SSTN Mailbag: Lagrange, Weathers, And Dominguez!

I haven't watched enough baseball lately. Work has consumed my daily life to the point where watching any sports over the last 2 weeks has been a challenge. This past week, I was on the road domestically, so I theoretically could have watched some baseball, but my schedule made it quite difficult.

It is in that context that I heard about the USA's debacle against Italy in the WBC. Admittedly, I'm not ultra-engaged in the WBC, but I am paying attention to the major headlines. This one really caught my interest. The USA squad is managed by former MLB player and TV personality, Mark DeRosa. I won't rehash the details here as it's been discussed in great detail elsewhere, but DeRosa either didn't know that the USA squad hadn't yet punched their ticket to the Quarterfinals, or managed a critical game like it was an exhibition. Either way, this and other head-scratching decisions have come under the microscope.

I couldn't help but laugh at the juxtaposition to the Yankees' situation. They hired a manager from a very similar background. While DeRosa's mistakes have been far greater in a much shorter period of time, many fan complaints about Aaron Boone have been similar to what baseball fans have seen from Mark DeRosa. Having watched both as players and TV personalities, I will give Aaron Boone this: I think he was far better prepared to manage the modern game than DeRosa, but both have proven the immense difficulty of jumping from the TV booth straight into the dugout.

Boone's players seem to love him, and the Yankees clearly like the job he does behind the scenes, which is good because the one he does in front of our eyes is often lacking. Boone has won a lot of games, and he deserves credit for that. However, DeRosa's struggles at the WBC highlight the struggle it is for someone to jump from the booth to the dugout.

As always, thanks for the great questions and keep them coming to SSTNReadermail@gmail.com. In this week's SSTN Mailbag, we'll talk about Carlos Lagrange, Ryan Weathers, and Jasson Dominguez's new look! Let's get at it:

David B. asks: The more I watch Carlos Lagrange, the more excited I get. People keep comparing him to Dellin Betances, but I see someone different: Joba Chamberlain in 2007. Chamberlain was developed as a starter, but was phenomenal out of the bullpen. Lagrange throws harder than almost everyone and his stuff looks plenty good enough behind it. Does it make sense to just bring him straight to the majors instead of sending him to finishing school in the minors?

The world is learning a lot more about Carlos Lagrange this Spring, but the reality is that he looks to me like the guy I saw all of last season. Lagrange has one of the hardest fastballs in baseball, with a usable slider that flashes plus and a change-up that is inconsistent, but likewise flashing plus. There are also very legitimate questions about whether Lagrange can start long-term. Lagrange is a very large body to coordinate on the mound, and he doesn't have the innate athleticism in his movements or delivery that similarly large, successful starters have displayed.

That said, the Yankees have noted their intention to try to develop him as a starting pitcher, and that is generally the right course of action. Developing him as a starting pitcher allows him to face more batters, find more ways to get hitters out, forces him to develop his delivery even as he tires, and will make him even more viable faster, even if his home winds up being in a big league bullpen.

This Spring, Lagrange is testing that philosophy, because it is becoming clearer by the day that his raw stuff is enough to overpower big league hitters right now. Adding to that push is the fact that the last 2 spots in the Yankee bullpen remain rather unsettled (though Brent Headrick seems to have the inside track on one of those spots). Given how difficult the AL East will be this season, I can understand the push to start Lagrange in the big league bullpen and see how it goes.

However, I would hold off. I think it is very likely that Lagrange sees big league action this season, and I think that he will ultimately help in the bullpen. Lagrange's control has a tendency to falter, and I think there is benefit to asking Lagrange to go down to the farm and prove that he's ready when games count. He's testing my resolve on that opinion, but I think it remains the smart move. Lagrange could be up earlier than I anticipated, but I still want him to force the conversation.

Brian asks: Ryan Weathers looked awful his last time out. Do the Yankees need to send him to the minors for more seasoning?

I'm not worried yet. Almost all of the runs that Weathers gave up in his second Spring start were with runners on-base, pitching out of the stretch as opposed to pitching out of the windup. Many pitchers struggle with that early in Spring Training, and it appears that Weathers is one of those guys. If he still doesn't look good next week, my opinion might change, but everything else, from his stuff to his command, look quite good to me out of the windup. I'm confident he'll come around.

Mike N. asks: Did you see Dominguez switched his batting stance batting right handed? Thoughts?

It's an interesting shift. Dominguez typically utilizes a big leg kick to start his swing and time pitches to the plate. Early in Spring, he tweaked his stance and load to a much smaller leg kick and stride. My initial reaction is that this is a very good change.

Dominguez's biggest issue batting right-handed is his timing, which makes sense. He uses that stance the least, so it's hard for him to get in-rhythm batting from that side. A shorter stride gives him more time to evaluate the pitch and get his body in position to swing and adjust to the ball. The early returns are solid, as he's hit home runs batting right-handed against real big league left-handed pitching.

I have long believed in Dominguez's talent, and I think he's likely to figure it out batting right-handed. Hopefully, this is the beginning of him figuring it out.