(Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
Upton has some issues still. He is one of the players who loses concentration sometimes and stops hustling. He also strikes out too much with runners on base.
That being said, he has been the best thing about this season thus far, and along with Gerrardo Parra, seems to be a building block in the outfield.
Final Verdict: A
Starting Pitchers:
Dan Haren and Doug Davis have been fabulous. They deserve to be placed in their own category. The numbers they have put up, with the lack run support, is amazing.
Final Verdict: A
The next two pitchers have been confusing. They have excelled on the road but have been flat out terrible at home. Max Scherzer and Jon Garland have confounded their team and fans alike. The splits at home:
Scherzer is 3-3 with a 5.40 ERA.
Garland is 2-4 with a 7.51 ERA.
That is amazing since their overall stats are:
5-5 3.67 ERA
4-7 5.04 ERA
Final Verdict: C+
The fifth spot in the rotation has not been good. I don't have time to go through all the pitchers and all the stats, so I will just tell you the grade.
Final Verdict: F
Bullpen:
I really don't have the energy to deal with the depression that the bullpen has caused me as a fan. I couldn't imagine trying to manage this unit.
So I will say that Clay Zavada has been special. His story is amazing, and his work has been even better.
Other than that, I really don't want to comment on the terrible seasons of Chad Qualls, Tone Pena, Leo Rosales, Esmerling Vasquez, Jon Rauch, and Juan Gutierrez.
Final Verdict: F
Managing:
AJ Hinch was supposed to bring a new attitude and approach to the team, but all he has done is lose.
There are rumors that he does not have the respect of a lot of players. He has no managerial experience and a fat 3 year deal that means this is no interim plan.
He has made some bad in-game decisions, but even worse is the fact that players don't respond to him.
If he is the future of the organization from a managerial standpoint, then these players need to be flushed out and traded or cut.
You cannot have high expectations for a team when the players do not even buy into what the manager is selling.
Final Verdict: F (for now)
So what is there to do for this team? What needs to be done?
First they need to trade some of the veterans:
Felipe Lopez, Doug Davis, and Jon Garland all have some value and can get at least a decent package.
They need to find a third baseman or a first baseman and put Reynolds at the other spot.
They need to let the kids play this out and find out if they can play.
It is time to rebuild and everyone but Mark Reynolds, Justin Upton, Stephen Drew, Gerrardo Parra, Dan Haren, and Max Scherzer need to be on the block.
There is not much hope for this year, but that doesn't mean there is no hope for the future.
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