IPlayGM

Big plus for the overall bullpen if he is sharp again.

Everything was hit much harder and further than 1B.

To me he has to learn the true consequence of bad pitch selection, bad pitch placement, etc. That doesn’t happen in the minors, where his stuff can get him by on mistakes.

Yeah I have not seen enough of him to truly know if this comp is legit, but that is what I have always thought given his profile.

He’s Jeff Kent. Hope he is Jeff Kent for us.

I certainly have to admit I feel better about these 5 then I did 2 weeks ago. I do feel to be a legit WS contender the roster has to improve, and part of that is a legit starter.

He is really starting the year similar to how Adley did last year, a few more games struggling I believe. The big difference is that his end to last year with us completely reset our expectations. I am looking forward to his next 100 AB’s, talent wins.

I hear all the justification talk for keeping these guys down (ie. maximum value/40 man flexibility/acclimation period) but to me with Cowser and Westburg we have a legitimate chance to reset this roster and for the better. To me, a big part of the hold is that there is no one to play 1st other than Mounty. If they felt comfortable with Santander at 1st here and there, then both these moves makes sense. O’Hearn and Stowers go, leaves Vavra around for a super sub role, and moves Frazier to part time player. Also, with Mateo struggling, it allows Gunnar to play SS 1-2 times a week. In a given week, Westburg can play: 2nd base: 2 games 3rd base: 1-2 games DH: 1-2 games In a given week, Cowser can play: LF: 2-3 games CF: 1 game DH: maybe 1 game here or there.

Good position to be in to trade Westburg in a package for a top pitcher and have to “settle” for Ortiz at 2B.

I think he thought he was talking about Heston.

Yeah I just came on here because I figured someone would have the numbers…that was certainly a weird start last night.

Are you serious? Have you completely forgotten about his last stint in the majors? I get Kremer hasn’t been great so far but that’s madness.

To me this is the key part. In a bubble, you would say no to trading a guy who is doing what he is doing, and hypothetically continuing. But taking a step back and looking at this organizationally, trading has to be the decision at some point, the question shifts to when? In my opinion, one of the many reasons Ortiz is up is to see if he can hit enough to make Mateo go on the block. Holliday is the future SS. If Ortiz hits, you maximize organizational strength and trade Mateo earlier. I could see it as early as the trade deadline (unlikely), but to me the off-season is more likely. Now if Ortiz doesn’t hit, then that becomes a different scenario/timeframe.

Here is how I see the roster changes, although I have no idea of the timeline. 1. Cowser up, Vavra down. This has been discussed plenty here, but this moves Hays to right, Santander primarily to DH. Will still see him some in the OF. 2. Westburg/Ortiz for Urias. I think this one takes longer to happen because we have to make a trade. With the lefty bat being a priority, plus the 8m, Frazier stays and becomes your utility guy at this point. I have always thought that it’s Urias that is the odd guy out once an infielder comes up. 3. This is more of a question: Does the addition of Cowser and his ability to play CF make McKenna vulnerable? I really don’t think so, just because he is a RH bat, and they seem to value his ability to be a PR/defensive replacement. 4. I don’t see a logical replacement in the minors for O’Hearn until you are ready for Heston, but that move would necessitate more than just a one for one switch. I think the way we have this roster currently constructed makes it a little more difficult to get some of these guys up here. I am really interested to see if Elias swings a trade at the deadline, it just seems inevitable.

Ok, we are going to need the full story (year/school/etc) on when Willie stole your middle school girlfriend…

I have it on good authority that @Can_of_corn is actually just a heaping spoonful….we all do it.

Curious of what those two things you mentioned were once he came back up last year. Without looking it up, he went deeper in games and I remember decent strikeout numbers. Wondering how much his beginning of the year skewed his overall numbers, if any.

What I really love about him is that he has grinded and worked to develop a nice mix of pitches to the point that he can be basically different pitchers at different parts of the game. Last night he was fastball/curveball early in the game primarily, and then by the 5th/6th he was more sinker/slider/change up. To me, that makes him dangerous and allows him to extend himself deeper in games. To me he is the best pitcher on the staff, hope he can keep rolling.

My hope would be a combination of both. Upgrade the lineup with Heston taking Santander’s place. Keep Mateo (assuming he stays even remotely like this) and have him be the bridge to Holliday. Decide on 2nd base who you want to keep and use one of the others as trade. I keep Mounty, and if Heston is serviceable at 1st, you have real lineup flexibility, especially if the long lost Kyle Stowers comes back up.

Last night reminded me of last year. Using his offspeed stuff fairly well which makes his fastball play up.

If he locates the fastball, I agree. I’m not sure how you hit him.

The version of Gibson we saw last night benefits the defense…balls in play quickly all night. I know this isn’t his thread, but really impressed with his ability to throw ground balls. That pairs well with our team.

Have they announced which level he is starting yet?

While I don’t think Santander is a great or even good outfielder, I think some of this is a little much. The Hays/Santander switch implies that LF at Fenway is easy to play, which I don’t agree with. It certainly has less ground to cover for sure, but it’s a gimmicky spot that is a little tricky. Plus it was 36 and windy. Now with that I will say 2 things: 1. Would have rather seen Stowers get the start. 2. Definitely would have liked McKenna to be out there in the 8th.

I guess my question would be this: what is the level of production he would have to have to make it okay for Westburg/Ortiz to stay down? Does this production even exist? I am also assuming with this question that those 2 are producing in AAA.