I think Mateo has superstar potential

[Baltimorecuse]

If he keeps hitting like he has the past three weeks he has the complete package.  If we trade him we'll regret it.

[btdart20]

1 hour ago, Baltimorecuse said:

If he keeps hitting like he has the past three weeks he has the complete package.  If we trade him we'll regret it.

Maybe.  But if one other team sees the ceiling you do, we should trade him in a heartbeat.  Especially since we have the horses in the minors to backfill SS.  
His 30%+ K% combined with <5% BB% really lowers the floor.  Nearly every offensive metric is below average with the exception of speed/SB.  He’s been great defensively.

[Frobby]

Well, sure, if he keeps hitting like the last three weeks.   But you could say that about most players If you picked out their hottest three weeks of the season and imagined what they’d be like if they always hit like that.   You could also say that if they kept hitting like they did for their coldest three weeks, they’d be out of baseball.  That’s certainly true for Mateo, who had a .503 OPS for the entire month of June.

Bottom line, Mateo is hot right now and we’ll see how long he can sustain it and whether he can avoid going ice cold again.  Baseball is a game of hot streaks, and I’d say what distinguishes the better players is not how they do when they’re hot, but how often they’re hot vs. being cold.  

And I don’t mean to pour cold water on what Mateo is doing.  He’s playing great right now and I hope it continues.  His defense has been very good all year and if his offense continues to improve, he can be very valuable indeed.  
 

[wildcard]

Mateo is not going anywhere.  Hyde loves his defense.   I think Elias probably sees him as the SS on the O's next playoff team.   If he hits its a bonus and he doesn't have to hit as well as he is in July to be an asset to the team.

People talk about trading just about everyone if the offer is right.  But that rarely happens.   And Elias/Hyde are trying to build a winner which means keeping the best players. Especially while they are cheap.

[foxfield]

It would be a mistake, to project his last stretch and expect it to last or grow....

Yet...it is absolutely tantalizing to envision what could be if he could do that or better consistently.

But here is where the GM says everyone is available if you meet my price.  The trick is to know the value and leverage it up.  Elias is going to get a chance to show that he can do that soon.

 

[baltfan]

He definitely deserves to finish out the year at the position and continue to prove himself.  If you bring up Henderson, put him at 3rd and put Urias at 2nd.  It’s going to be interesting how Elias manages the infielders coming through the system.  Good problem to have though. 

[ScGO's]

I think Mateo starts 2023 as the SS, especially if can creep towards a .700 OPS

He's in peak athletic form, if he figures it out we might see a couple .250, 20 hrs, OPS+ 100, 40+ SB seasons

Odor is the only weak link in the starting 9 right now 

 

 

[Hank Scorpio]

I don't think Mateo has superstar potential striking out 30% of the time.

Obviously his defense makes him a useful piece, but let's not go nuts.

[Frobby]

1 hour ago, baltfan said:

He definitely deserves to finish out the year at the position and continue to prove himself.  If you bring up Henderson, put him at 3rd and put Urias at 2nd.  It’s going to be interesting how Elias manages the infielders coming through the system.  Good problem to have though. 

Seems like trading some middle infielders (either in MLB or prospects) in the next 6-7 months is inevitable.  

[2001OriolesFan]

It has been so disheartening to see him striking out time and time again , waving at a down and away pitch.   It looks like the pitcher has a remote control that turns on "zombie" mode in his head and he just can't resist.  There are signs of him laying off of that ball more often, so maybe that is enough of an improvement. The scouting report probably says to feed him two of those outside of the strike zone-  now that often mean he is "starting" an at bat with a 2-0 count and getting the pitcher behind and getting more fastballs to hit.

 

[Sports Guy]

He has exciting tools and maybe he is Jose Bautista and blooms late in his career but let’s not go overboard yet.  He has a long way to go to show more before we can even talk about this

[RZNJ]

He has superstar tools but I don't believe he'll ever be a plus hitter.   He can be an average hitter and that would be great.   I've noticed him striking out again after having a great stretch where he only struck out 3 times in over 30 AB's but it seems he's back to at least one a game and sometimes 2 or more.   He's definitely not swinging at as many bad pitches but it seems like he might be falling back into the swinging at bad balls habit.   I hope you can keep the K's in check.   He's definitely got better plate coverage now and he can put a charge into a ball.   At worst, his trade value keeps increasing.    I think it's fair to say that he looks like a ML starting SS.    Hard to say how much better than that he can be but the tools are loud.

[waroriole]

I just keep picturing the type of controllable SP he could bring in a trade. 

[RarityFlaherty]

1 minute ago, waroriole said:

I just keep picturing the type of controllable SP he could bring in a trade. 

What do you think they could get for him right now though?  I don’t feel like a lot of teams would be willing to give up that much because projecting him to keep hitting like this is a huge risk. A contending team would definitely love to pick him up as a utility bench player, but I doubt they would give up enough to be worth trading him. I feel like his value to the O’s as a stopgap at SS until Holliday is ready is worth more than what any other team would be willing to give up right now. 

[BohKnowsBmore]

28 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

He has exciting tools and maybe he is Jose Bautista and blooms late in his career but let’s not go overboard yet.  He has a long way to go to show more before we can even talk about this

 

9 minutes ago, waroriole said:

I just keep picturing the type of controllable SP he could bring in a trade. 

Is Javy Baez a superstar? I think he comps wel as Javy Baez-lite. He can definitely be a “starter as a utility infielder” on a contending Orioles team IMO.