Balta1701 Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 QUOTE (Jake @ May 31, 2012 -> 11:05 AM) Have to wonder if Morel hid/downplayed the injury to try to stay in the lineup. It always looks bad in hindsight, but in the moment as a player you're thinking that it'll just go away and you won't have someone potentially playing well in your position while you're resting. Of course there is some chance that his injuries have been played up by the team to explain his poor play. I don't know. Of course we're dealing with some new faces, but the team has gotten really vocal about guys who have done that in the past. I believe I recall a lot of that coming out with Peavy, for example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flavum Posted May 31, 2012 Author Share Posted May 31, 2012 All I'm going to say is Morel had moments in spring training where he looked very comfortable at the plate and drove the outside pitch to right/center. This could all be about his back, and if he actually feels better, then he is a better option at 3B than Hudson. The Sox have Hudson as a pretty darn good Plan B. Let's see what Morel can do when he gets back, and if he still sucks for a week, then send him down and go back to O-Dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Allen Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 QUOTE (Jake @ May 31, 2012 -> 10:05 AM) Have to wonder if Morel hid/downplayed the injury to try to stay in the lineup. It always looks bad in hindsight, but in the moment as a player you're thinking that it'll just go away and you won't have someone potentially playing well in your position while you're resting. Of course there is some chance that his injuries have been played up by the team to explain his poor play. I don't know. The Sox have been aware of his injured back and intestinal problems. I'm not a big Morel guy, but he can't be as bad as he's been this season. He was worse than a pitcher offensively most nights. We will see how he does, but IMO, if he's healthy, he's better than the ODog offensively and defensively at 3B, not that saying much, just like the ODog can be pretty mediocre, but he looks like an All Star compared to the 2012 version of Morel we have seen so far this season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkjt Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 31, 2012 -> 10:17 AM) The Sox have been aware of his injured back and intestinal problems. I'm not a big Morel guy, but he can't be as bad as he's been this season. He was worse than a pitcher offensively most nights. We will see how he does, but IMO, if he's healthy, he's better than the ODog offensively and defensively at 3B, not that saying much, just like the ODog can be pretty mediocre, but he looks like an All Star compared to the 2012 version of Morel we have seen so far this season. I have not heard of intestinal issues...what are they? Anyone that saw Morel at the plate last year,especially late in the year, could see that he was just not swinging the same this year. Seemed very robotic and mechanical,like he was favoring a bad back....could not get to the outside corner pitches at all. If he returns to his Sept. form,then he is the best 3rd base option for the Sox. If not, then Hudson is adequate. A big plus for Hudson is being a switch-hitter...it allows better at bats for him,and more walks,as pitchers just approach him different than a balky swinging Morel. Let Brent work out his issues down on the farm,and if he returns to form...bring him back, but not til then. Robin seems to have a very logical approach to this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 While Brent Morel is probably a more talented hitter than Orlando Hudson, I still remember a Brent Morel from last year that had frustratingly bad at bats. Never swinging aggressively, never taking a walk. The only redeeming quality was that he looked to the opposite field, but it was in a Juan Pierre kind of way, like he didn't want to hit ball too hard. Nothing was more frustrating than seeing him swing at anything the pitcher threw up there in a 2 strike count. If he could work a count like Hudson, he'd be a better hitter. But he has never shown me that he has an ability to intelligently pick spots to swing aggressively, know which strikes not to swing at, how to balance a 2 strike approach with one that might result in a hit, etc. Hudson is the better hitter because of what is between his ears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Allen Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 QUOTE (Jake @ May 31, 2012 -> 10:54 AM) While Brent Morel is probably a more talented hitter than Orlando Hudson, I still remember a Brent Morel from last year that had frustratingly bad at bats. Never swinging aggressively, never taking a walk. The only redeeming quality was that he looked to the opposite field, but it was in a Juan Pierre kind of way, like he didn't want to hit ball too hard. Nothing was more frustrating than seeing him swing at anything the pitcher threw up there in a 2 strike count. If he could work a count like Hudson, he'd be a better hitter. But he has never shown me that he has an ability to intelligently pick spots to swing aggressively, know which strikes not to swing at, how to balance a 2 strike approach with one that might result in a hit, etc. Hudson is the better hitter because of what is between his ears. Year TM G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS OBP SLG OPS AVG 2012 SD 35 123 11 26 0 5 1 11 8 27 3 2 .260 .317 .577 .211 2012 CWS 9 27 3 5 1 1 0 4 5 5 1 0 .313 .296 .609 .185 2012 Total 44 150 14 31 1 6 1 15 13 32 4 2 .270 .313 .583 .207 Am I missing something here? Hudson is hitting .185 with the Sox with a .609 OPS, and has made a couple of errors at 3B. Sure he's better than the current version of Morel, but at least we find out Morel has some excuses. Moving forward, if Morel is nearly as bad as he's shown, the Sox will need an upgrade from Hudson to compete the rest of the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 The quality of OH's at bats suggest that his average will go up. There's a sample size issue with his CWS numbers, but qualitatively it isn't that difficult to project those numbers up. You keep mentioning his defense like it's been bad - one error was a "bad" error and the other was the kind you expect on a tough play and was made possible by making a nice play with his glove. He's also made several very good plays, including one that likely decided a game for us. I know we like to think that you have to have an All-Star at every position to "compete the rest of the way," but this isn't the case...you just can't have any black holes, and that's not Hudson. If his next ten games make him look like a black hole (doesn't look like one now), we'll hopefully plug in a healthy Brent and not miss a beat. I wouldn't entertain too many thoughts about acquiring another alternative because we don't have the players or organizational philosophy to get a big fish right now. I don't know if there is a division lead big enough for KW to give up young players for a fix on the MLB roster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 QUOTE (iamshack @ May 31, 2012 -> 09:23 AM) Yeah, because the injuries had nothing to do with him sucking until very recently. And now that he's hurt, everyone wants to believe the injury was the reason why. I don't buy it. If that is true, he comes back and he shows no signs of improvement. If that is the case, we have a replacement for him on the roster. Morel's September shows that he could be way better than what Hudson is going to give us. If he can't demonstrate he is better, than you bench him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 31, 2012 -> 11:27 AM) If that is true, he comes back and he shows no signs of improvement. If that is the case, we have a replacement for him on the roster. Morel's September shows that he could be way better than what Hudson is going to give us. If he can't demonstrate he is better, than you bench him. I don't know if Morel will ever be good, but last year he was at least good enough to belong in the MLB. I don't know that he was meant to regress this season. I won't say that the healthy version is the .280/15-20 HR/75 RBI player that we hoped for, but he should at least hit well enough not to be an automatic out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigSqwert Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 So all of this hope for Morel to be a good hitter is based on one month of baseball last year when everyone has their September call ups pitching? Talk about zero pressure hitting against lower quality talent. September is as close to spring training as you can get when you're out of the race. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Allen Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 QUOTE (Jake @ May 31, 2012 -> 11:20 AM) The quality of OH's at bats suggest that his average will go up. There's a sample size issue with his CWS numbers, but qualitatively it isn't that difficult to project those numbers up. You keep mentioning his defense like it's been bad - one error was a "bad" error and the other was the kind you expect on a tough play and was made possible by making a nice play with his glove. He's also made several very good plays, including one that likely decided a game for us. I know we like to think that you have to have an All-Star at every position to "compete the rest of the way," but this isn't the case...you just can't have any black holes, and that's not Hudson. If his next ten games make him look like a black hole (doesn't look like one now), we'll hopefully plug in a healthy Brent and not miss a beat. I wouldn't entertain too many thoughts about acquiring another alternative because we don't have the players or organizational philosophy to get a big fish right now. I don't know if there is a division lead big enough for KW to give up young players for a fix on the MLB roster. One error was a bad throw, he also made a couple of other bad throws that were handled. The other error, a ball went between his legs. His last couple of seasons would suggest what you see is what you will get offensively. He isn't very good. If the other Sox players hadn't been playing well the entire time he's been here, he wouldn't be anywhere near as popular. I would even venture to guess the term DFA would have come up several times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 QUOTE (BigSqwert @ May 31, 2012 -> 11:34 AM) So all of this hope for Morel to be a good hitter is based on one month of baseball last year when everyone has their September call ups pitching? Talk about zero pressure hitting against lower quality talent. September is as close to spring training as you can get when you're out of the race. Versus getting excited about Hudson's line? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Ginger Kid Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 I definitely like Hudson on the bench as a backup infielder and the occasional LH bat. Plus his character is a plus and good for the team to have around. If healthy, I think Morel deserves a shot out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunofgold Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 QUOTE (Jenksy Cat @ May 30, 2012 -> 10:33 PM) A bench player who can't hit, isn't fast, and can only play 1 position. You can use Morel as a defensive replacement at 3rd late in ball games . Also if you want to give Bacon a day off, you can plug Hudson at 2nd base and use Morel at third. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 QUOTE (sunofgold @ May 31, 2012 -> 01:42 PM) You can use Morel as a defensive replacement at 3rd late in ball games . Also if you want to give Bacon a day off, you can plug Hudson at 2nd base and use Morel at third. If all you're using him for is a defensive replacement, both he and the team are better if he's in AAA. The team is better because it has more options if people have bad days, since Escobar can play more positions than Morel, and Morel's better because he can get back to working on hitting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 I don't have reason to believe that Orlando Hudson can't hit anymore. 34 is pretty early to drop off the map entirely and his drop would have been very rapid since just last year he was a more productive player than Brent Morel. Anyone complaining about Hudson's defense at this point is just grasping for straws. He very well may have 5 balls smashed at him tomorrow and look terrible, but he's done a very good job to this point. One play made him look bad. The other was a play lots of third basemen make -- make a great stop (does the average MLB 3B even glove that ball?) and the throw gets away due to the difficulty of the play. Claiming that he's made a bunch of bad throws that the first baseman has caught is a pretty weak argument and is conveniently not verifiable. He's come in on balls well and made that diving play to his right in Tampa that saved the game for us. This needs more time to evaluate. What we've seen from Orlando so far is not screaming "bench him!" A week from now we may have a very different feeling about it. If the BA stays low, chances are he may not hit unless he's been getting RBIs. If he botches some hot shots to 3B, it may not be worth having him learn the position. We shall see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justBLAZE Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 How long was Morel on DL for, if his bad hitting was really due to bad back and he is back to playing already.. seems like a very quick healer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heads22 Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 Morel is currently 2 for 4 in Charlotte tonight. 4 for 7 on his rehab stint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 QUOTE (justBLAZE @ May 31, 2012 -> 07:10 PM) How long was Morel on DL for, if his bad hitting was really due to bad back and he is back to playing already.. seems like a very quick healer. It'll be 15 days on Saturday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunofgold Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 Appreciate DA 9-O-DAwg! ODA going on right now. And 8-0 since Snoop Dogg threw out the first pitch. Who let these DAwgs/Doggs out! Vienna? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Scott Merkin @scottmerkin Morel finished 1-for-4 with a strikeout in Charlotte's loss today. He's 7-for-17 during Minor League rehab Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldsox Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Monday, 6/4. Charlotte has game scheduled. Sox have off day. This gives one more game for Morel; I would not be surprised if Hudson has played his way off the team. I think there is a good chance Morel is back on Tuesday, assuming he is okay medically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chetkincaid Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 (edited) On the Score they just finished discussing when AJ yelled at Hudson after AJ missed the infield pop up the other day. They said that Peavy was in the dugout sticking up for Hudson when AJ kept on and on about it. I wonder if anyone other than Peavy stands up to AJ. I wonder if Konerko ever told him to shut the hell up. LOL Ozzie always said that EVERYBODY hates AJ, we just hate him a little less than everyone else. Edited June 4, 2012 by Chet Kincaid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 QUOTE (Chet Kincaid @ Jun 4, 2012 -> 10:51 AM) On the Score they just finished discussing when AJ yelled at Hudson after AJ missed the infield pop up the other day. They said that Peavy was in the dugout sticking up for Hudson when AJ kept on and on about it. I wonder if anyone other than Peavy stands up to AJ. I wonder if Konerko ever told him to shut the hell up. LOL Ozzie always said that EVERYBODY hates AJ, we just hate him a little less than everyone else. AJ and Peavy always seem to be arguing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigruss Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 4, 2012 -> 10:54 AM) AJ and Peavy always seem to be arguing. If anything, Peavy was sticking up for Hudson because that's Peavy's ball to catch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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