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Burger working out at 2B


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4 hours ago, vilehoopster said:

Are 2nd base and RF weak spots, or are they the only places where Sox don't have an all-star or Silver Slugger candidate? 

Potential all-stars/ Silver Sluggers:  Catcher, check:  1st base, check;  shortstop, check;  3rd base, check;   LF, check;  centerfield, check.  So that leaves only RF and 2nd. 

Vaughn had an OPS of .938 vs lefties last year (rookie year) and Sheets had an OPS of .900 vs. righties last year, also as a rookie. Both were competent in the field. Again both were rookies and should show significant improvement in 2nd year (You know like Moncada and Robert).  So,  to label a RF hybrid of those two as a weakness going into next year is just not true. Are they all-star/ Silver Slugger candidates? No, but far from weaknesses. Well, maybe defensively, but as someone said earlier on this thread, the move now is to sacrifice defense to get big offense in the line up. I agree with that. 

Now as for maybe Burger at 2nd base, that's a pretty electric bat, so far from all indications. He might struggle there on defense (let's fine out), but again, is 2nd base really that more difficult than 3rd; let's get that bat in the line up; it has a much higher ceiling than Garcia or anyone else I can imagine the Sox getting. 

Let me get this straight, you want to rock a defense with Vaughn/Sheets in RF and Burger at 2B?  Like I can’t imagine what that would do to our team defense.  I’m all for letting Jake learn the position in camp/minors and enhance his versatility, but entering the season with him as the starting 2B on the major league club is the definition of insanity.

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56 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Let me get this straight, you want to rock a defense with Vaughn/Sheets in RF and Burger at 2B?  Like I can’t imagine what that would do to our team defense.  I’m all for letting Jake learn the position in camp/minors and enhance his versatility, but entering the season with him as the starting 2B on the major league club is the definition of insanity.

I don’t want to see Burger facing a lot of tough righties.  If anything platoon him with Sheets at DH.

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4 hours ago, bmags said:

What?

We tried to "improve" all those guys by moving them their off initial positions.

Leave Burger at 3B/1B/DH.

Would have been better to just run Hernandez out there and hope for an offensive rebounds.

You're just going to get him hurt again.

We keep saying it's so easy to find corner outfielders, DH's, 1B...heard over and over again that Madrigal would be easily replaced, too.

The only sort of logical thing is they're trying to play up his versatility to boost potential trade value.

Edited by caulfield12
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1 hour ago, caulfield12 said:

We tried to "improve" all those guys by moving them their off initial positions.

Leave Burger at 3B/1B/DH.

Would have been better to just run Hernandez out there and hope for an offensive rebounds.

You're just going to get him hurt again.

We keep saying it's so easy to find corner outfielders, DH's, 1B...heard over and over again that Madrigal would be easily replaced, too.

The only sort of logical thing is they're trying to play up his versatility to boost potential trade value.

I think he’d rather be a major leaguer but maybe we can ask him if he wants to be charlottes starting 3b instead.

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9 hours ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Let me get this straight, you want to rock a defense with Vaughn/Sheets in RF and Burger at 2B?  Like I can’t imagine what that would do to our team defense.  I’m all for letting Jake learn the position in camp/minors and enhance his versatility, but entering the season with him as the starting 2B on the major league club is the definition of insanity.

Well it can't get much worse they were 26th ranked last season!

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26 minutes ago, Harold's Leg Lift said:

The exchange is rushed and clunky and his feet are slow and heavy.  Watch a real big league 2B do that same drill and the difference would be glaring.  

Putting some time in at second will likely broaden his experience and possibly improve his play at his natural position at third. I really think that it would be best for all concerned to move him to a team where he has a legit shot at making a ML club at third. With the logjam at DH and Moncada locking down the corner he could easily get lost in the shuffle.  Win -win in moving him to another team.

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8 hours ago, FoxForce2 said:

Putting some time in at second will likely broaden his experience and possibly improve his play at his natural position at third. I really think that it would be best for all concerned to move him to a team where he has a legit shot at making a ML club at third. With the logjam at DH and Moncada locking down the corner he could easily get lost in the shuffle.  Win -win in moving him to another team.

The other part to think about is injury. Right now, Leury is the starting 2b, he has a big injury history, and he also is the backup for SS where Anderson usually has an injury every year. Presumably they still want to add someone at 2b, but even if they do that, an injury to that player, Leury, Moncada, Garcia, Anderson, or Romy creates a need for a backup IF, and I bet that several of those guys will have IL stints at some point. If Burger played there for 10 games, his defense is unlikely to cost them the division, and that depth could be useful.

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1 hour ago, Balta1701 said:

The other part to think about is injury. Right now, Leury is the starting 2b, he has a big injury history, and he also is the backup for SS where Anderson usually has an injury every year. Presumably they still want to add someone at 2b, but even if they do that, an injury to that player, Leury, Moncada, Garcia, Anderson, or Romy creates a need for a backup IF, and I bet that several of those guys will have IL stints at some point. If Burger played there for 10 games, his defense is unlikely to cost them the division, and that depth could be useful.

Conversely, is his additional positional flexibility MORE LIKELY to get a White Sox SS (see Anderson, Tim) or even 1B injured?

One can easily imagine it happening, due to general unfamiliarity the position, covering on steals or double plays, where to be on the field for cut-offs.

 

We're already worried enough about this with Jimenez and Sheets in RF (of course, Robert by extension), let alone Abreu at 1B...with the pitching more LIKELY to be down this year compared to last, it really doesn't make sense not to just have a competent defender at that spot as the primary back-up (or starter).

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21 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

Conversely, is his additional positional flexibility MORE LIKELY to get a White Sox SS (see Anderson, Tim) or even 1B injured?

One can easily imagine it happening, due to general unfamiliarity the position, covering on steals or double plays, where to be on the field for cut-offs.

 

We're already worried enough about this with Jimenez and Sheets in RF (of course, Robert by extension), let alone Abreu at 1B...with the pitching more LIKELY to be down this year compared to last, it really doesn't make sense not to just have a competent defender at that spot as the primary back-up (or starter).

No. Jake Burger taking over 2b because of an injury is not more likely to cause Jake Burger to take over 2b because of an injury.

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41 minutes ago, Balta1701 said:

No. Jake Burger taking over 2b because of an injury is not more likely to cause Jake Burger to take over 2b because of an injury.

I'll happily go on the record saying any MLB games of Burger at 2nd will endanger either himself or other Sox players.

Moreso than Jimenez in LF and Sheets/Vaughn/"Palka" in RF place Robert in jeopardy...or run the risk of him overextending himself trying to do too much to cover for them.

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2 hours ago, ron883 said:

I'd like them to get him some reps at shortstop as well. He's definitely got the arm to play there. 

Just so we’re clear, you mean for the 40 or so games when Tim is backup catcher right?  You’re not advocating for full time Tim at C…or are you?

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People freaking out about Burger taking reps at 2B in personal offseason workouts when his natural position is very much blocked are comical. Relax people. He’s just doing what he can to get himself big league reps. Chances he’s ever anything but an emergency 2B are remote. 

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I'm on record with my concern/interest to see if/how he can adjust defensively to meet the requirements to play 2B. Let him get the reps in the off-season to see what he can do, can't hurt.

Setting aside all rational thought now and jumping on the positive feedback loop, I now fully expect him to be the next Max Muncy that can play every infield position and mash as a big guy.

Don't let me down, Max! Er, Jake!

 

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I'd just like to add that the Sox were one hot Lance McCullers away from their defense being THE reason they failed in 2021.  

The glaring issue was mainly controlling the run game but I'm very hesitant to fill any of our three obvious openings (2B, RF, Backup C) with anything less than an above average defender. 

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I'm not sure burger will be able to play 2b full time but for his playing time it would be good if he became good enough at 2b so that he could play there occasionally. 

 

If he could play 1st, 3rd, second and maybe left field in a pinch (and of course DH) you could carry him kinda as a super utility guy albeit of course ideally you want your util guy to play short in a pinch too which definitely wouldn't work with burger. 

But generally more flexibility is better

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19 hours ago, GREEDY said:

I'd just like to add that the Sox were one hot Lance McCullers away from their defense being THE reason they failed in 2021.  

The glaring issue was mainly controlling the run game but I'm very hesitant to fill any of our three obvious openings (2B, RF, Backup C) with anything less than an above average defender. 

 

I'd be more than happy with like Jose Iglesias or Andrelton Simmons playing 2B and hitting 9th.

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