Reynolds wants another crack at 3B

[MikeAD]

Luke isn't good enough to play 1B though. He'd wind up being another sub 3.0 fWAR player to add to the list.

Besides, the O's only want him back as a DH, and I think other teams will want him for the OF.

Right. We look at Scott too favorably because we are a poor team. On most teams he is a standard LF/DH bat. At this point in his career he will get you average production. At 1B he will get you below average production.

[scOtt]

Luke isn't good enough to play 1B though. He'd wind up being another sub 3.0 fWAR player to add to the list.

Besides, the O's only want him back as a DH, and I think other teams will want him for the OF.

You don't know that. And we could use him occasionally in the OF as well. And as DH too even. Kakes or Wieters can play 1B.

[MikeAD]

You don't know that. And we could use him occasionally in the OF as well. And as DH too even. Kakes or Wieters can play 1B.

Yeah I am fine with this, at the right price. We'd essentially have some odd LF/RF/1B/DH Platoon. It is not the solution though. It can help us stay afloat next year if we make the right moves to overhaul the organization but if we are just going to play the status quo game then I could care less. I'd rather 1B go to Davis and see if he can put it together.

[CA-ORIOLE]

If he can put up 2.5-3.0 fWAR at the position, he'd be above average.

He's better than Davis who is downright terrible there.

Antonelli's bat won't play there very well and Andino's certainly won't.

Think of him as the Orioles' version of Mark Bellhorn. A good placeholder until we can develop our own Dustin Pedroia for 3B.

Considering his overall game/numbers/trends it's a huge stretch he'd be over 2.5 fWAR player. He's done it once in 5 years. In 5 years he's an average 1.8 fWAR player. I honestly think Andino could out-WAR him a third.

[BaltimoreTerp]

Uh, with the exception of 2010, hasn't he pretty much sucked, defensively, for his entire ML career?

No. He's been below-average. There's a difference.

You can work with below-average. You can't work with whatever last year was, which is why he spent the second half at first base.

[scOtt]

Yeah I am fine with this, at the right price. We'd essentially have some odd LF/RF/1B/DH Platoon. It is not the solution though. It can help us stay afloat next year if we make the right moves to overhaul the organization but if we are just going to play the status quo game then I could care less. I'd rather 1B go to Davis and see if he can put it together.

Of course at the right price. You incentivize his contract, give him a chance to put up or shut up and make some money. If he produces then good for all.

Don't quote that "status quo" crap.

I'd rather have Luke than Davis. Proven vs. unproven.

[MikeAD]

Of course at the right price. You incentivize his contract, give him a chance to put up or shut up and make some money. If he produces then good for all.

Don't quote that "status quo" crap.

I'd rather have Luke than Davis. Proven vs. unproven.

What I am saying is that I am fine with Scott at first base if we are making a real commitment to get better. If we are going to just hang out, sing a few lousy players, and bring in no talent (at any level), then just let Davis have at it. At least then there is some upside.

[scOtt]

What I am saying is that I am fine with Scott at first base if we are making a real commitment to get better. If we are going to just hang out, sing a few lousy players, and bring in no talent (at any level), then just let Davis have at it. At least then there is some upside.

Fair enough. DD still has plenty of leash AFAIC. He's earned that on international signings and interest alone. Ferriera is a good old eye. The financial guy is very forward thinking (I think...) That seems like the commitment to me. Scouting and player development.

Luke is a buy-low, and cheap unless he produces, option. There is your "improve the ML team and improve the minors too" option (Luke won't cost us Peacock, Cole, Milone and Norris...) Status quo my @$$...

[scOtt]

Yeah I am fine with this, at the right price. We'd essentially have some odd LF/RF/1B/DH Platoon. It is not the solution though. It can help us stay afloat next year if we make the right moves to overhaul the organization but if we are just going to play the status quo game then I could care less. I'd rather 1B go to Davis and see if he can put it together.

And specifically posting this to make my point. Luke helps us put a pretty decent offense on the field next year and DOESN'T cost us picks or prospects or anything more than $$$.

A move COMPLETELY divorced from the development side, and yet the development side moves forward at the same time, on it's own merits.

[Sports Guy]

He's had one anomaly of *good* defensive statistics over his entire career. His entire career shows a poor defensive 3B'man. Is he better than last year? Sure. But I don't think he'll ever be a good 3B'man.

Even if he is a guy that gives you a -5 UZR, that means he is costing us .5 win with his glove. He has shown he can be that(actually, he has shown he can be better). Its not great but combine that with his normal offensive season and he would be likely end up being a league average or better third baseman.

It makes much more sense to at least start to the year with him at third than him at first and Davis at third.

Now, if you can trade him, fine. If you obtain a good, young third baseman in trade, fine. But as the teams stands right now, there is no doubt he should be the third baseman.

[jiminnj]

"I wasn't out of shape and fat last year, but I think I fell into weightlifting with Brady, and I was so into it and about putting up the heaviest weight I could. [i was] kind of going crazy with it," Reynolds said. "I kind of lost sight of my goal to be a baseball player. I'm not a professional weightlifter, so I'm just trying to stay strong and agile and mobile."

This really bothers me. We have a lot of guys training with Brady and he let Reynolds do this!! Baseball players need agility and mobility and this is going to hurt it and pretty obviously hurt Reynolds last year. Hopefully Brady is keeping the end goal in mind this year and when he is working with our players.

[waroriole]

So people are going to let one year of defense when the guy admitted he bulked up too much and lost agility, decide his fate?

I say given the horrible 3B depth in MLB, the Orioles need to let this guy try to stick at the hot corner. He didn't cost them wins and his defense though marginal at best is not as bad as last year indicated.

So rational and thought out. Who is this?

[weams]

So rational and thought out. Who is this?

Aubrey Huff was given more than one chance to play third base. This guy was a short stop until four years ago. He can certainly be given another chance there if it appears to be our best option, but not because he would like to play there in his free agent year. Whatever makes the Orioles better.

[33rdst]

I think the O's should give him another chance at third. IMO Davis is the better first baseman of the two. Why weaken two positions?

[panick]

So Reynolds went too far with the weight-lifting that Brady Bunch had him doing. This is an indication of the problem that can be caused by players working out under Anderson's instructions.

I brought it up in the thread about Matusz working out with Anderson this off-season. Has Anderson ever pitched or played the infield in the major leagues? If he hasn't(and I'm PRETTY sure he hasn't), what could he possibly know about what those positions require from a physical standpoint? What kind of professional training has Anderson had to be able to instruct other players about physical training, let alone training for particular positions?

Anderson may be in the best shape of his life, but there is a difference between being in great shape and being in great baseball shape.

I know Tillman and Matusz were supposed to have worked out together last off-season, but I don't know if they were with Anderson. But both pitchers lost velocity last year. Could it be because they were not on the right off-season training program? Reynolds may have answered that question.