Ryan McKenna 2023

[Frobby]

Mark Belanger, before he was a regular, entered a game as a defensive replacement in a no-hitter and made an error that cost us the game.  Guess we should have released him!  What good is a defensive replacement if he loses a game by making an error!

Seriously, I’m not excusing the error, but McKenna has been a plus defender for us and one error doesn’t change that, no matter how costly it was.  It would have been defensible to structure the team without McKenna on it, but I don’t feel this error changes the equation.  It was maddening to watch, no doubt.

[Spy Fox]

1 hour ago, interloper said:

The fact that you are saying "released" just shows your lack of baseball knowledge. They wouldn't just release a player with his defense/speed skillset (yes, he's a good defender, despite the one bad play) with years of control left. They would obviously option him. An outright release would be a laughably bad baseball operations move, an unnecessary slap in the face to the player, his teammates and coaches would hate it, and it would damage future negotiations with players and their agents. No team in the game would actually do this to a player in this day and age. You cripple your CF depth in the system over one play? I'm glad you don't run the team. 

And I guess we're just forgetting about the absolutely sensational catch he made mere innings before, and the lengthy track record of defensive success in both the minors and majors. 

Good day sir. 

Don't you know? The best way to run a healthy team-oriented business is to make sure your employees know that one mistake results in immediate termination. 

[Frobby]

5 minutes ago, Spy Fox said:

Don't you know? The best way to run a healthy team-oriented business is to make sure your employees know that one mistake results in immediate termination. 

If only Darth Vader ran the Orioles.  

[D&B]

On 4/2/2023 at 12:46 PM, CharmCityHokie said:

Um, who would you be replacing the pitching staff with? We're not exactly flush in pitching prospects. And who is replacing McKenna who can play center? I'm fascinated by this uproar for revamping the entire team two games into the season. 

I’m not saying the whole staff but if a guy with options has a few bad games send him down. Mainly the bullpen guys. There are plenty of guys at Norfolk. As for McKenna, Cameron can replace him and he should if he has another error like that. Also, I know it is only 3 games but Ortiz didn’t play in the first Norfolk series but Cullen, Grenier, and Lester all played.

[Ohfan67]

22 minutes ago, D&B said:

I’m not saying the whole staff but if a guy with options has a few bad games send him down. Mainly the bullpen guys. There are plenty of guys at Norfolk. As for McKenna, Cameron can replace him and he should if he has another error like that. Also, I know it is only 3 games but Ortiz didn’t play in the first Norfolk series but Cullen, Grenier, and Lester all played.

Ortiz? You mean the guy who hasn’t played because he had a concussion? 

[tntoriole]

1 hour ago, Frobby said:

Mark Belanger, before he was a regular, entered a game as a defensive replacement in a no-hitter and made an error that cost us the game.  Guess we should have released him!  What good is a defensive replacement if he loses a game by making an error!

Seriously, I’m not excusing the error, but McKenna has been a plus defender for us and one error doesn’t change that, no matter how costly it was.  It would have been defensible to structure the team without McKenna on it, but I don’t feel this error changes the equation.  It was maddening to watch, no doubt.

I agree.  Well said .  Still if I am Ryan, repeating this particular one is not something that I can allow to happen.  You get one of these kind in a career probably. .. ie a game losing, no excuse drop.  

[Frobby]

13 minutes ago, tntoriole said:

I agree.  Well said .  Still if I am Ryan, repeating this particular one is not something that I can allow to happen.  You get one of these kind in a career probably. .. ie a game losing, no excuse drop.  

Especially if you’re not much of a hitter. 

[CharmCityHokie]

1 hour ago, D&B said:

I’m not saying the whole staff but if a guy with options has a few bad games send him down. Mainly the bullpen guys. There are plenty of guys at Norfolk. As for McKenna, Cameron can replace him and he should if he has another error like that. Also, I know it is only 3 games but Ortiz didn’t play in the first Norfolk series but Cullen, Grenier, and Lester all played.

I just don't know who on Norfolk's pitching staff is better than what is on the 26-man roster, is basically what I'm getting at...Rodriguez pitched himself off the team, I'm sure he'll be fine and great in the long run, DL Hall is in some kind of transition period I guess, so who else? Cano, Bazardo, Darwinzon Hernandez? They all have ML service time and have been okay at times. I suppose you could point to Vespi, he's picked up where he left off in AAA but there are already three lefties in the 'pen. There isn't a lot of pitching depth at AAA in my opinion, the front office did a poor job with acquiring pitching over the offseason, but reacting to one bad game may hurt the long term outlook of the team.

Also, McKenna is a better fielder than Cameron, I don't know if you've ever watched Cameron play but he's not awesome and the fielding numbers support that.

[D&B]

1 hour ago, Ohfan67 said:

Ortiz? You mean the guy who hasn’t played because he had a concussion? 

Didn’t know he had a concussion. He’s not inactive.

[D&B]

28 minutes ago, CharmCityHokie said:

I just don't know who on Norfolk's pitching staff is better than what is on the 26-man roster, is basically what I'm getting at...Rodriguez pitched himself off the team, I'm sure he'll be fine and great in the long run, DL Hall is in some kind of transition period I guess, so who else? Cano, Bazardo, Darwinzon Hernandez? They all have ML service time and have been okay at times. I suppose you could point to Vespi, he's picked up where he left off in AAA but there are already three lefties in the 'pen. There isn't a lot of pitching depth at AAA in my opinion, the front office did a poor job with acquiring pitching over the offseason, but reacting to one bad game may hurt the long term outlook of the team.

Also, McKenna is a better fielder than Cameron, I don't know if you've ever watched Cameron play but he's not awesome and the fielding numbers support that.

Any of those pitchers you list can replace Baker or any of the other relievers who are not pitching consistently. The starters get a longer leash, but as soon as Rodriguez and Hall are ready they replace any starter with options not pitching well. I have seen Cameron and he can replace McKenna who is also not “awesome” otherwise he would have caught that routine fly ball. Don’t get the love for a poor hitting backup.

[CharmCityHokie]

1 hour ago, D&B said:

Any of those pitchers you list can replace Baker or any of the other relievers who are not pitching consistently. The starters get a longer leash, but as soon as Rodriguez and Hall are ready they replace any starter with options not pitching well. I have seen Cameron and he can replace McKenna who is also not “awesome” otherwise he would have caught that routine fly ball. Don’t get the love for a poor hitting backup.

I don't know why I'm arguing this, because I'm not actually a huge fan of McKenna, but objectively he has been a better fielder then Cameron in their respective major league careers. That's backed up by both the numbers and the eyes. One bad play doesn't (or shouldn't) define a player.

Baker was a fine middle reliever last year, I don't know what you see in any of the other guys listed that make them any more special as opposed to Baker. If it's because they haven't gave up runs yet at this point of the season on the big league team, that's a bit of a silly way to analyze roster construction, in my opinion. 

I'm not trying to be a jerk, I just don't think we have better replacements in the minors right now for the problems that have been mentioned regarding the big league team; and that's a problem in and of itself.

[D&B]

27 minutes ago, CharmCityHokie said:

I don't know why I'm arguing this, because I'm not actually a huge fan of McKenna, but objectively he has been a better fielder then Cameron in their respective major league careers. That's backed up by both the numbers and the eyes. One bad play doesn't (or shouldn't) define a player.

Baker was a fine middle reliever last year, I don't know what you see in any of the other guys listed that make them any more special as opposed to Baker. If it's because they haven't gave up runs yet at this point of the season on the big league team, that's a bit of a silly way to analyze roster construction, in my opinion. 

I'm not trying to be a jerk, I just don't think we have better replacements in the minors right now for the problems that have been mentioned regarding the big league team; and that's a problem in and of itself.

Just saying that if the bullpen guys struggle and have options send them down and bring up whoever is pitching well. Baker was just an example. If McKenna doesn’t make anymore boneheaded plays keep him up, but I’m not losing sleep if he is sent down for Cameron.  

[sportsfan8703]

Maybe the right thing to do was to start McKenna the very next day in LF and bat him lead off. It would’ve taken some balls of steel though, but it could’ve helped avoid the hangover loss on Sunday. 
 

Bottomline I forgive McKenna and we need to get him back into a game. 

[BohKnowsBmore]

4 hours ago, sportsfan8703 said:

Maybe the right thing to do was to start McKenna the very next day in LF and bat him lead off. It would’ve taken some balls of steel though, but it could’ve helped avoid the hangover loss on Sunday. 
 

Bottomline I forgive McKenna and we need to get him back into a game. 

Tonight makes sense as a potential option with a lefty on the mound

[NCRaven]

The only way that McKenna's drop is a life long memory is if we miss the playoffs by one game.  Otherwise, no one will care that we lost Game 2 on a dropped fly ball.  And, I'm sure that over the course of the next 158 games to be played, we will lose at least a couple more due to bad defense.  At this rate, Mateo will overthrow Mountcastle and allow the winning run (or is that losing run?) to score in Game 7 of the World Series.

Edited April 4, 2023 by NCRaven