Westburg is near ready

[sportsfan8703]

It’s about time we call Westburg up. He can play 2B/3B vs LHP. We really even need him in the OF too if he could play there. 
 

We’re definitely 1-2 RH bats short right now. Westburg is at least one of them. 

[Ohfan67]

30 minutes ago, sportsfan8703 said:

It’s about time we call Westburg up. He can play 2B/3B vs LHP. We really even need him in the OF too if he could play there. 
 

We’re definitely 1-2 RH bats short right now. Westburg is at least one of them. 

Really? The Orioles rank 7th in all of MLB with a .778 OPS against left handed pitchers. 

[Bemorewins]

It is pretty apparent that he and Ortiz and probably even Cowser are ready. However, what makes anyone think that he or any of them won’t struggle initially as they acclimate to big league pitching just as superior prospects in Gunnar, Adley, and Grayson did/have done?

[sportsfan8703]

24 minutes ago, Ohfan67 said:

Really? The Orioles rank 7th in all of MLB with a .778 OPS against left handed pitchers. 

Vs LHP

Gunnar .469 OPS

Frazier .689 OPS(the HR versus the Nats really props this up)

Vavra has 1 AB 

O’Hearn has no use on this team. 

[Sports Guy]

31 minutes ago, Bemorewins said:

It is pretty apparent that he and Ortiz and probably even Cowser are ready. However, what makes anyone think that he or any of them won’t struggle initially as they acclimate to big league pitching just as superior prospects in Gunnar, Adley, and Grayson did/have done?

Sure..which is why you get them here now, so they are really ready to go as the season goes on.

[Just Regular]

30 minutes ago, Bemorewins said:

It is pretty apparent that he and Ortiz and probably even Cowser are ready. However, what makes anyone think that he or any of them won’t struggle initially as they acclimate to big league pitching just as superior prospects in Gunnar, Adley, and Grayson did/have done?

You can't evade that tax no matter how tough your AAA coaches throw batting practice.

[Can_of_corn]

2 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

Sure..which is why you get them here now, so they are really ready to go as the season goes on.

Or you promote them in a season in which you were not expecting to be competitive so their adjustment doesn't hurt your team's playoff chances.

[Just Regular]

I was just thinking of Trevor Story as someone who went nuts his first month.    Anecdotally, I feel like a good chunk of the ones who light up MLB Arms the first month or two are the free swingers where when MLB Arms throw their initial tester pitches, the outcomes are very productive.

Mountcastle's 35/60ths of the 2020 season (while not passing 130 AB, mind) another one like that.

[Bemorewins]

2 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

Sure..which is why you get them here now, so they are really ready to go as the season goes on.

I don’t disagree. But when posters say we need to get this or that prospect up now because of blank need; it’s almost as if they are saying that they believe that the player will help us immediately when it’s almost guaranteed that they won’t and that there will be a 20-30 game acclimation period where the player really struggles.

One poster said, we need a RH bat, so bring Westburg up because he can help. But the reality is for a while he will be no better and probably worse than whoever he replaces while he acclimates. 

Don’t get me wrong, I would love for one of the infielders to come up, but we already have Urias right now. And that likelihood of one of them being better than him initially is VERY LOW. Same thing applies to Cowser in the outfield. As much as I would love to see him be made an everyday outfield with Mullins and Hays, while they move Santander to DH; there is a high probability that he has serious struggles out of the gate.

[Bemorewins]

10 minutes ago, Just Regular said:

You can't evade that tax no matter how tough your AAA coaches throw batting practice.

I know, that’s why I don’t think ANY prospect can immediately fix any problem - i.e. RH hitting, etc.

[Bemorewins]

I look at the highest regard prospects of the last few years - Adley, JRod, Witt Jr (even Gunnar) … They all struggled initially. This notion that a prospect who is even less talented than them, can come up and contribute immediately, is setting one’s self up for disappointment. It’s not realistic.

[Can_of_corn]

9 minutes ago, Just Regular said:

I was just thinking of Trevor Story as someone who went nuts his first month.    Anecdotally, I feel like a good chunk of the ones who light up MLB Arms the first month or two are the free swingers where when MLB Arms throw their initial tester pitches, the outcomes are very productive.

Mountcastle's 35/60ths of the 2020 season (while not passing 130 AB, mind) another one like that.

Mountcastle's 2020 season was greatly impacted by luck.  A significant number of his hits were of the infield variety and the product of poor contact.

[Daddy-O's]

I trust that he could at least match Frazier's 289 OBP.

[spleen1015]

33 minutes ago, Bemorewins said:

I don’t disagree. But when posters say we need to get this or that prospect up now because of blank need; it’s almost as if they are saying that they believe that the player will help us immediately when it’s almost guaranteed that they won’t and that there will be a 20-30 game acclimation period where the player really struggles.

One poster said, we need a RH bat, so bring Westburg up because he can help. But the reality is for a while he will be no better and probably worse than whoever he replaces while he acclimates. 

Don’t get me wrong, I would love for one of the infielders to come up, but we already have Urias right now. And that likelihood of one of them being better than him initially is VERY LOW. Same thing applies to Cowser in the outfield. As much as I would love to see him be made an everyday outfield with Mullins and Hays, while they move Santander to DH; there is a high probability that he has serious struggles out of the gate.

Something can also be said for bringing them up now and getting this initial learning period out of the way. Then, we're not dealing with it say in Aug and Sept.

[Bemorewins]

4 minutes ago, spleen1015 said:

Something can also be said for bringing them up now and getting this initial learning period out of the way. Then, we're not dealing with it say in Aug and Sept.

I’m all in favor for that. I was just speaking to any expectations that he will come up and immediately contribute/improve things. In the modern game, it does not appear that is how things work. Almost all prospects (even the great ones) struggle out of the gate nowadays.

Also, Westburg and Ortiz are sort of redundant to Urias. Logic says, that at least one or even 2 from that group of 3 will need to be traded to make room for everyday at bats for the other. Of course, unless there’s an injury.

The worst thing that we can do is bring up top 100 prospects to platoon or give irregular at bats too. They would better serve the org to trade them or hold them down in AAA and let them get regular ABs still, if that is the case.