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| Eddie Rosario got the call Monday and arrived at Target Field during the game. |
But there's good reason for going with Rosario.
As I see it:
- Arcia hits left-handed; so does Rosario. Hicks is a switch hitter, but he's much better hitting right-handed than left. If you want an outfielder to play against righties, Hicks is a poor fit.
- One month's numbers aside, I don't believe anybody in the organization believes Hicks is a better hitter than Rosario. Nor should they.
- Hicks, I suspect, made a bad impression in spring training with repeated lapses in concentration. In this piece on the reasons for going with Rosario, Terry Ryan offers a set of generic questions about call-ups, including these: "How's he going about his business? Is he listening?" He doesn't specifically rap Hicks on any of these points, but one can safely assume Ryan and Paul Molitor haven't forgotten March.
- This figures to be a short-term stint. There's a line of thought that the Twins want Hicks' next return to the majors to be lasting, not a yo-yo.
Check Rosario's splits.... still doesn't get on base vs. Righties the last two years. I think it's a mistake to not give Hicks another shot. Maybe he doesn't pan out to be what it is that they once hoped he was but I still think if he can get on base and play plus D, they could go back to a high range outfield with Hicks/Buxton at some point that is more centered around D than offense ala the Gomez/Span outfields that were so much fun to watch
ReplyDeletecurious to see Rosario's ABs. questions about his bat load and being able to handle velocity long term:
ReplyDelete''Eddie Rosario just is not going to hit until he fixes how he loads his hands. Wraps up. Long lead. Can't handle good stuff or velo right now"
and
''I've complained earlier about the hitch in Rosario's swing set-up as the pitcher is delivering. It looked tonite as if he's gotten rid of most of that hitch/twitch.''
is a couple things i have read recently. Wonder which one is more accurate?