DaTank Posted March 28, 2008 Share Posted March 28, 2008 (edited) A small paragraph written by Cowley of the Sun-Times, on the right side of Pg. 69 from today's paper. "USING THE ROOKIE: Manager Ozzie Guillen has yet to make his Opening Day lineup official, but he could be leaning towards rookie Alexei Ramirez in center field in the opener against the Indians' C.C. Sabathia because of the way Ramirez handles the fastball." Would this be the right decision? Edited March 28, 2008 by jenks45monster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daa84 Posted March 28, 2008 Share Posted March 28, 2008 (edited) QUOTE(jenks45monster @ Mar 28, 2008 -> 04:43 PM) A small paragraph written by Cowley of the Sun-Times, on the right side of Pg. 69 from today's paper. "USING THE ROOKIE: Manager Ozzie Guillen has yet to make his Opening Day lineup official, but he could be leaning towards rookie Alexei Ramirez in center field in the opener against the Indians' C.C. Sabathia because of the way Ramirez handles the fastball." Would this be the right decision? if ramirez is gonna be in the lineup....it should be ahead of uribe at 2b, not ahead of anderson/quentin .....so no i say its the wrong decision Edited March 28, 2008 by daa84 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Chappas Posted March 28, 2008 Share Posted March 28, 2008 Mike North was going on about this. If Alexi Ramirez is somehow ahead of Brian Anderson in any capacity of CF I really think Guillen will look for any reason to screw Brian Anderson. Oh and Carlos Quintin. Defense is obviously not a concern to this organization. A couple of things facing him, huge crowd on the road Opening Day, Cy Young type pitcher, cold, whatever. If this happens I may have to start to agree with the pessimissim on this board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearSox Posted March 28, 2008 Share Posted March 28, 2008 (edited) Well, Ozuna's gotta be in the lineup since he hits C.C., and most lefties in general, well. And I'd rather have Ozuna in 2B then any other position. And there isn't any doubt in my mind that Ramirez is a better hitter then Anderson and maybe even Quentin. So, I'd have no problem with Ramirez in CF on opening day. I'm not saying Ramirez should be ahead of Anderson on the depth chart, but in this matchup vs. C.C., I like his odds better. Edited March 28, 2008 by BearSox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
South Side Fireworks Man Posted March 28, 2008 Share Posted March 28, 2008 QUOTE(daa84 @ Mar 28, 2008 -> 02:46 PM) if ramirez is gonna be in the lineup....it should be ahead of uribe at 2b, not ahead of anderson/quentin .....so no i say its the wrong decision He's already playing Ozuna ahead of Uribe at 2B opening day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsidehawkeye Posted March 28, 2008 Share Posted March 28, 2008 (edited) QUOTE(daa84 @ Mar 28, 2008 -> 03:46 PM) if ramirez is gonna be in the lineup....it should be ahead of uribe at 2b, not ahead of anderson/quentin .....so no i say its the wrong decision I agree 100%, In my opinion Alexi has played his way into the starting lineup... but he should not be in the OF. His time in CF was not anything to smile at, if they want him to be anything more than a bottom of the depth chart OFer he needs to be in AAA getting every day practice out there. Alexi's spot is in the IF @ 2b/ss, he should be playing and getting more comfortable there. If we re-sign Cabrera and have a middle IF of Cabrera-Richar with Ramirez backing them up I will be a very happy man next year (not to say I wouldnt be just as happy with a Ramirez-Richar middle IF). Edited March 28, 2008 by southsidehawkeye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daa84 Posted March 28, 2008 Share Posted March 28, 2008 (edited) QUOTE(BearSox @ Mar 28, 2008 -> 04:57 PM) Well, Ozuna's gotta be in the lineup since he hits C.C., and most lefties in general, well. And I'd rather have Ozuna in 2B then any other position. And there isn't any doubt in my mind that Ramirez is a better hitter then Anderson and maybe even Quentin. So, I'd have no problem with Ramirez in CF on opening day. I'm not saying Ramirez should be ahead of Anderson on the depth chart, but in this matchup vs. C.C., I like his odds better. yeah i forgot pablo will be at 2b opening day...that said, i certainly have doubts that alexei is a better hitter than both quentin and anderson...even if its not spring training and its the regular season...60 ABs is still way too small a sample size to determine that IMO....besides anderson and quentin both performed similarly to ramirez this spring...so im not sure how alexei is without a doubt a better hitter if ramirez starts in center over anderson i believe this is just proof of ozzies dumb fascination with guys who are fast Edited March 28, 2008 by daa84 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearSox Posted March 28, 2008 Share Posted March 28, 2008 From what I've seen of Ramirez, he's one of the better hitters we have, IMO. He has an excellent approach, a nice swing, and just knows how to hit. Anderson and Quentin should both get their playing time, but so should Ramirez. I have no problem with Ramirez playing CF in certain matchups. But you're right, Ramirez shouldn't be the outright starter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitewashed in '05 Posted March 28, 2008 Share Posted March 28, 2008 QUOTE(BearSox @ Mar 28, 2008 -> 04:28 PM) From what I've seen of Ramirez, he's one of the better hitters we have, IMO. He has an excellent approach, a nice swing, and just knows how to hit. Anderson and Quentin should both get their playing time, but so should Ramirez. I have no problem with Ramirez playing CF in certain matchups. But you're right, Ramirez shouldn't be the outright starter. Well everything I've heard is Ramirez is a major league fastball hitter, but the offspeed stuff is going to kill him. Just look at how Grienke handled him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthSideSox72 Posted March 28, 2008 Share Posted March 28, 2008 I believe Ozzie just said yesterday or today that Swisher is the CF on Opening Day. I thought I even saw it quoted on here. So, unless Swisher gets hurt or something, I don't think Ramirez is starting on that day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WilliamTell Posted March 28, 2008 Share Posted March 28, 2008 I hear so many names starting it's kind of rediculous. If I had a lineup against Sabathia and had to put Ramirez in the lineup it might look like this..... LF Swisher SS Cabrera DH Thome 1B Konerko RF Dye 3B Crede C Pierzynski CF Anderson 2B Ramirez Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoxFanForever Posted March 28, 2008 Share Posted March 28, 2008 QUOTE(WilliamTell @ Mar 28, 2008 -> 04:20 PM) I hear so many names starting it's kind of rediculous. If I had a lineup against Sabathia and had to put Ramirez in the lineup it might look like this..... LF Swisher SS Cabrera DH Thome 1B Konerko RF Dye 3B Crede C Pierzynski CF Anderson 2B Ramirez I'd rather bat Thome 5th against CC and give someone like Dye or PK a shot to drive in some runs against a lefty like CC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerbaho-WG Posted March 28, 2008 Share Posted March 28, 2008 I think it's a smart move because Sabathia is a fastball pitcher, and the Indians' bullpen isn't exactly full of flamethrowers, something Ramirez would be better off against. However, if Ramirez sees any ABs against pitchers who toss primarily offspeed pitches - like Byrd - then Ozzie has no clue what he's doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearSox Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 QUOTE(Whitewashed in '05 @ Mar 28, 2008 -> 05:08 PM) Well everything I've heard is Ramirez is a major league fastball hitter, but the offspeed stuff is going to kill him. Just look at how Grienke handled him. he definitely needs to work on hitting offspeed stuff, but that comes in time. But as long as he can hit the fastball, he's gotta chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearSox Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 I'm willing to bet the opening day lineup will be: 1. Ozuna, 2B 2. Cabrera, SS 3. Swisher, LF 4. Konerko, 1B 5. Thome, DH 6. Dye, RF 7. Pierzynski, C 8. Crede, 3B 9. Ramirez, CF If it's a close ball game late in the game, and the Indians start going to their bullpen, like someone else stated isn't exactly filled with flamethrowers, we should then pull Ramirez and put Anderson out there. Anderson struggles with a lot of offspeed stuff still, but his D makes up for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackie hayes Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Mar 28, 2008 -> 06:14 PM) I believe Ozzie just said yesterday or today that Swisher is the CF on Opening Day. I thought I even saw it quoted on here. So, unless Swisher gets hurt or something, I don't think Ramirez is starting on that day. No, he said Swisher will usually be in cf while Owens is out, but he didn't say he'd be there opening day. In the same article, Gonzales reported that it was either Ramirez or Anderson for the opener. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackie hayes Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 QUOTE(SoxFanForever @ Mar 28, 2008 -> 06:21 PM) I'd rather bat Thome 5th against CC and give someone like Dye or PK a shot to drive in some runs against a lefty like CC. I'd rather see Thome and his career 0-for-11, 7k line against Sabathia riding the bench, personally. Obviously won't happen, I know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 QUOTE(jackie hayes @ Mar 28, 2008 -> 06:48 PM) I'd rather see Thome and his career 0-for-11, 7k line against Sabathia riding the bench, personally. Obviously won't happen, I know. Eh, if it wasn't opening day I might agree. But if nothing else, it's usually useful to at least put 1 lefty in a lineup just to mix it up. I'd prefer that to the 9 righty lineups Ozzie would put out against Santana sometimes. The lefty may not get a hit, but at least the pitcher sees something different that they have to worry about. No matter how good you are, you can't make a mistake to Thome just because he's the only lefty in the lineup against you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaliSoxFanViaSWside Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 QUOTE(jackie hayes @ Mar 28, 2008 -> 06:48 PM) I'd rather see Thome and his career 0-for-11, 7k line against Sabathia riding the bench, personally. Obviously won't happen, I know. I agree. Opening day be damned. Hell why not put BA in center and have Quentin or Ramirez DH and have them up higher in the order. If Ramirez is in there because he's a good fastball hitter put him where he can do some damage. Why have him hitting last behind the lefthanded AJ and Rusty Crede ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metz Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 QUOTE(BearSox @ Mar 28, 2008 -> 08:06 PM) I'm willing to bet the opening day lineup will be: 1. Ozuna, 2B 2. Cabrera, SS 3. Swisher, LF 4. Konerko, 1B 5. Thome, DH 6. Dye, RF 7. Pierzynski, C 8. Crede, 3B 9. Ramirez, CF If it's a close ball game late in the game, and the Indians start going to their bullpen, like someone else stated isn't exactly filled with flamethrowers, we should then pull Ramirez and put Anderson out there. Anderson struggles with a lot of offspeed stuff still, but his D makes up for that. I would pout Fields in there instead of Crede .... oh wait Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaTank Posted March 29, 2008 Author Share Posted March 29, 2008 QUOTE(JFields27 @ Mar 28, 2008 -> 11:22 PM) I would pout Fields in there instead of Crede .... oh wait I agree. But, who wouldn't? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaliSoxFanViaSWside Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 QUOTE(JFields27 @ Mar 28, 2008 -> 09:22 PM) I would pout Fields in there instead of Crede .... oh wait Freudian slip ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackie hayes Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Mar 28, 2008 -> 10:29 PM) Eh, if it wasn't opening day I might agree. But if nothing else, it's usually useful to at least put 1 lefty in a lineup just to mix it up. I'd prefer that to the 9 righty lineups Ozzie would put out against Santana sometimes. The lefty may not get a hit, but at least the pitcher sees something different that they have to worry about. No matter how good you are, you can't make a mistake to Thome just because he's the only lefty in the lineup against you. Something different, yes. To worry about, no. 7 k in 11 ab, that's the zenith of futility. I know it's not gonna happen, because it would considered a dis, but it's got nothing to do with baseball strategy. You can't look at Thome's history against Sabathia and think there's anything useful in having him in the lineup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaliSoxFanViaSWside Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 (edited) QUOTE(jackie hayes @ Mar 29, 2008 -> 06:06 AM) Something different, yes. To worry about, no. 7 k in 11 ab, that's the zenith of futility. I know it's not gonna happen, because it would considered a dis, but it's got nothing to do with baseball strategy. You can't look at Thome's history against Sabathia and think there's anything useful in having him in the lineup. But it should happen . Thome is a pro . He's got to know he sucks against CC. He's getting older though still highly effective but not nearly as much against lefthanders. He's got to know he won't play 162 games a year. If every win counts Ozzie has to explain he only wants to win every game. Put the best damn lineup out there all the time. I don't give a rats ass if it's opening day. If you always worry about "dissing" someone or getting someones value up then you're sacrificing wins and in a win now mode that just doesn't suit me. If it's a close game there will be opportunities to PH. Edited March 29, 2008 by CaliSoxFanViaSWside Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemon_44 Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 I'll go with Ramirez in CF over Anderson. Neither has proven himself at the ML level but you know what you're getting with BA and it's not good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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