Otter

It's just an embarrassment to the game, and an insult to players and the fans that he is still a major league ump. I've noticed there are a lot of really good young umps these days; it should be so easy to replace him....

Great question. I'll never pick the catcher since there's too much wear and tear. Kjerstand probably ends up with the better hit tool. But I'm going with Mayo; just ridiculous raw power.

I think it's a little early to be concerned about his lack of power. We all knew that was the one tool needing the most development. I think he just needs to develop enough power to keep pitchers honest. I think our minor league development staff has demonstrated their skill in developing hitters, so I'm excited to see what they can do with him.

Wow, not a very inspiring list of prospects. Hopefully some of the pitchers we drafted this year show well enough they're in the conversation for 2024 minor league pitcher of the year. But this year it's much more fun to think about all our hitting prospects...

Close race, but I'll go with Holliday. What he's done in his first full season at his young age is incredibly impressive, even for a 1:1 pick. Or they could pick Mayo just to make sure Holliday stays hungry and humble...

First, you can make your point without being insulting to those with a different opinion. Second, every jurisdiction is different with how their benefits are handed out and the amounts and qualifications for them. According to California's website, it shows that some COVID-era benefits are still being handed out. And even if benefits in your jurisdiction have gone back to pre-COVID levels, COVID did show many people that they can make similar amounts on public assistance than they can working low paying jobs. I'm very active in my local Chambers of Commerce, and know many business owners in many different industries and they all say the same thing. Since COVID they've had a very hard time hiring, re-hiring, or retaining low level employees, and the answer they get most often from these employees is they can make similar amounts on public assistance than they can in these low paying jobs. But I do agree the UBER-type jobs have also cut into the low-paying job market, even though I don't think it's the only reason. Sorry, I certainly don't want to get into a political discussion, but getting back to the original topic I think there are multiple reasons the service in OPACY is poor this year and it may be difficult to fix it in time for the playoffs.

Well said. I have no doubt JA's cheapness is partially to blame, but I think it's more just a microcosm of what we're seeing in retail/restaurants/hotels throughout the country since COVID. It's vey hard for these businesses to get people now to work these low paying jobs when they can sit at home and collect checks to do nothing. Talk to any business owner and they'll tell you how hard it is to hire and retain these customer service jobs. Have you noticed how understaffed retail stores are these days? I travel a lot for work and it's this way everywhere...can't find anyone to help you in any stores. Again, I'm not absolving JA of any blame in this but I'm also sure it's challenging to fully staff the stadium at this point. Also, an unintended result of significantly raising the minimum wage in a short amount of time is many businesses hire less employees to make up for the fact they have to pay them more. I'm not saying it's right or wrong, just that I've heard many business owners say they do that.

You're right, but so far Elias has been very conservative with trades. He's avoided dealing with the position player logjam so far, but he'll have to address it this offseason.

I think he already is a better defensive outfielder. At least based on the eye test, Santander's speed, mobility, and defense really seem to have declined in past couple years. I'd vote for trading Santander in the offseason, and giving Kjerstad the opportunity to win the RF job in spring training. JA has made it clear he won't extend players, and I'm not sure I'd even be in favor of extending Santander since he'll probably be a DH only in a couple years.

This. The great stuff and K's get all the attention, but in late inning relievers I like pitchers who don't walk a ton of guys. I don't mind the occasional solo HR, but giving free passes late in games just invites disaster.

How do you know what we offered or what the Cardinals asked for? Yes, we did draft a bunch of pitchers which was great but it still doesn't balance out the inequity in our system right now.

The difference is we rarely draft guys like Showalter (high upside HS pitchers for overslot deals). Just Showalter and Baumler; that's it. Our system really needs high upside young arms, and we have very few. Because of that we are forced to trade for pitching rentals like Flaherty and Fuji, but I don't like that 3 of the 4 prospects we traded are pitchers. That just perpetuates the root problem of a lack of pitching prospects. And yes I know that Rom and Lucas aren't great prospects, but developing pitching is a war of attrition and you need quantity to overcome the inevitable injuries and starters converted to relievers. I really wish we had traded Norby or Stowers instead of Showalter; they are higher rated than Showalter but our system can definitely absorb their loss much more easily than Showalter.

Agreed...some players say some interesting stuff while mic'd up but Frazier was definitely not one of them...He didn't seem too excited about it so I'm guessing it wasn't his idea... Maybe it's just me, but since the Kevin Brown fiasco it seems MASN is adding a lot more voices during the broadcasts. 3 and 4 man booths, guests in the booth, mic'd up boring players, etc. The worst was Rob Long in the booth just spewing praise on the O's for being so smart as to move the LF wall back and how much he absolutely loves the wall and doesn't understand how anyone could hate it. Whether you agree or not, the blatant in your face ass-kissing is so obnoxious...

JA is no different than a lot of politicians and billionaires in that he is completely out of touch with the average American, and completely insulated from reality. I don't think he has any idea how much he is hated, and even if he has an inkling he thinks his interviews can fix that perception easily. It seems to me his comments are mainly designed to convince corrupt politicians to provide more taxpayer dollars for his plans...

Very interesting, and definitely backs up what a lot of us have observed. Regardless of the reason, I'm enjoying the ride!

Great question, and interesting how the advanced metrics can be so different. Just from the eye test it feels like our defense is a little worse than last year. And most of that impression is from Mateo looking worse than last year and Frazier's horrible range. On the other hand, the more Henderson plays SS the better he looks to me. I'd say we are above average (not elite) with Henderson at SS and Westburg at 2B instead of Frazier.

This. More athletic and faster than I expected, even from the scouting reports and videos I saw. He also is a hustler and grinder, the type of player fans and coaches love. Without checking his spray chart, it also seems like he's great at using the whole field and thus won't be as affected by the LF wall as other RH hitters.

I'm going with Santander; I think the HRs alone will push his OPS higher than anyone else. Although I keep waiting for O'Hearn to come back to earth and level off but he never does...

Good comp, but I also like Palmer's comp where he compared him to Grich. Would love for him to have a Grich-type career.

Yes you're absolutely right, but just because it happens a lot does it mean it's ok or that we shouldn't be upset by it? JA is using our beloved team to line his pockets and those of his buddies, as well as further his political agenda over the agenda of actually winning baseball games. That should disgust all of us.

I just loved Devo as a player, but he is absolutely cringe worthy as an announcer. And I don't buy that it's just because he's only done a few games....I hate to say it but he mumbles, talks quickly, and never says anything interesting or of value. Before hiring a former player, they should work a bunch of college or minor league games to get some experience and see if they have the talent for it. Brach does have a lot of interesting comments, and especially for players he played with. But he talks way too fast and doesn't have a broadcaster's voice or cadence.

I wonder what JA would do if Palmer publicly supported Brown...

I doubt JA really comprehends how petty his actions are or how they are being perceived. JA is probably so insulated by his subordinates, that he doesn't read or know about the reactions. He also is probably too arrogant and self-absorbed to be capable of self-introspection or to change a bad decision.

But you're looking at it from the perspective of a logical, empathetic, intelligent human being. JA is none of those...

I'm surprised this is even a question. Even before the suspension, I was always so impressed with Brown. Such a great broadcasting voice, smooth, articulate, but doesn't take himself too seriously like many other broadcasters. He also seems to have a great rapport with Palmer and McDonald. He's much better than Thorne. Thorne had a great voice and was articulate, but he made too many mistakes and didn't seem to pay attention sometimes. I think Brown will have a long and great broadcasting career...albeit probably somewhere else...