Nelson Cruz in the everyday lineup?

by bodyiq on Aug 26, 2008 1:22 PM EDT Comment 10 comments

Nelson Cruz is up and it sounds like he'll be there for the remainder of the year as rosters expand soon. I believe he will get a good look this time around in order to give Texas a better idea of what he can do at the major league level. Big time power potential with some speed to go with it!

OK, he flopped with his call up last year. Why?

Any predictions here? Any major flaws that may be exposed over the next five weeks for him? How do you think he will do and will he in fact play everyday?

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W.A.G

255/300/440?

by nms on Aug 26, 2008 1:46 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

me

.300/.350/.530

Talkin' Sports

by BlackOps on Aug 26, 2008 2:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

really?

A 28 year old, strike-out prone minor league slugger with a .231 MLB average is going to suddenly become an all-star hitter?

I mean, considering Cruz will only be playing in 20-30 games it is easily possible for him to hit anywhere between .200 and .375 just on randomness but I’ve got a hard time believing he is suddenly a 300/350/530 MLB hitter.
Minor league sluggers, even ones with tools as good as Cruz’s, very rarely maintain their performance (or something close to it) at the MLB level after they are called up following a career AAA year.

by nms on Aug 26, 2008 3:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hm...

A 28 year old, strike-out prone minor league slugger with a .231 MLB average is going to suddenly become an all-star hitter?

I think is pretty ironic that this is a dead on description of Ryan Ludwick before the Cards called him up last year.

by aCone419 on Aug 26, 2008 4:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

sure

but that is the exception.. not the rule.
Thats why there are so many stories about his breakout.

If it was the norm, it would be no surprise.
There aren’t news stories and blogs written when, say, (insert veteran corner OF here) hits well. Because it is expected

by nms on Aug 26, 2008 4:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Meh

He should be able to turn a .349/.442/.729 line in AAA into something worthwhile in Texas. I’ve seen him play and I tend to believe that what I saw was because he’s a good baseball player, not because he was in AAA and not in the majors. He waited too long in AAA this year for the performance he was giving imo.

I hardly suggested he was going to maintain his Ruthian line…

Talkin' Sports

by BlackOps on Aug 26, 2008 5:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hard to crack the Texas outfeild

Hamilton and Murphy have been solid both offensively and defensively and the Boggs/Byrd platoon worked out well.

If he didn’t get hurt, he would have been up sooner after Murphy hurt his knee, but I expect to see a better approach at the plate than when he was up before. The power and defense where there, its just his approach that needed the work.

by laxtonto on Aug 26, 2008 7:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

+1

"When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him."
-Jonathan Swift

by King Billy Royal on Aug 26, 2008 6:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Speed?

Agreed nms. Do you think his speed will carry over?

Ripken.....thanks for the memories...

by bodyiq on Aug 26, 2008 4:38 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

To an extent

He’s purely a speed guy, It’s not baserunning acumen. He’s fast, but can’t utilize it all that well on the basepaths. He’s always been a very good outfielder, though.

Pretty clearly the first time he has ever looked at a web site. "And there are readers' comments at the bottom! And advertisements for products! And best of all, I won a free iPod!"
-Ken Tremendous on Mike Downey.

by BudLight on Aug 26, 2008 6:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs