InmanRoshi;4583976 said:
Right now the biggest concerns are Nellie and Young. Josh's crazy spring covered up some warts in that lineup. At 35 years old, gotta wonder if the age isn't catching up to Young and if last year wasn't a fluke. We're now in June, it's getting a little late in the season for him to still be batting below .700 OPS. When your 1st baseman is slugging below .400 in that ballpark it's a problem. Nellie is 32 years old and has a lot of wear and tear on that body. Starting to wonder if we aren't beginning to see the start of a decline of his career arc. I'm not saying it's panic time, but I would start eyeballing some potential DH/1B types that might be available at reasonable price at the trading deadline, even if it's just to add a platoon bat.
I would completely disagree with this.
Young is still as solid as ever. He was in a slump for a few weeks (as every player goes through). Along with being a super utility infielder and the unofficial team captain. As long as he is getting his hits, which he is, (at a .288 batting average) he has significant value especially when you throw him in with the big bats around him. Also Young has never been a slugger he has been a hitter meaning he doesn't hit for power. He drives in runs (which I'll admit has been lacking this year, but I think his spot in the lineup has something to do with that) and gets to first base.
Nellie I think has improved his defense significantly this year which was his major weakness. And Cruz has always been a streaky player, but usually the way he can get hot for games at a time makes him worth it ('11 playoffs).
And with Napoli and Moreland playing first it is working out well. You can't have a .300 hitter at every spot. And with your bench players of Snyder, Gonzalez, and Murphy who you can plug in at anytime and get production it makes for a very solid lineup. Though inconsistent at times, but that's just the way baseball go.
But you may very well be right as well. Just my opinion of course. And I mean no disrespect.
