Arizona 1B Post Opening Day

[schlesinj]

Anyone have any insight on Arizona 1B? Based on a few games it appears that Nady will get some time vs lefties, but how is Gibson going to handle Branyan and Miranda. I own both and have daily transactions. I have a feeling I will be picking the wrong one for the 1st month until Gibson figures something out. I am not including Allen who is sitting in AAA too, ugh.

[OaklandA's]

Anyone have any insight on Arizona 1B? Based on a few games it appears that Nady will get some time vs lefties, but how is Gibson going to handle Branyan and Miranda. I own both and have daily transactions. I have a feeling I will be picking the wrong one for the 1st month until Gibson figures something out. I am not including Allen who is sitting in AAA too, ugh.

Branyan and Miranda are basically splitting time against RHP until one of them begins to stand out over the other. Branyan will make his first start today. So far, three games and three starters at 1B.

[pitbull]

Branyan and Miranda are basically splitting time against RHP until one of them begins to stand out over the other. Branyan will make his first start today. So far, three games and three starters at 1B.

At least I only spent $7 on Branyan in the draft last week. I wonder how this will end up playing out especially with Allen in the minors. No doubt there will be roster move later in the season after the D'backs fall out of the race either trades, call-ups or waiver moves.

[Porcello]

I don't think Arizona's management has a clue...on both what they were thinking when they were addressing 1B this offseason and how they're going to handle it now. Good article at fangraphs posted last week detailing how poor the decision making re 1B has been to this point, I agree wholeheartedly. If they aren't going to give Allen a shot then trade him for someone that you will.

[OaklandA's]

I don't think Arizona's management has a clue...on both what they were thinking when they were addressing 1B this offseason and how they're going to handle it now. Good article at fangraphs posted last week detailing how poor the decision making re 1B has been to this point, I agree wholeheartedly. If they aren't going to give Allen a shot then trade him for someone that you will.

I think people are over-rating Allen's performance in AAA last year. His line for Reno translates to something like .200/.313/.360 in the Majors, which is not nearly good enough to be a Major League first basemen. He needs to put up better AAA numbers this year, which I think he will do.

[Porcello]

I think people are over-rating Allen's performance in AAA last year. His line for Reno translates to something like .200/.313/.360 in the Majors, which is not nearly good enough to be a Major League first basemen. He needs to put up better AAA numbers this year, which I think he will do.

I get that, but when the alternatives are replacement level like Miranda and Branyan you throw the kid in there and see if he figures it out. It's not like we're looking at a 22 year old, at this point he'll either get it or won't. Another season in the minors is not going to help him.

[schlesinj]

From Rotoworld:

Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said Tuesday that Juan Miranda will be his primary starter at first base.
Russell Branyan will also get plenty of looks at first base in the early going and has enough power to stick around as a part-timer all season. Miranda is 2-for-5 with two strikeouts so far. Branyan is 2-for-4 with two walks.

[Hammer]

Did Nady lose his job already? 3 at bats so far through 4 games and is on the bench today.

[OaklandA's]

Did Nady lose his job already? 3 at bats so far through 4 games and is on the bench today.

Nady is only starting against LHP.

[onejayhawk]

I get that, but when the alternatives are replacement level like Miranda and Branyan you throw the kid in there and see if he figures it out. It's not like we're looking at a 22 year old, at this point he'll either get it or won't. Another season in the minors is not going to help him.

I am not sure Miranda is replacement level. He's new, so they are going slow, but he tore up ST and is supposedly doing a solid job in the field. If the kid has defensive issues, that matters.

[Weapon1]

Actually, I think he lost it in ST. I read people saying his bat looked awfully slow, though he did pick it up the last week. Conversely, Parra looked really good, but based on the first few games he is reverting to his standard regular season majors performance, so there is hope for Nady. I kept him at 5 in a 13-team NL.

[schlesinj]

So has Branyan taken back the spot? It appears he has started more recently than Miranda.

[hombre]

So has Branyan taken back the spot? It appears he has started more recently than Miranda.

Over the last 4 games, Branyan has started twice (v. Carpenter, Westbrook) and Miranda twice (Leake, McClellan).

I wish I had a link to the quote- but I think Gibson really tipped his hand in Spring Training, when asked about 1B. He talked about the great Springs that both Miranda and Branyan were having- but when pressed, he mentioned how just about all closers are RHP, and how valuable it would be to have a veteran, LH power bat on the bench who could be a late-inning game changer.

Now on one hand he may have a point there- i.e. you've got a relative kid in Miranda, and pinch-hitting is hard enough even for well-travelled veterans. It is quite a tall order to put a kid with almost no big-league experience in that situation and expect him to flourish. So if you view their skill level/production to be somewhat close, it makes sense to start the kid, and have the vet spot-start/pinch hit. On the other hand, if one thinks that Branyan is the superior stick to Miranda, it's kind of crazy to give up 3-4 AB's from the superior player, to "save" him for a key AB late in the game.

My read of the situation? It's still approximately a 50-50 timeshare for the present, against RHP. Nady will get most of the AB's vs LHP. I think Gibson would really like Miranda to take the job and run with it, and use Branyan as a spot-starter and late-inning power bench bat. However, if Branyan keeps raking, he will force Gibson to give him more starts. But if their numbers are somewhat similar, I would expect Miranda to gradually get more AB's. It likely all boils down to Miranda- we know what to expect of Branyan, but who knows if Miranda can handle big-league pitching.

[OaklandA's]

Branyan is starting again in Friday's game. That makes 3 starts in a row.

[OaklandA's]

And back to Miranda tonight, batting 8th. Still no clear everyday starter.