The Leury thread...

[Mohoney]

Here’s a quick pull from baseball-reference.com of Leury’s night and day splits.

Notice the massive amount of ability he loses at the plate after the sun goes down.

I think the solution is clear: Leury is a reverse vampire, and he needs to be shielded from all baseball diamonds after dark. Plus, aren’t getaway day games after night games perfect rest days for TA and Cesar anyway?

…And that needs to remove all possible Leury playing time from any ALCS or World Series games.

If the freaks truly do come out at night, then Leury need not apply.

[Frater Perdurabo]

That is some deep seated angst. I mean honestly, do you really think Leury is going to get PT over Robert, Vaughn, Eloy, Moncada TA or Hernandez in the playoffs?

No, I don’t think Leury would get any playoff starts.

I don’t think Zavala, Collins, Lamb, or Hamilton, would, either.

But at all positions where Leury often plays, he’s neither the best option to start, nor the best option as a backup, excepting just TWO:

SS: Anderson > Leury
2B: Hernandez > Leury
3B: Moncada > Lamb > Leury
LF: Vaughn > Eloy > Engel > Goodwin > Leury
RF: Engel > Goodwin > Vaughn > Leury
CF: Robert > Engel > Goodwin > Leury

At all the other positions where Leury gets an inordinate amount of playing time, he’s no better than the third, fourth, or even fifth best option.

I completely understand the desire to ease players who have been injured back into full time roles. I completely understand wanting to give some players who have played all year a game off before or after an off day, to get a two game break.

However, it’s also important to win as many games as possible in an effort to get home field advantage in the playoffs.

As a result, when you rest a starter, play the better backup! Given the present roster construction, Leury is the better backup at just TWO positions: SS and 2B.

[voodoochile]

No, I don’t think Leury would get any playoff starts.

I don’t think Zavala, Collins, Lamb, or Hamilton, would, either.

But at all positions where Leury often plays, he’s neither the best option to start, nor the best option as a backup, excepting just TWO:

SS: Anderson > Leury
2B: Hernandez > Leury
3B: Moncada > Lamb > Leury
LF: Vaughn > Eloy > Engel > Goodwin > Leury
RF: Engel > Goodwin > Vaughn > Leury
CF: Robert > Engel > Goodwin > Leury

At all the other positions where Leury gets an inordinate amount of playing time, he’s no better than the third, fourth, or even fifth best option.

I completely understand the desire to ease players who have been injured back into full time roles. I completely understand wanting to give some players who have played all year a game off before or after an off day, to get a two game break.

However, it’s also important to win as many games as possible in an effort to get home field advantage in the playoffs.

As a result, when you rest a starter, play the better backup! Given the present roster construction, Leury is the better backup at just TWO positions: SS and 2B.

Okay but as of a week ago there were no Eloy or Robert options, so at worst he was the first replacement at all three OF positions. This will explain the high number of AB and appearances he's had this year. Throw in the fact Engel missed most of the first 3 months of the season also.

Going forward you will have a more cogent argument, but up to this point in time not so much...

[longtimefan]

No, I don’t think Leury would get any playoff starts.

I don’t think Zavala, Collins, Lamb, or Hamilton, would, either.

But at all positions where Leury often plays, he’s neither the best option to start, nor the best option as a backup, excepting just TWO:

SS: Anderson > Leury
2B: Hernandez > Leury
3B: Moncada > Lamb > Leury
LF: Vaughn > Eloy > Engel > Goodwin > Leury
RF: Engel > Goodwin > Vaughn > Leury
CF: Robert > Engel > Goodwin > Leury

At all the other positions where Leury gets an inordinate amount of playing time, he’s no better than the third, fourth, or even fifth best option.

I completely understand the desire to ease players who have been injured back into full time roles. I completely understand wanting to give some players who have played all year a game off before or after an off day, to get a two game break.

However, it’s also important to win as many games as possible in an effort to get home field advantage in the playoffs.

As a result, when you rest a starter, play the better backup! Given the present roster construction, Leury is the better backup at just TWO positions: SS and 2B.

We have plenty of outfield depth w/o Leury. The only place we are thin is SS and 2B and there is were Garcia can backfill (as you showed). So we need Garcia regardless of how some feel.

[Frater Perdurabo]

Okay but as of a week ago there were no Eloy or Robert options, so at worst he was the first replacement at all three OF positions. This will explain the high number of AB and appearances he's had this year. Throw in the fact Engel missed most of the first 3 months of the season also.

Going forward you will have a more cogent argument, but up to this point in time not so much...

Ok, so I am talking about moving forward.

So what apologist argument is there for Leury starting in LF tonight?

[longtimefan]

Ok, so I am talking about moving forward.

So what apologist argument is there for Leury starting in LF tonight?

None. We have more than enough OFers.

[Mohoney]

Ok, so I am talking about moving forward.

So what apologist argument is there for Leury starting in LF tonight?

There isn’t one.

[voodoochile]

Ok, so I am talking about moving forward.

So what apologist argument is there for Leury starting in LF tonight?

Goodwin is already playing, they want to give Vaughn the night off and prefer Leury's LH bat against the RHP starting.

FWIW, I was surprised Vaughn wasn't starting tonight also, but I'm not going to question our HOF manager who's led the team to a 10.5 game lead in early August. It's just not worth any of the over the top angst that has been generated. It's not broken... WSI doesn't need to try to fix it.

[notjimrose]

Ok, so I am talking about moving forward.

So what apologist argument is there for Leury starting in LF tonight?

Obviously, Leury is starting tonight to give Eloy a breather from running the bases. The extra out lets him space out his jogs a little better.

[Frater Perdurabo]

Leury's LH bat against the RHP starting.

2021 OPS v. RHP:
Leury: .640
Vaughn: .689
Engel: .954

😂

[voodoochile]

2021 OPS v. RHP:
Leury: .640
Vaughn: .689
Engel: .954

😂

Maybe Engel is getting rest also. I don't know. I still trust TLR to make the right personnel decision and not worry about some game against a last place team in early August where the Sox are absolutely wrecking them and have a double digit division lead.

This isn't XBox. There are real people with real concerns playing the game. You can rant and rave and point at stats and it just doesn't mean **** until you are sitting in the clubhouse making the decisions. Rest is going to be important coming down the stretch.

The rest is just a bunch of numbers that don't take into account the human element at all.

Sorry, that's the best I got and posting more numbers or rants aren't going to improve your position.

[Mohoney]

2021 OPS v. RHP:
Leury: .640
Vaughn: .689
Engel: .954

😂

Who’s laughing? Not a damn thing funny about it.

[Frater Perdurabo]

Maybe Engel is getting rest also. I don't know. I still trust TLR to make the right personnel decision and not worry about some game against a last place team in early August where the Sox are absolutely wrecking them and have a double digit division lead.

This isn't XBox. There are real people with real concerns playing the game. You can rant and rave and point at stats and it just doesn't mean **** until you are sitting in the clubhouse making the decisions. Rest is going to be important coming down the stretch.

The rest is just a bunch of numbers that don't take into account the human element at all.

Sorry, that's the best I got and posting more numbers or rants aren't going to improve your position.

I think even TLR would admit that he’s not infallible. He’s capable of making bad decisions. He got roundly roasted for how he handled the Mercedes 3-0 swing off the position player in a blowout, for instance.

I happen to think “resting” Vaughn in this game deprives him of an opportunity to continue to improve against RHP (which he has done so recently; his lower OPS v. RHP is a function of early season struggles).

So, unless Vaughn AND Engel specifically asked for a day off, I think starting Leury in LF was a mistake.

We’ll just have to agree to disagree.

[Frater Perdurabo]

Who’s laughing? Not a damn thing funny about it.

The idea of prioritizing “Leury's LH bat” is funny in a dark tragic way.

[berwyn]

Leury was supposed to start at SS yesterday until TA reclaimed the spot. Maybe this is a make-up.