Jocko87

He's taking a lot of walks because no one else is hitting. He's not producing at stratospheric levels as he can be pitched around right now. Taylor hitting at league average is better then what would be rotating through the DH role currently so it's probably the best lineup they can put out there. When other bats heat up this discussion changes a bit but for now it's working about as good as we could hope.

Might actually be the best case scenario to get value from the trade. I went straight to the main thread to say sign him Paddock style but was at least third in line to say it.

Agree, sign him. Worst case he's a trade chip in 3 years. Recoup some value.

Thank goodness for Max Kepler as well. He’s quietly playing very well and hitting the ball hard consistently. .878 ops in his last 15 games.

I type too slow, now bunt.

A Correa bunt on his own call would be really cool.

Good call, good baserunning. 🤷‍♂️

But maybe with the quick out.

Let me know, I'm trying to be there too.

Is Farmer dipping with his new dental work?

As a terminal optimist and professional realist I’ve struggled with the negativity as well. Heck, I was gone from the forums for several years. We had our share of issues on BYTO but most of the ribbing was good natured and well reasoned. It’s that lack of the well reasoned thoughtful negativity that has been hurting the game threads imo. Point out something specific that someone is struggling with and a good reason why you think that may be, don’t just call someone a bum. There are a lot of smart baseball minds on this site and we have reason to believe the good ideas have a path to actually filter to the club so make it count. Now for the terminal optimism. As Ziggy points out, it could be a heck of a lot worse. Some of the things we are seeing are insanely frustrating. The optimist in me sees that we have seen everything that is currently frustrating in a decent if not excellent state, this year. The offense is completely different if only one or two guys get hot. The defense has been very solid for long stretches. The pitching has been playoff quality and will get better by osmosis as the hitting comes on. High quality reinforcements are on the way. This is a very talented roster. The front office has demonstrated they will make moves at the deadline to help. The #5 pick is exciting and could be a help as soon as next year. I could go on. We have our ace going tonight. I’m calling a slump buster ace performance. But also Farmer pick to click.

Yup, almost as if strikeouts aren’t a great indicator of productivity. The Farmer injury was far more serious as a roster crunch than I first thought. Without being able to play anyone but Correa and Miranda on the left side it certainly impacted how both of those players are hitting. It takes away any other options they had to work with Jose and give him breaks against tough matchups. I’m pretty sure the shoulder isn’t right but it’s progressed to a mental issue with all the struggles. No reason for him to lead the club in plate appearances. As for the longer term view, I tend to believe he won’t be back as a full time 3rd baseman. I don’t even want think about the things that would have to go wrong to have him remain as the best option. He needs to get an outfielders glove and get to work.

I’m warming to Helman as well. Breakouts at 27 do happen and oftentimes it’s related to experience playing all just over just grinding for a spot. That breakout isn’t usually a $100m player but can be a very useful puzzle piece for a big league roster. A few weeks ago when we were discussing Gordon heavily I wondered if we could flip him for a RH hitting version with options. Helman seems like that fit and they would probably even be willing to play him in the infield too. Speed, defensive flexibility and functional with RH bat would fit really well right now. I wouldn’t even expect him to hit much with the big club but high level I would expect really good mature at bats. Never watched him but willing to assume that part of his success now.

It's relevant as its what trained our eyes. If the ABS is different it will cause more issues. I'm meh on the ABS but the tech has to be rock solid. I have issues with Trackman in general and issues with one vantage point above the plate. How would it call Rizzo standing over the plate blocking the corner? Part of my point is also that what we know is absolutely beside the point but we talk like we are the experts.

I don't ask to be obtuse, it is relevant in that I'm trying in several ways to say that what we see on TV is not accurate in several different ways. It wasn't obvious to me until I got into more serious plate work either. Your answer is correct except that to note crosses home plate is any touch of the edge of the white part, the black is not part of the plate. So the width of the zone is 17" plus two baseballs, I use 23 5/8" just for good margin. I can't see that 3/8" so I want to be sure. Its a question I use sometimes with coaches and parents that won't shut up, as fans we really think we know the rules but its mostly only high level. Unfortunately all the TV boxes are 17" which really skews the view, the ump score cards presentation etc. Our minds would do much better with a box where the the line is out and everything inside it is a strike, like the sideline in basketball.

There's not a front office out there that can get you or I to play in the big leagues. AAA to MLB wash out rate is insanely high.

They have been very good at getting them to the AAAA level hitting well. Getting over the hump in the bigs is a different story and probably has less to do with the FO than the player. Keep that in mind when we talk about CES and Steer, they aren't established yet either.

Another option is an IL stint with rehab. The shoulder isn't right. It's the thing that makes the most sense to me. He's hurting but still a better option than Solano, Castro, Gordon, Julien etc. Farmer being out put them in a bind. No way Miranda should still be leading the team in plate appearances. He and Correa have been and will be playing everyday until Farmer gets back because the other options kinda suck.

Just play first base there Miranda. Why risk a throw?

He didn't go the other way. Still learning.

Amen brother 🤣

I love the Gallo arm in the outfield.

Unless they get something to hit 101.5.

Somehow I was not aware Louis had 99 in the tank?

While I agree that all the areas you mention will be areas of focus I believe the best teams will be focused on using the right metrics at the right time. A combination of the items you listed, if you will. I enjoy analytics as much as anyone but I'm starting to see the tide turn from measuring all the things to figuring out what things matter. We are seeing a return to some of the old ways and I'm really hoping to see them actually develop and deploy strategies for the Manfred man now that it's permenant. I bet they bunt a bit more. What was the Earl Weaver saying? Pitching, defense and the 3 run home run? Something distinctly similar to the modern era, just different data. The successful teams will be the ones who best sort through the junk data.