Will Rickard beat out Kim for the starting job in left field?

[wildcard]

Brady is saying that Joey Rickard is healthy.   He also makes a few other statements about Rickard:

“He can play all three positions in the outfield, he’s a reliable baserunner, a potential real basestealer and he has a really good command of the strike zone. He has a lot of skills that translate into being on a big league team and having a long career.”

“I don’t think Joey’s reached his potential yet,” Anderson said. “He was a good example of how hard it is to hit in the major leagues. It seemed like he got two hits every single day from opening day through April and May. He was sort of a breakthrough player in spring training and continued that in the season. Then you look up and he’s struggling to hit .250, .260. But he’s reliable, so he has a spot."

Kim is mostly a one dimensional player.   But his one dimension is that he can hit for a high OBP.   He is not fast. His arm is not very strong.  He can only play LF in the outfield and doesn't have much range there.  Though he can get on base he can't steal

OBP is an important skill. With the O's needing a  leadoff hitter and Smith being a #2 hitter,  does OBP allow Kim to hold off an improving Rickard from getting more playing time?    

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/01/updates-on-salary-exchanges-trumbo-and-rickard.html

 

 

 

 

[Frobby]

I think Kim will play more than last year, it's just a matter of whether he'll be LF or DH on a given day.   I don't expect Rickard to start much vs. RHP.

[webbrick2010]

I think Kim will play less next year and mostly at DH, unless DD pulls a plus defensive OF'er out of his hat. Just can't afford the putrid OF defense of a Kim/Jones/Smith or Kim/Jones/Trumbo

[backwardsk]

No, he won't.

[InsideCoroner]

I see Rickard getting a fair amount of ABs this year, both against LHP and also spelling any of the three guys in the field as needed. But you don't take the bat out of the hands of a guy who OPS'd .800 in his first year in the bigs. 

[Can_of_corn]

I'm hoping Kim can hold off someone who was below replacement level season.

[Frobby]

3 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

I'm hoping Kim can hold off someone who was below replacement level season.

Hopefully, Rickard can play above replacement level this year.   I have some optimism about that.  

[wildcard]

54 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I think Kim will play more than last year, it's just a matter of whether he'll be LF or DH on a given day.   I don't expect Rickard to start much vs. RHP.

I think it all depends on how much  Rickard improves.   He hit for a .390 OBP in the minors.  He had to be able to hit righties to do that.  If he shows that capability along with his better defense and base running ability it will be hard to keep him out of the lineup.

[Aristotelian]

I don't think it's a guarantee that Rickard makes the roster because he has options. Ideally we bring in somebody who can be an everyday RF and slide Kim to DH. It all depends on our final moves of the offseason. If we have an everyday RF, Rickard goes to AAA and one of the Rule 5 guys can be our bench OF until September or whenever.

[Redskins Rick]

4 minutes ago, Aristotelian said:

I don't think it's a guarantee that Rickard makes the roster because he has options. Ideally we bring in somebody who can be an everyday RF and slide Kim to DH. It all depends on our final moves of the offseason. If we have an everyday RF, Rickard goes to AAA and one of the Rule 5 guys can be our bench OF until September or whenever.

I think one of the Rule 5 guy goes to the DL.

I think the other, has to clearly show in ST, he can outplay Rickard.

Just my own opinion.

[FlipTheBird]

Joey Rickard is probably destined to be a career 4th outfielder. Which is fine. Teams need extra outfielders. I don't envision him being a regular, everyday guy.

[weams]

3 hours ago, Frobby said:

I think Kim will play more than last year, it's just a matter of whether he'll be LF or DH on a given day.   I don't expect Rickard to start much vs. RHP.

Which is the weak end of a platoon. So answering the OP. No.

[terps19]

I think someone beats out Kim in LF; we cant afford to have him out there every day.  He just isnt good in LF.    

Kim should mainly DH and I think he hits for more power this year.  I think he is capable of putting up a 15-18 HR season.    

[TommyPickles]

Who do you think has a higher ceiling, Kim or Rickard?

I think both of their second years in the Bigs will go a long way in answering this question.

I could see either of them eventually becoming an everyday player.  I could also see neither of them reaching this level.  I could see Rickard becoming a plus defender, who swipes fifteen bases, and gets on base at a respectable level.  I could see Kim beginning to hit LHP, getting up to the 15-20 homers, and maintaining a .790ish OPS for seasons to come.  

Excited to see how it shakes out. 

 

 

[Frobby]

8 minutes ago, TommyPickles said:

Who do you think has a higher ceiling, Kim or Rickard?

I think both of their second years in the Bigs will go a long way in answering this question.

I could see either of them eventually becoming an everyday player.  I could also see neither of them reaching this level.  I could see Rickard becoming a plus defender, who swipes fifteen bases, and gets on base at a respectable level.  I could see Kim beginning to hit LHP, getting up to the 15-20 homers, and maintaining a .790ish OPS for seasons to come.  

Excited to see how it shakes out. 

 

 

I think it depends on whether Rickard's defensive numbers last year were real or a fluke.    Personally, I think he's a much better defender than Kim, but the numbers don't reflect that.    Offensively, I believe Kim has the higher upside, though I think his upside is .800ish OPS with a nice OBP component.    Rickard looks to me like a .750ish guy if he's lucky, but again with a good OBP and better baserunning value.    Neither of these guys is going to knock your socks off, but they both could be useful.