I like Parmelee. He has good at bats because he can work a count. I like to see a guy with patience at the plate and Parmelee is patient. On Wednesday, he was running around looking like a bank robber, but other than that, I have no complaints. His defense is surprisingly solid and his arm looks strong. I want to see more, but I think he can be good enough to take over for Justin Morneau, should he be traded in July or August. He won't be Morneau-prime, but he could be Morneau-lite.
***Minority Opinion Alert!!*** I like both of these guys. Yeah, I do. I wrote about Florimon's value a few weeks back. I link to the article daily, but here it is again. You could basically make the same claims for Escobar, based on his very similar skill set. I like both guys because they are cheap and they get the job done defensively. When not overflowing with better options, a cheap defensive player isn't too bad.
Both players have also hit well so far, although I don't really expect that to maintain. I like Escobar a bit more, because he is younger and probably has more natural talent. Having two basically identical players on the team leaves Gardenhire with more moves he can make and I suppose that is why the bench exists, eh? Eh?
Starting Pitching
The Big Pelf, yikes! First off, I absolutely reject that as a nickname. Mike Pelfrey seems like a good dude, but I cannot accept that nickname. He did not pitch well on Monday either. It's worth remembering that he had major elbow surgery just 11 months ago. He may not be fully healthy, but he has to be commended for giving it a go. He should work his way back to what he once was: nothing special, but serviceable.
Kevin Correia pitched well.
Liam Hendriks bothers me because I think he should be better than he is. He has good stuff, seems to locate his pitches well, but can't get anyone out efficiently. I guess he might learn that with more experience, and he is still only 24 years old. I hope he gets a full season to iron things out. My worry is that he'll be removed from the rotation when others are healthy because he has an option and his current pitching style taxes the bullpen. I hope I'm wrong though.
I still believe in Aaron Hicks and I am 100% certain that he will turn things around. However, I'm done writing about him until something changes. There just isn't anything new to discuss. I'm still a big fan though.
Bullet Royals Thoughts
- I love the Royals but I'm not IN love with the Royals.
- Salvador Perez is a monster, both in size and in ability.
- Alex Gordon so smooth.
- I want to watch Kelvin Herrera at all times.
- I'm proposing a bill that would force Billy Butler to go by Bill Butler for a trial period. Yes, I used bill and Bill in the same sentence and yes that is worth bonus points.
Other MLB Thoughts
Atlanta Braves
I've raved about their outfield in the past and I will certainly cover their special shortstop at some point as well, but I am particularly taken by their rotation. If Julio Teheran puts it all together and Brandon Beachy comes back, their rotation would be stacked. Their offense is clearly great and their defense is solid as well. They might be the second best team in their division, but they might also be the second best team in all of baseball. I like.
Oakland
The A's are good at trading. This off-season, they acquired Jed Lowrie. Lowrie has always had promise, but seemed to always be injured as well. Now healthy, he will provide Oakland with excellent offense at a premium defensive position. Of course, if you go by his track record, he won't give them that offense for a full season. I'd be interested in seeing how much value a player takes from a team when he can't stay healthy. If anyone knows of a study, LMK. Lowrie is a talent, and I hope he can play a full season.
Slowey was nice on Monday night. He went 7 innings, gave up 6 hits, 2 earned runs, walked none and struck out 3. He did give up a home run to Justin Upton, but pretty much everyone does that these days. He's still rocking the long curls, and that works for me.
Next time Hendriks pitches, watch to see how often he throws the ball directly to the catcher's target. I think he can definitely throw strikes when he needs to, but locating the ball within the strike zone seems to be an issue for him. When I think of command and control, I always think of Hendriks because he's a guy that has control, but no command. And when you can't command the ball in the zone, you give up home runs. That's Liam Hendriks.
ReplyDeleteYou're absolutely right. He doesn't have good command at all. He has a little Kevin Slowey in him, where he clearly knows the strike zone, but maybe not how to work the strike zone, if that makes sense.
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