Gentile4

I know every player is different, but other than striking out a bit more than some would like, Stowers hasn't exactly struggled as he moved up the minor league ladder. He'll be 25 in January, and was taken in the 2nd round.

Buster Olney posted some Elias Bureau data. Mountcastle has the most home runs of any Oriole within two years of their debut. His 55 is one more than Eddie had.

Agree on all of that. It's like Mullins. He's a valuable player who isn't presently effective as a leadoff hitter. Mountcastle's under control for four more seasons, and in the six hole suddenly becomes a much more acceptable presence in the lineup. But hey, this is a team that often finds Urias batting fourth.

Yes, Mountcastle's slump has been extended, but do you really give up on a 25 year old that put up a 33 homer 90 RBI season the year before?

But there's no reason to take up a roster spot for that. Anyone could get us through the end of a game of Mountcastle got hurt. As has been said many times, poor roster construction.

Of course, you don't bring him up to sit. I thought that went without saying. If Vavra has pushed Odor, then who's the DH since that's a role Vavra's been occupying. I thought I was clear in my original post when I laid out my view of a role for Stowers in which he platoons w/McKenna in a corner outfield spot. Obviously, if Hyde insists on running Odor out there everyday at second, there's no point. There's no room for Stowers to play.

For me the question comes down to is Stowers better than Phillips? I'll say yes. Granted Phillips has had some nice AAA seasons, but has not been productive during his stays in the bigs. Stowers has displayed some legit power despite his high K rate, and is clearly better defensively than Santander. DH Santander, play Vavra at 2B at least part of the time, and play Stowers/McKenna in the corner not occupied by Hays.

I don't disagree with this, but it is a scary thought. That Nevin is the best choice for that roster spot is difficult to accept.

Actually I saw dozens of bad days when Stewart was in Baltimore. The bad day I mentioned merely got me thinking about why he's still in our system. You don't think Haskin's ready for AAA? How about Cowser? Or Adam Hall, though he's rehabbing an injury.

I see he went 0 for 4 w/4 K's at Norfolk, and I wonder is there a reality in which the O's are desperate enough to recall him to the ML. If not, why is he taking AB's away from legitimate prospects. Between Hays, Mullins, Santander, McKenna, Phillips, and Stowers, aren't we pretty well covered in the outfield? I think I would rather have DIaz than Stewart if it came to that.

Does it make more sense to start Hall even if he only goes three before turning it over to the bullpen? Keep him on his routine. I'm not really concerned with any negative impact on Voth.

I sincerely hope they don't trade Mullins. His defensive value shouldn't be overlooked, and while I don't spend time with the metrics, I watch virtually every game. 50+ years of watching baseball seriously tells me that there are a lot games won due the plays he makes. I'm totally happy w/his offensive output this season though I would like to get a better option in the leadoff spot. I'd also hate to trade Hays and then watch him turn into an all star now that he's been healthy for awhile. Put Santander at DH, Stowers in RF, and Vavra at 2B/leadoff (at least part of the time.)

Yeah, no kidding.

Mountcastle has more HR power, drives in more runs and is undoubtedly a better defensive first baseman than Santander, but sure, get rid of Mountcastle. Let's also not forget Santander has had trouble staying healthy. Yes, I'm a Mountcastle fan, and though I'm under no illusions about his abilities, he's by far the best option we have at the moment.

I'd still like to give Bannon a bit more time since he was fine until the trade. Not sure why Grenier and Gutierrez are still here.

I did, so who's the DH if Santander plays first?

And play who in his place? It's like trying to time the stock market. He's hit at every level including the majors, so you just run him out there every day.

I'm not a numbers cruncher, but I read that sending Lamet in the deal gives SD some relief re: the luxury tax. Not surprising that Mil DFA'd him so quickly. Doesn't mean he's not worth us taking a flier, however.

If Santander plays RF, then who's the DH when Adley's catching? I guess the plan is to play McKenna in right, DH Santander, and have Phillips as the 4th OF except you no longer need a defensive replacement w/McKenna, Mullins, and Hays. I suppose you can keep DH'ing Vavra if you want Santander to play the field, but that certainly weakens the defense. I can't watch Nevin any longer. I still don't understand the Phillips acquisition, and I'm one to generally give Elias the benefit of the doubt.

Fine, Diaz looked lost in his lone at bat; Phillips has been lost his entire career.

Jorge Lopez ERA 2018 5.03 2019 6.33 2020 6.34 2021 6.07 Just sayin'

Agree about the service time; I just hope the FO isn't thinking about that. I'm a little more encouraged than you are about his progress, but when you look at the pitching across the Eastern League, he's certainly among the top pitchers. Maybe not top 10, but he'll be 23 next season, and I just don't see the point of slow rolling all these top prospects. He's got 110 innings at AA, and if he moves soon, he could get 40-45 at Norfolk in 2022 and start there next season.

If there's one thing I've learned from watching baseball seriously for over 50 years, it's that minor league performance isn't always a good predictor. Means' minor league numbers weren't all that great, certainly no better than Rom's. Rom has 110 innings at AA and been relatively successful. Why wait to move him to Norfolk? Let's see what we have. I don't understand the reluctance to move guys along. Cal, Eddie, and Brooks had really nice minor league careers, but their minor league numbers certainly didn't scream out HOF. They were all up at 21 for their ML debuts. If it's about service time with a guy like Rom, then I can only shake my head.

I guess I don't see the reasoning behind relegating Westburg to super utility status. Isn't the consensus that he's a better defensive shortstop than Henderson?

I'm not going to obsess over one bad outing when Hall's had so many dominant games. I get Elias wanting to limit the inning coming out of the break so these guys can pitch in September. Fine, but why not bring him up, let him start and go two innings before turning the game over to Voth or whoever. Then bump it up to three innings and so on. He can continue to learn at the big league level, and if he struggles, that's a bridge we'll have to cross.