Why? What makes Castillo/Ramirez so much better? I'm not saying they aren't, because they might be, but Koyie Hill is certainly a pitchers catcher.
1It's 14 PAs... every hitter has slumps. Yes it's bad, but it's the first week of ST. 2Why can we use 14 PAs against Hill, but if someone else does it, it's no big deal?
3Great Garza has gotten a hit in SPRING TRAINING. That's fantastic. It's spring training.
4I'm not "sticking up" for him, but to say he should be cut after going 0-14 in SPRING TRAINING is ridiculous. Plus, does anyone actually expect Hill to hit well? Why is anyone surprised at this? It's Koyie Hill. 5 He's not on this team to be an offensive force, or even to start games, he's here to be a defensive back up. That's exactly what should be expected of him.
6You're right, no catcher can play 162 games, but why did Koyie Hill start 60 games last year? Why did Koyie Hill pinch hit for Geovany Soto? These things are all on Lou.
7Why is 0-14 such a big deal? In the 2nd week of the season last year, Colby Rasmus went 0-15, as a starter for the Cardinals. Does that mean that he should have been cut?
1. Hill has had a one year slump. It's not even like oh, he's gone 0-14 this season. I can't find the proof, but I'm fairly sure he had a stretch that he went like 1-32, or something like that last season. He strikes out in nearly 1/3 of his at bats and gets a base hit even less than that, like 1-4, roughly.
2. I'm not saying that at all. The fact that Colvin has gone 5 for 22 so far has me a little concerned. And before you get all "ZOMG, it's only spring training," he hit close to .500 last year in spring training. And it's always nice to see everyone, regardless of whether or not they make the roster or not, hitting well. It gives them confidence for the beginning of the regular season in Iowa, Tennessee, Chicago, etc.
3. So, the hitting only applies if it's not spring training? That make no sense at all. Right, it doesn't count on score sheets and stats and all of that. But you don't think that it gave Garza some confidence for later on? I'm pretty sure every time Hill walks up to the plate he remembers his last 14 plate appearances and the long walk back to the dugout after each one. That's not exactly good for morale. Likewise, if Hill can start stringing hits together, and I'm not saying he needs to go 3-4 with a two-bagger each game, but even 1-3 with a walk would be a HUGE improvement and it will build on itself. Hitting, even in spring training, matters.
4. Then if Castillo or Ramirez can prove that they are equally as proficient defensively behind the plate as Soto (because I think Hill is a fundamentally better catcher), Hill should be cut. Maybe not right away, but if he hits his body weight consistently, that's an issue.
5. You're right. No one expects Hill to be a huge offensive powerhouse. Mostly because he's proven that he isn't. Again, I'm not saying that Hill needs to consistently go 3-4 with doubles and triples, but a base hit or a walk or an RBI here and there isn't too much to ask. Even for a backup.
6. Sweet Lou did have a bit of a man crush on Hill, I'll give you that. Hill probably should have only caught closer to 40 games. And he should have NEVER pinch hit for Soto. That is just dumb.
7. That's comparing apples to oranges. You said before everyone goes through streaks of not hitting, this is one of them, clearly. And the difference between Rasmus and Hill is that, unlike Hill, Rasmus is only in his second year in the big show. Hill is like the Ray Allen of the Cubs. Also, in Rasmus's two years, he's proven he can hit. He went from a .250-ish average to hitting about .275. And he's probably only going to improve on that.
I hate Koyie Hill just as much as anyone else, but it's not his fault that he was played so much last year. It's Lou Pinella's fault. Plus, 14 PAs? You can't base anything off of that.
