Quote:
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut
There just aren't enough ABs for him and lets be honest - he's still a kid that was WAY away from the majors just a few months ago.
When Martinez and Piscotty are healthy, send him to AA. He can take the momentum from the MLB stint and take his shot at the biggest jump there is (that A+ to AA move separates the men from the boys, IMO). And the Texas league is a big time hitters league combined with his home park being a big time hitters park (Hammond really inflates numbers).
He can get off to a damn nice start in AA and use that momentum to build towards a full season in AAA in 2018 and a shot at a legit starting gig and full time ABs in 2019. He's still a baby and he still has some physical development that he'll need to learn to put into practice. He'll find 10-15 lbs of muscle in the coming years and if he can turn that into 15 HR pop, he'll be a genuine weapon.
They shouldn't stall his development and use up his service time getting him 75 ABs in the majors. Send him to AA and keep him swinging. If another injury pops up, he's already on the 40-man and has used his option for the year so you can move him up and down as needed.
You can't let him wither away on the bench.
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If he could be a 15 HR guy, with his speed, he'd be a really nice weapon. I'm not sure he could ever get his OBP high enough to do it, but he'd be a damn nice leadoff guy if he could.