Mullins and DJ Stewart

[DrungoHazewood]

1 hour ago, webbrick2010 said:

I agree, I doubt he is streaky just had one Jack Cust HR streak. Someone please post the latest dropped fly ball from last nights game. I don't believe I have ever seen a ML outfielder who has on multiple occasions closed his glove before the ball made contact thus having the ball boink off the outside of the glove. He has no place on a ML roster. Why would we lose Fulmer who we obviously have interest in to keep Stewart on the 40 man. Seriously this guy couldn't play OF for one of the better city slow pitch softball teams. 

It's always nice to have a detailed, nuanced, evidence-based look at a player to enlighten and broaden the discussion.

[Moose Milligan]

Did Stewart drop a fly ball last night?

I gotta say, he looks to be a terrible defender.  He's had quite a few muffs in the outfield.  Last week there was a play where he had his back up against the outfield wall and obviously didn't know where he was, the ball clanked off his glove.  Every flyball looks like an adventure for the guy.

I'm not saying he's a bad athlete because he's not.  But he's had his share of blunders out there.

[bobmc]

28 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

Did Stewart drop a fly ball last night?

I gotta say, he looks to be a terrible defender.  He's had quite a few muffs in the outfield.  Last week there was a play where he had his back up against the outfield wall and obviously didn't know where he was, the ball clanked off his glove.  Every flyball looks like an adventure for the guy.

I'm not saying he's a bad athlete because he's not.  But he's had his share of blunders out there.

Last night he had a "brother in arms" with Chavis playing LF for the woeful Sawx - one ball clanked off his glove for an E and another catchable one flew just over his glove for a "double".  Two good athletes proving that sports are not as easy as it might appear.

[Frobby]

1 hour ago, Sports Guy said:

It happens all the time that a MLer drops a ball like DJ did last night.  That being said, he’s still a guy you prefer to be a DH while playing the OF at times.

 

“All the time?”    The average team has made 3 errors in the outfield this year in 55ish games (excluding throwing errors).     Some of those were presumably errors fielding balls that had bounced.    I’d call that particular error probably in the worst 10% of dropped outfield flies that I’ve seen, based on the amount of time Stewart had to get under it and the lack of any complicating factors like heavy wind or confusion over who was calling for the ball.  I doubt there have been five dropped flies this year as bad as that one.    

That said, Michael Chavis was pretty hilarious in LF last night, too.   
 

 

[Sports Guy]

16 minutes ago, Frobby said:

“All the time?”    The average team has made 3 errors in the outfield this year in 55ish games (excluding throwing errors).     Some of those were presumably errors fielding balls that had bounced.    I’d call that particular error probably in the worst 10% of dropped outfield flies that I’ve seen, based on the amount of time Stewart had to get under it and the lack of any complicating factors like heavy wind or confusion over who was calling for the ball.  I doubt there have been five dropped flies this year as bad as that one.    

That said, Michael Chavis was pretty hilarious in LF last night, too.   
 

 

All the time meaning you see it several times over the course of a season.  
 

Webbrick acted as if DJ is the first player in MLB history to drop an easy flyball.

[Beef Supreme]

5 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

All the time meaning you see it several times over the course of a season.  
 

Webbrick acted as if DJ is the first player in MLB history to drop an easy flyball.

So, the opposite of "all the time." Got it.

[Sports Guy]

Just now, Beef Supreme said:

So, the opposite of "all the time." Got it.

No, the opposite is never but good try.  

[jamalshw]

I think overall Mullins and Stewart both helped themselves with their performances this season in having a better future outlook at the end of 2020 than at the beginning of it. It looked like the last chance maybe for both given the glut of outfielders in the high minors.

To me, it looks like Mullins has made himself appear to at least be a solid 4th OF. His 90 OPS+ isn't exactly exciting, but he finds enough ways to get on-base (yay, bunting) and has speed and defense to certainly be useful. Stewart is a bit of the anti-Mullins. He's faster than he looks, but speed and defense are NOT his tools. His bat is going to have to allow him to stick, but I like the walks and power he's shown. The average is a bit concerning. It's all still a very small sample size, but he may end up being a reasonable Renato Nunez replacement. The defense is poor and the team shouldn't put him in the OF often. I'd like to see if he can learn another position. We have many options at 1B/DH, but if he's respectable at 1B, I think I'd rather Mountcastle in the OF (which is certainly saying something).

Overall, these are both pieces that deserve more opportunity in 2021, but I think both have a place on a big league roster though I doubt either are everyday players as both are flawed.

[Frobby]

53 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

All the time meaning you see it several times over the course of a season.  
 

Webbrick acted as if DJ is the first player in MLB history to drop an easy flyball.

Right, and he’s not the first, just the latest.    That said, overall Stewart has been a worse defensive OF than I’d been led to believe based on scouting reports I’d read while he was in the minors.     I didn’t make too much of it when he got bonked on the head while trying to make a sliding/diving catch last year, and a few other bad plays.   But at this point he’s got almost a half-season of games under his belt over the last 3 years and don’t really like what I see.   

Interestingly, the advanced metrics don’t hate him.    2020 and career:

OAA: 1, -2

Rtot: -1, -1

Rdrs: 0, -2

UZR: -0.8, -1.7

That presents a picture of slightly below average but not awful.    But I’d say he’s more that slightly below average based on what I’ve seen.

[interloper]

9 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Right, and he’s not the first, just the latest.    That said, overall Stewart has been a worse defensive OF than I’d been led to believe based on scouting reports I’d read while he was in the minors.     I didn’t make too much of it when he got bonked on the head while trying to make a sliding/diving catch last year, and a few other bad plays.   But at this point he’s got almost a half-season of games under his belt over the last 3 years and don’t really like what I see.   

Interestingly, the advanced metrics don’t hate him.    2020 and career:

OAA: 1, -2

Rtot: -1, -1

Rdrs: 0, -2

UZR: -0.8, -1.7

That presents a picture of slightly below average but not awful.    But I’d say he’s more that slightly below average based on what I’ve seen.

Yeah, but he's done this a few times now. Guy struggles with lazy pop-ups while looking OK at more difficult plays. It's bizarre. 

[Beef Supreme]

3 hours ago, Sports Guy said:

No, the opposite is never but good try.  

Still, It's closer to the opposite than it is to being the same thing. "All the time" and "several times over the course of the season" are not even reasonably close to similar.

Also, I have watched a fudgeton of baseball and have not seen an outfielder as inept and unathletic as DJ. He makes Trumbo look like Clemente. At least Jeff Stone was coordinated. Not sure you could see the body of work Stewart has produced this season "several times per year" no matter how many teams you follow.

[Sports Guy]

20 minutes ago, Beef Supreme said:

Still, It's closer to the opposite than it is to being the same thing. "All the time" and "several times over the course of the season" are not even reasonably close to similar.

Also, I have watched a fudgeton of baseball and have not seen an outfielder as inept and unathletic as DJ. He makes Trumbo look like Clemente. At least Jeff Stone was coordinated. Not sure you could see the body of work Stewart has produced this season "several times per year" no matter how many teams you follow.

Again, it was in the context of Webbrick acting like it never happens.

It happens pretty frequently in relation to the idea that it should never happen to a pro.

[Frobby]

4 hours ago, Beef Supreme said:

Still, It's closer to the opposite than it is to being the same thing. "All the time" and "several times over the course of the season" are not even reasonably close to similar.

Also, I have watched a fudgeton of baseball and have not seen an outfielder as inept and unathletic as DJ. He makes Trumbo look like Clemente. At least Jeff Stone was coordinated. Not sure you could see the body of work Stewart has produced this season "several times per year" no matter how many teams you follow.

I think your view of Stewart’s defense is a bit extreme.   I’ve seen many more inept outfielders, certainly including Trumbo.    

[Beef Supreme]

2 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I think your view of Stewart’s defense is a bit extreme.   I’ve seen many more inept outfielders, certainly including Trumbo.    

I was being hyperbolic for comedic effect by comparing Trumbo to Clemente. But that's the extent of it. Trumbo was a far superior outfielder. And Trumbo was a terrible outfielder, even before he got to Baltimore. The former holder of the worst Orioles outfielder, Jeff Stone, was a space cadet but not a bumbling fool like DJ.   DJ looks terrible for a high schooler.

[MurphDogg]

5 minutes ago, Beef Supreme said:

I was being hyperbolic for comedic effect by comparing Trumbo to Clemente. But that's the extent of it. Trumbo was a far superior outfielder. And Trumbo was a terrible outfielder, even before he got to Baltimore. The former holder of the worst Orioles outfielder, Jeff Stone, was a space cadet but not a bumbling fool like DJ.   DJ looks terrible for a high schooler.

-0.1 rWAR. 

He had a bad drop yesterday.

One out above average per Baseball Savant.

He is fine defensively. He may look oafish, but he is fine.