Hays and Mountcastle are the Problem

[Gentile4]

Buster Olney posted some Elias Bureau data. Mountcastle has the most home runs of any Oriole within two years of their debut. His 55 is one more than Eddie had.

[Frobby]

20 hours ago, Gentile4 said:

Buster Olney posted some Elias Bureau data. Mountcastle has the most home runs of any Oriole within two years of their debut. His 55 is one more than Eddie had.

In Eddie’s first two years, the league averaged 0.89 and 0.74 HR/game.  In Mountcastle’s, the league averaged 1.26 and 1.04.   So, that comparison doesn’t mean too much to me.  Eddie had a 131 OPS+ over his first two years, Mountcastle is at 113.   Eddie was a much more impactful hitter.   Not that I’m complaining about Mountcastle.  He’s been decent.  

[Ohfan67]

7 hours ago, Frobby said:

In Eddie’s first two years, the league averaged 0.89 and 0.74 HR/game.  In Mountcastle’s, the league averaged 1.26 and 1.04.   So, that comparison doesn’t mean too much to me.  Eddie had a 131 OPS+ over his first two years, Mountcastle is at 113.   Eddie was a much more impactful hitter.   Not that I’m complaining about Mountcastle.  He’s been decent.  

Plus Mountcastle's OPS+ this year is only 103 and he's on pace for about 25 homers (or slightly less). Unless Mountcastle has another hot streak soon, Mountcastle will start falling behind in those homer per at bat comparisons pretty rapidly. I still have some hope that Mountcastle is capable of an impressive power year, but I am far less optimistic than I was early in the season. As you and others have pointed out, he mixes in the occasional home run with a lot of pretty ugly at bats.