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Duda and Southpaws

Edgy MD Sep 29 2014 10:31 AM

It's great that Duda won the penultimate game with a KABOOM against a southpaw, and greater still that he hit power markers like 30 homers and 90 RBI, but his breakthrough season still leaves the team somewhere close to where they were at first two seasons ago, with a guy who made a mark with a strong second half, but hasn't been able to handle the lefties. And while he's not the fielder that Davis was, he's OK, and far more confident and competent than he ever would have been in the outfield, and he's healthier than Davis and blahblahblah. The Davis ship has has sailed and he's the dude. But... what to do about those splits? Split PA BA OBP SLG OPS vs RHP 471 .273 .372 .543 .915 vs LHP 125 .180 .264 .252 .516 Overall 596 .253 .349 .481 .830 Do you keep sending him out there and figure he'll get it? Do you alternate him and Campbell against lefties? Do you give Soupy all the lefties? Do you bring in another alternative non-Soup dish to serve against lefties?

Frayed Knot Sep 29 2014 10:46 AM Re: Duda and Southpaws

I got the impression that he was improving vs LHPs as the year went on. Not sure if that's provable or not, but he at least was able to break out of the Catch-22 situation where he was sat vs LHPs because he couldn't hit them and he couldn't prove he could hit them or Improve against them because he was always sitting. Once out of those shackles he was understandably underwhelming early on in his playing every day mode but did seem to get more comfortable as the repetitions piled up. He's an everyday player now. If it's midway through next season and he's still laying an egg every time he sees a southpaw then you deal with in then, but I don't go into the season thinking platoon.

Edgy MD Sep 29 2014 10:50 AM Re: Duda and Southpaws

Yeah, but, an alternative is the semi-platoon, as noted above, where he gets perhaps every-other lefty starter. That could allow for a best-of-both-worlds scenario, where he gets time enough to improve, without enough time to sink the ship. A .516 OPS is enough to get a Gold Glove shortstop benched.

Ceetar Sep 29 2014 10:57 AM Re: Duda and Southpaws

125 PA isn't nothing, but I do feel like he occasionally was okay. And generally I favor just letting guys play against lefties and get the reps in. At least start that way. You have to figure a veteran bench guy that can play 1B, or LF/1B (Andrew Brown? Soup?) and get the occasional start and PH appearance against the lefty. Mets pinch hitters OPSd .544 and shoring up the bench is one of those possibly overlooked things they can do to improve.

Edgy MD Sep 29 2014 11:09 AM Re: Duda and Southpaws

An interesting wrinkle its the trend lines the last few seasons are taking him in two different directions. Splits by Season 2014 OPS vs RH: .915 OPS vs. LH: .516 Difference: .399 2013 OPS vs RH: .831 OPS vs. LH: .610 Difference: .221 2012 OPS vs RH: .745 OPS vs. LH: .662 Difference: .083 2011 OPS vs RH: .886 OPS vs. LH: .715 Difference: .171

Ashie62 Sep 29 2014 11:09 AM Re: Duda and Southpaws

Can't imagine any real talk of a 2015 Duda platoon at this point.

dinosaur jesus Sep 29 2014 11:47 AM Re: Duda and Southpaws

You've got to platoon, and you've got to make that your plan. Don't just stick in some random righthander from your farm system once in a while; go out and get somebody who can hit a little and play the outfield as well as first base. I'd love it if Duda started hitting lefties better, but he's going to be 29 next year, and his career OPS against them is .610 (and he's getting worse, as Edgy points out). It's just not something you want to bank on. Duda against the righties and just an average major league hitter against the lefties adds up to an All Star. The problem is that with all the spots being taken up by relief pitchers, platooning has become much more difficult. In 1969, Hodges used a lefty-righty platoon at least part of the time everywhere but center and left. In 1986, Davey had everyday starters only at catcher, first, and right. This year, Terry really didn't platoon at all, except a bit in left field. Someone would start every day until he got hurt or was so awful that someone else had to take his place. But given the roster he had, I don't know how much more he could have done.

Edgy MD Sep 29 2014 11:53 AM Re: Duda and Southpaws

That's a good Rich Becker post.

Ceetar Sep 29 2014 12:05 PM Re: Duda and Southpaws

dinosaur jesus wrote: It's just not something you want to bank on. Duda against the righties and just an average major league hitter against the lefties adds up to an All Star. While technically he wasn't an All Star this year, his numbers are certainly already on that level, despite the splits. His 136 wRC+ is tied for 10th in the NL. 10th in slugging. 22nd in OBP. 3rd in HR. His 1B and defense hurt him, but tied for 28th in fWAR. That's not only All Star level, that's "get a couple of MVP votes in the 9th or 10th spot" territory.

Lefty Specialist Sep 29 2014 12:18 PM Re: Duda and Southpaws

He can't play all 162 anyway, so you rest him against the toughest lefties. Soup will be served that day.

dinosaur jesus Sep 29 2014 12:22 PM Re: Duda and Southpaws

Ceetar wrote: dinosaur jesus wrote: It's just not something you want to bank on. Duda against the righties and just an average major league hitter against the lefties adds up to an All Star. While technically he wasn't an All Star this year, his numbers are certainly already on that level, despite the splits. His 136 wRC+ is tied for 10th in the NL. 10th in slugging. 22nd in OBP. 3rd in HR. His 1B and defense hurt him, but tied for 28th in fWAR. That's not only All Star level, that's "get a couple of MVP votes in the 9th or 10th spot" territory. Sure. And it's built on the fact that against lefthanders he was the best-hitting first baseman in the league. Better than Gonzalez, better than LaRoche, better than Rizzo, better than fucking Freddie Freeman. (He was my secret weapon in three fantasy leagues.) Put in a righthander against the lefties--just an ordinary .700 OPS guy--and between them you've got the best-hitting first baseman in the league, period.

Frayed Knot Sep 29 2014 12:23 PM Re: Duda and Southpaws

Edgy MD wrote: Yeah, but, an alternative is the semi-platoon, as noted above, where he gets perhaps every-other lefty starter. That could allow for a best-of-both-worlds scenario, where he gets time enough to improve, without enough time to sink the ship.. Sure, you have someone RHB on your squad capable of playing 1B, that's virtually an automatic. I just don't want them to (and don't think they will) start 2015 with the idea of sitting Duda down one to two games per week simply to have him avoid LHPs