peteymunoz

Some of the comments about Astudillo and Rooker here are totally absurd. Rooker struck out at a 36% clip in AAA. Can anyone give me even one example of a player that struck out that much at AAA and then ended up being a decent MLB player? I watched him drop a routine fly ball a few games ago, and he has no speed or athleticism. He was given every chance to win the open LF position and blew it in spring training. Regarding Astudillo, this is what Rays manager Kevin Cash recently said to Fangraphs: “It’s always in the back of our minds,”said Cash. “If we hit for Mike Zunino, or he comes out of the game early for whatever reason, we’re down to one catcher. Then, [if] something goes sideways, there’s that fear of who goes back here in an emergency… I look at a guy like Willians Astudillo, with the Twins. That’s a very valuable player to be able to stick him at third base, put him in right field, and catch him in the back half of the game.” Rooker is not a top prospect. He has a grooved swing that will not translate to MLB. Astudillo helps immensely with depth and in-game strategy and has absolutely raked this spring. Lots of people outed themselves as knowing next to nothing about the game on this thread.

Great article, Nick! Thanks for the courage to try to hold Kepler accountable for such a regrettable decision. I'm very skeptical of his claim to ignorance, and wearing the blue lives matter mask any time, especially at the exact moment this situation was coming to a head, is an inherently political act, whether he's aware of it or not. Saying 'all lives matter' or 'blue lives matter' is just a way of minimizing the justified rage of the black community that is disproportionately affected by police brutality.

Thank you both for these great posts! Seeing prospects play in these circumstances, when hardly anyone else is watching, is one of my favorite baseball experiences. Many thanks from those of us who can't be there this year--