Jorge Mateo 2021

[interloper]

Just thought the guy deserved his own thread that didn't also mention Pat Valaika, lol. 

Other than some baserunning and defense adventures, Mateo has been pretty fun through 43 PA as an Oriole: .333/.349/.500/.849 with 6 XBH and 3/4 SB. The red flag is obviously the 0 BB to 12 K. But for now he's at least getting some hits and with this lineup that's not nothing! 

[sportsfan8703]

You can definitely see the tools as to why this guy was once a top 25ish prospect. I want him playing everyday beside Urias and Martin. 

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

Just now, sportsfan8703 said:

You can definitely see the tools as to why this guy was once a top 25ish prospect. I want him playing everyday beside Urias and Martin. 

If you're going to take a flier on a player then someone like Mateo is a good choice with his athletic ability. And Maikel Franco isn't going to change at this point in his career and doesn't need to play 6 games a week. 

[SteveA]

Starting in LF tonight.   Mateo/Mullins/Hays -- fastest outfield in Oriole history?

[eddie83]

2 hours ago, SteveA said:

Starting in LF tonight.   Mateo/Mullins/Hays -- fastest outfield in Oriole history?

No. Trumbo/Jones/Kim 

[sevastras]

Pie got a good opportunity, I like Mateo better than I liked Pie and I was really pulling for Pie. 

[Pickles]

1 hour ago, sevastras said:

Pie got a good opportunity, I like Mateo better than I liked Pie and I was really pulling for Pie. 

I second this.

I liked Pie.  He was a great guy to give a chance.  He had his moments but ultimately didn't pan out.

Mateo is probably destined to the same fate.  But he deserves an opportunity.

At this point, I personally would be giving him chances over Stewart.

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

4 minutes ago, Pickles said:

I second this.

I liked Pie.  He was a great guy to give a chance.  He had his moments but ultimately didn't pan out.

Mateo is probably destined to the same fate.  But he deserves an opportunity.

At this point, I personally would be giving him chances over Stewart.

Stewart should never play the outfield again, it's 1B or DH for him. 

[sportsfan8703]

Mateo and Urias are making the most out of finally getting everyday ABs in the MLB. We could have something here. With a 26 man roster we could have 4-5 guys that cover the IF spots other than 1B. Urias and Mateo could be part of the future. 

[Aristotelian]

On 8/18/2021 at 10:44 PM, OsFanSinceThe80s said:

Stewart should never play the outfield again, it's 1B or DH for him. 

Unfortunately we have both of those covered. And has he ever played 1B? That's a scary thought. I think he is DH only, preferably in a platoon role because his power evaporates vs LHPs. 

[O-The-Memories]

On 8/18/2021 at 10:38 PM, Pickles said:

I second this.

I liked Pie.  He was a great guy to give a chance.  He had his moments but ultimately didn't pan out.

Mateo is probably destined to the same fate.  But he deserves an opportunity.

At this point, I personally would be giving him chances over Stewart.

Mateo should be playing every day or close to it, I agree. Between Urias, Mateo, and Martin we have about a quarter of a season to evaluate guys that could be part of a contending team, whether it be as a utility guy or a starter. Franco isn't the answer, but I'm actually glad we gave him a shot. At this point, taking a risk with guys who have flashed plus talent in the past is a much better option than giving low ceiling guys like Stewart another chance. I think we have 1B, CF, DH, and either right or left (depending on Hays/Santander's health) covered, and I think that Adley will be up next year too. If we could square away one of 2B/SS/3B that is about the minimum for calling it successful, taking care of two of those would be a big success. Then we really wouldn't have many holes to fill offensively and could focus more on acquiring some pitching. 

Pie did have his moments, and hitting for the cycle was awesome. He seemed to have all the tools but he just never put it all together. Corey Patterson at his best was basically what I thought Pie could be. I think I was one of the biggest Felix Pie fans out there; I actually have a t-shirt with his name and jersey number on the back. The problem was that I was almost 260 pounds at the time, so having a shirt with the word Pie on the back got my chops busted by friends who weren't Orioles fans!

[maybenxtyr]

2 minutes ago, O-The-Memories said:

Mateo should be playing every day or close to it, I agree. Between Urias, Mateo, and Martin we have about a quarter of a season to evaluate guys that could be part of a contending team, whether it be as a utility guy or a starter. Franco isn't the answer, but I'm actually glad we gave him a shot. At this point, taking a risk with guys who have flashed plus talent in the past is a much better option than giving low ceiling guys like Stewart another chance. I think we have 1B, CF, DH, and either right or left (depending on Hays/Santander's health) covered, and I think that Adley will be up next year too. If we could square away one of 2B/SS/3B that is about the minimum for calling it successful, taking care of two of those would be a big success. Then we really wouldn't have many holes to fill offensively and could focus more on acquiring some pitching. 

Pie did have his moments, and hitting for the cycle was awesome. He seemed to have all the tools but he just never put it all together. Corey Patterson at his best was basically what I thought Pie could be. I think I was one of the biggest Felix Pie fans out there; I actually have a t-shirt with his name and jersey number on the back. The problem was that I was almost 260 pounds at the time, so having a shirt with the word Pie on the back got my chops busted by friends who weren't Orioles fans!

I remember a time on here when some folks wanted Pie over Jones. 

 

I liked him as a player, it just never came together for him.

[Moose Milligan]

George Matthew is certainly fun.  And I think he could be close to an every day guy if he were in a lineup surrounded by OBP talent.  As stated above, you can see why he was a highly regarded prospect.

He's most likely a utility guy but I'm happy we've got him so far.  He's definitely an upgrade in the utility guy department.

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

1 hour ago, Aristotelian said:

Unfortunately we have both of those covered. And has he ever played 1B? That's a scary thought. I think he is DH only, preferably in a platoon role because his power evaporates vs LHPs. 

I think more than likely Stewart's days as an Oriole are over after 2021 unless any 1B/DH types on the roster get traded this offseason. The outfield is going to get more crowded next year and Stewart hasn't hit enough to justify keeping him around.

We've seen glimpses of how well Stewart can hit when he gets hot, but he's been way too streaky as a hitter during his career. 

[Three Run Homer]

His speed is legit, and he seems to have good raw power.  Right now the hits are falling in and so he is productive, but his OBP is entirely driven by batting average and his batting average is being inflated by a high BABIP.  So I'm not optimistic in the long term that he could be a regular player, but if he has enough defensive versatility he could be a useful utility guy.