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You are over reacting here. He took a step in initally and was not able to recover. You are always the one to say that XBA should no be used, but catch percentage should, and now you are using the opposite because for some reason it's fitting your narrative. McKenna has never had good reaction times but typically takes good routes and has good speed and burst to make up for it, but those at 'em balls are not his strength. It's also worth noting that McKenna had played one game in RF all year prior to being asked to be a defensive replacement. McKenna absolutely blew that play. I'm guessing Santander makes that play because he's pretty good at going back in his career and has even been worth 1 OAA going back this year already. I'll be honest, I've never thought McKenna was that much of a defensive upgrade over Santander, particularly in Camden Yards where Santander has much more experience. -
Sure he may have “frozen,” but nobody freezes for 2-3 seconds. Statcast defines “jump” as how far the fielder travels in the first 3 seconds compared to average. Average is about 34 feet, depending on direction. So -12.4 (compared to average) is an awful lot. -
I've noticed that a couple times instead of taking chances on running in and attempting a shoestring type catch, Cowser just lets the ball drop in for a hit. It's like he doesn't have the confidence to try a running/diving type catch. So far, it appears that he is not a plus outfielder. -
Whether or not you buy these reasons, I think it’s easy to see the arguments for “why not Norby”. I know there are premises in the arguments below that will be rejected by some. Still, the reasons for “why not Norby” may be wrong but they are not puzzling in my opinion. Apologies for the lengthy post, but there are a lot of potential reasons for the decision. 1. Team thinks Urias/Mateo platoon is a better near-term option than Norby to replace Holliday in the infield. There is redundancy in three right-handed infielders for 2B/Utility. Urias/Mateo duo is likely a far superior defensive option to Norby in the infield, so Norby would need to offer a meaningful offensive upgrade to offset this gap. Projection systems expect Urias and Norby to hit in a similar 85-100 wRC+ range. Norby comes with more uncertainty on what to expect and risk of a rookie adjustment period (not ideal with a short-term replacement for Hays). Norby’s 2024 AAA Statcast metrics are not very impressive (2024 AAA average in parentheses): xwOBA = .315 (.316) K% = 26.3% (23.8%) BB% = 9.6% (11.6%) EV = 87.4 (87.7) Hard hit % = 30.6% (37.3%) Whiff % = 29.6% (27.5%) Chase % = 35.0% (27.0%) SwStk% = 15.0% (12.4%) 2. The front-office is not confident that Norby can handle left field in Camden. The front-office seems to be prioritizing a right-handed bat to replace Hays in left field and backing up center. Norby has had limited experience in the outfield and the team may not yet be comfortable having him cover the cavernous Camden left field. 3. Right-handed pinch hitter and occasional DH role is not deemed to be a current priority. We already have a similar role from the left-hand side for Kjerstad. The team seems to be prioritizing defensive versatility and pinch-running. Additionally, it wouldn’t be ideal for Norby’s development for him not to be getting consistent fielding reps. 4. Putting Norby on the 40-man roster for the rest of the season reduces roster flexibility. McKenna can be DFA when Hays returns. Norby would be on the 40 for the rest of the season. Yes, there is currently some deadweight that could be cut. Still, it might be nice to have Livan Soto right now – there is arguably some cost even with marginal players. Additionally, we would have one less 40-man spot to use for claims on high-upside relievers. Having less “deadweight” on the 40-man due to Norby might end up nudging Elias away from using Cade Povich for a spot start in a month or two. And while we’re not in 40-man crunch right now, we could be in August following promotions and trades – at that point there is no way to reverse Norby off the 40 man. 5. Promoting Norby now could hurt his trade value. This is debatable. Arguably, teams will overlook rookie struggles, especially in a SSS. However, counterargument is that this doesn’t get fully priced and initial struggles will take some of the shine off. The team might feel that the way to maximize Norby’s trade value is to keep him rolling with an .800+ OPS at Norfolk. Additionally, there is a minor negative impact in trade value from being on the 40 man. Teams with a 40-man crunch will have an opportunity cost (albeit typically minor) in trading for Norby. 6. Elias does not put a lot of stock in sympathy pleas for Norby deserving a shot or being stuck in Norfolk forever. Norby is 23 and has 171 games at Norfolk. He’s not on any major top 100 prospect lists (unless you count Just Baseball) and is not completely dominating AAA (especially his Statcast peripherals). I think Elias only gives “treatment” considerations for bona fide top 100 prospects and even then will prioritize what he thinks is best for the team. -
By sportsfan8703 · Posted
That’s 94-95 on a very cold night. I’d bring him up. Only so many bullets in an arm. So is it Suarez or Irvin that goes? It’s hard to argue against Suarez, but MR/SU man might be just as valuable as a 5th SP on this team. Irvin can be a 5th SP. I don’t know if he can be the big time setup man that Suarez looks like he could easily step into. The bullpen has to get 15 outs a game. SU man is actually probably more important than 5th SP. Especially when we have Irvin and Means for 5th SP. -
By Mooreisbetter27 · Posted
He’s fast, but if he froze for 2-3 seconds, couldn’t that account for a lot of that? -
By Mooreisbetter27 · Posted
Hard to not be encouraged by that stat line. Believe I heard he was sitting mid 90s. The big thing is again going to be, how does he feel today and tomorrow.
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