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HokieRif

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Everything posted by HokieRif

  1. HokieRif
    *sigh* are we just unlucky? Or do we have enough circumstantial evidence with our medical and training staff to indicate there is a systemic problem? Just like we have with our hitting struggles and Popkins, there just seems to be an overwhelming amount of data that should statistically rule all these injuries and DL stints as coincidence.
  2. HokieRif
    I had a whole write up I was putting together and I just didn't feel like finishing because I was going in loops. Is BA the worst? I dont think so. Is it the best? Nope. Should it be used as part of the equation when determining a player's effectiveness? Absolutely. If I'm Rocco and I dont have a choice to send Gallo anywhere then I'm looking at it like this. - If the opposing team is starting a player that doesn't give up a lot of home runs, and we need to play small ball, then I'm sitting Gallo. - On the opposite side, if they opposing pitcher is having recent HR struggles then Gallo is going to be in the lineup, preferably behind someone that has a very high OPS.
  3. HokieRif
  4. HokieRif
    Nothing scathing about that article. That's just truth. The great thing about baseball is we have stats out the you-know-what, and right now all of the offensive stats are god awful, with the common denominator being Popkins. He's in over his head, the tactics aren't working, and he's personally accountable for wrecking the trade value of every single hitter acquired this offseason and several team veterans that are now having career-worst seasons. .... and then a thought entered my head... maybe Falvey is tanking this on purpose... and he's the modern day version of this:
  5. HokieRif
    At this point the only games that are getting my attention are the mid-week afternoon games. Spending time in the evenings to watch this team play is a horrible way to invest my time right now. As for the players... Buxton is just off. He needs to do what Lopez is done and take a mental health break. His decision to try and score on a ball hit to the left side yesterday is something you get washed out of your head in little league, but he did it any way. I could complain about every other position player except for 4 - Jeffers, Lewis, Castro, and Kirilloff. At least those four are trying.
  6. HokieRif
    And now for something from me with a thought behind it. Each player should know the opponents pitching staff tendencies, strengths, and weaknesses. Instead of us trying to put our strength up against their weakness, put our strength against their strength. Forgot about a mistake pitch - go up their looking for their best stuff, narrow it down to a section of the plate that they tend towards, and put a freaking bat on it. Crazy **** tends to happen when you put a ball in play, even if contact isn’t great. Get into a bad count? Get defensive and focus even more on contact, expect a pitch they punch you out on, and adjust.
  7. HokieRif
    Woohoo! Shots fired by the rookie, and I’m loving it!!!
  8. HokieRif
    He deserves it. What's surprising is that he's right around the total IP that most of the other saves leaders are at (low-30's) and he's got less than half the # of saves as the league leader (Romano @ 23). With the way the all-star game is managed I think he may need to be our selected representative if we dont get anyone else voted in. We sure as hell wont get a position player voted on to the roster.
  9. HokieRif
    I was hopeful coming into the season, but that was quickly tempered after the first series to open the year against KC and the lack of run production. The pitching has lived-up to expectations and when they are on we can compete with anyone in MLB. For me its just frustrating to have pitching that is more than capable and have it paired with an offense that can only do one thing consistently - strike out. Couple that with players we KNOW can hit that aren't (Buxton, Kepler, Gallo, Solano, Farmer, Correa)... Just imagine if that collection was each hitting .250 (Farmer and Solano right now are the only 2) - .250 is still a sad number, but it would be a massive improvement of where we are right now.
  10. HokieRif
    We aren’t out of the woods with Buxton. If anything those blasts were 3 mistakes that he connect on. 3 HRs doesn’t make up for the last month-ish of futility, swinging at balls out of the strike zone, and staring at strike 3. You could easily swap Gallo’s name in here for Buck and only have to edit out the HRs. Good to see a sign of life from Kepler, but still a lot of work to do. Lewis - please stay healthy
  11. HokieRif
    I need a refresher. Kepler's contract was for 5 years and concludes at the end of this season, with a club option (@ $10M) for an additional season, right? Based on my non-existent experience as a GM, isn't this about waiting for another team to lose a key player and now needing bench strength which will then start the trade engine? This would easily be a rental for whoever would pick him up, but if all we get back in return in a couple AA prospects then its worth the deal. We add a couple to the roster in the minors, Wallner slides up, and we've turned the page.
  12. HokieRif
    The fact that our hitting is so bad that we're even considering putting Maeda in to bat is a new low 😁
  13. HokieRif
    When it comes to durability those two names have no business being in the same sentence together. It took a terminal disease for which there is no cure to force Mantle out of the lineup. Whereas Buck, if he sneezes wrong, is on the DL for 15 days.
  14. HokieRif
    Not worried about Correa taking a swing at Ryan… There’s only a .219 chance he would actually connect in a way that’s meaningful.
  15. HokieRif
    There's always someone out there that's willing to deal. I just did a quick glance at the MLB-wide stats and there's only maybe 6 teams that have a solid DH player that they can lean on for the season. If someone is in a risk-taking position and willing to roll the dice, Buck could find a home as long as he elects to waive the no-trade.
  16. HokieRif
    As an individual sample I agree. Still, he's in a horrible slump. Going back to the Toronto series in March he's 3-37, with 3 BBs, and 17 Ks.
  17. HokieRif
    Agree that Buck is no more helpful than Kepler. He's less helpful. Kepler can at least play the field.
  18. HokieRif
    The way we're playing we are going to be sellers by the end of July. The problem, IMO, is that we dont have many significant pieces that anyone is likely to want. In the last week I think Rocco and Gray cut the line and made Sonny the top contender to find a new home for someone in need of mid-back of rotation starter to bolster their hopes. Maybe Correa if someone desperately needs to exchange run generation for stellar defense. In return, we'll get prospects which we'll need, because this could be our starting defense next year without help: Lewis, SS Kirilloff, 1B Miranda, 3B Polanco, 2B Wallner, OF Larnach, OF Garlick, OF Jeffers, C
  19. HokieRif
    I hate quoting myself but I wish to amend my recommendation... The Weak in Review
  20. HokieRif
    I think we need to rename the “Week in Review” to “Let’s Re-Live Last Week’s Nightmare”
  21. HokieRif
    Make up an injury for Buxton and send him down for two weeks trade Kepler to Cleveland since that’s the only team that can arguably say he will hit well in their ballpark; insert Larnach cut Gallo and insert Garlick could be a wash, but a significant cost-cutting wash fire Popkins. Today. Don’t finish that cup of coffee and just do it. They guy has been responsible for the downfall of a team full of vets and it’s statistically improbable that that they are all independently collapsing at the same time
  22. HokieRif
    I honestly hadn’t been tracking much this week since the Buxton injury. I was calling for Popkins’ and Rocco’s dismissal in another article, but now I kind of want to see the whole front office let go. These are fundamental roster management decisions that have apparently been fumbled, especially when you consider how poorly both have been hitting. Some fresh bats and an opportunity to spell some guys and get them reset would have been a welcome move. Instead we’ve botched 5 games in a row, and I’ll feel lucky if those 5 games would have made a difference at the end of the season. we are trending in the wrong direction once again, and i have zero confidence the leadership on this club can right the situation and have us finishing above .500 by the end of the season.
  23. HokieRif
    If everyone is hitting poorly I find it incredibly hard to believe they are all regressing independently. Either Popkins’ approach goes, or Popkins needs to go. If either of those isn’t an option, then Rocco needs a pink slip.
  24. HokieRif
    I just had to laugh at the headline. Saying our offense is cold is like saying the South Pole is a tad bit chilly.
  25. HokieRif
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