Mountcastle’s last 21 games

[Frobby]

.289/.313/.525, 5 HR, 17 RBI.  That seems like a very Mountcastle-ish stat line.   Hopefully he’s over his early season slump even if his season totals aren’t in line just yet.   

[sportsfan8703]

Looks like he’s breaking out of his slump. Good post. 

[Jagwar]

Good to see. He seemed to be swinging at so many balls off the place and when he did make contact he wasn't driving the ball. Hoping he has figured things out again. 

[PHRESH]

Just in time for the incoming 20-game win streak. Good to see RMC hitting the ball better. 

[Tony-OH]

9 hours ago, Frobby said:

.289/.313/.525, 5 HR, 17 RBI.  That seems like a very Mountcastle-ish stat line.   Hopefully he’s over his early season slump even if his season totals aren’t in line just yet.   

It's great to see. I've said all along his struggles were some of the most disappointing aspects of this year because I really felt his bat was going to be special and we need him to be a big part of the future at 1B. 

[Sports Guy]

2 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

It's great to see. I've said all along his struggles were some of the most disappointing aspects of this year because I really felt his bat was going to be special and we need him to be a big part of the future at 1B. 

I don’t think he’s going to be a “special” bat although our definitions may be different there.

But I think he’s going to be a valuable player for the first 4 or maybe 5 years of his service time.  

[LocoChris]

Remember it takes about 1000 PAs to establish yourself as a major league hitter. Mountcastle is a third of the way to that point. 

[Philip]

I’m happy to see it, plus he’s made some very nice picks at first base, And I don’t think he has a single error at first, so he might very well be a plus at that position, and that would be great. No more of this “left field” hogwash.

[Tony-OH]

2 minutes ago, Philip said:

I’m happy to see it, plus he’s made some very nice picks at first base, And I don’t think he has a single error at first, so he might very well be a plus at that position, and that would be great. No more of this “left field” hogwash.

1st Base was always going to be his position but it was worth trying to see if he could play left field due to his above average foot speed. It just was very clear it was not going to work in any regular type of playing time. The question is though, what will Mancini bring back in trade and when does he have the most value?

Mancini brings more than just talent to the field, so that has to be a consideration as well, but right now they both need to be on the field and neither can play the outfield effectively. Mancini seems to hit ok at DH so for now that probably is the best COA, but I know managers nowadays like the DH as flexibility vs putting one guy there everyday.

[Frobby]

1 hour ago, Sports Guy said:

I don’t think he’s going to be a “special” bat although our definitions may be different there.

But I think he’s going to be a valuable player for the first 4 or maybe 5 years of his service time.  

Yeah, I don’t like using terms like “special” because I don’t know what they mean.   Is .800 OPS special?   .850?  .900?

I think of Mountcastle as having an Adam Jones-ish bat.   .280-.290, 30+ homers, .800-.850 OPS in his best years.   I don’t think he gets beyond that level unless he develops a level of plate discipline he hasn’t shown to date.    But, I’d be happy to have a player like that on our team, even if he’s limited to 1B/DH with occasional forays in LF.

[Sports Guy]

4 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Yeah, I don’t like using terms like “special” because I don’t know what they mean.   Is .800 OPS special?   .850?  .900?

I think of Mountcastle as having an Adam Jones-ish bat.   .280-.290, 30+ homers, .800-.850 OPS in his best years.   I don’t think he gets beyond that level unless he develops a level of plate discipline he hasn’t shown to date.    But, I’d be happy to have a player like that on our team, even if he’s limited to 1B/DH with occasional forays in LF.

Totally agree.  His ceiling is Mancini in 2019 (and perhaps this year). 
 

That’s a very good player to have.

[webbrick2010]

HR to dead center last night was very good to see. Drives me crazy that with his athleticism and foot speed he couldn't find a position on the field.

Made some nice scoops at 1B last night,  maybe he'll be adequate defensively at 1B

[NCRaven]

Mancini is one of those players that can excel as a DH.  Some can’t.  Mountcastle hits better when he plays the field.  Trump did too.  I would not mind keeping Mancini just for that.

[NCRaven]

1 minute ago, webbrick2010 said:

HR to dead center last night was very good to see. Drives me crazy that with his athleticism and foot speed he couldn't find a position on the field.

Made some nice scoops at 1B last night,  maybe he'll be adequate defensively at 1B

This was only 30% downer!  Who hacked webbrick’s account?

[Philip]

I don’t think we can trade Mancini this summer, I just don’t think it would look good, and I don’t think any team would give anything significant for him.

I’m not opposed to trading him, but it would probably be better if we keep him