NFT: NY Yankees-Buy or Sell Solarte...

he is hungry and makes regular solid contact. He is solid enough in the field too. He'll stick.

but so far so good.

He looks very solid in the field, he can play a few positions and he regularly makes good contact. The kid swings with a purpose too, I love that.

How did we get him? Was he ever considered a good prospect? What are the projections on him?

stiking out the in his first 2 ab and adjusting last night showed me alot. It's still early. But,I'm buying. Unfortunatly if he goes into a slump ( which all players do) he may lose his starting position.

Then Texas last year, never got a cup of coffee with either of those teams. The Yankees signed him as a Minor League Free Agent this year.

but just ride him as far as you can. When Teixeira comes back don't put him on the bench, put Kelly Johnson or Roberts on the bench most days.

was he ever decent in the minors?

Gun to your head right now, 50 AB's into the season, are you buying or selling?

on John Sickels Minor League Ball blog

Quote:

Unlike most players on this list, Solarte has yet to reach his physical peak at age 27 and was not a top prospect coming up through the minors. Originally signed by the Twins as an international free agent in 2005, he's been in the Texas system the last two years where he has hit .282/.331/.404 with an average of 29 doubles and 11 home runs. He's not considered fast in any respect of the word, and his glove leaves a lot to be desired but man can he hit.

Link - ( New Window )

but, he just continues to hit. So, yeah, I'm buying it. He's always been able to put the ball in play throughout his minor league career and it looks like he's going to continue to do the same in the big leagues.

2013 MLB averages for 3rd baseman and players hitting 8th in the order....

3B: .260/.324/.412 (106 OPS+)

8th: .240/.303/.362 (87 OPS+)

Last couple of years in AAA he was a .280/.330/.400 type of hitter. 23 combined HRs in 263 games.

Solarte is going to lack power for an MLB 3rd baseman. If he plays 150+ games he could hit double digit homers but his power numbers will be pretty weak for a corner infielder. But I think he should hit above the .260 BA that the average 3rd baseman hit at last year. So his contact hitting skills should be good enough.

Playing for the Yanks is the key though. Because of our deep lineup, Solarte will only have to hit at the bottom of the order. The average #8 hitter in baseball is very weak. Solarte is going to be more than good enough to be an MLB #8 hitter. So the lack of pop at 3rd base hurts but he makes up for it by being a good enough contact hitter who is good enough to hit at the bottom of a strong lineup.

That he's going to maintain this pace, that he'll be respectable, or that he's going to drop off to spot duty?

I think he'll end up overachieving (against original expectations), but that he'll eventually come down to earth.

you will see.

some people just need to be put in the big leagues in the hardest spot to succeed and let their motivations and energy go to work. I imagine that some players have the ability but toil away in the purgatory of the minors.

I hope he has it, though his BABIP will regress to normalcy. I also hope his power is more related to being 27 and entering his prime, and not due to a small sample size.

In comment 11627110 kmed said:

Quote:

Gun to your head right now, 50 AB's into the season, are you buying or selling?

Gun to my head i'll buy.

his swing follow through reminds me a lot of Melky Cabrera.

guy that came out of the Twins org that started producing when he went to his second team at 27 is doing fine right now.

I am concerned about consistent at-bats as the season goes on. The Yankees suddenly have a glut of infielders. When Texeira comes back, he will take the majority of games at 1B. That moves Kelly Johnson back into the 3B picture. Does he platoon with Solarte? Both Johnson and Solarte also play 2B, but Girardi is going to give Brian Roberts consistent play until he proves he can't do it or gets hurt. What about Scott Sizemore? He plays 3B, 2B and now plays some 1B AND he will opt out of his contract if he gets sent down to AAA. They can send Dean Anna down to make room for Tex, but he the best backup SS that they have right now. What about SS Brendan Ryan? He's an unbelievable defender and can play great at any infield position, but he doesn't hit a lick. He's gonna be ready in a few weeks. How the hell are the Yankees going to juggle this mess?

really like how this kid carries himself. Like how he works the count, and swings the bat with a attitude. And his glove has looked good enough at several positions.

but need a much larger sample size, one that goes into next season as teams and pitchers learn to adjust, discover, and attack his weaknesses.

you don't have the luxury of waiting for a bigger sample size. From what you've seen so far, buying or selling that he will be a starting caliber MLB player.

.

FTW!

but we'll see. He certainly deserves to stay in the lineup until he proves he doesn't belong. It's not like they'd be sacrificing playing time that someone else badly deserves over him.

In comment 11627215 GiantJake said:

Quote:

I am concerned about consistent at-bats as the season goes on. The Yankees suddenly have a glut of infielders. When Texeira comes back, he will take the majority of games at 1B. That moves Kelly Johnson back into the 3B picture. Does he platoon with Solarte? Both Johnson and Solarte also play 2B, but Girardi is going to give Brian Roberts consistent play until he proves he can't do it or gets hurt. What about Scott Sizemore? He plays 3B, 2B and now plays some 1B AND he will opt out of his contract if he gets sent down to AAA. They can send Dean Anna down to make room for Tex, but he the best backup SS that they have right now. What about SS Brendan Ryan? He's an unbelievable defender and can play great at any infield position, but he doesn't hit a lick. He's gonna be ready in a few weeks. How the hell are the Yankees going to juggle this mess?

Unfortunately, when you're dealing with that many marginal players, things have a way of sorting themselves out via injuries, regression to the mean, etc.

be a very good player. Certainly not a .350 hitter but a very valuable asset. I like his swing.

He plays good all tear he will be a real fan favorite. Plus he is good defensively, can play second also, this guy is great right now, you don't even think about doing a thing.

first, he hits a lot of line drives and guys like that often have repeatably good Babip results. Second, he's willing to take a walk. A lot of young players are so eager to make things happen when they get to the bigs, they won't take walks. Then, when they slump, they won't slow things down and end up trying to bash their way out of them. I think Solarte seems to slow things down and grin already, so that's good. I have no idea what his sustainability is, but he has two or three good traits already.

I don't know if he can sustain this level to remain an every day starter. But, I definitely think he can stick in the majors.

he is a member of the ken phelps all star team

But I'm a hopeless optimist.

MLB average moves around but ends up in the high .290's usually.

That's not from turning outs into hits with speed like Gardy or Ellsbury, that's just a bunch of batted balls finding holes.

Career .733 OPS over 8 MiLB seasons, which is probably a lot closer to reality when the BABIP comes back to Earth.

Buy. He's a helluva lot better than Nunez or Adams last year.