Why are we so high on Gabe Gross?

[yogallardo43]

He is nowhere near as good a player as Corey Hart and is nothing more than a 4th outfielder. I am sure that if he keeps leading off and playing well I will be blasted for this post but this is truely what I feel. Everyone seems to be encouraged by his high on base % with the low average (.215/.340). Why is everyone so excited by that and just drills Rickie. He is doing the same thing and something tells me that he will hit much better than Gross.

[shelmark]

Sorry but I completely disagree with you and am a big fan of Gross. The low average is due to a complete lack of any consistent playing time. His OBP in majors and minors when given an opportunity is around .385. I also believe he is a quality fielder. I believe he will be our LF next year.

[Diskono]

He only has 97 ABs this year - he actually raised his AVG to .237 tonight. He's probably not an everyday player like Hart hopefully is, but he is a very good platoon player. He should be able to match (or come very close to) Jenkins' production over a full season.

[AdvantageSchneider]

He has a high OBP and takes a lot of pitches, goes deep into the count. There is a lot to like. He's not going to be a superstar but he's the kind of player that can be useful.

[JJHardy7]

I think he could be an everyday player or at least deserves a shot with the right team -- probably doesn't work out for the Brewers. I don't think most people are saying he's better than Hart, but he needs consistent ABs. He was doing really well in Nashville so calling him up to sit for a week would ruin what he had going. I believe he hit .270 something with more "regular" playing time last year, so I don't think you can judge the average this year.

 

It seems that everyone has been hated on this board and I don't think he's been loved. He just gets on base which is a start for this team to possibly turn it around.

[Brian the Automator]

He is nowhere near as good a player as Corey Hart and is nothing more than a 4th outfielder. I am sure that if he keeps leading off and playing well I will be blasted for this post but this is truely what I feel. Everyone seems to be encouraged by his high on base % with the low average (.215/.340). Why is everyone so excited by that and just drills Rickie. He is doing the same thing and something tells me that he will hit much better than Gross.

We remember what Gross did last year vs. RHP, and think he'll do the same or pretty close to it with a larger sample size of at-bats.

Generally, the guys and gals here appreciate players with high OBP and high SLG, regardless of batting average. And personally, I appreciate a good platoon player for the bench, especially one who can play all 3 outfield positions. People get on Rickie because he's held to a higher standard than Gabe, since Rickie's supposed to be an everyday player with a very high ceiling. Gross is just a bench guy or a platoon player, so the bar is lower.

[RightFieldCoder]

I'm only high on Gross to counter all the people that somehow believe TGJ is a starting corner outfielder. I'd be much happier if Gross was a bench player next year, but don't mind if he's part of a platoon. Rickie has the OBP, but his SLG is really low. Rickie has also had a lot more PA so there is a greater chance of Gross's numbers being out of line than Rickie's.

[yogallardo43]

I'm only high on Gross to counter all the people that somehow believe TGJ is a starting corner outfielder. I'd be much happier if Gross was a bench player next year, but don't mind if he's part of a platoon. Rickie has the OBP, but his SLG is really low. Rickie has also had a lot more PA so there is a greater chance of Gross's numbers being out of line than Rickie's.

 

I agree with you here. My brother is convinced that TGJ is our everyday centerfielder and I couldn't disagree more. He is a not a terrible player but I think he gets more credit due to his name than many other players.

[JohnBriggs12]

Gross was a number one pick. Hart was not. Gross has never played below AA. There were and perhaps still are scouts out there that are very high on Gabe Gross. So it's not just fans.

 

Because Gross started out at AA, he never really put up eye popping minor league numbers and so far he's not ever been given an every day major league job wo we don't really know how he'd do. The Blue Jays didn't really give up on Gross. They just decided to go with Alex Rios, who is a budding superstar.

 

Gross got the short end of the stick when Hall moved to the OF. I don't think we'll ever know what he can do unless he plays regularly for 2-3 months.

[brettac1]

He gets on base, works the count, has decent power, and can passably play all three OF spots. There's a lot of utility in those things. This team's major offensive weakness is it's ability to get on base, and that's something Gross can do quite well, especially when you consider the alternatives - Mench vs. a RHP or, shudder to think, Gwynn.

 

I think what people who aren't as high on Gross fail to see is that the people who do like him generally aren't saying that he's a potential star, or even an everyday player. I don't think I've ever seen anyone say he should play instead of Hart, except maybe one guy who saw him last spring and said he was better. Granted there is a thread on that very issue, but I think you'll find very few that agree with the idea. I have seen some that claim he will be as good as Jeromy Burnitz, but I think he's like a LH version of peak-era Chad Curtis, defensive versatility, some pop, and some walks.

 

Most of us think he's a really good 4th OF and a bench bat that peaks as a solid platoon guy. But there's value there, and I think his situation was horribly handled this year. He should have gotten many more AB's earlier in the year than he did.

[davego]

I agree that Gabe got the short end of the stick when Hall got moved to the OF. I'd say that it is a bit overstated that DM has mishandled Gross. I'd have sent him down sooner in order to play, or really tried to move Geoff. Maybe Doug did do that but couldn't find any takers. I am glad that DM didn't give Gross away.

[brettac1]

In other words, yeah, what just happened is why we like him.

[Brian the Automator]

.820 OPS now..... this is why we talk about small sample sizes.

[DougJones43]

He takes pitches. He draws walks. He is capable of carrying a very high OBP. He has 15 homeruns in just over 300 at-bats during 2006-2007.

 

I'm so glad that this guy spent a majority of the year guy riding the pine or at AAA while Gwynn and Mench gobbled up plate appearances for the Brewers!

[Brian the Automator]

He takes pitches. He draws walks. He is capable of carrying a very high OBP. He has 15 homeruns in just over 300 at-bats during 2006-2007.

 

I'm so glad that this guy spent a majority of the year guy riding the pine or at AAA while Gwynn and Mench gobbled up plate appearances for the Brewers!

Well, carrying Mench made sense since he's always probably going to be better against LHP, but yeah... I missed having Gabe around.

 

[JJHardy7]

JohnBriggs, I agree. I'd love to give him some regular playing time and due to the way he was handled with the Blue Jays (not saying it was right or wrong), but he was never given a shot to just be advanced in one league for a long time. I do think someday he will be an everyday OF for some team or given the opportunity. The way he takes pitches and gets on base if he would hit .260 and hit 20 hr (which I think he could do pretty easily as far as HRs) in a full year he'd be able to start on a few teams. I think he could actually hit 25 - 30 if given the chance.

[tigerbrew]

I like Gabe Gross a lot. I hope he takes Jenkins' spot next year and play on a regular/starter basis.

[bullox]

It's easy to like guys on hot streaks.

[yogallardo43]

It's easy to like guys on hot streaks.

 

Exactly what I was thinking.

[mothershipconnection]

The reason it's OK with Gross while people are disappointed with Weeks is that Gross is a backup OF who was acquired as a throw-in in a trade while Weeks has always been touted as a future all star player who was taken #2 overall and paid a big bonus. Backups are held to a backup's standard.

[RockCoCougars]

And Gross is a very streaky player.

[DougJones43]

It's easy to like guys on hot streaks.

Many people liked Gross, a lot, before this season even started. Many people thought it was a complete crock that Tony Gwynn Jr. was getting a bunch of playing time earlier in the year while Gross had to sit on the bench. So it's not really fair to paint a picture where people suddenly only like him because he's on a hot streak.

[Brian the Automator]

It's easy to like guys on hot streaks.

It's not as easy to stick with your guy when he's batting .200, gets ripped on by a large number of posters and gets optioned to AAA. So, this feels extra good.

 

[bullox]

I know you've stuck behind him Brian.

[Ennder]

It's easy to like guys on hot streaks.

 

You do realize this thread started before Gross went on his hot streak?