Joey Terdoslavich as The Final Bench Option?
February 23, 2013 at 12:49 pm by Ben Duronio under Atlanta Braves
Prior to yesterday’s home run, a name seldom heard this spring — at least compared to last year — has been that of Joey Terdoslavich’s. This time last season, he was trying to make a defensive transition to hopefully be able to be the heir apparent at third base for Chipper Jones. The struggles he had both offensively and defensively are well documented, and the lack of success Terdoslavich had in the transition caused him to be kind of a forgotten man. I have never been as high on Terdoslavich as most, but I have always viewed him as a legitimate role player on this team down the line. With the current construction of the roster, he looks like the best player to fill the team’s final bench spot.
He would have to be added to the 40-man roster, which the Braves have room to do regardless, so that issue does not seem to be too worrisome if he plays well enough to earn the spot. In being a switch-hitter and a primary first baseman, he fills two holes the Braves currently have on the bench. The first would be left-handed bat off the bench, which is a pretty important role over the course of the season. The other is backup first baseman, as Chris Johnson is the likely favorite or potentially Ernesto Mejia — I would be vying for Mejia if he were left-handed. Terdoslavich is no gold glover at first, but he is certainly better than Johnson defensively, at least at his accustomed position.
Terdoslavich could also be used in the outfield a bit if the team suffers injuries at the corners. As it currently plays out, the Braves would be forced to play Reed Johnson, Jordan Schafer, Jose Constanza, or potentially Todd Cunningham against right-handed pitchers if Heyward or Upton were to be injured. With how much the offense should rely on those two players, getting at least close to replacement level offense is vital. It is doubtful that any of the four aforementioned outfielders would be able to do that for any legitimate stretch, but it seems reasonable to expect Terdoslavich to be the best hitter of the bunch against righties. The defense would not be as adequate, but if the team is looking for offense from a corner he looks like the next best bet.
I am not suddenly bullish on Terdoslavich — and especially not just because he hit a home run yesterday — but it just seems like his overall skill set fits with what the Braves need from him at this point. With his failure in transitioning to third base and the Braves acquisition of Justin Upton, there is no spot for Terdoslavich to find regular playing time at in the next three years. The Braves have made it clear that they do not see him as a starter at left field, right field, or first base with how they have constructed their roster, so it is time to put his skills to best use and make him one of the team’s more flexible bench options.
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To answer your question Ben, I give a resounding no. Being left handed (well a switch hitter but someone who hits left handed still the same) does give him an advantage but it shouldn’t be the deciding factor. I personally don’t believe he would make the bench any better, if he even does at all, over guys like Gattis, Dewitt, or Mejia.
I think having him on the bench getting maybe 3-4 at bats tops a week and not playing the field hardly ever will hurt him in the long run. Terdoslavich will never be a part time player much less a regular everyday guy in Atlanta. The Braves need to keep him in AAA to see if he can build some trade value for a possible deadline acquisition or one that takes places in the offseason because that’s ultimately what will happen.
I’m with Ben. The team really needs a solid LH option on the bench. As a pinch hitter, Terdoslavich is pretty clearly a far better option against RH relievers than anyone else fighting for the final bench spot. As a spot starter, he gives the team more flexibility than any of the other options. With Reed Johnson on the roster, there isn’t much need for Schafer or Constanza as third-string CFers and I’d rather see Terdoslavich in LF than either of them. I don’t see any real reason why you would want Dewitt on the roster in addition to Janish/Pastornicky/Pena. Gattis, I’ll admit, is tempting, but where is he going to play? Johnson will still be the first option when an outfielder needs a breather and Laird will still be McCann’s back-up. The bottom line is that there is no logical time to give ANY of the other guys under discussion a spot start unless you are dealing with a massive rash of injuries. With Terdoslavich, there is – he could give Freeman an occasional day off against LH starters and could give either of the Upton’s a breather (obviously with Heyward covering CF when BJ needs a day off) against RH pitchers if needed.
I’m also not sure a buy the “build his trade value in AAA” argument. I think that Ben is assuming that Terdoslavich is going to be a back-up corner guy long-term. He doesn’t have the defensive versatility to make it as a regular at 3B and he is unlikely to ever hit enough to make him a legitimate starter at 1B. I assume that other organizations would reach the same conclusion. For all of the reservations about jumping on the Gattis bandwagon, he seems to be more highly regarded at the moment. If you’re looking to extract trade value from a blocked prospect, wouldn’t it make more sense to keep Gattis at AAA than Terdoslavich?
Being a left handed hitter SHOULD BE the deciding factor for the last bench spot, unless you want sluggin Schafer to get those late game pinch hits.
The last bench spot does not need to be left handed but who can hit RHP the best. Mejia or Gattis may hit RHP better than Terdoslavich, even if Terdo can bat LH. Why send a lefty, like Fredi did with Constanza, to bat against a RHP if a righty can hit RHP better. If Terdo is the better than Mejia or Gattis then I’m cool with the decesion but if the main reason is because he can bat LH then the logic is flawed.
Sure, I agree with you in the sense that I would rather see Gattis at the plate than Schafer against a RH pitcher. There is little reason at this point to think that Terdoslavich wouldn’t be better against RH pitchers than Gattis or Meija. Of course, if Gattis continues to homer every game…
You’re correct. What I meant was that being a lefty is probably what is going to influence the decision. If Gattis gets the backup catcher job out of st then J-Terd has a good shot at the final bench job
With the Braves fully healthy this could be how the bench shapes up.
Gerald Laird
Paul Janish
Joey Terdoslavich
Reed Johnson
Chris Johnson
Evan Gattis
But that does leave the bench short of proper death up the middle. They would most likely want to carry both Janish and another middle infielder, Pastornicky. Which would mean it would be either Gattis or Terdoslavich for that final spot. You would like to have a left-handed hitting guy on the bench but how could you justify carrying Terdoslavich over Gattis if Gattis has a better spring?
That’s one too many players.
Is it a definite that we’ll carry 12 pitchers? I’m pretty sure they’ve typically done that in the past, but wasn’t sure if it was for sure.
Does the more regular use of the DH impact this decision at all?
You must have forgotten that normal MLB regulations do not apply to El Oso Blanco. He’s actually also allowed to be on the field when there are already nine others, playing the “Rover” position and batting cleanup. It is optional whether or not the pitcher wants to hit. I would let Medlen and Hudson hit, but the others should forfeit their spot.
Why would they want to carry two middle infielders? Uggla and Simmons are going to start virtually every game and it’s unlikely that Fredi will ever use a defensive replacement for Uggla or pinch-hit for Simmons. Barring injuries, it’s doubtful that the back-up middle infielder would get more than 15 or 20 starts between 2B and SS.
Because of the unthinkable were to happen and you would have an injury to both Simmons and Uggla in the same game you’re up a creek without a paddle. Who would play 2B in that situation? Chris Johnson? I can’t think of any other possible solutions to guard against that except to carry 2 middle infielders.
But what if both the backups get hurt?
You can’t plan for all unlikely contingencies. I would rather have better bats on the bench (for the definite pinch hit opportunities) than plan for unlikely contingencies.
that’s an issue for what, a couple innings of one game? Then you make the move immediately after if two players get injured in one game. No reason to sacrifice many games for a small chance you could be in trouble for a small part of one game. Ideally you want two middle infielders on the bench, but ideally you also want two left handers on the bench too, so…
And what better bats are that? Pastornicky is a better hitter than Janish but Janish is far and away a better fielder. Terdoslavich? Dude got exposed big time at Gwinnett last year. If you can’t hit Triple-A pitching how can you hit major-league pitching? Jordan Schafer? We’ve seen what he can do and at the major-league level and it’s next to nothing. Constanza? Pena? Who?
Terd is still a prospect. They tend to get better and adjust to things after being given time to develop. I’m not saying he’s going to be amazing or anything but I don’t think getting “exposed” with a “180 / 252 / 263″ means that all he’s good for forever.
I had to look it up but Joey is only 24. I thought he was already 26 or 27 because I never heard of him until last spring when everyone was talking about him taking over for Chipper.
If that’s the bench, less one of them to get the number right, it sure looks weak. Who there could be expected to have an OPS over .700 for the season? Not Laird, nor Janish. Terdoslavich’s minor-league record argues against it. Not Reed Johnson. Maybe Chris Johnson if used strictly in a platoon role. As for Gattis, he’s a question mark, though there are good reasons for being skeptical about him.
Reed Johnson has a career OPS of .752. Chris Johnson has a career OPS of .775 against RH pitchers. Laird and Janish are on the bench because of their defensive value (no one who isn’t lucky enough to have David Ross on their roster is getting serious offensive value from the back-up catcher or shortstop). I’m not so sure that Terdoslavich’s minor league record argues against his ability to produce an OPS over .700. He obviously flopped at AAA last year, but there is certainly reason to hope that was an aberration. He’s obviously not a viable option at 3B and won’t hit quite enough to be a solid first basemen or corner outfielder, but there is a huge difference between saying that and saying that he won’t produce an OPS over .700. I do agree, though, that the bench is going to look a little weak if Schafer or Constanza is the fifth man. Hence the reason for the renewed interest in Terdoslavich as a LH bench bat…
All this article did was make me realize how much we will miss Martin Prado.
Pastornicky is a better fit than Janish for a bench job because bat will be more important in that role than glove.
That said, I think neither will make it. I think Pena will be the backup middle infielder.
No way Pena makes the team over Janish. The only way Pena makes the opening day roster is if Janish is still on the DL.
Bingo
Left un-addressed in this article is Terdoslavich’s lack of experience / success above the AA level. Not sure I am comfortable giving him the primary LH pinch hitting role when he was a sub-200 hitter playing every day at AAA. Yeah, he did alright back in AA, but it still seems a bit much to ask a semi-prospect switch hitter to stay sharp from even one side of the plate seeing only a handful of AB’s a week.
Problem is, most of the LH bench-bat types go to AL teams first because of the DH position. NL teams only get the dregs because of reduced playing time. Overbay, kelly johnson, even travis hafner could have been good fits as bat-only vets who hit LH. Alas they are all off the market. Jim Thome anyone?
C Laird
3B/1B C. Johnson
IF Pena or Janish
OF R. Johnson
OF Schafer
I know it sounds crazy, but the front office is still in love with Schafer. If he hits at all this spring, they’ll carry him. Heaven forbid he gets picked up by Seattle to be their 5th OF. Wren can’t stand the thought of him reaching waivers.
Man, I do *not* get the fascination with Schafer. From what I recall, he’s a ten-cent head without the million-dollar talent.
I agree with Karyn. At this point I prefer Terdo and El Oso Blanco to Schafer. Schafer did not come to Spring Training timely and Reed Johnson is a better back up OF. There is no room for Schafer.
I love all the arguments , but today is March 5th lets take a look at the Spring stats .Oh! WOW! “Terd”leads the team in Hitting, AVG, OBP ,SLG ,OPS , As A Switch hitter.What would happen if he got to play everyday.Remember this kid was moved up quite quickly by the braves last year and i believe he was star struck, c’mon he went from single a to taking ground balls with Chipper. I frankly think the Braves are making a large mistake not giving “Terd” an opportunity. This kid has just started to become a Man at this game.