Every team has a four man bench, except the one that McClendon manages, it has a three man bench. If there is going to be a platoon, the player should be part of double coverage of up the middle defense, since that is necessary anyway.
Catcher platoons are ideal. This is because catcher is too physically demanding to play every day. So if a team can set up two catchers with a platoon advantage, this is all gravy.
Consider the 2014 Orcs,
Jaso:
283 AB vs. RHP= .272/.344/.449 35 RBIs.
24 AB v. LHP= .167/.259/.208 5 RBI's
Norris:
173 AB v. LHP, .311/.393/.470 29 RBI
269 AB v. RHP, .244/.340/.359 29 RBI
Blend em:
Norso: .267/.350/.413 98 RBI Change the RBI to the 650 ABs that you would've got if Norso were a real person, and you get 85 RBIs. This isn't a hypothetical projection, this is what Norso did in 2014.
There were a few Mariners who didn't hit .267/.350/.413 with 85 RBIs in 2014.
I don't think Doc has any objection to a platoon at catcher, all other things being considered equal, but the question is what happens when the platoon player starts to take the place of the utility player, who can accurately be thought of as part of a defensive and baserunning platoon?
Here's a hypothetical situation: Jackson starts in CF, but gets too many games there and his "greyhound" lean frame breaks down, and he stops hitting. Skipper only trusts James Jones to back him up, but Jones isn't on the roster because of the Ruggiano/Smith platoon.
This all works out well if your platoon bat is also your platoon defense guy, that is, if Ruggiano or Ackley can spot Jackson in CF with minimal horse(manure), or you have other players that can play multiple defensive positions, like an Ackley or a Zobrist type.
But, this is nothing new. Teams have used their final three or four bench spots to some effect for the last hundred years or so, and platooning on offense and defense and providing rest days to overworked every day guys is part of the game. The old timers used to call platoon hitting advantages pinch hitting.
I think about this problem as follows. There are at least six benchie goals that have to be met, not necessarily in order of importance:
1. Providing pinch running for slow hitters
2. Providing backup at catcher, SS and CF
3. Providing late inning defensive replacement for bat first guys in the corner outfield
4. Providing rest for the every day guys
5. Providing a platoon advantage in hitting
6. Provide a developmental spot for a promising youngster to get MLB experience
Its beyond my pay grade to determine which of these goals is paramount, but bench players should be judged on how well they meet each of these goals, and how they complement the rest of the team.
By this measure, Jaso is a great platoon guy, as he can run and hit RHP and play a passable catcher. Norris is also a good platoon guy, as he is just a good hitter, who happens to catch. Conversely, Carlos Peguero is not a good platoon guy, as he can't hit to corner OF standards and can't play CF, SS, can't run, and can't spot multiple positions.
On the Mariners, Ackley and Ruggiano seem like good platoon guys, they run well, field well, and sometimes hit well, and Smith is a pretty good hitter. I wish they all hit better, ran faster, and had better throwing arms, but all of them should comprise the best outfield that the Mariners have had in many years.
The Mariners have had some bad benchies in the past. Upgrading the position seems like a good thing, but doesn't equal Justin Upton plus another scrub benchie.
Or didn't Doc already say all of that?
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