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Stephen made a comment in his post from this morning that piqued my interest. He said the following about Randy Winn:
It seems mean-spirited to hate on the backup outfielder. He is probably a very nice guy with a very nice family, and I’m sure he’s trying his best to help the team win. He might even be excited to play on the Yankees, the World Series champion Yankees, in the hopes of winning a title after toiling in obscurity for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, the Mariners, and most recently the Giants. It’s almost enough to make me feel sorry for him; it’s certainly enough to blunt the edge of my disdain for his recent play and hope that he can turn it around soon. But Randy, could you meet us halfway? An OBP above .300 would be a nice start.
This is a refrain that I have heard more of lately, probably because the Yankees are playing so many people who would usually be backups. The idea is that when bench players are pressed into regular duty, it is only natural that they will be exposed as non-starting caliber players. In a way, it is not their fault that they are not providing adequate performance, and it is silly to blame these guys for the struggles of the team. They are working hard and doing their best, but they simply do not have the talent to provide the sort of performance that Yankee fans have come to expect from position players. I agree with this sentiment to an extent.
On the other hand, there is a level of performance that you expect even from your bench players, and I think Winn has failed to come near that standard. He has been awful at the plate, as his bat speed has clearly disappeared and he cannot catch up with even the most meager of fastballs. His saving grace was supposed to have been his defense, but he looks awkward in left field, has been turned around on a number of balls over his head, and made an atrocious error in last night’s game. In all, he has been an abysmal failure here, and I am not so sure that it is mean-spirited to rip a bench guy for failing to meet the standards required for a bench player, let alone a starter in the American League East.
What do you think? Is it fair to strongly criticize bench players who are pressed into everyday duty?
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9 Responses to Discussion: Hating On Bench Players
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Get him off the team and while they’re at it include Logan as well. Both are terrible and are more a liability than an asset.
Winn’s failure to this point is indisputable but it might be a little early to denounce him as devoid of value. This is really the first time in his career he hasn’t been a regular. That’s a major adjustment and one he might not be able to make, especially in the media capital of the world and against the best competition in baseball. However the Yankees knew all of this and chose to sign him. It certainly made sense fiscally and physically, He sign for $7 million less than he made with the Giants, taking the paltry remnants of a big budget that was down it’s last million. He was the anti- Damon, a fielder first and hitter second still he had solid numbers as a switch hitter with good speed. An excellent athlete and a proven veteran, Cashman coveted Winn on trade deadlines past and saw value in his versatility. In a worst case scenario the Yankees pay him off and cut him loose. He could still prove an asset as a switch hitter off the bench, a pinch runner and defensive upgrade. If the Yankees can’t win with Winn, they’ll know when to when and Winn will be gone with the wind. But until then cut the guy some slack.
Winn’s splits as a switch hitter make us wonder why he switch hits. Errors like the one last night are simply unforgivable.
I didn’t understand it then and I don’t understand it now: why did the Yankees let Hoffmann go for Winn? Hoffmann is nothing special, but he can play the field, he’s young, and he could only really get a little better. Winn is old, can’t hit to save his life, and his fielding seems to be in decline. But here we are, so I guess we just try to survive him while he’s starting and wait for Granderson to get back to full strength.
My original piece on Winn was actually a bit more strongly worded but I ended up trying to tone it down a little bit lest I let the frustration of the loss get the best of me.
A day later, I feel exactly the same way, which is to say that his performance is abysmal and frustrating. As much as I’m sure he’s a nice guy, I’d be fine with cutting bait and going with Russo or Huffman or anyone else.
What do you think? Is it fair to strongly criticize bench players who are pressed into everyday duty?
Only when they suck and Winn sucks, as does Thames (except as a DH against lefties) along with the General manager who brought them here.
Thames has been quite good. And yes, the GM for 4 World Champions and a team that has missed the playoffs once, he really sucks.
The worst. We should see if KC will trade us Dayton Moore.
When Granderson comes back, the Yankees should keep Russo on the roster and release Winn. It’s been a tiny sample size, but he if can keep this up, Russo is a much better option.
Also, with Russo swinging the bat far better than Pena, it would be great if Russo could play short and we keep him as utility and give somebody like Colin Curtis a shot at the backup OF slot. Hope he heals quickly from that high ankle sprain.
Thames has been quite good with the bat, but is such a liability in the field, it’s painful to watch. Does he last the season?
I think the Yankees will try to keep Winn around, allowing Russo to develop a bit more in the minors (although there’s not much ceiling there), particularly as an outfielder (so he can one day be a better super utility option). With regards to the question Mo posed, I definitely think people are hating on Winn in an unfair fashion. He is really a bench player that has been forced into duty. While there have been some glaring mistakes in the OF, on the whole, he is still a good fielder. With that in mind, he does provide some value, at least in terms of runs saved. Plus, though he has barely contributed anything with his bat, he has had a few hits.
So, there is something there in that sense (oh, and he can be used as a pinch-runner). Winn seems to be getting more hate than Cody Ransom did a season ago. Why that is, I have no idea. Unlike Winn, Ransom actually provided nothing and was actually a negative in all facets of the game. He didn’t make sense as a bench player. I hated on Ransom, but I think it was justified (and Joe Girardi probably deserves more of the blame for not finding another A-Rod replacement than Ransom did).