Opening Day Impressions

[Moose Milligan]

I don't know how to calculate WAR but I think Adley deserves at least .5 WAR alone for today.

[Sports Guy]

17 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

I don't know how to calculate WAR but I think Adley deserves at least .5 WAR alone for today.

Well he did make the 2 outs on the bases. 

[Frobby]

2 hours ago, Sports Guy said:

The bullpen looks better today if the defense behind them was better.

Yep, and Gibson’s line looks better too.  Almost every run had a defensive miscue in the mix.  

[Moose Milligan]

9 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

Well he did make the 2 outs on the bases. 

Fine, .3 WAR.

[Moshagge3]

Santander should retire his glove for good. With the lefty Sale on Saturday, I hope we see McKenna in LF, Santander at DH, Henderson at 3B and Urias at 2B.

[Frobby]

Just now, Moose Milligan said:

Fine, .3 WAR.

I dont know exactly how each offensive outcome translates to WAR, but I’d guess that 5 for 5 with a homer and a walk probably does equate to 0.5 WAR or more, even with the two baserunning plays.  As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, the second out on the bases was on a smart play given that the other runner was trying to score on what looked to be a close play at the plate.  

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, Frobby said:

I dont know exactly how each offensive outcome translates to WAR, but I’d guess that 5 for 5 with a homer and a walk probably does equate to 0.5 WAR or more, even with the two baserunning plays.  As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, the second out on the bases was on a smart play given that the other runner was trying to score on what looked to be a close play at the plate.  

We'll find out in the morning.

[Frobby]

3 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

We'll find out in the morning.

I’m not sure they publish WAR for the first 2-3 weeks.  But we’ll see.  

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

12 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

Fine, .3 WAR.

That knocks Adley down to a 48 WAR pace over the season, I think that's a more realistic projection.

[yark14]

21 minutes ago, Moshagge3 said:

Santander should retire his glove for good. With the lefty Sale on Saturday, I hope we see McKenna in LF, Santander at DH, Henderson at 3B and Urias at 2B.

Rumor is that Gibson stole his glove after the game and attempted to flush it down the toilet, causing the ancient Fenway Park plumbing to back up and flood the locker room.

They should have listened to my campfire in the dugout idea...

[Ripken]

If Santander can't play defense at all, and it looks more and more like he can't, he costs the team a lot of flexibility.  I think everyone wants a roving DH spot to let players rest from time to time and you can't do that if you want his bat in the lineup but he's a total butcher in the field.  He becomes a top trade candidate when the next prospect is ready for Baltimore.

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

4 minutes ago, Ripken said:

If Santander can't play defense at all, and it looks more and more like he can't, he costs the team a lot of flexibility.  I think everyone wants a roving DH spot to let players rest from time to time and you can't do that if you want his bat in the lineup but he's a total butcher in the field.  He becomes a top trade candidate when the next prospect is ready for Baltimore.

I'm certain Gunnar would be a better defensive outfielder than Santander. There's no reason to waste Gunnar's athletic talents by playing him at DH.

[Billy F-Face3]

Something must have been going on such as the sun being in their eyes, because Mullins is usually as sure of an outfielder as you can find in MLB, and even he had some issues tracking down a few fly balls. Maybe it was something to do with the sun/shadows, maybe it was the wind, or maybe the threat of getting hurt against the Green Monster got into their heads, or maybe all of the above. But that was an uncharacteristic performance in the outfield. I can only imagine playing in Fenway Park feels like being caged up for an outfielder.

As for Santader specifically, I've seen him make some pretty good plays from right field before so he's got some ability. In the WBC he had a sliding catch that saved the game for Venezuela, and last year he fired a throw in from the outfield that saved a run against the blue jays. His weakness is that he's just not that fast and doesn't have alot of range. All that said, I still think today's performance overall in the outfield from all 3 guys needs to be better. Today can be a learning experience to improve upon. And when you can still win in spite of those mistakes, it makes it easier to take in stride. 

 

As for Gunnar playing the outfield, I think he has the speed, but is that something he's ever done? He's already being asked to play 2 positions in his rookie season, and I don't think he should be overwhelmed. Vavra seems to be a different story. Vavra volunteered it and worked on playing different positions all offseason. They will ask Mateo to play the outfield before they do Gunnar.

Edited March 31, 2023 by Billy F-Face3

[OriolesMagic83]

3 hours ago, Ripken said:

If Santander can't play defense at all, and it looks more and more like he can't, he costs the team a lot of flexibility.  I think everyone wants a roving DH spot to let players rest from time to time and you can't do that if you want his bat in the lineup but he's a total butcher in the field.  He becomes a top trade candidate when the next prospect is ready for Baltimore.

The O's can always trade him to the Mets.  Buck loves him some defensively limited players that can mash and I'm sure he has Buck's ear by now.

[OriolesMagic83]

Just now, OriolesMagic83 said:

The O's can always trade him to the Mets.  Buck loves him some defensively limited players that can mash and I'm sure he has Buck's ear by now.

meant Cohen's ear.  can someone correct my post.