Is Acuna the regular 2B man now?

[roger_that]

I may be late to the party, but it seems to me that early in the season, Acuna split the position, platooning with Baty, and then when McNeil came back doing the same with him (and Baty, briefly) but now that all three are on the roster, Acuna is Mendoza's default choice no matter if a lefty or a righty is pitching. McNeil and Baty now are replacements if Mendoza needs to do some late-inning shifting around and they'll start at second against an occasional righty, but it seems to me that it's Acuna's regular position at this point. Verdad?



If it's so, then I approve. It's a virtue, all things being equal, to have a set lineup and a set batting order. It's a good thing to give everyone starts, and leave no one sitting on the bench for long periods, but I like the concept of putting young players at a set spot and letting them get comfortable there, too. It's a delicate balancing act, and I think Mendoza is doing a great job of figuring it out.



If I were to fault him, it would be flipping batters around in the order too much. sometimes Vientos is his cleanup hitter, sometimes his #6 guy, McNeil, Nimmo, Alvarez all move around a little too much to suit my taste. But maybe there's reasons Mendoza has (beyond "what the hell") that I'm not privy to.

[batmagadanleadoff]

It's a delicate balancing act, and I think Mendoza is doing a great job of figuring it out.

You mean like giving Baty a steady stream of at-bats so that he might improve, but weighed -- balanced, really -- against the possibility that if Baty continues to hit like he always has, he'd be murdelizing the Mets with all of those crappy at-bats? Is that what you mean by "balancing act". Because me, I don't see any downside whatsoever to letting Baty play every day.

If I were to fault him, it would be flipping batters around in the order too much. sometimes Vientos is his cleanup hitter, sometimes his #6 guy, McNeil, Nimmo, Alvarez all move around a little too much to suit my taste. But maybe there's reasons Mendoza has (beyond "what the hell") that I'm not privy to.

Gee. Because I thought that Mendoza phoned you every morning to run his ideas by you and then to get your approval. Like that time when you gave us the inside scoop on why Mendoza started Nimmo against a lefty pitcher -- it was based mainly on what Nimmo did against righty pitchers, said you. What insight! And if that keen observation wasn't enough, you made a big deal that Nimmo was even starting in the first place. Such a rare start because Nimmo isn't an every day player who has played in all but two Mets game this season.

[Bob Alpacadaca]

Is this a "gag," or a "disagreement to be interesting?" Seems like something else.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Bob Alpacadaca wrote: Is this a "gag," or a "disagreement to be interesting?" Seems like something else.

All of the above. You're kinda new here. I wouldn't say you're a rookie, but you're relatively new here. Don't go by those "joined" dates that appear in everybody's avatar. Most of them are way off. This is an insular fish bowl of a forum, with not very many regular posters. The majority of posters here have been here for more than 20 years. And among regular posters who haven't yet hit the two-decade mark, most of those have been here for more than 15 years. If you wanna know more, feel free to PM me.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Bob Alpacadaca wrote: Is this a "gag," or a "disagreement to be interesting?" Seems like something else. All of the above. You're kinda new here. I wouldn't say you're a rookie, but you're relatively new here. Don't go by those "joined" dates that appear in everybody's avatar. Most of them are way off. This is an insular fish bowl of a forum, with not very many regular posters. The majority of posters here have been here for more than 20 years. And among regular posters who haven't yet hit the two-decade mark, most of those have been here for more than 15 years. If you wanna know more, feel free to PM me.

Also, you might not like my style there, but those posts are informative. And they help to stop the spread of useless, incorrect and bloviating information. I mean, the guy has special insight into why Nimmo was in the starting lineup? When the only games Nimmo's missed this season were due to his health and physical condition, if I recall?

[Bob Alpacadaca]

Sure seems like whenever Roger posts anything, you jump in to attack or belittle. Almost like stalking.

[kcmets]

Baty is batting 8th this evening and playing second.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Bob Alpacadaca wrote: Sure seems like whenever Roger posts anything, you jump in to attack or belittle. Almost like stalking.

No. Only when he writes idiotic stuff with his usual flair of know-it-all ness. Which is like every day.



But hey, are you wondering why Nimmo's in tonight's starting lineup? Because I do and you don't but I'll share what only I know with you. Would you like me to go on a childish frothing at the mouth lunatic weeklong 30 post rant because the Padres took two of three from the Mets which shouldn't have ever happened because the Mets won a coupl'a more regular season games than the Padres?

[Lefty Specialist]

I think Mendoza's juggling. Winker being out means that there's a spot for a lefty to DH. Taylor being the only CF means that there's an occasional spot for a lefty there too. He's making the best of what he has at the moment. Acuna probably has a slight edge because he brings speed and he's a good fielder at second. He needs to keep hitting; Mendoza seems to like a meritocracy. If you hit, you play. That's why sitting down Vientos for a couple of days was so interesting. A little shot across the bow. Now of course Lindor, Alonso, Nimmo, Soto will all play even if they go 0 for 25. But the other guys need to compete if they want to play. And that's a good thing. So right now, Acuna's in the lead but nothing's set in stone.

[roger_that]

Lefty Specialist wrote: So right now, Acuna's in the lead but nothing's set in stone.

Nothing's ever set in stone, Lefty. But I'm asking if you'd classify Acuna as Mendoza's regular 2Bman and #9 hitter at this point (pending unknown future developments, injuries, ginormous slumps, etc.) or just the guy who's getting a bunch of games at 2B and #9 hole lately but could be displaced by Baty or McNeil tomorrow or next week. It's a subtle distinction, one that Mendoza would probably be unwilling to declare for public consumption (because why should he?), but just between us here, which way are you thinking?



Me, I'm thinking the former. Acuna's been in the lineup against lefties and righties recently, and he's been effective in both roles. I'd say he's our regular 2Bman and #9 hitter now, and I'd say that's a good thing.

[ashie62]

Acuna is in the lineup most nights and that makes me happy

[roger_that]

=ashie62 post_id=192573 time=1747173808 user_id=90]
Acuna is in the lineup most nights and that makes me happy

[ashie62]

On that metric I would say he is close and on target



A homer or two would help