Elias Schuster
π€ SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
And yeah, it's really tough for Ballesteros, who is very much in the mix to get regular at-bats as their designated hitter.
You know, part of that, too, is, you know, they still want him developing as a catcher.
And so for him, I mean, he's already β this is day six since pitchers and catchers first reported last week.
And so that's a lot of hands-on experience and guidance that, you know, he really needs to continue his catching development.
So I think there's definitely a little bit of concern, you know, within the organization that both these guys β
Yeah, I mean, I think it's really a situation where you can β if they feel like he can handle, you know, the corner outfield spots, you can put him out there and you can give, say, a day at DH.
You can give Ian a day at DH.
You can really try and protect against infield injuries and wear and tear by moving him around second, third, even short if needed.
And, yeah, and obviously you can factor him into the DH role too.
So, I mean, I think there's definitely β
a pathway to 400 late appearances, if not more.
I mean, again, I think it's going to come down to player health, and I think that made it appealing to
keep him and Nico because you just don't know what's going to happen over the course of the season.
For them, they just need him to continue to develop offensively.
He showed some promising signs in the last two months of the season and in the playoffs.
He's certainly got some exposure to top pitching.
For them, I think it's just going to be a rotation where you can give guys a day off their feet and obviously mix them in at DH as needed.
I mean, it might have been a little bit warmer almost yesterday in Chicago than here.
Right now it's about 65 and partly cloudy, so it's a little brisk for Arizona.