Jordan Westburg 2022

[wildcard]

4 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

His job is on the line. He better.

His starting job maybe.  I think Mateo stays with the team next year.  His defensive is exceptional.

[RZNJ]

25 minutes ago, wildcard said:

His starting job maybe.  I think Mateo stays with the team next year.  His defensive is exceptional.

Been a little sloppy lately. 

[wildcard]

3 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

Been a little sloppy lately. 

He is error prone but that range and arm are special.

[waroriole]

1 hour ago, wildcard said:

400 OBP would make Vavra better than Urias.   The question about Vavra is his arm strength to turn the double play.  I just don't know the answer to that.

Vavra does not have the speed to replace McKenna as the backup CF.

If he could put up a .400 OBP in MLB, of course he’d be better than Urias. He’d be better than 90% of major leaguers. I’m more than a little dubious about a guy with no power having a high OBP. There’s no reason for ML pitchers to not challenge him. 
 

He plays CF in Norfolk. We don’t need a starter, just someone to spell Mullins once a week. 

[RZNJ]

55 minutes ago, wildcard said:

He is error prone but that range and arm are special.

I agree.

[RZNJ]

12 minutes ago, waroriole said:

If he could put up a .400 OBP in MLB, of course he’d be better than Urias. He’d be better than 90% of major leaguers. I’m more than a little dubious about a guy with no power having a high OBP. There’s no reason for ML pitchers to not challenge him. 
 

He plays CF in Norfolk. We don’t need a starter, just someone to spell Mullins once a week. 

I wouldn’t say Vavra has no power.  I think he has enough to keep pitchers honest.

[ChuckS]

2 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

I wouldn’t say Vavra has no power.  I think he has enough to keep pitchers honest.

He hits a good amount of doubles. Not many HR.

I think MLB pitchers will come after him. He won’t get on base at a .400 clip but should draw his fair share of walks. 

[waroriole]

9 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

I wouldn’t say Vavra has no power.  I think he has enough to keep pitchers honest.

Ok, very little power. Maybe he adds some strength but he doesn’t seem like a guy who pitchers will be afraid to challenge. He’ll have to prove it first  

At least he’s a LH. 

[RZNJ]

3 minutes ago, ChuckS said:

He hits a good amount of doubles. Not many HR.

I think MLB pitchers will come after him. He won’t get on base at a .400 clip but should draw his fair share of walks. 

Judging by his minor league record he could be a 30+ doubles, 15 homer type of player. I doubt he’s a .400 OBP guy also but it should be not far off if he can be a .280 or better hitter.

[RZNJ]

5 minutes ago, waroriole said:

Ok, very little power. Maybe he adds some strength but he doesn’t seem like a guy who pitchers will be afraid to challenge. He’ll have to prove it first  

At least he’s a LH. 

His career numbers in a little over 1;000 PA.  64 doubles, 8 triples, 21 homers.  
 

He’s not a singles hitter.

[waroriole]

1 hour ago, RZNJ said:

His career numbers in a little over 1;000 PA.  64 doubles, 8 triples, 21 homers.  
 

He’s not a singles hitter.

His ISO this year is only .128. It was .181 and .171 in previous seasons. 
 

His XBH percentage is the same as Tyler Nevin. Do you think he’s shown enough power to have pitchers not challenge him?

[Frobby]

2 hours ago, RZNJ said:

Judging by his minor league record he could be a 30+ doubles, 15 homer type of player. I doubt he’s a .400 OBP guy also but it should be not far off if he can be a .280 or better hitter.

He doesn’t need to be a .400 OBP guy.   .350 would work just fine.   Of course I’d love it if he could top that. 

[RZNJ]

18 minutes ago, waroriole said:

His ISO this year is only .128. It was .181 and .171 in previous seasons. 
 

His XBH percentage is the same as Tyler Nevin. Do you think he’s shown enough power to have pitchers not challenge him?

Pitchers challenge Adley Rutschman.  Every player has to earn respect.   

[CharmCityHokie]

10 hours ago, waroriole said:

I don’t know why Vavra would be better than Urias. I see him more as a replacement for McKenna. 

That's an interesting comparison. I may be misremembering this, but wasn't their one season at Winter Instructs where they tried to get McKenna to mess around at 2B? Thinking about Vavra (2B as his initial position, playing CF) and McKenna (CF trying 2B...if he actually tried it) was interesting in terms of their skillsets. 

This has been completely unproductive rambling so apologies for that.

[Just Regular]

Some observations from BP in a wrap-up piece on guys to follow in the 2nd half who missed their midseason Top 50-60.

Jordan Westburg, IF, Baltimore Orioles

Why he was considered: Westburg has taken a significant step forward, a common refrain among Orioles hitting prospects this year. In his case, he’s hitting the ball harder than ever before. Given his sure hands around the infield and solid approach, a bigger power outcome goes a long way.

Why he didn’t make it: Contact is an issue: Westburg has struck out at a moderately concerning rate at nearly every level. There still isn’t an obvious plus offensive tool anywhere, and he could just end up being a nifty multi-positional player with pop who isn’t a clear first-division regular.