Is Onedec's bat still hot?

by Bildo1805 on May 10, 2008 9:31 AM CDT

I've enjoyed the 2008 version of Onedec immensely. He hits in clutch situations. He's been pretty solid defensively. No baserunning gaffes to write home (or BCB) about.

For this reason, many have been pining for Lou to play the hot hand and give Ol' Ynnor some starts.

But: can we expect the hand to be hot?

Last 10 games:

May 7, 0-4

May 6, 1-4

May 4, 0-1, R

May 2, 1-1

May 1, 0-0 (PH BB)

April 30, 1-1, 2 R

April 27, 1-4

April 26, 3-5 (or, as I like to think of it, the night Ronny became Ynnor.)

April 25, 0-3

April 24, 0-0, R

So, what can we learn from this? Onedec's had 55 at bats since April 24. That's not a lot. But, he's been pretty clutch in PH duties, perhaps not as sparkling as we remember when he starts.

But, whatever. Those are just stats. The point is, I think Onedec's hot, he probably thinks it himself, and a lot of fans feel the same way. There's a power in that kind of confidence, and many have called for Lou to exploit it and put Onedec on the lineup card.

Here's my point, though: would the Ronny Cedeno Starting Experiment be a doomed one? Are our expectations too high? More importantly, would Lou's or Ronny's expectations be too high? Here's a guy that has been branded "hot" but has been given little in the way of consistent at-bats. We came into this season knowing Ronny had few chances left, mostly because expectations USED to be high and he didn't perform.

So, if started consistently over the course of a week or so, is Cedeno doomed to fail? Does it matter that he hasn't had much consistent playing time? Has time on the bench cooled him off?

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of SB Nation or Al Yellon, managing editor (unless it's a FanPost posted by Al). FanPost opinions are valued expressions of opinion by passionate and knowledgeable baseball fans.

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Sure give him a few starts

I feel he should be starting over Fontenot anytime Fontenot starts 2B. If Theriot has another 0-5 day I say give him a day off let Cedeno play SS. The problem is Cedeno still does make errors and Lou is getting pretty PO’d about errors.

by ak123 on May 10, 2008 11:22 AM CDT reply actions

only in the fickle fans perspective

Ronnie (Now the Man) has grown to be a potential MLB player at one of the most key positions on the diamond. I think Lou is waiting for the right moment to begin the transition. Switching Theriot to the utility player where he gets most of his starts at 2B along with DeRosa.

That is if things remain the same roster, something tells me that this roster is not set.

That said, I think DeRosa is actually that rotating starter, we will see, if he starts playing for Soriano, Fukudome, Lee for a while. I bet Lou will want to see Fukudome in CF one more time. Either way DeRosa at 2B and Theriot backing up the infield with Cedeno at SS improves the defense greatly, as long as Cedeno hits .280 or better and improves his mental approach to the game.

Piniella: "This is a tougher job than I thought it would be, I'm going to be honest with you."

by Ivy Walls on May 10, 2008 12:43 PM CDT reply actions

...

I think Lou is waiting for the right moment to begin the transition.

i don’t understand what you mean by that. Wouldn’t now be a good time to transition? Face it, Lou makes stupid decisions too. In all seriousness, you’re piniella-love really does blind yourself to his flaws. I like piniella-he is better than Dusty- but he’s made some headscratching decisions and this is one of them.

by ecbc on May 10, 2008 2:03 PM CDT up reply actions

I think both Ronny and Felix are not in Lou's future plans.

He has decided he would rather have more stable mediocrity than riskier talent. It’s a choice that a front-running team can make at the cost of future seasons. On the other hand, wiser teams (like the two in last year’s World Series) develop that talent in-season and reap the rewards by the end of the season.

by DGU on May 10, 2008 7:40 PM CDT reply actions

LSA

The answer to the question posed in the title of this post is, “We don’t know, because he’s not playing!”

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al Yellon on May 11, 2008 4:31 AM CDT up reply actions

Re:

He has decided he would rather have more stable mediocrity than riskier talent. It’s a choice that a front-running team can make at the cost of future seasons. On the other hand, wiser teams (like the two in last year’s World Series) develop that talent in-season and reap the rewards by the end of the season.

/yeahthat

rain delay theatre

by rob9802 on May 12, 2008 12:14 AM CDT up reply actions