Kind of. In case you haven't heard yet, Jack Hannahan's got a small tear in his groin muscle, and for the next 7-10 days he's gonna be chillin, billin, you know, whatever. On the bench. Because he won't be playing. That's what that means.
It's not a major injury, and in the long run Hannahan should be no worse for wear. The significance, though, is that Hannahan came to camp looking to wow some people as a shortstop, and now his time to do that is limited. So the seeming stranglehold he had on the Opening Day utility man role has been loosened as Josh Wilson and even Matt Tuiasosopo...reach in with their hands...to strangle...too. This got dark. Guys, if you all strangle the utility position, it'll die, and none of you will get the job. Kids these days gotta think about the consequences of their behavior.
When Kenji Johjima went off to play in the WBC, Rob Johnson seized the opportunity provided by Johjima's absence and basically stole his teammate's gig. This isn't quite like that. For one thing, "utility guy" isn't as high-profile as "starting catcher," and for another, the window here isn't open as wide. If Josh Wilson wins out, for example, he won't last long, because he isn't good, and everyone knows it. The reason this is worth watching is that it gives Tui a slightly better shot. He'll play some more short while Hannahan heals, and even if he doesn't end up winning the job outright, he could plant some seeds in Wakamatsu's head. Wak knows that Tui has way more offensive upside than Hannahan or - *sigh* - Wilson. If Tui manages to impress in the field, or even just handle himself without screwing up, then suddenly he becomes a real consideration. The team wants to be able to play good defense everywhere, but it's not necessarily a requirement.
In short: while the likelihood remains that Hannahan recovers quickly and looks good enough to win the utility job as we've expected all along, there's now a greater opportunity for Josh Wilson and Matt Tuiasosopo. And even if Tui doesn't take it in April, if he looks good enough, he'll remain in the back of Wak's mind as an option if Hannahan doesn't perform.
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By the way, David Aardsma topped out at 93 today and threw most of his pitches around 91. This being his first Cactus League appearance of the spring after his groin injury, it's not surprising that he took it easy. Well, not easy. Easier.
0 recs | 19 comments
Josh Wilson is the player I hate the most on our roster
Dewey N - March 12, 2010
Hate is such a strong word.
He’s a replacement level utility infielder. What’s there to hate? It’s not like he’s WFB and loads of fans think he should be playing everyday, and the manager is running him out there thinking that he can really hit or something.
Paul AB - March 13, 2010
Or Julio Mateo
A really bad reliever who despite being the flyballingest pitcher in baseball is nevertheless expected by his idiot manager to go out and “get a ground out” in a high leverage situation.
…and after failing at that, gets arrested for domestic abuse.
That’s someone worthy of hate.
wandergeist - March 13, 2010
I want Tui to stick on the big league roster...
so he can eventually show all those prospect list-ers that ML ready, mediocre upside players are more valuable than guys with good ceilings that have a low chance of seeing a single major league appearance!
lailaihei - March 12, 2010
You want Tui to be a utility infielder in order to show up prospect list people who doubted his ceiling?
YES! 120 ABs, 0.2 WAR. FACE! How you like the taste of my NUTS, Baseball America, or someone like you who didn’t put you in the top 10?
marc w - March 12, 2010
Looks like last year Aardsma's fastball took a little while to get up into the mid nineties
Eyeballing the pitchfx data on his FG page his first month was below his season average.
Bearskin Rugburn - March 12, 2010
I'm actually okay with Tui being our backup utility guy
Josh Wilson, not so much.
MT Olson - March 12, 2010
I have to admit,
it would be very interesting to see Jose Lopez and Tui on one side of the infield….and by interesting… I understand the fact that they could surprise, but I’m not betting on it.
Just wondering though, Jack Wilson at the moment has defensive alignment duties. How big of a responsibility is that and would the backup SS need to understand them as well or would they just be given to someone else?
200tang - March 12, 2010
I've always thought that smart teams make very few roster decisions based on spring traning.
When camp opens the team generally has an idea of who is going to make the cut. Where there is uncertainty it relates to some specific item that a player needs to demonstrate that is kind of a yes/no decision for the guy; that is, if there has been one thing that would keep him off the MLB roster he has spring training to show he has addressed that issue. Has he shown he is recovered from an injury? Has the bite returned on his slider? Is his changeup now adequate to be added to his arsenal? Has he shown he can hit a curveball?
++++++
For everybody else, what they should expect from a strong spring training performance is making an impression that causes an upward tick in the club’s assessment of their prospects.
IOW – if you are Rene Rivera a “great” spring training (or a fluky small sample based MLB record) ought not outweigh years of minor league suckitude. Only dumb teams let themselves get fooled by such performances.
++++++
If the player is not a guy whom the club considered to be possibly MLB ready coming into camp, one hot month in spring training ought not to change that assessment except in the most extreme (cough …Albert Pujols …cough) circumstances. If he opens some eyes, the logical result should be the club assigning him to a higher level in in the minors than he would have otherwise been assigned, giving the player the opportunity to show that his spring training performance wasn’t just a fluke.
Then, if he shows it wasn’t a fluke, the club can then adjust it’s expectations accordingly. Which could include a mid-season promotion, if appropriate, or being considered as a serious candidate next spring.
Steve Nelson - March 12, 2010
Absolutely agree with you
This particular situation, however, seems to fall in line with your first paragraph – there’s uncertainty about how well Hannahan can play shortstop, and there’s uncertainty about how well Tui can play shortstop, and if the former misses time while the latter looks better than expected, that can have an effect on the decision.
Jeff Sullivan - March 13, 2010
Similarly...the catcher situation
The M’s have three catchers and there are legitmate reasons why they might choose to put any two of them on the roster. Can Adam Moore handle calling pitches, handling the pitchers? Is Rob Johnson healed up from surgery? Can he block balls better with the repaired hips? Does Josh Bard look like a better option than either of those two defensively? Is there something wrong with his swing from last year that can be worked on during ST?
I pay attention to defense in Spring Training more than pitching or hitting. And only for guys whose jobs are on the line. You know the regulars are not liable to have their head in the game during every inning of ST…but the guys fighting for a job had better.
short - March 13, 2010
Jeff, keep up to date on the situation as it unfolds.
Janic - March 13, 2010
I have seen this photo a hundred times and only now I am noticing The Situation is wearing underwear with the swimwear.
Wilder. - March 13, 2010
Maybe they are board shorts
msb - March 13, 2010
Aren't board shorts considered swimwear?
Wilder. - March 14, 2010
Customarily it's bad form to have your junk pop out at the pool
OlSalty - March 15, 2010
Which is why board shorts
Have both a velcro fly and lacing at the waist (as you can see). They’re also long enough that no junk, no matter how Long Island, is going to negotiate its way down the Lincoln Tunnel to emerge at the knee.
Boardshorts were designed for surfers, and even if they’re almost all worn by shubies at this point, if they can keep a surfer’s junk inside even while he’s biting it at Pipeline, they won’t need help to keep some ‘roided greasestain’s shrunken junk from making a minor league appearance.
I suspect here they’re just being worn by someone who has no intention of going in the water and is understandably worried about leaving skidmarks in his fashion accessories. Or just unclear on the concept of beachwear altogether (or would that make this “shorewear”?)
He probably can’t even swim.
Also, if that is indeed the much-hyped “situation,” color me unimpressed. He needs to worry about getting whacked by Biggie because that’s rapped, not ripped, and there’s no six-pack in sight — at best, it’a s Tupac.
wandergeist - March 15, 2010
I have never seen ths photo or the show
but I read the New Yorker article about it and so I know what ‘the situation’ refers to. And frankly, seeing it for the first time I don’t think it’s much of a situation.
Bearskin Rugburn - March 13, 2010
Hater!
circa81 - March 13, 2010
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