MLB dot com: Hanser Alberto is Orioles biggest surprise

[Can_of_corn]

Just now, Frobby said:

What does that have to do with Alberto?   He’s 27 and will be a free agent after the 2022 season, at which point he’ll be 29 (30 by the time his first FA season begins).    You could sign him to a 4-year deal now and maybe an option year and that wouldn’t look too bad.    I would not advocate signing him to a 4 year deal once he reaches FA, however.   

To be clear, I’m not at all ready to lock him up — but not because I’m worried about his age.   I just don’t want to overreact to his hot start.   
 

I'm assuming that the person in question is talking about signing him after his period of team control is over.  That would make him 30 (+) when the deal starts.

 

[Beef Supreme]

5 hours ago, wildcard said:

Biggest surprise for me.  Cole Sulser.  I thought he might may the team as a reliever.......But an effective closer?   Who knew.

Come on Tampa.  Throw some more rejects our way.

While Hanser Alberto's success may be a big surprise to the folks at MLB.com, there is one person on this site who isn't surprised this year, nor was he surprised last year. In March 2019, touting the newly arrived Alberto offensive skills and quoting praise of him from Adrian Beltre was wildcard. I tip my cap to you, wildcard, on your promotion of the ability Alberto would bring to the team in 2019 and now, even though his success seemed more like a longshot than a sure thing. No wonder Sulser is the biggest surprise to you this year. :-)

I guess your correct prognostication helps even out that horrendous "Who's to Blame?" post.

[Philip]

Re: Alberto.

He is one of the better players on a team that is at best mediocre. Why would we want to extend him? Isn’t Gunnar our future second baseman? Or whichever of Grenier/Hall can’t handle SS?
As the team improves, individual players remain the same. If he’s really going to be good enough to help a contending team, he’s more valuable to us as a trade piece, And if he keeps this up, I would be surprised if he finishes the season with us. Assuming the season finishes the season.

Meanwhile I am enjoying him very much and I also enjoy Ruiz and the other improving players.

Edited August 4, 2020 by Philip

[ISU94]

6 hours ago, Philip said:

Re: Alberto.

He is one of the better players on a team that is at best mediocre. Why would we want to extend him? Isn’t Gunnar our future second baseman? Or whichever of Grenier/Hall can’t handle SS?
As the team improves, individual players remain the same. If he’s really going to be good enough to help a contending team, he’s more valuable to us as a trade piece, And if he keeps this up, I would be surprised if he finishes the season with us. Assuming the season finishes the season.

Meanwhile I am enjoying him very much and I also enjoy Ruiz and the other improving players.

You're not going to have a team full of top end players at every positon. He looks like he could be a quality player. Gunnar isn't going to be ready for several year, and who knows if he even works out. Prospects are super volatile.

If Alberto can continue to be an average to slightly above average or better player I'd love for him to be a long term piece until he gets pushed out.

[CarrRun49]

9 hours ago, Philip said:

Re: Alberto.

He is one of the better players on a team that is at best mediocre. Why would we want to extend him? Isn’t Gunnar our future second baseman? Or whichever of Grenier/Hall can’t handle SS?
As the team improves, individual players remain the same. If he’s really going to be good enough to help a contending team, he’s more valuable to us as a trade piece, And if he keeps this up, I would be surprised if he finishes the season with us. Assuming the season finishes the season.

Meanwhile I am enjoying him very much and I also enjoy Ruiz and the other improving players.

Wasn't the thought that Gunnar would move to third base if needed, not second?

[wildcard]

10 hours ago, Beef Supreme said:

While Hanser Alberto's success may be a big surprise to the folks at MLB.com, there is one person on this site who isn't surprised this year, nor was he surprised last year. In March 2019, touting the newly arrived Alberto offensive skills and quoting praise of him from Adrian Beltre was wildcard. I tip my cap to you, wildcard, on your promotion of the ability Alberto would bring to the team in 2019 and now, even though his success seemed more like a longshot than a sure thing. No wonder Sulser is the biggest surprise to you this year.

I guess your correct prognostication helps even out that horrendous "Who's to Blame?" post.

Wow,  We don't see a post like this everyday about anyone of the board.  Thanks so much.

[wildcard]

11 hours ago, Frobby said:

What does that have to do with Alberto?   He’s 27 and will be a free agent after the 2022 season, at which point he’ll be 29 (30 by the time his first FA season begins).    You could sign him to a 4-year deal now and maybe an option year and that wouldn’t look too bad.    I would not advocate signing him to a 4 year deal once he reaches FA, however.   

To be clear, I’m not at all ready to lock him up — but not because I’m worried about his age.   I just don’t want to overreact to his hot start.   
 

I am enjoying the tone change here.  Sounds like we are moving from everyone on this team stinks to if he keep it up we should sign him for 4 years.    Quite a change.

[Frobby]

42 minutes ago, wildcard said:

I am enjoying the tone change here.  Sounds like we are moving from everyone on this team stinks to if he keep it up we should sign him for 4 years.    Quite a change.

I certainly don’t think everyone on the team stinks.   I expect the team itself to be pretty awful when it’s all said and done (though I’m hoping to be surprised), but that doesn’t mean everyone on the team is awful.    Alberto was worth 2.9 rWAR last year and this year his job is to back that up and show it wasn’t just a high-BABIP (.318) fluke.    He’s off to a good start offensively and I’ve always liked his D at 2B.

[Sports Guy]

Alberto was rated highly defensively from some of the newer defensive stats last year.

I don’t know what to think about him right now.  He has a seasons worth of PA under his belt as an Oriole.  That’s not a large sampling but it’s not nothing either.  However, this year his BABiP is 433, which is obviously unsustainable over the course of a normal season. He still isn’t showing much power and his OBP is basically totally driven by his BA.  Not a lot of hitters can be successful with little power and not a lot of walking.  Can he be an exception to the rule?

No interest in locking him right now.  I need to see a lot more from him.

[Daddy-O's]

4 hours ago, ISU94 said:

You're not going to have a team full of top end players at every positon. He looks like he could be a quality player. Gunnar isn't going to be ready for several year, and who knows if he even works out. Prospects are super volatile.

If Alberto can continue to be an average to slightly above average or better player I'd love for him to be a long term piece until he gets pushed out.

The Orioles are stocking the farm system so that they will not have to pay players past their prime.  Those players will simply be pushed out and replaced by younger cheaper players.  Longer term deals to guys over 30 will not be a thing.  

[OsEatAlEast]

It's good to see one of the good guys get some press.

[Philip]

2 hours ago, CarrRun49 said:

Wasn't the thought that Gunnar would move to third base if needed, not second?

Yes, I went back and checked, that’s correct(my bad) but the point is that by the time we are competing again, we’ll have better players, and we won’t need Hanser.

[wildcard]

53 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

Alberto was rated highly defensively from some of the newer defensive stats last year.

I don’t know what to think about him right now.  He has a seasons worth of PA under his belt as an Oriole.  That’s not a large sampling but it’s not nothing either.  However, this year his BABiP is 433, which is obviously unsustainable over the course of a normal season. He still isn’t showing much power and his OBP is basically totally driven by his BA.  Not a lot of hitters can be successful with little power and not a lot of walking.  Can he be an exception to the rule?

No interest in locking him right now.  I need to see a lot more from him.

Good post.   I was going to write something similar.

Hanser hit lefties but not righties last year.   A 60 games season is not going to tell us what he can do over a 162 games season even if he hits lefties and righties.     I would wait until after the 2021 season to decide whether ro sign him to a multi year contract.

[Ruzious]

Let's see how he does in the World Series before giving him a contract extension.  

[ISU94]

2 hours ago, Daddy-O's said:

The Orioles are stocking the farm system so that they will not have to pay players past their prime.  Those players will simply be pushed out and replaced by younger cheaper players.  Longer term deals to guys over 30 will not be a thing.  

How do you figure?

We had an empty farm system with no core players at the MLB level. Them "stocking" the farm system is how you rebuild. Of course we're not going to be LAD handing out 500M  contracts, but we definitely aren't going to be TB/OAK that just let's every guy worth a pay day walk out the door if guys show they're worth it.