll hit them too. There's nothing in his approach that is flawed. He likely presses some, knowing he needs to get his numbers better, but Gennett is a quality hitter.

 

They'll certainly have a righty swinging utility guy, hopefully one with good splits vs. lefties, on the roster to spell Scooter on occasion, and that's fine. Scooter's not a big guy and it's tougher on little guys playing every day. But it will be a vet or a guy like Bianchi. Eventually, down the road, I'd look for Chris McFarland to emerge as a potential successor to Scooter once he approaches FA. McFarland has been wearing out lefties in a small sample. Perhaps there will be some platooning at some point with those two.

 

Some interesting comments from Thom Brennaman last night during the Reds telecast about Gennett. He said Gennett "stole the job from Weeks by performing at such a high level when afforded the opportunity" and that the general consensus from scouts on Gennett that he was just a tad short of major league caliber skill-wise has been proven emphatically wrong.

 

Having the luxury of being out of market and being able to listen to the opposing telecasts on extra innings, I've heard plenty of praise for Scooter from broadcasters, especially from division foes who've seen him a lot.

[Outlander]

Rivera is a guy that is down on the prospect lists now and rarely mentioned but I agree that it would be nice to have a cheap in house utility option. There is certainly value in a guy that can play both second and short as well as hit lefties.

[TooLiveBrew]

I don't see them using a young player like Rivera in that type of role.

I could see the Brewers (& I think they will) giving Gennett every chance to succeed/fail against LHPs. However, the idea that they wouldn't use a young player in a complimentary role is pretty much invalidated by how they've used Schafer, Gindl, Maldonado, & Bianchi.

[igor67]

Given his age I think Rivera is correctly down the lists. If the platoon splits are valid a utility guy is pretty much his ceiling. He's basically already Gennett's age and just made AA. His offensive skills boil down to a respectable batting average. The top notch defense is certainly nice, but at this point his bat could easily get into Bianchi territory if he played regularly. I like having options to try some of these guys out and see who can handle spot duty.