Mullins and DJ Stewart

[Can_of_corn]

2 minutes ago, CallMeBrooksie said:

To be fair, it's not like they've ever gotten consistent AB's in a season before this. Basically cups of coffee here and there.

Wasn't Mullins handed the starting CF job only to lose it?I

 

[CallMeBrooksie]

1 minute ago, Can_of_corn said:

Wasn't Mullins handed the starting CF job only to lose it?I

 

Sure? Doesn't change what I said. They've always had a very short string on him.

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, CallMeBrooksie said:

Sure? Doesn't change what I said. They've always had a very short string on him.

Sure it changes things. 

Big difference between getting a "cup of coffee" and being handed the starting CF job and losing it because of your ineptitude.

 

[CallMeBrooksie]

1 minute ago, Can_of_corn said:

Sure it changes things. 

Big difference between getting a "cup of coffee" and being handed the starting CF job and losing it because of your ineptitude.

 

A short stint is a short stint regardless of if it happens to fall at the beginning of a season. That's what I mean by "basically cups of coffee." The post I was replying to seemed to imply that because Mullins and Stewart have played in short stints of seasons since 2018 that they should have been fully baked by now and their books had been written.

And if we want to talk semantics, Mullins struggles weren't due to ineptitude. He clearly has the tools to play the position. Maybe he just wasn't ready yet.

[Can_of_corn]

3 minutes ago, CallMeBrooksie said:

A short stint is a short stint regardless of if it happens to fall at the beginning of a season. That's what I mean by "basically cups of coffee." The post I was replying to seemed to imply that because Mullins and Stewart have played in short stints of seasons since 2018 that they should have been fully baked by now and their books had been written.

And if we want to talk semantics, Mullins struggles weren't due to ineptitude. He clearly has the tools to play the position. Maybe he just wasn't ready yet.

Huge difference between the idea of a cup of coffee and losing a given role due to poor performance.  Cup of coffee has implications that just weren't accurate with Mullins, in neither 2018 or 2019.  He played in 45 games in 2018, that is one honking huge cup or coffee.

I will also stand by ineptitude, he clearly showed a lack of skills or ability in 2019.  He was on pace for a -5 rWAR season.  That's demonstrating a lack of ability.

[CallMeBrooksie]

13 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Huge difference between the idea of a cup of coffee and losing a given role due to poor performance.  Cup of coffee has implications that just weren't accurate with Mullins, in neither 2018 or 2019.  He played in 45 games in 2018, that is one honking huge cup or coffee.

I will also stand by ineptitude, he clearly showed a lack of skills or ability in 2019.  He was on pace for a -5 rWAR season.  That's demonstrating a lack of ability.

I understand your objection. "Cup of Coffee" wasn't a good term to use there on my part. He's still played less than one full season in the majors. If you think that's a huge honking sample to go by, then we'll agree to disagree.

If you think Mullins previous poor performance was due to ineptitude, I'm curious.. do you still believe he's inept? If not, do you really think that he acquired the skills and ability from a few weeks at the alternate site in Bowie?

Poor performance doesn't  prove ineptitude in my opinion. Just as a short-lived good performance doesn't prove that you're competent. I'm betting that Mullins is a competent big-leaguer.

[Can_of_corn]

3 minutes ago, CallMeBrooksie said:

I understand your objection. "Cup of Coffee" wasn't a good term to use there on my part. He's still played less than one full season in the majors. If you think that's a huge honking sample to go by, then we'll agree to disagree.

If you think Mullins previous poor performance was due to ineptitude, I'm curious.. do you still believe he's inept? If not, do you really think that he acquired the skills and ability from a few weeks at the alternate site in Bowie?

Poor performance doesn't  prove ineptitude in my opinion. Just as a short-lived good performance doesn't prove that you're competent. I'm betting that Mullins is a competent big-leaguer.

You might be working with a different definition of ineptitude than I am.  The one I am using means:

Quote

A lack of skill or ability.

I think that was clearly the case in 2019.  He was both poor in the field and at the bat last year.  As I stated he was on a 160 game pace for a -5 win season.  If that doesn't mean the criteria of chowing a lack of ability what does?

 

I also think Mullins is pretty much a replacement level player who is having a nice stretch.

[CallMeBrooksie]

Just now, Can_of_corn said:

You might be working with a different definition of ineptitude than I am.  The one I am using means:

I think that was clearly the case in 2019.  He was both poor in the field and at the bat last year.  As I stated he was on a 160 game pace for a -5 win season.  If that doesn't mean the criteria of chowing a lack of ability what does?

You can perform poorly without being inept. It doesn't mean that you didn't have the skills or ability all along. This is especially true in sports. There could be various reasons why this happens. The skills that are shining through a little bit right now are the same skills that he was scouted as having (speed, glove, and adequate-at-best bat skills).

Perhaps it was a swing adjustment or perhaps it was a mental adjustment.. maybe it was both. I don't believe his approach in the field has changed much at all... just needs more reps for the metrics to stabilize. My opinion on Mullins slow start is simply that baseball is very hard, and some guys need a few more reps to put it all together on the field.

 

[joelala]

11 hours ago, luismatos4prez said:

I'm getting a Luke Scott vibe from DJ Stewart. Good plate discipline and extremely streaky.

I like Mullins' game a lot. I think he'll have a career as a second-division starting outfielder like David Lough or Craig Gentry

It’s the two first names 

[jamalshw]

The sample sizes in a season like this are naturally going to be small. We have just over 100 plate appearances for Mullins and even less for Stewart. I'm optimistic about what they are showing, but it could also very well be a David Newhan situation where they look like real pieces in a small run and then fad into oblivion.

Overall, I think both should be given a bit more time to show what they have. I think before this Stewart was working his way out of consideration in a deep outfield. If nothing else, this gets him back in the picture. With Santander on the shelf, I'd like to see Mullins, Stewart, Mountcastle and Hays in the lineup as much as possible.

[Philip]

1 hour ago, CallMeBrooksie said:

You can perform poorly without being inept. It doesn't mean that you didn't have the skills or ability all along. This is especially true in sports. There could be various reasons why this happens. The skills that are shining through a little bit right now are the same skills that he was scouted as having (speed, glove, and adequate-at-best bat skills).

Perhaps it was a swing adjustment or perhaps it was a mental adjustment.. maybe it was both. I don't believe his approach in the field has changed much at all... just needs more reps for the metrics to stabilize. My opinion on Mullins slow start is simply that baseball is very hard, and some guys need a few more reps to put it all together on the field.

 

It’s very true that there’s a difference between a bad day, or a bad stretch( remember what AJ said:’ sometimes you suck’) and just being inept. I think that’s maybe a better word than incompetent, btw, though they are basically synonymous.

Regardless, the trick is in knowing which players are which. 

[hoosiers]

3 hours ago, CallMeBrooksie said:

To be fair, it's not like they've ever gotten consistent AB's in a season before this. Basically cups of coffee here and there.

Not sure what dog you have in this thing, but I don't understand the need "to be fair".  

The poster accused the board of wanting "instant satisfaction" regarding the production of Mullins and Stewart and I think it is quite obvious that both had (multiple) chances to win every day roles in prior years and failed.  I am glad to see these two guys make good adjustments that may have improved their long term profiles, but let's not pretend they didn't have real prior opportunities.    

[CallMeBrooksie]

5 minutes ago, hoosiers said:

Not sure what dog you have in this thing, but I don't understand the need "to be fair".  

The poster accused the board of wanting "instant satisfaction" regarding the production of Mullins and Stewart and I think it is quite obvious that both had (multiple) chances to win every day roles in prior years and failed.  I am glad to see these two guys make good adjustments that may have improved their long term profiles, but let's not pretend they didn't have real prior opportunities.    

Well, I did find it interesting that you took @Camden_yardbird 's post to be an accusation against you, but regardless, there's a middle ground here.

What you said above is true... They both had prior opportunities to earn regular roles and failed. 

What yardbird said is also true... Some people were quick to write them off completely as non-players because of those prior failures. 

The truth is that, in both cases, this is not an uncommon development curve for a young ballplayer. Talented young players often struggle. Sometimes they struggle multiple times before putting it together and converting potential into production.

[Frobby]

4 hours ago, Can_of_corn said:

Huge difference between the idea of a cup of coffee and losing a given role due to poor performance.  Cup of coffee has implications that just weren't accurate with Mullins, in neither 2018 or 2019.  He played in 45 games in 2018, that is one honking huge cup or coffee.

I will also stand by ineptitude, he clearly showed a lack of skills or ability in 2019.  He was on pace for a -5 rWAR season.  That's demonstrating a lack of ability.

I’d call it lack of performance.    

[DrungoHazewood]

5 hours ago, Can_of_corn said:

He played in 45 games in 2018, that is one honking huge cup of coffee.

It's America. We have a Constitutional right to drive up to Starbucks in a monster truck and order up a 128 ounce coffee whenever we want.