Villar Traded to Marlins for LHS Easton Lucas

[sportsfan8703]

2 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

They will probably perform well but I'm not certain that having a bunch of old for their level guys performing well is all that useful past posting good won/loss records.

True, but at least with his first draft, I like that Elias took players that had bigger sample sizes, thus using more "analytics".  We literally didn't draft and sign a HS pitcher.  Plus, I think it was a good way to build depth, which creates competition.  Especially with the piggybacking.  Not saying any of them could turn into John Means, but you have a bunch of SP that are in the system that are in that Means category of prospect when he was working his way up the ladder.  

[Just Regular]

6 minutes ago, wildcard said:

Finding a 2B is not a problem for the O's.  Alberto probably gets a chance in ST to show he can hit lefties and righties.   How he does may decide whether he plays everyday or is  platooned vs lefties.

Wilkerson came through the O's system as mainly a 2B and hit well vs righties in the majors last season.   He too will probably get the opportunity to show he can hit lefties in ST.

Valaika can also play 2B as well as SS and he hit pretty well vs lefties though that was in Colorado so he as to prove it in Baltimore.

What the O's need in the infield is a veteran SS and probably some help at 3B.

It might be overreading into Elias saying "young", but Bannon does have a few years on these other options, along with a non-zero chance of being a medium-term contributor.  The other soft factor that I can imagine helping Bannon sooner rather than later is I suspect he will ultimately not rate as a plus infield glove.  Maybe he'll hit enough to cover that.  

The first half of next year is a chance to gather some of that information with Wojo/Cobb etc up there so the team will have an idea whether Akin/Kremer/Zimmerman etc should have him as their 2B as they are trying to break in.

[DrungoHazewood]

1 hour ago, ThomasTomasz said:

If this isn't an indictment over how teams view speed/defense players in today's MLB, I don't know what is.  The Orioles, partly because of the money and also because of the strengths/weaknesses of the player, can't even get a top 30 prospect from a middling farm system for a 4 win player.  Depending on the stat you use, he's slightly below average to slightly above average offensively, so let's say he's average.  His OBP doesn't stick out, so it's really his value on the basepaths as well as defense (and the numbers last year at 2B were not promising for the future.)  I can easily see teams looking at Villar and seeing further regression in his defense, and that this year offensively was an aberration.  The Orioles were in a really tight spot here either way you look at it.  

He's coming off a 4-win season where he played 162 games, but has a single year left under team control with an anticipated arb award of about $10M.  Odds are good that in 2020 he won't play as much or as well, meaning that he'll be paid for about a win-and-a-half, but will produce two or so.  That's not a lot of wiggle room between value and salary, and he'll be a free agent in less than a year.

[Frobby]

19 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

They will probably perform well but I'm not certain that having a bunch of old for their level guys performing well is all that useful past posting good won/loss records.

The Aberdeen staff last year averaged 21.6 years old, compared to 21.3 for the league.    Older than average, but not extreme.    I do think the gap for Delmarva will be larger, because we don’t have any 19-year olds jumping from the GCL to the Sally League like we did last year with Rodriguez and Rom.    But I wouldn’t say these guys are super old.     

[atomic]

29 minutes ago, wildcard said:

Finding a 2B is not a problem for the O's.  Alberto probably gets a chance in ST to show he can hit lefties and righties.   How he does may decide whether he plays everyday or is  platooned vs lefties.

Wilkerson came through the O's system as mainly a 2B and hit well vs righties in the majors last season.   He too will probably get the opportunity to show he can hit lefties in ST.

Valaika can also play 2B as well as SS and he hit pretty well vs lefties though that was in Colorado so he as to prove it in Baltimore.

What the O's need in the infield is a veteran SS and probably some help at 3B.

Wilkerson cannot play second base.  If they mark him down as starting second baseman to start the season he won't play there again after a couple of weeks.   

[gtown]

1 hour ago, Can_of_corn said:

If MLB as a whole thought it was a fair market salary for him the O's would have received a stronger return on the trade.

I disagree. There are other options at fair market value, so why give up anything now when you can sign free agent X at fair market value.

That's why have have continued to argue to roll the dice and try to make a deadline deal, when supply of fair market value is much lower (and salary for 1/2 season is less important).

[Roll Tide]

2 hours ago, Aglets said:

Drungo, facts aren't really useful when they disagree with the narrative you're trying to push.  How long have you been a poster here again?  

There seems to be a lot of that around here.

[Can_of_corn]

12 minutes ago, gtown said:

I disagree. There are other options at fair market value, so why give up anything now when you can sign free agent X at fair market value.

That's why have have continued to argue to roll the dice and try to make a deadline deal, when supply of fair market value is much lower (and salary for 1/2 season is less important).

Why give anything up?

There isn't a farm system in baseball that can't spare an Easton Lucas or two.

[DrungoHazewood]

16 minutes ago, atomic said:

Wilkerson cannot play second base.  If they mark him down as starting second baseman to start the season he won't play there again after a couple of weeks.   

Every year of his pro career until 2019 he played more at second base than anywhere else, and has played almost three times as many games at second as at any other position. What are you basing that first sentence on?  If you can point me to, for example, a Luke scouting report saying he's not a second baseman that would have you covered.

[Luke-OH]

Just now, DrungoHazewood said:

Every year of his pro career until 2019 he played more at second base than anywhere else, and has played almost three times as many games at second as at any other position. What are you basing that first sentence on?  If you can point me to, for example, a Luke scouting report saying he's not a second baseman that would have you covered.

I actually pretty much agree with Atomic here, the only position I think he can be average with the glove is 3B, maybe. He’s probably passable at 2B, but the bat is not nearly good enough. Wilkerson is probably close to if not top on my first guy off the 40 list. 

[atomic]

4 minutes ago, DrungoHazewood said:

Every year of his pro career until 2019 he played more at second base than anywhere else, and has played almost three times as many games at second as at any other position. What are you basing that first sentence on?  If you can point me to, for example, a Luke scouting report saying he's not a second baseman that would have you covered.

I have seen him play games in the infield.  He was just terrible in the games in 2018 at third and the games last year at second.  I have seen him play maybe 6 games in the infield but I don't think I need to see more.  There is a reason he was playing mostly in the outfield last season.  

 

[Frobby]

28 minutes ago, atomic said:

Wilkerson cannot play second base.  If they mark him down as starting second baseman to start the season he won't play there again after a couple of weeks.   

I’m not a big Wilkerson fan, but I’m wondering why you say this.     2B was his primary position in the minor leagues.   He’s played a limited amount there in the majors, 14 starts and 21 total games.    I really haven’t seen him at 2B enough to draw any conclusions.   What don’t you like about him there?     I’m not debating your opinion, I just would like some elaboration.   

Edit: never mind, I see you’ve already answered a similar question.   
 

[MurphDogg]

4 minutes ago, atomic said:

There is a reason he was playing mostly in the outfield last season.  

 

The reason was that we didn't have enough good outfielders and had a 4 WAR 2nd baseman. He was bad in the outfield. I am not a fan of Wilkerson, but a Wilkerson/Alberto platoon at second makes the most sense to me for this coming year.

[Legend_Of_Joey]

5 minutes ago, Luke-OH said:

I actually pretty much agree with Atomic here, the only position I think he can be average with the glove is 3B, maybe. He’s probably passable at 2B, but the bat is not nearly good enough. Wilkerson is probably close to if not top on my first guy off the 40 list. 

I have to disagree here.

If you are basing it on his glove and arm, he can play 3rd just fine and is slightly above passable at 2nd. He has a good arm (enough for a "line to line" throw from 3rd to 1st that doesn't have that "lollipop" effect) and has good reaction (see: diving stop vs. Nationals, "run and throw" vs. Braves) and range at 2nd (running/sliding over the shoulder catch vs. Astros.) That's just at the MLB level. He had several plays at Bowie when he held down 3rd that would have made "Top Plays" for that day.

His bat is the reason he is a utility guy. His glove and arm play well. 

[sportsfan8703]

2 minutes ago, Legend_Of_Joey said:

I have to disagree here.

If you are basing it on his glove and arm, he can play 3rd just fine and is slightly above passable at 2nd. He has a good arm (enough for a "line to line" throw from 3rd to 1st that doesn't have that "lollipop" effect) and has good reaction (see: diving stop vs. Nationals, "run and throw" vs. Braves) and range at 2nd (running/sliding over the shoulder catch vs. Astros.) That's just at the MLB level. He had several plays at Bowie when he held down 3rd that would have made "Top Plays" for that day.

His bat is the reason he is a utility guy. His glove and arm play well. 

And we chose to bring him into a game for a save when we had an "available" Tanner Scott.  I'd say that makes Tanner Scott the 40th man.  haha