Adley Rutschman 2023

[Sports Guy]

28 minutes ago, dystopia said:

I’m gonna agree with RZNJ here. The whole “Adley’s being run into the ground” angle is way overblown. It feels like McCann is playing pretty often. 

All that says is that Adley isn’t being run into the ground as a C…which is something I agree with.

However, he is playing too much overall and that shouldn’t happen.

 

[Can_of_corn]

2 hours ago, RZNJ said:

Really?  This is from SportsGuy on September 15.

“First of all, his manager is doing a terrible job of managing his time and it’s hurting him.”

This is from Malike also on September 15.

“There is a reason that teams other than the O's aren't giving their catchers 600 ABs. DH or Catching, wears you down. I don't recall his legs buckling on swings in the first half of the season.”

Ok, mine were.

[Jim'sKid26]

2 hours ago, Sports Guy said:

All that says is that Adley isn’t being run into the ground as a C…which is something I agree with.

However, he is playing too much overall and that shouldn’t happen.

 

Going forward, I think Adley should play a little less. I believe they have DH'ed him too much this. He's young and healthy but catchers wear down over a long season. We saw his defense and his hitting taking a step back this year. Hopefully there will be plenty of bats to take his extra DH ABs in the coming years. 

[Sports Guy]

33 minutes ago, Jim'sKid26 said:

Going forward, I think Adley should play a little less. I believe they have DH'ed him too much this. He's young and healthy but catchers wear down over a long season. We saw his defense and his hitting taking a step back this year. Hopefully there will be plenty of bats to take his extra DH ABs in the coming years. 

He should catch 110-115 games and DH 25-30 games.

Nothing wrong with that workload. 

[Frobby]

23 minutes ago, Jim'sKid26 said:

Going forward, I think Adley should play a little less. I believe they have DH'ed him too much this. He's young and healthy but catchers wear down over a long season. We saw his defense and his hitting taking a step back this year. Hopefully there will be plenty of bats to take his extra DH ABs in the coming years. 

I have really mixed feelings about this.  I honestly don’t feel that playing DH is all that tiring.   If playing catcher is a 10 on the tiring-meter, playing DH is maybe a 2.   At the same time, I don’t see other teams that have good offensive catchers playing their guy at DH all that much.  He’s played 11 more games and had 81 more PA than anyone else who’s primarily a catcher.  So, I couid see backing off Adley a little.

[RZNJ]

35 minutes ago, Jim'sKid26 said:

Going forward, I think Adley should play a little less. I believe they have DH'ed him too much this. He's young and healthy but catchers wear down over a long season. We saw his defense and his hitting taking a step back this year. Hopefully there will be plenty of bats to take his extra DH ABs in the coming years. 

Two separate issues for me.  Even though there is some physical and mental toll (I think it’s minimal) DH is almost getting the day off.  You even hear managers say they are using the DH spot to rest regulars.   The second issue is production.   Certainly, if we’ve got the ability to field 8 position players and have a better option at DH than Rutschman then he shouldn’t be DHing that day.   

[Aglets]

10 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

Two separate issues for me.  Even though there is some physical and mental toll (I think it’s minimal) DH is almost getting the day off.  You even hear managers say they are using the DH spot to rest regulars.   The second issue is production.   Certainly, if we’ve got the ability to field 8 position players and have a better option at DH than Rutschman then he shouldn’t be DHing that day.   

Mostly agree here.  Adley has the 2nd highest OBP on the entire team.  Behind Aaron Hicks, the human juggernaut.    Top 4 in OPS.   If he is one of your best hitters then I think it's rational to think about him in the DH spot on his "off from catching" days. 

[Malike]

4 hours ago, RZNJ said:

Why not?  If they claimed Rutschman’s performance was due to overuse 2 weeks ago and he’s currently having his best month of the year it’s certainly fair to question the “he’s not performing well because he’s run down” angle.    

As for SportsGuy, anyone who points out that he doesn’t know what he’s talking about is a troll.   If you can’t reason you might as well name call.  The last refuge of LOSERS.

It's not like you've proven anyone wrong. It's his first ML full season and he's played more than any other C.  He's looked tired, and after a nice two-week stretch you want to disregard the rest of the season. I picked him to be a 4 win player so I'm not disappointed in his season, but you literally had to sit on a post made two weeks ago after complete radio silence during his bad stretch to try to do a "gotcha". It didn't work.

[Jim'sKid26]

Do we really know  "that playing DH is (not) all that tiring. " I'm not picking on you, @Frobby. I'm just saying that the difference between a real day off, where you don't have to prepare for the game, and DH may be more than you think.. You don't have to study film on the pitchers. You don't have to prep for the hitters. You get a day off. Both physically and mentally that is different from DHing. 

As far as I know, none of us have DHed in the MLB. How do we know whether it is a 2 or a 5 on the "tiring-meter?"

[25 Nuggets]

James McCann learning to hit again has quietly made this team a lot better, as it means more days Adley can slide over to DH or even get the day off.  It's not the only reason; nonetheless, look at how their run differential per game has improved.

[RZNJ]

Just now, Malike said:

It's not like you've proven anyone wrong. It's his first ML full season and he's played more than any other C.  He's looked tired, and after a nice two-week stretch you want to disregard the rest of the season. I picked him to be a 4 win player so I'm not disappointed in his season, but you literally had to sit on a post made two weeks ago after complete radio silence during his bad stretch to try to do a "gotcha". It didn't work.

Ok.  It didn’t work.  Whoohoo!   You’re not wrong feel better.  It’s just that you’re theory about him “looking tired” holds no water as the current hot streak began during a stretch when he was supposedly already tired and in the 7th game of 8 full games played in a row.

Fans say teams have no fire when the offense slumps.  They say players look tired when they aren’t hitting.  Now he’s hitting.  All of a sudden with one week to go in a long season, he no longer looks tired to you?   Or he still looks tired but he’s managing to have, by far, his most doubles in a month, his highest OPS, and with one more home run, tie or better his most homers and RBI in any one month.

I argued earlier in the season that he was getting plenty of days off via the DH and he got even more days off from catching in July and August because of the heat and because McCann started to hit.  
 

When he doesn’t hit people complain he’s been overused so after two hot weeks you bet I’m bringing it up because they are pretty quiet now.

[DirtyBird]

I expect Adley to be the World Series MVP

[RZNJ]

8 minutes ago, Jim'sKid26 said:

Do we really know  "that playing DH is (not) all that tiring. " I'm not picking on you, @Frobby. I'm just saying that the difference between a real day off, where you don't have to prepare for the game, and DH may be more than you think.. You don't have to study film on the pitchers. You don't have to prep for the hitters. You get a day off. Both physically and mentally that is different from DHing. 

As far as I know, tnone of us have DHed in the MLB. How do we know whether it is a 2 or a 5 on the "tiring-meter?"

We don’t know exactly but Brandon Hyde probably has a better idea than we do.  Wouldn’t you agree?   I believe he was also a catcher back in the day so he probably has a pretty good idea of the wear and tear of the position.  

Edited September 25, 2023 by RZNJ

[foxfield]

As more of the young hitters mature, I would hope that Adley catches the same amount of games but DHs less.

No matter how this season ends, it is going to be another exciting offseason.  I mean we didn't get the "Lift Off" we expected, but we certainly have Lifted Off.

Elias will have tons of flexibility to improve our club.  There is plenty here to work with in all facets, but there is definitely going to be some needs and replacing Bautista almost has to be the top priority.  

But I will also be pretty open to seeing how Elias works this off season.  Hopefully working for a repeat WS Crown.

[interloper]

Nice to see him crush some doubles lately. 

2022 OPS: .806

2023 OPS: .805

He's so good.