DJ Stewart brings his "imperfect" game to a team that needs him

[wildcard]

It is widely expected that DJ Stewart will be activated for the Injured List today.  What does you bring and how can he help? He brings experience.  In DJ's pro career he has played  527 games in the outfield corners.   Ryan Mountcastle has played 55  games in the outfield in the minors and the majors.   DJ's  outfield experience has not always been perfect.  He is known for some spectacular misplays.   But he has average speed,  average range and an average left fielder's arm.   HIs overall outfield defensive game should be a improvement over Mountcastle and should move Ryan to DH more often than not if Brandon Hyde takes advantage of the assets he is given.

Stewart offensive game is a low average with power and the ability to work a walk that has netted him a 224/334/433/768 split in 301 major league plate appearances.   His left-handed bat should be additive to the O's lineup.   

How long he will stay may depend on how he does and whether Austin Hays hamstring heals fast or lingers.   If Stewart does well he will give the Hyde a reason to go from 14 pitchers to 13 when Hays returns.   

Injuries have been a problem for Stewart but over the last 3 years he has played in 77% of his teams game.  That is about the same as Santander. Much better than Hays 59% or Diaz 64% but not close to Mullins 93%.

Good Luck DJ.  I hope you are at the top of your game because the O's could use that player.

 

 

[Frobby]

I know the type of player Stewart is, but I’m still not sure how well his offensive game is going to play in the majors over the long haul.    He’s been very streaky in his limited time in the majors, and his power numbers may be misleading, based on his MiL career.   His .224/.334/.433 line to date could turn out to be .224/.334/.401, or it could turn out to be .245/.348/.464.     If you factor in his below average defense, the latter slash line leaves him as a useful major league player, but the former does not.   His actual slash line to date leaves him as a borderline contributor.  

It will be good to have him back but he may be just a part time player once Hays returns.   We’ll see who can stay healthy.   
 

[UMDTerrapins]

Without doing a deep dive, Stewart strikes me as being at that juncture of his career where it’s a mistake to make definitive conclusions about his ceiling. He’s had enough at bats to get through the acclimation period, but we don’t know if he has another gear in his development as a hitter. On a rebuilding team, and after developing him for years in the minors, he’s the kind of guy you find at bats for before you declare him a AAAA guy and he ends up possibly making that last leap for another organization. I’m particularly sensitive to losing potential value during a rebuild....a cardinal sin. Losing Pop is obviously a sore spot for me. We probably know who Stewart will ultimately be.....but give him 300+ at bats this year. You never know....he could more of a hitter than we think. 

[Ruzious]

The upside is that he could be a solid DH, but he's so inconsistent and injury-prone that it's hard to have any serious expectations for him.  Best not to play him defensively not just because he's a bad OFer - but he's also so stiff that he's a danger to himself out there.  

[PeteCanes]

I feel like he’s a better hitter than a .224 BA indicates... as in with more at bats I feel like it could be significantly higher than that, comes into play with his ability to take a walk.  It would be nice to see him get 300-400 abs this year.  

[HowAboutThat]

Stewart is terrible, and I expect little from him, and will be surprised if he ever provides more than “little,” but there’s certainly no reason not to throw him into the fray and see how he does.

Edited April 10, 2021 by Philip

[HowAboutThat]

Well the lineup for this evening is out and Stewart is in left field, and God be kind of sort of praised, because at least Mountcastle will not be inflicting his glove on anybody. Instead he will be where he should be, carrying a bat.

Meanwhile, let us hope that Mr. Stewart is at least an improvement.

[LA2]

37 minutes ago, PeteCanes said:

I feel like he’s a better hitter than a .224 BA indicates... as in with more at bats I feel like it could be significantly higher than that, comes into play with his ability to take a walk.  It would be nice to see him get 300-400 abs this year.  

I'd say, yes, better than the .224 BA indicates, but weaker than the home run every 18.1 ABs he's shown so far. Stewart's been such a topic of debate and called up so often, that sometimes it's hard to remember he's had only 92 games and 301 plate appearances. Hope he can stay healthy enough (incl. avoiding pop-ups landing on his head) to amass enough PAs this year to show what he really is.

[interloper]

The lineup severely needs his OBP and his left-handed bat. Never thought I'd say the team NEEDS DJ Stewart, but I have to agree with the OP. 

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

4 minutes ago, interloper said:

The lineup severely needs his OBP and his left-handed bat. Never thought I'd say the team NEEDS DJ Stewart, but I have to agree with the OP. 

If Stewart can put up his career 109 OPS+ then there is room for him to play on this team. Even more so if Santander and Mancini get traded during the course of the season. It's time for DJ to sink or swim.  

[Tony-OH]

Stewart looks like he's great shape and has lost some weight. This season is all about getting guys like him ABs to see what they have. The question is can he stay healthy and can he become more consistent and stay away from long cold streaks followed by a burst of a white hot streak?

It's obviously one of those early season "fun stat" things, but he's played two games and is tied for 6th on the team in WAR. 

[Legend_Of_Joey]

5 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

Stewart looks like he's great shape and has lost some weight. This season is all about getting guys like him ABs to see what they have. The question is can he stay healthy and can he become more consistent and stay away from long cold streaks followed by a burst of a white hot streak?

It's obviously one of those early season "fun stat" things, but he's played two games and is tied for 6th on the team in WAR. 

Just being in the field instead of Mountcastle can do wonders for someone’s WAR.

Do you remember if he was still this lean when Spring Training started? Wondering if he lost the weight to help the hamstring injury.

[interloper]

Let's say Stewart really plays well and hits - how do we fit him, Mountcastle, Santander, and Hays into a lineup at the same time? It seems like no matter what you do, one of our best players is on the bench. Which I guess is ok if you're rotating, but... it's not like the team has an abundance of great players so its a shame to have one of them on the bench at any given time. 

But - if I had to choose, I'd opt for Hays seeing more bench time to keep him healthy (again - if Stewart is playing well). Because the left-handed bat is much-needed. At least until Mullins cools off. 

 

[Yardball85]

On 4/10/2021 at 5:40 PM, Philip said:

Stewart is terrible, and I expect little from him, and will be surprised if he ever provides more than “little,” but there’s certainly no reason not to throw him into the fray and see how he does.

I disagree.  I think we see a .750-.800 OPS from him this season with a full slew of at bats.  I'm excited to see more of him.

[Sports Guy]

6 minutes ago, interloper said:

Let's say Stewart really plays well and hits - how do we fit him, Mountcastle, Santander, and Hays into a lineup at the same time? It seems like no matter what you do, one of our best players is on the bench. Which I guess is ok if you're rotating, but... it's not like the team has an abundance of great players so its a shame to have one of them on the bench at any given time. 

But - if I had to choose, I'd opt for Hays seeing more bench time to keep him healthy (again - if Stewart is playing well). Because the left-handed bat is much-needed. At least until Mullins cools off. 

 

Yea, I think we need to wait and see on Mullins.  Hard for me to believe everyone will be healthy and performing at the same time anyway...plus, you have Diaz on the horizon.