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Pearce is generally looked at as a platoon player http://www.giantsfanproshop.com/authentic-evan-longoria-jersey , but he should be more than that."sYahoo Red Sox Team PageYahoo Red Sox ReportYahoo Red Sox Depth ChartYahoo Red Sox TransactionsYahoo Red Sox PhotosOdds About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub ed Sox AnalysisOne Big QuestionOne Big Question: Can Steve Pearce handle a bigger role if he gets the chance at one?New,9commentsPearce is generally looked at as a platoon player, but he should be more than that.ESTShareTweetShareShareOne Big Question: Can Steve Pearce handle a bigger role if he gets the chance at one?Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY SportsWelcome to Over the Monster’s One Big Question series. For those unfamiliar, this is something of a season roster preview where over the next 40(ish) (week)days we’ll be taking a look at each player on the 40-man roster prior to the season. If changes are made to the roster between now and Opening Day, we’ll cover the newly added players. Rather than previewing what to expect in a general sense, the goal of this series is to find one overarching question for each player heading into the coming season. We’ll go one-by-one alphabetically straight down the roster, and today we talk about Steve Pearce.The Question: Will Steve Pearce hold up if given more regular playing time?As we look forward to the 2019 season, there aren’t a whole lot of questions about how this Red Sox roster will shake out. We’re waiting to see how roles will be divvied up in the bullpen and which catchers will make the cut before Opening Day. Other than that, everything is pretty clear for now. However, one of the more underrated potential storylines to me is how things are going to work out at first base. With Mitch Moreland and Steve Pearce, the Red Sox have a pair of veterans who aren’t by any means All-Stars but are solid and hit from opposite sides of the plate. The assumption is, understandably, that it will work out as a clean platoon with Moreland hitting from the left side and Pearce hitting from the right. The more thought I put into it, though, the more I just can’t see this being a straight platoon. Obviously, straight platoons heavily favor the left-handed bat since there are so many more right-handed pitchers than lefties. Leaguewide, there were more than 2.5 times more plate appearances with a righty on the mound than those with a lefty pitching in 2018. In this case, Pearce is the right-handed bat but he has a strong argument for getting more plate appearances than Moreland. At the very least, Moreland shouldn’t get anything close to triple the playing time as Pearce. I’m not even sure Pearce isn’t a better hitter than Moreland, period, regardless of the handedness of the pitcher on the mound. That said, the former has never been more than a part-time player in his career. So, even if he was able to grab himself a bigger role, there’s no guarantee he’d be able to handle it physically.Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY SportsBefore we get to that http://www.giantsfanproshop.com/authentic-evan-longoria-jersey , though, we should dig more into the argument that he deserves the upper-hand in first base playing time. Look at last season, for example. Pearce’s fame in Boston comes largely from his World Series performance, and for good reason. That was dope! He was great in the regular season, too, though, and that includes his time with Toronto before being traded to Boston. Overall, the veteran hit .284/.378/.512 for a 140 wRC+, and that last number wasn’t even a career-high! Pearce walked at a higher rate than he ever had before (not counting a 15-game stint in 2010), struck out at the lowest rate of his career and posted the second highest Isolated Power (SLG - AVG) of his career. He was outstanding, and none of it looked terribly unsustainable. Of course, it all also came in only 251 plate appearances. Still, even if he takes a slight step back in every area, you’re still looking at a better hitter than what Mitch Moreland has been in his career.With new spot atop the lineup, Benintendi could be in for a breakout yearBob DeChiara-USA TODAY SportsTo be clear, this isn’t a one-year blip for Pearce. He’s been a consistently above-average hitter for his entire career and is projected for a 117 wRC+ in 2019 by Steamer. Of course, the obvious rebuttal to all of this is that he benefits greatly from being a part-time player who gets most of his playing time in advantageous situations. It’s logically a totally fair point, but not one that totally stands up. Yes, he is a lefty masher and gets to play a lot against lefties. However, that overshadows the fact that he’s pretty damn good against righties, too. In 2018, he received a few more plate appearances against righties than he did lefties, and while he couldn’t match his 158 wRC+ against southpaws he still put up a mark of 124 against righties. For context, that’s slightly better than Andrew Benintendi’s overall wRC+ in 2018. It’s not just a 2018 thing Willie McCovey Jersey , either. He hasn’t been a below-average hitter against righties since 2012, and in 2015 and 2017 he was actually better against righties than he was against lefties.All of this is to say that we should be so quick to assume Moreland should start against righties with Pearce starting against lefties. That may be the plan — I genuinely am not sure — but on merit the latter has a case to be made that he should be getting a good chunk of those starts against righties. Moreland does have the better defensive reputation, and that’s not nothing, but Pearce showed off a pretty slick glove in the postseason last fall. He can handle the gig when needed. Obviously, this has been a bit of an oversimplification of things and issues like a player’s stature in the clubhouse and his time in the game has some bearing on playing time, fair or not. Moreland is not going to be a bench player. The main point is Pearce should play a lot.Richard Mackson-USA TODAY SportsAt least, based on the numbers he should. The issue comes up that he has actually never done it before. The veteran has been in the majors since 2007 and yet he has played in over 100 games just once, and even that year only got up to 102. Similarly, his career-high in plate appearances is 383, which is only a bit more than half of what we consider a “full season.” The biggest factor there is that he has always been a platoon hitter because of that lefty-mashing we’ve mentioned so much. He’s also had a multitude of injuries over his career, including in recent years issue with his oblique, shin, forearm and back. That he’s about to enter his age-36 season is not going to make this easier.We saw last year that Cora is a master of getting guys in and out of the lineup, and after their long run through the postseason in 2018 it stands to reason he’ll be right back on that in this coming season. In a way, that makes this moot as both Pearce and Moreland will get time as the DH when necessary as well as first base. That being said, it’s also expected to be a close race in the American League East all year, so there’s an argument to be made that the best possible lineup should be on the field as much as possible. It’s a tough balance to strike, but Cora has earned the benefit of the doubt. As for Pearce, he is good enough to be part of that best possible lineup, the only question is whether or not he’ll be able to hold up in that kind of role as he enters the final years of his career. Jonathan Daniel/Getty ImagesThe Milwaukee Brewers traveled to Wrigley Field on Monday and will head back home as both the top seed in the National League postseason and the NL Central champions following their 3-1 win over the Chicago Cubs.MVP candidate Christian Yelich and veterans Lorenzo Cain and Ryan Braun led the way, each registering RBI singles in the victory, while five Brewers pitchers combined to give up just three hits and one run.Anthony Rizzo's fifth-inning homer was the lone run for Chicago.The Brewers will next play Thursday and await the winner of Tuesday's NL Wild Card Game. That matchup will be between the Cubs and the loser of Monday evening's NL West-deciding game between the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers.Brewers in Driver's Seat After Securing Home-Field Advantage in NL PlayoffsThe Brewers have had a magical September, erasing a five-game deficit earlier in the month to emerge as NL Central champions. But more importantly, their path grew easier Monday as they secured home-field advantage throughout the postseason.Lose Mel Ott Jersey , and the Brewers would have been facing the dreaded play-in game Tuesday. Had they won that, they'd have a series against the Cubs without home-field advantage.Instead, they get two days off and will host either the Cubs, Dodgers or Rockies at Miller Park come Thursday.Maximiliano Bretos mbretosESPNGood for you Milwaukee, good for you Brewers . Has to feel like a million bucks to celebrate on Wrigley Field.Dan Wolken DanWolkenBrewers have been great down the stretch. Very deserving winner.Avoiding the play-in game was crucial. A team's season can be over in the blink of an eye, lost due to a flukey bounce of the ball or at the hands of a suddenly unhittable pitcher.But the Brewers are also red-hot. Since Sept. 1, they are 20-7, winning eight games in a row and 10 of their last 11. They have a deep bullpen and a fearsome top of the lineup, led by Yelich, who might be the best player in baseball this season.All of this is happening ahead of schedule, as Dan O'Donnell of NewsTalk 1130 noted:Dan ODonnell DanODonnellShowTwo years into a 鈥渞ebuild,鈥?the Brewers:-Won 96 games-Won their division -Had the best record in the NL-Secured home field advantage throughout the NL playoffs-Have the MVP frontrunner and serious Manager and Executive of the Year candidatesWhile the pieces are falling into place, none of that matters if the Brewers suddenly start playing poorly. But Milwaukee looks like it could make a World Series run this October.Continued Heroics from Lorenzo Cain and Ryan Braun Will Be Crucial in PostseasonPerhaps lost amid the magic of Milwaukee's run to the postseason is the fact that the Brewers aren't brimming with postseason experience.Players such as Yelich, Jesus Aguilar, Josh Hader, Jhoulys Chacin and Chase Anderson have never been in the playoffs. Travis Shaw has appeared in one postseason contest.Players like Cain and Braun, however, have danced in October. Cain in particular won a World Series with the Kansas City Royals in 2015.Both looked the part of wily veterans Monday. Cain's eighth-inning RBI single proved to be the game-winning hit. Two batters later, Braun gave the team some wiggle room with an RBI single of his own.Stephen A Smith stephenasmithBut before that, Lorenzo Cain reminded everyone that he knows a thing or two about championship-caliber play, smacking an RBI single up the middle. Brewers up 2-1.Stephen A Smith stephenasmithRyan Braun....RBI single. And to think, once upon a time, we thought his career was on the verge of being overObviously, the Brewers will only go as far as their top players take them. If Yelich suddenly goes ice-cold and Aguilar goes through a power drought http://www.giantsfanproshop.com/authentic-evan-longoria-jersey , they'll be in trouble. But they have veterans,including Cain and even MikeMoustakas, who can not only contribute on the field but also guide the younger players behind the scenes.And if they consistently come up as clutch, as they did Monday, the Brewers are going to be difficult to beat.Joe Maddon's Liberal Bullpen Use Could Haunt Cubs in Play-In GameManager Joe Maddon was not shy about utilizing his bullpen Monday, using seven pitchers. It was clear he was going all out to avoid the play-in game, but following the loss, that strategy could come back to bite the team.Of course, all is not lost with Jon Lester on the mound. And Chicago will have a home game against either the Dodgers or Rockies, who will be traveling from Los Angeles overnight. But it isn't the ideal path either.Jon Heyman JonHeymancubs still alive. play for the wild card tomorrow at Wrigley. jon lester, among actives the most successful postseason pitcher, will start for them.Jeff Passan JeffPassanThe Cubs will play the loser of the Dodgers-Rockies game tomorrow night at Wrigley Field. Jon Lester will start. The winner will advance to face Milwaukee. Its not the worst-case scenario, by any means, but all things considered, its a pretty big kick in the gut for Chicago.If Lester falters, the Cubs could turn to Cole Hamels, with Kyle Hendricks likely to start Thursday should the team advance.Jesse Rogers ESPNChiCubsMaddon clarified. Hamels in pen tomorrow. Hendricks prepping for Thur so not avail but he was today RT ESPNChiCubs: Maddon says Hamels and maybe Hendricks in the pen tomorrowNo doubt, Chicago will be in desperation mode Tuesday. So maybe Maddon's gambit won't matter. If Lester dealsr if Hamels is called upon and gives his team several strong inningsobody will remember that Maddon that used six pitchers after taking out Jose Quintana, who gave up six hits but just one run in five innings.But if Lester, Hamels and a potentially taxed bullpen struggle and the Cubs get knocked out of the postseason...Maddon's use of the bullpen will be a talking point in Chicago all winter.