Chris Davis to leadoff?

[weams]

2 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Isn't Roberts the #1 steroid user in the Baltimore area?

Well, He was #1  on the field and in our hearts. 

[weams]

7 minutes ago, O's are Legends said:

He's the most beloved steroid user I can think of. I really don't get it, maybe because he's so out of shape and didn't create a fake website or didn't blame a health services director for a failed test.

Yeah, he pretty much just shut up and took his penalty. Knowing that to not use was a penalty far worse.  He strung it out several more seasons. 

[clapdiddy]

On 4/4/2018 at 8:32 AM, Enjoy Terror said:

This might sound insane but is the reason they have organizational utility man Garabez Rosa at 1B in Norfolk (as opposed to legitimate 1B depth) because the O’s have considered DFA’ing Davis to the minors to work out his problems?

They have Trumbo and/or Mancini to play 1B.   This would allow them to have better outfield defense.    Hopefully, a Davis release would coincide with a Hays promotion.   

[O's are Legends]

2 minutes ago, weams said:

Yeah, he pretty much just shut up and took his penalty. Knowing that to not use was a penalty far worse.  He strung it out several more seasons. 

950 innings and a extra 44 million in the bank since the suspension. I thought he was finally done last year but he had a good start with the Rangers a few days ago.

[Enjoy Terror]

17 minutes ago, clapdiddy said:

They have Trumbo and/or Mancini to play 1B.   This would allow them to have better outfield defense.    Hopefully, a Davis release would coincide with a Hays promotion.   

We have a real life Allen Craig situation in Baltimore.

[Il BuonO]

On 4/4/2018 at 10:03 AM, Frobby said:

I still don’t think that means much. I’d be fine hitting him 8th until he heats up, though.

You mean IF he heats up.

[Frobby]

8 minutes ago, Il BuonO said:

You mean IF he heats up.

Yes, that’s what I mean.   But I do think “heating up” from his current .048 batting average is pretty likely.    Crossing the Mendoza line may be challenging, however.   

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, Frobby said:

Yes, that’s what I mean.   But I do think “heating up” from his current .048 batting average is pretty likely.    Crossing the Mendoza line may be challenging, however.   

Side note, it still irks me .200 isn't considered the Uecker line.

[OldNewGuy]

18 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Side note, it still irks me .200 isn't considered the Uecker line.

Maybe Mario can use the publicity. He is not forgotten. Otherwise he is probably not even a footnote.   Bob U is or was a star. Just spell the name right. Say anything you like about me.

[weams]

Jayson Stark from the Athletic https://theathletic.com/

THE MAGIC NUMBER: .197 

WHAT IT MEANS: If you’re a left-handed hitter who pulls a ground ball these days, that’s your chance of reaching base, either via a hit or some sort of fielding mishap. That number is about 40 points lower – yessir, 40 points – than it was as recently as 2011, according to Sports Info Solutions. 

So maybe you’ve heard this expression lately at a ballpark near you, possibly to explain the modern infatuation with launch angle:

“In the 21^st century, ground balls are outs.”

So is that true? Oh, yeah. It’s totally true.

I was chatting with the hitting coach for a data-driven team last season when he casually blurted out a number that set off sirens in my head.

“If you pull a ground ball right now, with all these shifts,” he said, “you’re a .193 hitter.”

That doesn’t sound too promising, does it? But in fact, if you do that, you wouldn't even have that high an average.

Sports Info Solutions charts a metric it calls the Reached Base Rate. It’s basically On Base Percentage, except it also includes reaching via an error. And what we’ve learned from that metric is that, over the last two seasons, a left-handed hitter’s chances of reaching base on any ground ball between the first-base line and halfway to second base are under 20 percent.

That’s not his batting average. That’s not his On Base Percentage. That’s his chance of reaching base, period, even if it’s because the second baseman clanks it. Yikes!

That’s also not just against the shift. That’s against any defensive alignment.

Here is how that rate has changed over the last seven seasons:

2017 – .197
2016 – .193
2015 – .207
2014 – .208
2013 – .222
2012 – .221
2011 – .235

So it’s a funny thing. I hear skeptics cite all kinds of numbers to “prove” that shifts aren’t working. Really? Ask any left-handed hitter. Consult the chart above. Got it? Next!