Luis Hernandez Appreciation Thread

[Frobby]

I've never called a player trash or garbage, and don't plan on doing so, but just to be clear, is it okay to say he plays like trash?

It's not something I would say, but that's just me. It wouldn't offend me if someone else said that.

[CrimsonTribe]

I'm not making anything up. If you go back and look at all the off-season angst about SS, I bet you'll see about 80% of the posts insisting that what we mainly needed at SS was league-average OPS and, oh-by-the-way, if we got good-D that was a bonus. The basic premise was that OPS is the overriding factor, and that D is a relatively-minor detail in comparison to OPS. If you don't believe me, you can go back and look it up.

Actually, what I was taking issue with is your tendency to whittle an opposing argument down a single term, phrase, or concept (see "McDeal" or "OPS Religion" or the "trade everyone over 30" thing) in order to bash it as simplistic and uninformed while you proclaim yourself a champion of seeing things from all angles.

[DrungoHazewood]

Ya know, I was one of the people who asked for new smilies...now, I'm really sorry I did. Too many posts are beginning to pop up with just smilies and no attempt to make a written response.

I agree 100%. When you have nothing substantive to say, but disagree, just put up a "BS" smiley and walk away.

[DrungoHazewood]

And, like Drungo, when you don't have an argument, you abandon actual content and change the subject to making things personal. Makes for a great discussion that way. Well done.

If you believe the issue about LH was Actual Baseball Performance, please explain how LH routinely got reamed even before the season started, while Bynum seems well-liked despite performing worse than LH did. Is this because LH did anything bad while Bynum did something good?

Because Bynum's overall performance over the whole of his professional career has been better than Hernandez'.

[Old#5fan]

Rschack, do you even think Luis Hernandez was a viable option at SS for the Baltimore Orioles? A decent alternative off the bench?

With that being said, you've been defending him nonstop since he received his first chance to be a MLB player for the Baltimore Orioles, so I think you're looking through orange tinted glasses.

I think anyone here can agree that the vast majority of people were not attacking him personally, but were attacking his talent level, and rightfully so. You have the large majority of people in this thread disagreeing with you, yet you continue to put your fingers in your ears and shout, "NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!" That's unfortunate, really.

We want what's right for the Baltimore Orioles, and Luis Hernandez is not, in any capacity, helping the Baltimore Orioles. Not now, and most likely, not ever.

I could say the exact same thing about Bynum but I guess because he runs faster he gets a pass?:scratchchinhmm:

[Old#5fan]

Because Bynum's overall performance over the whole of his professional career has been better than Hernandez'.

So how is that helping the Orioles now when he isn't doing any better than the much villified guy he replaced? I think all Shackelford is essentially asking is why do the same posters who ragged on LH seem to give Bynum a pass? If Bynum is truly better than LH in any significant way other than speed (which I sure don't see) than he should be getting ragged on moreso because he is not playing up to his potential even worse than LH!

From what I have seen, I don't think Bynum is better period.

[LookitsPuck]

Old#5fan, wasn't it you that was likening Luis Hernandez to a better defensive 2B than Brian Roberts due to one day playing up the middle?

Furthermore, you had a ton of people on this forum proclaiming Luis Hernandez as the next Omar Vizquel who could consistently hit .300, whilst others were saying it was a small sample sample size, and he's about league average defensively at SS. Noone was saying anything of the such in regards to Bynum (i.e. wild allegations), so obviously none of us have a chip on our shoulders in regards to Bynum's playing ability. By the way, you'll be pretty hard pressed to find anyone on this forum who views Bynum as anything more than a utility guy, and you'll certainly be extremely hard pressed to find anyone who believes Bynum is our long term answer at SS.

[El Gordo]

So how is that helping the Orioles now when he isn't doing any better than the much villified guy he replaced? I think all Shackelford is essentially asking is why do the same posters who ragged on LH seem to give Bynum a pass? If Bynum is truly better than LH in any significant way other than speed (which I sure don't see) than he should be getting ragged on moreso because he is not playing up to his potential even worse than LH!

From what I have seen, I don't think Bynum is better period.

Bynum has a higher carreer OPS. That's it period.

[Old#5fan]

Old#5fan, wasn't it you that was likening Luis Hernandez to a better defensive 2B than Brian Roberts due to one day playing up the middle?

No, I said he made a couple plays that I have never seen better made by BR.

Furthermore, you had a ton of people on this forum proclaiming Luis Hernandez as the next Omar Vizquel who could consistently hit .300, whilst others were saying it was a small sample sample size, and he's about league average defensively at SS. Noone was saying anything of the such in regards to Bynum (i.e. wild allegations), so obviously none of us have a chip on our shoulders in regards to Bynum's playing ability. By the way, you'll be pretty hard pressed to find anyone on this forum who views Bynum as anything more than a utility guy, and you'll certainly be extremely hard pressed to find anyone who believes Bynum is our long term answer at SS.

Than why haven't they started beatching about Bynum like they did about poor LH? They were doing it even before the season began when LH played excellent last year during his time at SS. Now Bynum plays the same and nobody complains? It just doesn't make sense, especially when Bynum has been proclaimed by some notables here as being better.:scratchchinhmm:

[Old#5fan]

Bynum has a higher carreer OPS. That's it period.

Big deal. He's not showing it now. In fact he should be considered more of a disappointment than LH if his career OPS is significantly better.

[Frobby]

So how is that helping the Orioles now when he isn't doing any better than the much villified guy he replaced? I think all Shackelford is essentially asking is why do the same posters who ragged on LH seem to give Bynum a pass? If Bynum is truly better than LH in any significant way other than speed (which I sure don't see) than he should be getting ragged on moreso because he is not playing up to his potential even worse than LH!

From what I have seen, I don't think Bynum is better period.

I think what you are seeing is the old axiom, "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." There were several posters who expressed very strong views that LH was a great (not just good) defensive shortstop who could be a long-term answer for this team and who was a superior option even as compared to an offensive-oriented shortstop such as Tejada. Those views were very strongly expressed and so they drew a very strong, vehement reaction from those who disagreed.

By the same token, nobody out there thinks that Bynum is anything more than a stopgap. Nobody's out there (or was out there) saying he's a long-term piece of the puzzle, so there's just nothing to be vehement about in response.

[El Gordo]

Big deal. He's not showing it now. In fact he should be considered more of a disappointment than LH if his career OPS is significantly better.

OPS:notworthy:

[Sports Guy]

No one has given Bynum a pass...We have all said he is a pathetic option as well...Just as Cintron is. Why this concept is so hard for some to figure out, I will never understand why. Just because we wamt Bynum in there over LH doesn't mean we are giving him a pass...It just means that their historical performance says Bynum should be the better player.

The real problem is that AM didn't do anything about this in the offseason. He is the real person to blame.

[NewMarketSean]

Than why haven't they started beatching about Bynum like they did about poor LH?

They were doing it even before the season began when LH played excellent last year during his time at SS. Now Bynum plays the same and nobody complains? It just doesn't make sense, especially when Bynum has been proclaimed by some notables here as being better.:scratchchinhmm:

No one is saying that he's the next defensive Ozzie Smith or saying that Bynum makes the team better like you said about LH last year when Tejada went down with an injury.

If no one rushed to LH's defense when he had 5 good games in a row at the plate and played good defense, there wouldn't have been such a LH backlash. It would be like it is with Bynum now.

He's just as bad but it is what it is. if Bynum has another month like he is having, Cintron should get his shot and then we should start holding public tryouts for the next guy.

[osfan83]

Than why haven't they started beatching about Bynum like they did about poor LH? They were doing it even before the season began when LH played excellent last year during his time at SS. Now Bynum plays the same and nobody complains? It just doesn't make sense, especially when Bynum has been proclaimed by some notables here as being better.:scratchchinhmm:

Let me be the first. Freddie Bynum should not be the starting SS for the O's. His skills are lacking (although I recognize he is one of the top 1000 or so people playing basball in this country) and the O's management has dropped the ball in putting us in this position.