Heston Kjerstad 2023

[Otter]

12 hours ago, AnythingO's said:

Heston moves very well for a big man. I don't kow what his routes or reaction times are like as a COF but he runs hard. He had 3 triples at AA and now this one at AAA. Who was it with the inside the park HR a week or so ago Beavers maybe who was gassed and stumbling around 3B. HK just pops up and sheds gear. At AA per Fangraphs, his speed on the base paths was 5.2 where 6.0 is great. Prieto (3.7) and Mayo (3.5) for comparison. At AAA Cowser (5.9) and Ortiz(5.8) are not much ahead of HK.

Very interesting, and good points.  Once he gets going, he definitely has good speed.  But the real question is how does that translate to his defense.  Like you said, does he get good reads and good quick jumps?  If he doesn't, the speed doesn't matter as much for defense.  Reimold was very fast, and had some incredible home to first times...but he often got bad reads and jumps in the OF which negated his speed and athleticism.  Would be curious to hear how Heston looks in the OF from those who have seen him in person.

[Frobby]

7 hours ago, Brooks The Great said:

I think the long-term outfield will be Cowser, Mullins, Kjerstad. Fabian and Beavers could be options by 2025 as well.

Hays has had a great season, and he's stayed healthy, but I don't trust him to remain durable, and I also don't trust him to avoid declining as he gets closer to 30 (I know that's not an easy thing to say in the middle of his career year).

I think Hays has some solid trade value at the moment. He might be someone worth moving this offseason to make room for Kjerstad, Westburg, and perhaps Norby. 

I really don’t understand the “don’t trust Hays to stay healthy” stuff at this point.  That said, his swing decisions don’t really fit Elias’ preferences for patient, selective hitters, so I could see him being traded.

[Brooks The Great]

4 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I really don’t understand the “don’t trust Hays to stay healthy” stuff at this point.  That said, his swing decisions don’t really fit Elias’ preferences for patient, selective hitters, so I could see him being traded.

This is the first season he's played completely healthy, so I don't understand how you could trust him yet. He played his career high of 145 games last year and was clearly banged up for a good stretch of it to the point it affected his performance.

[Frobby]

10 minutes ago, Brooks The Great said:

This is the first season he's played completely healthy, so I don't understand how you could trust him yet. He played his career high of 145 games last year and was clearly banged up for a good stretch of it to the point it affected his performance.

This “fully healthy” stuff is overrated.   Not many guys are “fully healthy.”   Since the start of the 2021 season, only 61 players in all of MLB have played in more games than Hays.   So where are all the players that people “trust” to be fully healthy?   

[Hank Scorpio]

24 minutes ago, Frobby said:

This “fully healthy” stuff is overrated.   Not many guys are “fully healthy.”   Since the start of the 2021 season, only 61 players in all of MLB have played in more games than Hays.   So where are all the players that people “trust” to be fully healthy?   

It's tough to be healthy when you are repeatedly HBP in the wrist, for sure. 

[Can_of_corn]

26 minutes ago, Frobby said:

This “fully healthy” stuff is overrated.   Not many guys are “fully healthy.”   Since the start of the 2021 season, only 61 players in all of MLB have played in more games than Hays.   So where are all the players that people “trust” to be fully healthy?   

I don't recall the last time I woke up in the morning and thought, I feel fully healthy.  There is always going to be something.

[emmett16]

Big boy oppo bomb in the afternoon game today.  Love his swing.  

[deward]

Just now, emmett16 said:

Big boy oppo bomb in the afternoon game today.  Love his swing.  

He hits lefties really well

[connja]

Don't look now....Heston about ready!

[Just Regular]

The 950-ish OPS start a couple weeks along puts him about 90th percentile for the International League (McLain and Elly, now thriving in the Show, are a couple of the 1.000+ guys so far in 2023).    If he sustains to whatever the Gunnar Anniversary day is, I'm hoping for about 128 at bats this season.

But definitely not 133.

[deward]

Heston Kjerstad cares not for your side-winding lefties. 

[deward]

 

[Billy F-Face3]

Could Heston Kjerstad eventually develop into that middle of the order power bat that we covet? Hmm...

[owknows]

3 hours ago, Billy F-Face3 said:

Could Heston Kjerstad eventually develop into that middle of the order power bat that we covet? Hmm...

Has anyone ever doubted this?

[Frobby]

3 hours ago, owknows said:

Has anyone ever doubted this?

Of course you doubt it, until they perform well in the major leagues.   The streets are littered with guys who hit very well in the minors but never became good major league hitters.   And in Kjerstad’s case, there were plenty of doubters even before he spent two years on the shelf with a serious illness.