I have been hoping for DVH to sit Slavens for 2 or 3 weeks now. He’s hopelessly flailing up there at the plate…Lets give Diggs or Soliz a shot…
I was thrilled and shocked when Brady hit the sac fly yesterday. When your highlight over a 3 week period is still an out, it’s time to sit and let someone else try. Especially since he is NOT an elite defender, which a guy like Webb is. Slavens is a mediocre (at best) outfielder.
I feel bad for the kid. He’s obviously trying hard, but it just isn’t happening. DVH has given him plenty of time to pull out of it, and it’s just getting worse.
Understand and that might be true. But DVH himself has said that we’re overloaded with LH hitters…so why not platoon for now with Diggs (L) and Soliz (R)? At this point anyone else.
I’m not saying Brady might not sit out for a while, get the pressure off of his shoulders and come back with a better approach later in the season. But at present he is a K or DP waiting to happen every time he steps in the batter’s box.
Yeah, you don’t sit the guy who led last years team in batting average (except for PH Welch), RBIs, and slugging%. You give him extra batting practice and coaching from your hitting coach. Tweak his swing a tiny bit and he’ll soon get back into last season’s form.
It’s way too early to give up on him and “bring him back later in the season”, sheesh.
If there is any coach whose judgment I trust, it’s DVH’s. I admit I don’t understand it, but he is so good, I’ll just sit back and say! “Whatever you think, coach.”
He was such a vital part of the team last yr and they are giving him every opportunity to come out of it, they are seeing good things out of him in BP(was hitting them out everywhere yesterday).I do agree though he is really struggling.
I know Slavens strikes out a lot. I’m sure it’s as frustrating for him as it is for the fans.
However, I gotta wonder if CDVH leaves him in as DH solely for the purpose of his power and HR potential? I don’t mind so much when he comes to bat with runners on and no outs, if he strikes out. The potential of him going yard is why he is in there. It’s much more frustrating when there are one or two outs, because the potential strike out is a momentum and inning killer.
I doubt DVH is satisfied with all the strike outs, and he may very well sit him at some point. There are other options available including guys with power but can also put bat on the ball.
I don’t know if the HR potential will continue to be worth all the strike outs. Especially in critical situations. Those specific situations could be when coach opts for a pinch hit DH.
I think when Bohrofen is healthy, Slavens will probably sit some. The thing about Slavens, we know what he’s capable of doing. I suspect he will get it turned around at some point. He has to slow things down.
I’m a lifetime White Sox fan and I spent Jose Abreu’s first few years wondering what had happened to his bat early in each season. I finally learned to be patient. It seems every year he bats .200 to .230 in March to Mid May, with little power. Then the rest of the season he hits .350 with plenty of power and ends the season batting .300, with 30+ homers and 100+ RBIs.
Fayetteville isn’t as cold as Chicago in those early months, but it gets plenty cold in many March and April games. Maybe, like Abreu, Slavens’ bat will warm up with the weather.
I already addressed that…Webb is a superior CF…as an outfielder, Slavens is (was) a good DH. He’s almost a liability in the field. The ONLY reason he’s in the lineup is his bat, and if that’s not working (as it clearly is NOT now), there’s no reason for him to be playing in games.
I suspect DVH made an easy decision to let Slavens play when he had a long winning streak hoping he breaks out of it. If losses pile up, that flexibility narrows considerably.
This had to happen. Hopefully, Brady will use the time to relax a bit, re-focus on the fundamentals and will be able to help us as the season progresses. We all know he has that potential…but sometimes you have to pull back to move forward.
