June 30, 200520 yr we cant trade him for anything really. His value is way down, so really I think he is stuck there. You dont send him down to the minors or release him to waivers, far too much talent there. I really think you gotta bench him for pinch hitting here and there. But who would play where then?
June 30, 200520 yr You play Miggy at third, Conine starts in left, his best position and Willingham takes Conine's place as the first pinch-hitter against righties while getting some playing time in left and/or right as well. If Encarnacion is traded, Aguila comes up and he and Willingham battle it out to see who starts in right for the rest of the season. In two weeks you'd know what pieces you need to trade for at the July 31 deadline.
June 30, 200520 yr I a huge fan of Mikey's. Down to earth good team player. However, I don't think he should be batting in the 5th spot. Before the season started and the Marlins signed Delgado i was convinced we had one of the best 3-4-5 spots in the league with 3 potential 30+ hr hitters in those spots. Mike will come out of this slump (hopefully :confused ) but its time to put in a producer in the 5th spot FOR NOW. I like Pauly there. Great contact hitter. Don't put Enc there because hes too inconsistent. But I'd really like to see a guy in there that has some pop to his bat. Someone who can at least hit 20hrs a season and hit abover .270. Pitchers are getting away w/ pitchin around Delgado because A) they know he'll swing at bad pitches and B) if they lose him they have Lowell up next which isnt a big threat. If you put someone behind Delgado that can hit you will see Delgado get better pitches and be more successful (not that I'm saying he hasn't been successful). Thats why Cabrerra is having such an incredible year because he has Delgado behind him. Final point: Move Lowell out of 5th, maybe take Mike B.'s advice in his column and bring up some young talent just to give them a chance. At first McKeon left Lowell in the 5th spot to help his confidence but that hasnt really helped. I'm thinking Lowell could be another Garry Sheffield of '97 all over again except Lowell is a fan favorite and won't get the amount of boo's.
June 30, 200520 yr I agree Lowell has to hit lower in the order but to sit him down for weeks, as suggested, to be replaced with a rookie who cant field is not a smart suggestion. Lowell has averaged .280, 25 HR and 95 rbi for the past 5 years. I cant imagine he forgot how to hit. He did better in June, hitting .250. He could get a day off every 2-3 days when he is not hitting. I expect both him and Pierre (.312 average the past 4 seasons) to come around. 833227[/snapback] "Those who live on hope, die in despair." A rookie who can't field? I suspect your're referring to Willingham but if you actually took a moment to read what I wrote, and/or if you've read what I've said in dozens of other posts, Aguila would come up, and he certainly is major league ready AND a very capable outfielder. Two weeks off may be just what the doctor ordered for Mike Lowell. Nothing else has worked.
June 30, 200520 yr I agree Lowell has to hit lower in the order but to sit him down for weeks, as suggested, to be replaced with a rookie who cant field is not a smart suggestion. Lowell has averaged .280, 25 HR and 95 rbi for the past 5 years.? I cant imagine he forgot how to hit.? He did better in June, hitting .250.? He could get a day off every 2-3 days when he is not hitting.? I expect both him and Pierre (.312 average the past 4 seasons) to come around. 833227[/snapback] "Those who live on hope, die in despair." A rookie who can't field? I suspect your're referring to Willingham but if you actually took a moment to read what I wrote, and/or if you've read what I've said in dozens of other posts, Aguila would come up, and he certainly is major league ready AND a very capable outfielder. Two weeks off may be just what the doctor ordered for Mike Lowell. Nothing else has worked. 833236[/snapback] A week's rest before the all star break might be useful for him and a help really. He needs to clear his head and take some time off. Heck, he is a GREAT fielder and has shown it again just two days ago with that line drive. But, he really needs to get his head in order for batting. He is a liability and that cant be allowed right now. I think pierre is starting to come out of it, just give him a bit more time and he will be fine. Mikey, I dont know what else could be the answer but a bit of rest.
June 30, 200520 yr Will Lowell come out of this slump? I doubt it. I have looked and can't find anything like it that wasn't the result of a serious injury or the effects of encroaching age, from which the player never recovered. The Konerko and Burrell references just prove the point. And I don't worry about his batting average alone; if just 12 balls that Mikey has put in play for outs had droped in, he'd be near his career BA. But you need some pop from a 3B and Lowel has none! It's the power outage that is amazing, and that points to serious long-term problems. Here's how each player did in HR the last four seasons: Konerko: 27, 18, 41 19 (through yeaterday) Burrell: 37, 21,24, 16 Lowel: 24, 32, 27, 3 The other guys had nothing close to Lowell's lack of power, so it was reasonable to believe they were in a slump, and with more solid contact there HR totals would go back up because their % of hits that went out stayed consistent. Only a little over 5% of Lowell's hits have gone out this year, vs. approximately 15-20% in past years. By contrast, in their off years, both Konerko and Burrell had close to 20% of their hits as HR. We've seen it as recently as last nght; a ball that would have been out last year is a fly out now. Something serious is wrong, and whatever it is, Lowell does not deserve to be in the lineup. He is a great fielder, but we should give up a little there to get another bat in the lineup.
June 30, 200520 yr I agree Lowell has to hit lower in the order but to sit him down for weeks, as suggested, to be replaced with a rookie who cant field is not a smart suggestion. Lowell has averaged .280, 25 HR and 95 rbi for the past 5 years. I cant imagine he forgot how to hit. He did better in June, hitting .250. He could get a day off every 2-3 days when he is not hitting. I expect both him and Pierre (.312 average the past 4 seasons) to come around. 833227[/snapback] "Those who live on hope, die in despair." A rookie who can't field? I suspect your're referring to Willingham but if you actually took a moment to read what I wrote, and/or if you've read what I've said in dozens of other posts, Aguila would come up, and he certainly is major league ready AND a very capable outfielder. Two weeks off may be just what the doctor ordered for Mike Lowell. Nothing else has worked. 833236[/snapback] I love the overexaggeration that Willingham cant field....he played SS in college, that in itself tells you he has alot of athleticsm... Ive seen him play the OF, he is pretty good out there(albeit it was just 2 games)
June 30, 200520 yr I love the overexaggeration that Willingham cant field....he played SS in college, that in itself tells you he has alot of athleticsm... Ive seen him play the OF, he is pretty good out there(albeit it was just 2 games) 833322[/snapback] I hope you weren't suggesting I thought that Ramp. :mischief2
June 30, 200520 yr I love the overexaggeration that Willingham cant field....he played SS in college, that in itself tells you he has alot of athleticsm... Ive seen him play the OF, he is pretty good out there(albeit it was just 2 games) 833322[/snapback] I hope you weren't suggesting I thought that Ramp. :mischief2 833334[/snapback] well not that you thought that, just that alot of people take what you say as if it was pure fact and start using it as their own thoughts i dont know what i just said :blink:
June 30, 200520 yr I love the overexaggeration that Willingham cant field....he played SS in college, that in itself tells you he has alot of athleticsm... Ive seen him play the OF, he is pretty good out there(albeit it was just 2 games) 833322[/snapback] I hope you weren't suggesting I thought that Ramp. :mischief2 833334[/snapback] well not that you thought that, just that alot of people take what you say as if it was pure fact and start using it as their own thoughts i dont know what i just said :blink: 833337[/snapback] lolololol when you figure out what you said let me know buddy :thumbup
June 30, 200520 yr I think its is better to just bench Lowell and give the spot to someone else. Mikey hasn't really done anything to help the team and he continues to play. But if hes going to stay on the everyday lineup which seems like he is he should be swapped with The Duke.
June 30, 200520 yr He looks d-u-n done. Age may have caught up with him. It happens. You find someone else who can produce.
June 30, 200520 yr I agree Lowell has to hit lower in the order but to sit him down for weeks, as suggested, to be replaced with a rookie who cant field is not a smart suggestion. Lowell has averaged .280, 25 HR and 95 rbi for the past 5 years.? I cant imagine he forgot how to hit.? He did better in June, hitting .250.? He could get a day off every 2-3 days when he is not hitting.? I expect both him and Pierre (.312 average the past 4 seasons) to come around. 833227[/snapback] Bad seasons happen sometimes. I think Lowell will snap out of it eventually too, and I don't think we need to trade him. But I also don't see why the team needs to suffer each night while he tries to figure it out. If it's just a funk season like Pat Burrell had a while ago, why keep trotting him out there over and over? Put Miggy at 3B and use Niner-Enc-Willingham for the corner outfielders. Give Lowell some time off, start him in a week or after the break and see if he gets back on track then. He isn't even showing signs of coming around anymore. 6-for-46 doesn't look too promising.
June 30, 200520 yr I think our best bet is to bench Lowell for a good while. Let him clear his head. He's not producing for us, so it really couldn't hurt. Let Miggy take 3rd, and put Niner in left.
June 30, 200520 yr If most players were producing as poorly as Lowell they would have been sent down. I love Mike Lowell but c'mon, should we sacrifice a spot in the lineup just because he's a likeable guy who's a good fielder? Move Miguel to 3rd and put Conine back in the lineup, Lowell needs some bench time.
June 30, 200520 yr That and Easley steps up in key situations.(I.E. Going deep of wagner earlier in the year)
June 30, 200520 yr I can't imagine a scenario in which Mike Lowell is benched and Damion Easley plays third base over Miguel Cabrera. In fact I'm amazed that it's even suggested since Easley's worst defensive position is at third.
June 30, 200520 yr That and Easley steps up in key situations.(I.E. Going deep of wagner earlier in the year) 833575[/snapback] Easley isnt as good as you think look at his "clutch" stats
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