Nunez slumping again

[jabba72]

12 minutes ago, eddie83 said:

He has played 12 games out there. I don’t know if he can play there or not. You don’t have to have a great arm in LF. 

I really don’t know what they are planing on doing with him. He is still pretty young. 

Right now it seems Mountcastle is either at 1B or LF. Basically another Mancini. 

[spiritof66]

A few questions about Mountcastle's defense. I have seen him (on my computer monitor) play 3B a couple of times in spring training. It wasn't good, but what little I saw wasn't bad on the Betemint/Reynolds scale.

1. I've read, most recently in Tyler Kepner's latest book, about training facilities that succeed in increasing the arm strength and velocity of some pitchers. Is there a way to try to increase Mountcastle's arm strength, even slightly? (The same question would apply to Cedric Mullins and some other OFs in the organization.) The goal would be to make Ryan a better OF arm, even if still not a good OF arm.

2. It's my impression that most guys who can hit but can't hack it defensively come up playing positions on the far right of the defensive spectrum (corner OF, 1B) or catcher. If they can't make it there, or are blocked by a superior player who can't succeed elsewhere defensively (or one with a huge contract), there's no easy place to redeploy them. But Mountcastle came up as a SS. Insofar as his problem is that he can't make the long throws from SS or 3B, should he be tried at 2B? He's never played a MiL game there. Does he lack the range to play there? Is that shortcoming, coupled with his throwing weakness, so obvious that it's not worth trying him at 2B? 

3. It appears that both Elias and Hyde prize defensive versatility, and that's understandable when you need lots of guys in the bullpen and are carrying a Rule 5 guy and Chris Davis. But it seems to me, as a matter of common sense and general observation with no close study or analysis, that versatility works great with a guy like Ryan Flaherty, who was a very good defender with some speed and throwing ability (and, as the son of a coach, may have worked at learning to play multiple positions at an early age). Maybe Wilkerson, who has and some throwing ability, can be moved around like that with some success. But if you're moving a guy who lacks those attributes, and either is blocked from playing the only position he knows or has shown an inability to play that position, shouldn't you put that guy in one position for a while so that (a) he can devote his time, attention and practice to learning how to play there and (b) the team then can assess whether, after he's had some time learning to play there, he can advance to the MLs at that position? (With regard to the question about Mountcastle's ability to play the OF with his limited arm strength, I would think the organization could resolve that pretty quickly by stationing him out there, hitting him 50 or 100 balls a day for a few days and having him throw to second, third, home and to a cut-off man.) Moving Mountcastle around at 3B, 1B -- do we really need another first baseman? -- and LF in AAA would seem to me to be a lousy way to answer the question of whether he can learn to be adequate at a new position. Is there a plan for what position(s) Mountcastle will play during the balance of 2019 and the outset of next season (I'm assuming he'll start 2020 at Norfolk)? What is that plan? maybe he ends up a career DH, but the organization should be sure there aren't any viable defensive options for him before that happens.  

[Sydnor]

In his last 5 at bats, Renato Nunez has 5 hits for a 1.000/1.000/1.200/2.200 slash line. The approximate 62 at bat cold streak must be over!

[OFFNY]

o

 

(vs. YANKEES, 8/14)

 

Nunez went 5-for-5 in a losing cause against the Bronx Bombers.

 

o

[wildcard]

1 minute ago, OFFNY said:

o

 

(vs. YANKEES, 8/14)

 

Nunez went 5-for-5 in a losing cause against the Bronx Bombers.

 

o

Nice.

[maybenxtyr]

16 minutes ago, OFFNY said:

o

 

(vs. YANKEES, 8/14)

 

Nunez went 5-for-5 in a losing cause against the Bronx Bombers.

 

o

He had some pretty decent numbers off of Happ coming into today.

[sportsfan8703]

Heck of a game for Nunez. 5-5 and a hit off Chapman. That’s impressive. If only this dude could play some 3B again...

[LA2]

51 minutes ago, sportsfan8703 said:

Heck of a game for Nunez. 5-5 and a hit off Chapman. That’s impressive. If only this dude could play some 3B again...

Noticed him shortening up the swing and plunking in hits when he had to. If he can do that regularly, combined with his great pull power, Watch out!

[DrungoHazewood]

On 8/10/2019 at 7:11 AM, Can_of_corn said:

So he's like a lot of players.  Got it.

Doesn't mean we should put up with it.  When Eddie had that 30-game run in May-June '82 where he hit .182 with a .591 OPS that just foreshadowed the trade to the Dodgers.  When you can't count on someone, you can't count on them.  We can't have that.

[DrungoHazewood]

On 8/12/2019 at 11:25 AM, spiritof66 said:

A few questions about Mountcastle's defense. I have seen him (on my computer monitor) play 3B a couple of times in spring training. It wasn't good, but what little I saw wasn't bad on the Betemint/Reynolds scale.

2. It's my impression that most guys who can hit but can't hack it defensively come up playing positions on the far right of the defensive spectrum (corner OF, 1B) or catcher. If they can't make it there, or are blocked by a superior player who can't succeed elsewhere defensively (or one with a huge contract), there's no easy place to redeploy them. But Mountcastle came up as a SS. Insofar as his problem is that he can't make the long throws from SS or 3B, should he be tried at 2B? He's never played a MiL game there. Does he lack the range to play there? Is that shortcoming, coupled with his throwing weakness, so obvious that it's not worth trying him at 2B? 

If you're on the Betemit/Reynolds level as a defender that really means you're a first baseman or a DH.  So even if he's not quite there he's probably not an acceptable third baseman.

Mountcastle is listed at 6' 3".  Here's a comprehensive list of all the 6' 3" or taller players in 140+ years of MLB history who've played 1000 games at second: Neil Walker.  There are only five second basemen that tall who played as many as 500 games.  Does that preclude Mountcastle from being a second baseman?  No, not necessarily.  But it indicates that very tall players often lack the quickness and agility needed to turn the double play at second.