How long will DJ Stewart be able to hold off Ryan Mountcastle?

[wildcard]

Brandon Hyde as made it clear.  Ryan Mountcastle will spend most of his time practicing in left field.   That puts DJ Stewart on notice.   If DJ wants to hold on to his left field starting spot he better hit well.

Mountcastle brings with him an 871 OPS in AAA last year.   He is expected to be a middle of the order bat.   He just has to get better at playing the field.   Left field to be exact.   Maybe some 1B.   His service time situations will be behind after 6 days of the season passes.   After that the pressure builds to get the O's #4 prospect into the major league lineup.  The O's have a few middle of the order bats.  Maybe Hays if he is not leading off.  Santander and Nunez.  Davis if he can find his resurgence.  Mountcastle would be a nice addition with the bat.

DJ Stewart brings other possibilities.   Plate discipline has been a skill of his in the minors.    396 OBP in AAA last season.   That would look nice in the #2 spot in the order.   He also can bring power and if he builds on the 944 OPS he put up at Norfolk last year he could be hard to beat out.   So far in 165 at bats in the majors he has a 744 OPS.  That will not hold off Mountcastle.    So it is up to DJ to get off to a good start and keep hitting.

Defensively neither of these players is a plus left fielder.   DJ has more experience and a better arm but overall the bats will probably decide who get the playing time.

If Stewart does get off to a good start and Chris Davis does not maybe Mountcastle finds playing time at first.   After 31 homers last season, Nunez has a long leash at DH.   Although if Ruiz continues to not hit lefties, Nunez may platoon at 3B opening some at bats for Mountcastle at DH.   But platooning is not what the O's want for Mountcastle.   They want that bat in the lineup everyday.

Stewart/Mountcastle/ Davis will be an interesting combo to watch this season.   The answer to who plays is in the bats.

[webbrick2010]

DJ has more experience and a better arm but overall the bats will probably decide who get the playing time.

Where does this come from?

Mountcastle came up as a SS and although his arm is not ML caliber at SS, DJ Stewart has one of the worst arms I have ever seen. I haven't watched Mountcastle in person but I don't think it is possible for him to have a worse arm than DJ

[wildcard]

7 minutes ago, webbrick2010 said:

DJ has more experience and a better arm but overall the bats will probably decide who get the playing time.

Where does this come from?

Mountcastle came up as a SS and although his arm is not ML caliber at SS, DJ Stewart has one of the worst arms I have ever seen. I haven't watched Mountcastle in person but I don't think it is possible for him to have a worse arm than DJ

I saw Mountcastle a little in ST 1.0.  His arm looks much worse than DJ.   DJ's arm in left is probably average.  Mountcastle's arm is not close to average anywhere on the field but DH.   I will say my looks have been limited but what I have read and seen bears this out so far.    

[DrungoHazewood]

I think if Mountcastle gets ahead in the count 2-0 in his first MLB at bat, they stop the game right there and sell Stewart to the Chunichi Dragons.

[Legend_Of_Joey]

13 minutes ago, DrungoHazewood said:

I think if Mountcastle gets ahead in the count 2-0 in his first MLB at bat, they stop the game right there and sell Stewart to the Chunichi Dragons.

Well, he wouldn’t go to Toronto because he doesn’t want to pay those taxes.

[MCO'sFan]

I don't think that DJ has anything to do with Mountcastle. If RM hits he'll play. 

[MurphDogg]

I think Stewart and Mountcastle will likely also get some time at DH with Nunez occasionally sitting against righties and Ruiz occasionally sitting against lefties.

With Mountcastle also being the backup first baseman, there should be plenty of at-bats to go around.

[interloper]

DJ's first goal is to simply keep his head above water for an extended period of time at the ML level. And not fall down catching fly balls. And not get hurt a bunch of times. 

It's tough to know right now who DJ Stewart really is as a player at this level. We know even less about Mountcastle, but the prospect pedigree is obviously higher. 

[survivedc]

1 hour ago, MCO'sFan said:

I don't think that DJ has anything to do with Mountcastle. If RM hits he'll play. 

Agreed, but DJ hopefully has something to say about if RM plays in left.

[atomic]

DJ Stewart played mostly in right field last season. So I am confused about this thread.

[interloper]

12 minutes ago, atomic said:

DJ Stewart played mostly in right field last season. So I am confused about this thread.

Well, it'll be up to Stewart to carve out a COF spot with Santander and Mountcastle. And then eventually Diaz. 

[Moose Milligan]

26 minutes ago, interloper said:

DJ's first goal is to simply keep his head above water for an extended period of time at the ML level. And not fall down catching fly balls. And not get hurt a bunch of times. 

It's tough to know right now who DJ Stewart really is as a player at this level. We know even less about Mountcastle, but the prospect pedigree is obviously higher. 

Pretty much.  Dude is always hurt.

 

[MurphDogg]

6 minutes ago, interloper said:

Well, it'll be up to Stewart to carve out a COF spot with Santander and Mountcastle. And then eventually Diaz. 

And Kjerstad a year or two after that. Too bad we don't have an opening at first base.

Even if Davis is terrible again this year, the Coronavirus situation probably bought him another year to be penciled in in hopes of a bounceback.

[MurphDogg]

27 minutes ago, atomic said:

DJ Stewart played mostly in right field last season. So I am confused about this thread.

He had 39 starts in left and 50 starts in right last year.

Prior to 2018 he had played a grand total of 41 innings in right including the Arizona Fall League and 2,452 innings in left.

Hopefully this information eases your confusion.

[weams]

3 hours ago, wildcard said:

I saw Mountcastle a little in ST 1.0.  His arm looks much worse than DJ.   DJ's arm in left is probably average.  Mountcastle's arm is not close to average anywhere on the field but DH.   I will say my looks have been limited but what I have read and seen bears this out so far.    

I think they both have average throwing arms. Mountcastle has an outfielder arm though. It's around the infield that some criticize.