Man, you act as if Fry is a PH demon and tough out. The reason Vogt picks his spots for him to squeeze out some production is the telling part.
No one would have picked Huff in Rule 5, not even me (OK, maybe SC who's led the Huff bandwagon). There was stuff to like, but nobody can be 100% sure he improves his approach like he did to make it all work. He did. Look at the BB/K improvement.
BTW, the almighty David Fry hit 248 in AA at the same age Huff is today. And again, he didn't have to handle and get to know a whole pitching staff to suppress offense. It's almost like catchers can bloom late and take longer to develop offensively sometimes.
And again pt2., I like and value what Fry brings to the table. And it's just my opinion that Huff is the smarter bet going forward. Of course there's risk involved and I'm not advocating for Fry to get DFA'd.
It's just that the roster squeeze is real and decisions need to be made with foresight. If Fry has value to, say, the Reds or A's, maybe we can get a comp B pick for him or a decent LHRP (kind of a need if Big Sabrowski misses more time).
And hey, if Huff is valued more and they can get that for him, then trade him and keep Fry. I just don't see how there's room for both next year and if you stubbornly keep Fry because of the Kumbaya he brings and the shot he took vs Skubal, you probably lose Huff for next to nothing. And that would be a shame. That's my larger point here.
Look, I'm not saying Huff will magically improve the roster ASAP. He'll struggle too like most rooks do, but (opinion alert) he's been the most consistent bat in the Columbus lineup. He takes smart ABs. He's not the most talented hitter (neither was or is Fry), but he gets the most out of his bat. He can swing for the fences pull side, but also take the cheap oppo singles in key spots. He's a cerebral player and it's evident watching him play. I'll always root and advocate for those to be added to the ML squad (and why I didn't like Fairchild, despite his good looking numbers).
