Sunday Rockpile: Street and Stewart could be next to go, Pacheco prepares for opportunity

You go to A & M? Gig ’Em!

And possibly the best closer this organization has seen, though Fuentes probably wins out there

I haven’t done the math yet, but it seems that may be just a teensy bit better than 50/50. Second, this is the first report I’ve ever read anywhere that indicates any sort of a motivation problem, compared to several that are glowing about his work ethic. That said, you’re right that he remains a defensive liability wherever he’s been positioned, and losing the work at second the winter league would have given him does nothing to help in that regard. I’m still not sure if this is a sell high opportunity or if he’ll continue to be about as useful as he was this past season, I guess it would depend on what the return was. At a minimum salary, however, it doesn’t seem prudent to send him packing without something to show for it.

It’s what he was drafted as, but he was quickly moved to catcher due to defensive issues.

I think he calmed down and has been much better at stealing bases. Early on though it looked like he was trying way too hard…

I’ve started working on it. The common line of this being worse for small market teams than the last CBA just doesn’t make much sense logically to me.

Great first post and I can’t wait to hear more from you.

but Pavano keeps on getting brought up and that’s where it’s a little trickier for me. This would be the one case where I’d be somewhat okay with Pavano, as it’s a better use of that salary than with a set-up reliever, but that’s a lesser of two evils argument and there are still even better uses. I’d rather just trade Street and his salary for minor leaguers at that point and sign a free agent.

I agree with your comments concerning these two pitchers. Betancourt has been a solid set-up man, but as all relievers, has had his bad patches, too. In the past, he has not been comfortable in the ninth, and as you mentioned, this recent surge has been in a pretty low pressure scenario. He may come out of the box lights out as a closer, but we’ll have to see. I agree that Brothers needs more seasoning. One thing I found to be interesting at the end of 2011 was that while so many of Tracy’s decisions were met with a lot of skepticism (rightly so, imo), there seemed to be none surrounding his Betancourt/Street switch while Street was on the 15-day DL. Just an observation.

a defensive upgrade over Wigginton – and if that’s the role he’ll be asked to fill then that’s fine. He also can catch which expands our bench in the sense that CDI can pinch hit for us on days he’s not starting (and the same applies to Rosario if/when he makes the team).

I do think Pacheco has been a bit overhyped but I don’t think it makes sense to say that because he hit .270 in one season he’s just fodder when he consistently hit .321 or higher the previous two years.

I haven’t seen anything to suggest he’s anything but a utility guy. And given how little power he has displayed he has no value to me as a backup 1B.

We’ve all been guilty of grinding axes here and there. There’s plenty of reason to have pause about Pacheco, but there’s a lot of definitive statements being made about the guy with roughly nothing to go on.

Neither seems to be aware that there are two elephants, the first is that Pacheco’s a very skilled hitter, and the second is that he hasn’t been a particularly productive one as a pro all told. It isn’t punishing him for being delayed on his professional entry, but we are for not producing at a level hitters at his age and supposed skill level should. At the same time, though, like you say he’s a very mechanically sound hitter and I’m really at a loss as to why he hasn’t been that impressive since being drafted. It’s not like a slap hitting Jonathan Herrera last season where you’re just hoping that the player has discovered some mystical method of placing his slaps just out of reach, Pacheco actually has sufficient offensive tools.

It does incluse it

they’ll draw for OD and Fireworks in Jan after registration.

Rockies seem to have been pretty interested in him and Wade’s demands appear to have been the road block from a deal going down. With Wade now out I wonder if the cost just became more realistic. I’ll admit, I like Rodriguez (maybe more than I should) but given his contract I don’t know if even I would gamble on him. It would be fine as long as he performed, but were he to struggle in Denver that contract would be suffocating.