Jammer7
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Posts posted by Jammer7
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4 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:
I get that, I just don't think he looks that overwhelmed or timid.
I also think he's hit the ball hard, he's just drilled it right at fielders. His patience at the plate is fantastic and I think overall he's pretty good.
He’s been too patient, mostly. He has let the ball travel to a fault. Look at his spray charts, Moose. Almost all of his contact is to the left side, even balls on the inner half of the plate. He is not competing in the upper half of the zone right now either. He got blown away in his recent at bats upstairs, albeit against the Astros.
In the field, he lays back and let’s the ball land on balls he should be more aggressive on. They are not errors in the scorebook, but the pitchers don’t appreciate having to throw more pitches after balls land that should often be caught.
I’m not down on his future, not at all. He is just in-between right now. He has to get comfortable and figure out that he actually belongs. I believe he’ll do that, probably in 2024. His body language right now isn’t good.
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40 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:
I don't know what this means.
I personally don't think Cowser should have been sent down. But I bet they're hoping that Hicks can catch lightning in a bottle again after being activated...similar to how he started here when we picked him up.
Cowser's going to have his day in the sun, possibly in a few weeks again after rosters expand. I believe he was a bit unlucky even though I hate the unlucky argument.
It was a little humor, describing a whipped puppy who puddles when he is scared. It’s over the top, but he does look over whelmed and timid right now.
Cowser has a ways to go to make the adjustments he needs in all phases. The game is moving too fast for him right now. I’m a believer in the guy, just not there for him yet. They need guys who are not easy to pitch to. He is an easy out right now. It is that simple for me. Hicks will run into one now and then against quality pitching.
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34 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:
It’s all a SSS and means very little.
I don’t disagree that he isn’t driving the ball. I also don’t care and don’t feel it’s something he can’t get past.
You are all hanging onto this concept that Hicks provides value. He really doesn’t, not for us. We have guys to fill the role that he can.
Even if you want to still send down Cowser, which I disagree with, you bring up Ortiz or Kjerstad.
Everything this team is doing now has zero to do with winning tonight or tomorrow. It’s about winning in October, thus why Mateo is still here.
Come October, with another 7 weeks full of regular at bats, Cowser makes us a better team than Hicks does.
In the longer term, I agree on Cowser. Absolutely. He just isn’t close to the guy he should eventually be, right now. I do not see progress, if anything there has been a regression.
Hicks is not much better, and he’ll probably get hurt again soon. He will give us a better and longer at bat while he is in there. Hicks swing is actually quite flawed lately, but was a little better and more compact when he first came over. He disengages his back side and gets long, and on both sides too. I’m not much of a fan of Hicks, but credit to the guy for giving us a spark.
I agree it’s about October. Hicks will give us better at bats then too, if he is actually healthy enough. And, I trust him to make plays in the OF much more so.
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45 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:
Hicks xBA/xSlug/xwOBa: 204/309/278
Cowser xBA/xSlug/xwOBa: 205/274/302
Hicks hard hit %: 30.1%
Cowser hard hit %: 42.5%
Statcast has Cowser as the faster runner and higher max exit velo.
Look at Cowser’s spray chart. Tell me he is exit velo data is legitimate. He has hit several hard ground balls to 3B and SS. I know the data you are citing, and I understand it. But you have to interpret that with what your eyes tell you. If Cowser had a tail, it would be tucked between his legs right now and there would be a puddle on the carpet.
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Cowser looked awful. He rarely got the barrel out front and drive anything. He was blown away regularly by mediocre pitchers. His at bats were short and predictable. He hit the barrel to one about 10 days ago and drove it to RCF for a double. Other than that, he hit some balls hard right at the 3B, sure. But he was not driving barely anything. He was very tentative in the box and we need more than that from an OF.
He is not a CF for me, and he looked below average in a corner right now. He was just tentative everywhere. I was very disappointed in how he seemed to be at a loss of confidence. The game is hard. I still think he can be a real good player, but he is far from being able to be a contributing member of a contender right now.
OTOH, Hicks will probably be hurt again soon. I would rather see McKenna come up over Cowser. I do not love Hicks’ game, but no one can deny his contributions for the first 3-4 weeks in Baltimore. He adds another quality at bat and helps lengthen a lineup. To me, he is a mistake hitter, which is a lot better than what Cowser is right now. Some here wrote about how Cowser is struggling like Henderson did. It isn’t even close for me. Henderson was much more intentional and confident with what he was doing. Cowser has lost his confidence for the time being. I’m sure his buds will carry on the Star Wars Lego building without him until he gets back.
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I cannot remember any SS using a “jump-throw” before Jeter. The way that play was made was to plant the right foot and drive back toward 1B. Cal did that exceptionally well. Honestly, I wish that were still the way as the jump throws usually have very little on them. Mateo’s throw last night was exceptional. He has tried that throw in the past with mediocre results.
Jeter made that play well, not as much in his later years. Tulowitski did it well also for a while. It obviously did not begin with Jeter as another poster showed Brooks doing it at 3B, but that was a long time ago and not many remember Brooksie.
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KB is clearly the best PBP. He’s a little quirky at times, but I think he is one of the best at his craft today. I do like Arnold and Hollander just fine for back up or filling in.
MASN is a complete garbage operation in many ways, but hiring KB, Ben, Hollander and Arnold, along with keeping Palmer around, was good. I think Jim has a lot more to say, at times, but has likely been told to tone it down or he’ll be forced out. He was much more outspoken in years past. I’m only speculating, but I’d love to know what JP knows about things that surround the team.
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Jorge is frustrated at this point, of course. He is human. Most players have moments where they don’t “bust it” out of the box, especially in the months of July and August. He does some things that drive us to be critical of his play, but he is no Felix Pie level of boneheadedness. Not even close.
So what if he didn’t quite run full out to start. Hyde may have someone address it with him, quietly and professionally. Mateo admitted it in his interview, and he knows better. I do not think he generally lacks hustle, quite the opposite, in fact.
There is time for holding someone accountable and attention to detail, but you have to remember the human factor as a teammate or a manager. Fans, well they can be brutal at all times. That is the nature of being a fan. That is why they are fans and not players, managers or team execs.
Mullins and Hays have tenure to be the Judge, but McCann, Frazier and Gibson could be more of a panel or triumvirate of justices in the Kangaroo Court.
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Some posters should be careful to not break their arms patting themselves on the back.
Seriously, the argument to not put Mateo in this position much earlier was the fact that he wasn’t just a good SS, he was the BEST SS in MLB according to Bill James and the Fielding Bible people. And to put anyone else there then was, by definition, weakening the defense. He has proven that he is no longer that guy NOW, but we weren’t there yet in April, May or June.
It should be noted that Gunnar was not nearly the SS then that he is now. Westburg has further changed the scenario with his growth and play. The situation has evolved, and things do change. This is the reason they wanted the players to compete for their positions. It has a way of sorting itself out.
As far as Jorge playing CF, and a super UT role…NOW, definitely worth a shot to use his speed. There are things behind the scenes we have no idea about. The front office has their reasons for keeping him beyond just his speed, at least I suspect so.
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1 hour ago, glenn__davis said:
I did see that but I thought he was showing frustration at O'Hearn for not taking 2nd base. O'Hearn looked like he was trying to explain something to the dugout. And Hyde looked like he was pointing to second and said "Go! G** D***!"
But your explanation might be possible as well.
On the replay of that, I noticed O’Hearn about to round 1B and then saw Alonso was standing in front of 1B in his way. O’Hearn actually tapped Alonso on his back as he went around him. Alonso was absolutely startled by the tap. I thought Hyde was wanting him to go to second so they could claim obstruction. Maybe I’m wrong there.
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8 hours ago, emmett16 said:
Terrible decision by Clint Frazier. Should have been and RBI single.
I’m glad to see Clint Frazier back on the field after all he has been through health-wise.
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Very interesting. It’s difficult to argue with that article, based on the landscape of what has been done in the past decade or so by other successful teams. This organization underwent a complete overhaul the past five years. They have built this from the ground up. They have a tremendous amount of talent from which to deal. Check, we know this is a rather unique set of circumstances.
Their core, beyond Adley, Gunnar, Bradish and Grayson, is beginning to hit their prime years of arbitration. Who do they extend and keep? Who do they deal this offseason and next? Which prospects do they see as being on their next few playoff teams? Did they hold back at the deadline to make bigger, more important, deals with the longer term in mind in the offseason?
Does picking up only Flaherty and Fujinami say that they believe they they are not really ready yet to be the team they envision in two or three years? Would adding say Verlander or Scherzer (if they wanted to waive their no-trade clause to come to Baltimore) have signaled being all-in for 2023? Would spending those resources have hampered their efforts of becoming what they envision?
I don’t think you can say that they are all-in, no. Are they a loser? I don’t share that opinion, but I can understand where that comes from. I think they are clearly holding back, but being responsible with the growth of the organization and taking necessary steps forward to ensure a longer term extended run. I would be surprised if Mullins, Hays, Santander, Urias and Mountcastle are all still here in 2025. Perhaps all will be elsewhere by then, and I would not be surprised at all.
I also wonder what role added financial liability would add to a potential sale of the team. The criticism they have received is certainly fair, but if I am close to being correct, then I get it. Maybe I am way off here.
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At first blush, I gave it a B-/C+. I think that is the floor. The only prospect we might miss, at all, is Showalter. HS pitchers are long shots, and he’s three years away. We’ll see how those two acquisitions perform as O’s. They have legit tools though.
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I’m not sure how Flaherty is going to work out as a rental, but I am inclined to give it some time to see. Flaherty has a .346 BABIP this year, so it might be a combination of bad Cardinals defense and some bad luck. BB9 of 4.4 and K9 is 8.7, so roughly 2:1. HR/9 is .8, so pretty good there.
He was one of the best young pitchers in MLB in 2019, but threw 190 plus innings at 23 yoa, and 151 innings in 2018. He has had some shoulder issues in the past few years, but averaging about 5.1 innings per start this year.
He’s a native of Los Angeles, so maybe he wants to go back to the west coast, who knows. I noticed the 4S velo is 92-93, and he barely uses the change up at just over 2% of the time. He has a solid knuckle-curve, and a decent slider. The statcast numbers aren’t great, good extension though.
I hope they can help him be a better version of himself for the remainder of 2023, and perhaps he signs to come back on a reasonable deal to see if they can get him even better.
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15 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:
Right, so who else could be involved? If Verlander could be moved, what Boros client would do better as a result?
Certainly could be. Any thoughts on who it could be?
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2 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:
The key with Heyman is he's the Boros' mouthpiece. Basically when he says something you have to see who are the Boros clients potentially involved, and how could they do better by whatever information Heyman is putting out.
Very true, but I believe Verlander is still represented by Mike Milchin, not Boras.
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4 minutes ago, RVAOsFan said:
I would like to stabilize the rotation tonight with Lorenzen. Then let’s go big game hunting for someone who moves the needle tomorrow… Bednar
I watched him against the Phillies yesterday. Yes, I want that guy in the back end of the pen for us. He was nasty.
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26 minutes ago, SemperFi said:
Me too, I like to think I helped on the character side maybe? I had them at the end of traveling maybe 13-14, Max Meyer of the Marlins is the kid in the majors, he's close to my son. Unless they have a truly elite bat/arm most kids will go as far as their glove takes them. Good luck coaching, I miss it.
Absolutely all about the character. Dealing with failure and expectations is so tough for some of them. I keep trying to step away, as I tend to run myself into the ground now in my mid 50’s. I have to slow down. Coaching my third and youngest now. Just finished 12U with a trip to Cooperstown. A great trip! Onto the big field for my little lefty. I think I have it so I can step away after 17 years. I have tried before, and I missed it terribly.
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1 hour ago, SemperFi said:
Well to master....
I can vividly remember Josh Hamilton in BP repeatedly fielding caroms of the RF wall and throwing to third (each carom is different is why) or Dwight Evans. You too have nice points and I will admit my bias-I played in a different era on symetrical fields. Enjoy coaching, it took a toll on my body towards the end, have a kid that made the majors last year-that was special!!
Awesome! I’ve had some D1 kids, some in minors. But they got there on their own, in spite of my meddling.
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2 minutes ago, SemperFi said:
Sounds like you were a COF....I'm going to have to disagree a little. I've played both (mostly CF) and yes you have a little more time in CF and you can read the swing easier than the ball (big) and slice/hook less severe but in CF:
No plays off which takes a big mental toll (corner can cheat a little) multiple throws/cut offs, guys on either side, long and accurate throws (with more cut play), handling a third more chances, slice and hook, huge back-up responsibility (not just OF, 2b too).
To me CF was much more difficult especially mentally. While you note jump-to me baseball smarts/acumen were as-if not more important than pure speed in center. Let's not forget Santander warts and all was a GG finalist two years ago!!
I was a SS, then a CF. I am not saying that a CF does not have to be a good OF, or that it is easier in every way. You obviously need a very good athlete. There is a lot to do out there, sure. The CF should be your best and rangiest OF. But most skilled? I am not sure we agree there.
The COF’s back up a lot of throws to bases as well. I was specifically referring to the balls off the walls, corners and the slicing and hooking of line drives. It takes a good bit of work to become a skilled COF and play the corners intelligently. I’ve heard the same commentary many times over the years. For instance, when very athletic MIF’s switch to OF the thought is it is easier to transition to CF than a corner. You bring up some valid points, but it has been my experience coaching older kids that COF is a bit more difficult to master.
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It has happened several times in the past few weeks where Adley has called for FB up and outside half. It is very frustrating for me as well as it is usually with two strikes. They are wasted pitches, often just flicked away as a foul ball. Most of these sequences have cost us, some home runs. And it doesn’t appear that these were cases of missing the target as Adley set up for these pitches. I have not seen McCann make these kinds of mistakes, but maybe it’s our analytical folks. IDK.
With Wells, I just think he isn’t healthy. His breaking balls were poor last night. It makes me wonder if it hurts too much. Grayson, Bradish and Kremer are the only starters we have that should start a playoff game at this point. I like what Gibby has given us, but he is not a guy that will match up well in the playoffs.
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24 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:
He has nothing left to prove in the minors.
19 minutes ago, RZNJ said:It’s a reminder that he has plenty to prove in the majors.
You’re both right, IMO. Does he go in a trade? I doubt it. Does he go back down to AAA when Hicks and Mullins come back? We’ll see. The offense has really struggled since Mullins going back on the IL. Cowser has not given us much at this point. It may not be much more than a numbers thing and who is actually productive.
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I think Cowser will be fine, eventually. He looks like he doesn’t believe he belongs just yet. I don’t like him in CF, but he isn’t awful. At the plate, he looks very passive. I like that he is letting it travel and being patient, but he has to be a bit more assertive and look to pull a little more. At least, be more gap to gap. Everything I can remember has been to LF. Some hard hit balls, though.
The COF is actually more difficult to play than CF, IMO. The reads are much easier in CF, less balls slicing away or hooking, and no tricky corners in general. CF needs someone with range/speed, but the COF takes more skill as an OF to be good out there.
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5 hours ago, Moshagge3 said:
How do you mean, "Wells was intimidated by Judge"? He came right after him. The problem is that his fastball right now is nowhere near good enough to get by Judge. Stuff, not mental makeup, is the issue here. The O's walked Judge three times Friday night, which suggests being intimidated a lot more, but they won the game.
Walking someone is not necessarily being intimidated. A smart pitcher sometimes pitches around a hitter you do not want to beat you. Especially with men on base. They try to make specific pitches and get a chase, but if they miss they err on the side of caution as to not miss over the middle of the plate.
I don’t care if we walk Judge four times a game, honestly. I would throw inside off the plate though, early in the at bat, and see what he might chase. A sinker and/or a change up, a four seam on his hands, and then the slider down and away. Bounce the curve or slider if you get ahead inside. Just do not miss with the four seam above the belt in the middle or outer half where he gets his arms extended. They know that, and maybe Wells just cannot execute right now and he is afraid of making a mistake.
I was a little aggravated after watching Wells tonight. My criticism might have been a little harsh. He is not right at the moment. Wells, and other Orioles’ pitchers, need to pitch inside much more. I am tired of seeing our pitchers throw four consecutive fastballs on the outer half in the upper quadrant. They make it easier to hit, and foul those pitches off. Sosa hit an oppo shot in Philly on such a sequence. Someone else did too, I think the Dodgers series. Just too predictable right now.
Hicks activated, Cowser optioned
in Orioles Talk
Posted
Dude, now you know that isn’t me. Not at all.