Jorge Mateo 2023

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

25 minutes ago, clapdiddy said:

I truly wish they'd just give Ortiz a week straight of playing time right now at SS.   See what he can do.  he can't possibly hit worse than Mateo has over the last 2 months.

Plug in Ortiz now and let him start 5 or 6 times a week up until the all star break and then reevaluate. Or give Rougned Odor's old jersey to Ortiz and maybe he'll start getting penciled into the starting lineup everyday. 

[Big Mac]

In 2019 we let Mullins ride with a .337 OPS for all of 74 PA before sending him down and he eventually made his way all the way back to AA.

Mateo has 4 extra base hits and 5 BBs since May 1, it is beyond time to stop running him out there everyday.

[EdwinRip]

No strikeouts yesterday for Mateo.  I really think this kid is going to bust out soon.  Once he does, the sky is the limit.

[InsideCoroner]

When Frazier drew the walk in the 9th yesterday and Mateo pinch-ran, I was excited as I couldn’t imagine a better pinch runner. Then Mateo steals and doesn’t watch that Mullins hits a pop foul out to the catcher, and easily gets doubled off first, sending it to extra innings. Oof.

[RVAOsFan]

Just read a piece from MLBTR that suggested Boston was playing an OF despite having better options to hopefully gain trade interest in him. Could this be what Elias is doing? Playing Mateo and Frazier in hopes they get hot and he can flip them at the deadline for good value?

I have given up trying to figure out why Mateo is still getting starts so I am going with this theory. 

[Just Regular]

The Bottom 10 teams in YTD Wins Above Average whose seasons aren't already over yet as of this morning are:

LAD, SFG, PIT, BOS, CLE, CHW

White Sox last few days have oddly moved Tim Anderson (0 HR in 229 PA) to 2B with Elvis Andrus at SS, maybe to protect a gimpy arm.

One of the preseason guesses as LAD trimmed back and voluntarily pieced together SS after the Gavin Lux injury was they'd add Tim Anderson in season, but he looks broken.     The ballsy move by Elias would be a higher value exchange with LAD for Westburg or Ortiz.     Like Spenser Watkins in the HOU SP mix, a blocked Oriole as the LAD SS would be great baseball theater.

[Ohfan67]

4 hours ago, InsideCoroner said:

When Frazier drew the walk in the 9th yesterday and Mateo pinch-ran, I was excited as I couldn’t imagine a better pinch runner. Then Mateo steals and doesn’t watch that Mullins hits a pop foul out to the catcher, and easily gets doubled off first, sending it to extra innings. Oof.

That was a pretty ugly play. On one of the replays you can see the first base coach screaming like a mad man for Mateo to come back. Mateo didn’t seem to even look back to first for several seconds. Not a good look. 

[EdwinRip]

I have a hard time believing westburg would be playing regularly when Joey Ortiz who has a similar prospect pedigree can’t get any playing time.  It seems they will ride Mateo all year.

[banks703]

3 minutes ago, Ohfan67 said:

That was a pretty ugly play. On one of the replays you can see the first base coach screaming like a mad man for Mateo to come back. Mateo didn’t seem to even look back to first for several seconds. Not a good look. 

I am a HUGE fan of Jorge and I don’t think necessarily that he ignored the base coach on that play but the significance of being brought into a game for the one thing that you are head and shoulders better than anyone else on the roster at doing, then to be so aloof or confused on the play, I agree does not look good for him. I would like to think it was just one of those baseball plays.
 

When I was in tenth grade in our state championship playoffs I hit a screamer to the left fielder and for some reason my first-base coach sent me to stretch the play into a double in which I was subsequently hosed at second despite having really really good speed for high school baseball. It wasn’t even close. It was like practice for the outfielder. I one-hopped him and he easily made the  130 foot throw. He was throwing it to second before I rounded first. I simply put my head down and went balls-to-the-walls to the base at the direction of my base coach knowing all along that I was going to be thrown out unless they screwed the pooch.
 

I’m not comparing myself to a major leaguer in Jorge Mateo but simply reminding us that we’re taught as baserunners to put down our head and go. He was stealing the base.

 

Yes, it’s inexcusable in that moment to be doubled off of first on a foul ball to the catcher but on the steal his head was facing the complete opposite direction of the play, at 4pm at OPACY. I can see why he didn’t react quite as fast as we would have liked him to react. That’s not an excuse of course. He should have been looking at Sanders for instruction on what to do rather than trying to find the ball himself. That is why Tony is coaching first.
 

It’s a crappy play for a player who is already down pretty hard right now and I would like to think that’s all that it was but the thought did cross my mind in whether or not he mailed it in on that play. I HOPE it was a bad baseball play by him and nothing more but I also hope that he was spoken-to about it. 

[PeteCanes]

Please start playing Ortiz regularly 

[Big Mac]

15 minutes ago, PeteCanes said:

Please start playing Ortiz regularly 

I do not understand the hesitation to make this move.  I think they are getting way too bogged down on the defensive value Mateo brings and I personally sincerely doubt there would be any noticeable dropoff in that regard if Ortiz took his starting job.

Mateo now has just shy of 1000 ML PAs that clearly show he can't hit.  He is never going to be able to hit.  Time to move on. 

[waroriole]

I don’t even know what to say anymore. Elias and Hyder are gonna ride this thing into the ground and for what reason? To keep the prospect ranking? Just fear of making any changes? There’s no logical reason for Mateo and Frazier to play every day. I think if there were, somebody at OH would’ve uncovered it by now. 

[PeteCanes]

Ortiz seems to have all the chops to play SS at a high level.  He could make a huge difference this year.  Wouldn’t really have to hit all that well

[Billy F-Face3]

I'm seeing a problem with Mateo in his batting stance and it's all about his foundation: His feet. 

Mateo seems to have picked up a bad habit of tapping his front foot. He has jittery feet. This has thrown the timing and balance of his swing all out if whack. 

When Mateo was having succes in April, he was keeping his front foot planted and his toes inward. That balanced him out and let him swing on time under balance when he wanted to swing.

[banks703]

1 hour ago, Billy F-Face3 said:

I'm seeing a problem with Mateo in his batting stance and it's all about his foundation: His feet. 

Mateo seems to have picked up a bad habit of tapping his front foot. He has jittery feet. This has thrown the timing and balance of his swing all out if whack. 

When Mateo was having succes in April, he was keeping his front foot planted and his toes inward. That balanced him out and let him swing on time under balance when he wanted to swing.

I noticed this also and have caught him even shuffling his feet, which somehow seems to occur when chasing the down and away breaking stuff. I wonder if closing up a little more and spreading his feet to shorten his stride (or even eliminate it altogether) would do anything for him. I’m not suggesting going full Jeff Bagwell but his bottom half is completely out of whack. I’d limit his movement as much as I could get him to comfortably commit to doing and see if I could get him to work on driving the ball to right center. 
 

Or maybe go Willie Mays Hayes with him and make him do push ups if he hits the ball in the air.