Tony-OH

Really early into his Oakland career, but they are using him as a utility guy at 22-years old, and his max throw velocity has only been 76.9 MPH. The lowest recorded max effort throw from a MLB SS in 2023 was Nick Ahmed at 81.4. He's been playing more 3B than SS and the lowest recorded max throw in MLB in 2023 was from Even Longoria at 77.7 with the next lowest being at 82.1 MPH. Unfortunately, this was why he was a guy to be moved. He's a tweener guy who probably belongs at 2B but who may have a hard time sticking as a utility guy if he doesn't hit enough in a part time role.

How do you know? Did you try thinking hard underwater to talk to the sea creatures yet? You don't know until you've tried it!

I do think it's total crap, but I have Apple TV+ so oh well!

I just gave my opinion. Never made it out to be fact. Feel free to have any opinion that you like on the situation. At this point, I'm just going to be glad he's up here because he makes the team better than it was before. At least offensively for now.

Elias is very available and pretty much a straight shooter with the media, but let's face it, there are things he's just not going to say. I think sometimes people think if you criticize someone over something yu don't like them. That's the furthest thing from the truth. He makes some headscratching moves sometimes, but in the end, the results are what matters and it's clear after 101 season the results are pretty darn good.

We don't know what changed. Did Rubenstein decide he would extend Holliday? Did he have second thoughts about rubbing Holiday wrong? Was he really influenced by Holiday's hot start? Buck Britton said he was playing with a "chip on his shoulder" so that tells me he was not real happy with being send down. Maybe all of that got back and Elias thinks he can no sign him long term so he might as well bring him up to go for the RoY and get the pick.

The only thing it "proved" was that you believe everything Elias tells the media. He was never going to admit what they were doing. This is an organization that treats injury news for it's minor leaguers like Soviet era secrets! Feel free to think it proved whatever you want. Elias' actions have not baked up his words several times now, and Actions always speak louder than words, especially when GMs are talking to the media.

If he accepts the Norfolk assignment vs asking for his release, I imagine it was because Wong would not do that and Kemp would. If he asks for his release, then I'm out of reasoning.

Assuming Kemp is willing to go to Norfolk to be depth. Maybe it was discussed with him and for a $1 million, he was willing to go AAA. I still think Maton is a better depth piece.

I think he just goes by "Jackson" just like Gunnar goes by "Gunnar".

The one thing no one should question is Elias' ability to select 1st round talent.

A man with his priorities straight! LOL

Well, Holliday, besides making a few bad errors, has done everything with the bat to show that they were wrong about sending him down. I still think this had to do with wanting him to get off to a good start and all the lefties coming up. i really think they just overthought it. Still, the Kemp signing was a crazy headscratcher now that he's been DFA'd so quickly.

EVER! So funny how people are influenced by GM speak. We don't really understand why the change of heart, so the only thing that made sense was they didn't want him to face series of left-handers early in the year. It still doesn't make any sense why they signed Kemp when they had Wong and Maton if this was the plan all along. I still can't see this organization being influenced by small sample sizes of PAs in AAA either. I guess the significance of the timing was so he would have a better chance for the Rookie of the year award with most other rookies off to a slow start, but not sure why they wouldn't have waited the 4 days unless they plan to sign him long term. Perhaps the new ownership finally had time to discuss this and they have a plan to sign Holliday long term, and bringing him up now is a gesture of good will. That's what I'm going with.

For about 4-5 days. lol

Disclaimer: I'm not saying Basallo is a bust or will not be good this year Saying that, he looked absolutely awful in 3 of his four PAs tonight including almost little leaguish against a left on left slider. He was unbalanced on almost all of the off speed pitches that he saw tonight and his double was when he ambushed a first pitch fastball. Hopefully this is just a bad game, but he did not look like the guy we saw last year, even in his small sample size in Bowie last year. I hope he isn't pressing because he's no longer than under the radar guy, but comes into this year as one of the top prospects in all of baseball. Hopefully he won't start getting frustrated, but I could tell he was frustrated when he was dominated by two nice sliders and a 98 MPH fastball on the inner half that he watched for strike three later in the game.

Range has never been the issue with Holliday. He has multiple plays like that in his defensive resume.

Well worth 280K in a 7-1 win.

Really? I don't know. How can you think this kid is as good as we know they think he is, if he can't handle being in another team's opening day game?

Well no matter what, I think we all can agree to the bolded.

I think that's where most of us stand on the Kemp signing. It made no sense and it wasn't necessary. "Necessary? Is it necessary that I drink my own urine? No, but it's sanitary and I like the taste!"

Ah yes, the amazing chess playing Elias showed the rest of baseball by cornering the market on AAAA catchers that did nothing for the team that year or the future.

Well I don't think anyone is calling for Elias' head for signing Kemp, but I do think it's entirely fine to discuss the merits or maybe more precisely, the need for the move. I agree with you that losing $280K ish of money is no big deal, but it just seemed entirely unnecessary if they had planned to bring Holliday up this early.

What Jackson Holliday has done in AAA this year is literally the definition of small sample size. He showed all spring he was ready offensively. Elias said he had every chance to make the team this offseason, until they cut him anyway. His father was rightfully pissed, but understood the business side of this. So what changed? There is no way an organization that is so analytical would change a decision based on small sample size around a 50 ish PAs. Now maybe they really felt like Holliday would get off to a bad start against all those lefties the Orioles faced, and maybe he would have since AAA lefties are not major league lefties for a reason. I think they tried to get a little too cute with the roster by sending him down when he was ready after all. He went down to AAA and beat up AAA pitching (along with just about every other hitter in Norfolk). Now maybe this was all about trying to get him off to a good start in his major league career, but then why sign Kemp? Why not bring him up after the off day yesterday to face the righty today? Why bring him up in the middle of a series? Something is just not right here. The timing doesn't make sense. The only thing that makes any sense from a timing aspect besides Westburg being hurt, if that the sight of Kemp starting at 2B against Boston was so heinous that they had to make a move. Now I know Elias has more information than all of us, and perhaps this was the perfect time to balance between service requirements and ROY possibilities as some have stated, but I think they just got too cute and they might have cost themselves a win.

This makes way more sense then anything else people are claiming!