Ruzious

To me, Wilkerson is an enigma. If I didn't know anything about him and just watched him play for the first time, I'd swear he has the talent to start in the majors at either 2nd or 3rd base. And he hit that ball last night over 420 feet. But the reality is that he was lucky to get that opportunity on the worst team in MLB.

That part about him doing very well in his previous cups o coffee caught my eye. Maybe it's something about putting on that major league uniform - like Peter Parker puttinig on his Spidey outfit.

I believe the correct response is Promote him 2 levels NOW!!!

I think his range more than makes up for his arm - much like Al Bumbry. Can't disagree with the hitting issue at this point.

Certainly not an exciting pick-up, but he hit well in his cups of decalf in the bigs and had good OBP numbers in the minors - he could be a late-bloomer - might as well take a look at him.

Sometimes it just takes time - especially for a young catcher. We know he can make contact; maybe he's gotten stronger and made his swing more efficient. We'll just have to wait and see.

And Luis Aparicio was #6. When Brooks used to do color commentary, he would sometimes make a point of mentioning how great a defensive player he thought Aparicio was - going as far to say he was the best SS he ever played with.

No, the O's rotation is just spinning their wheels.

They're not failed prospects, but they're not good prospects. None of them sound like they're going to be legit starters in the majors. But they all have hit some in the minors and have talent defensively, so perhaps there is more reason for hope.

Can't say I'm excited; we got 2 solid defensive infielders who probably can't hit MLB pitching. Adding them to Ruiz... well, maybe we get lucky and one of them exceeds expectations.

No doubt Nunez is the favorite and has shown more with the bat than Ruiz has, but I think the O's probably should be weighting defense a bit higher than usual next season, and I think Ruiz has the advantage there - because of his hands and arm. Fwiw, Fangraphs had him as the Braves #2 prospect in 2015. https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/evaluating-the-prospects-atlanta-braves/

Hey, I can be objective about my son... er, I mean the names are just a coincidence!

The Braves were fairly high on Ruiz when they traded for him a few years ago, then he did poorly, but he rebounded some. I think they liked his overall potential more than Jace Peterson's and wouldn't be surprised if he beats out Nunez in Spring Training.

After all the trades, the O's depth of prospects should be as good as its been in decades. What it's lacking, imo, are the elite prospects. And it's still possible - though probably not likely - that Harvey gets and stays healthy and becomes a quality starting pitcher in the bigs. We can't depend on it, but let's hope.

Well, for whatevs the reasons, his numbers against baserunners have dramatically improved over the years. 2015: 205 innings, 44 steals in 55 attempts, caught stealing %: 20. 2016: 202 innings, 28 steals in 41 attempts, cs%: 32. 2017: 181 innings, 19 steals in 31 attempts, cs%: 39. 2018: 158 innings, 11 steals in 18 attempts, cs%: 39. I'd conclude holding on runners is no longer a problem for him, and it helps to have a quality catcher. .

I heard on the radio the other day that Lester's really taken that aspect of the game to heart. He used to be among the worst in holding runners on base, and he's worked hard every year to improve at it. And it definitely helps having a better throwing catcher now. I think there will be a competitive advantage to the team(s) that make a concerted effort to run a lot. Otoh, if other teams put more emphasis to stop the running game, it'll likely lessen the benefit.

Yeah, I would say there really haven't been any real running teams in the AL East for many years - though Boston is a good running team with a tremendous lineup. But whether the O's run or not - they're not going to be good for at least a couple years. Without doing any research, my guess is that KC was the last real running team in the AL - particularly remembering when they beat the O's in the playoffs with a team that was among the worst in power, had a so-so starting pitching staff, and a great bullpen.

A player like Villar - who takes lots of chances - probably won't be nearly as effective on a team that doesn't run as he'd be on a team that has other players that can run. That's why I think it's a good time to make the team's identity as a running team. And it'll stop them from being boring as heck.

In the post-game interview, Villar did make it clear that he prefers shortstop and that the Brewers new coaching staff last year didn't let him run nearly as much as he wanted to. He's happy that the O's let him run. My impression based on what he said and the fact that Milawukee tried to use Schoop at SS - sounds like Villar was not happy in Milwaukee and that was likely the main reason for the trade.

Bannon does need to prove himself offensively, but at least has real potential. And from what I've read, he can be a plus defensively. He and Wilkerson are much quicker than the others. The O's defensive range has to improve dramatically, imo - though impatient people like me will have to be patient with our expecations and not expect everything to be good from day 1 next season.

Even after Nunez has exceeded a lot of peoples' expectations, he's still hit for just a .681 OPS, and he's certainly no more than adequate defensively, so... I'm not at all enthused by the thought of him starting next season. I'd rather see Wilkerson batting against righties, and find someone else to bat against lefties - since Nunez and Wilkerson both bat best against righties. Maybe later in the year, bring Bannon into the mix - though I think his future is at 2nd base. Dosch is another guy who can't hit lefties, so I wouldn't even consider him.

And again, he is an important part of the trade. Besides being good to have in the interim, he will likely have good trade value if they decide to trade him next season.

And ftr, the O's got Carmona and Ortiz in the Schoop trade - 2 prospects with high ceilings - exactly the kind of prospects the O's should have been going for. Without using any crystal ball, that was a very smart trade for the O's.

I actually can do that - if it's reasonable, and it is reasonable. That's part of the reason we're here - at The Orioles Hangout.