What is our best possible infield configuration as of today?

[Bemorewins]

The thing that I have observed watching Mateo besides his inability to stop chasing low and away, is the lack of extra base hits or hit balls with authority. The extra base hits have been mostly grounders down the line or hustle doubles. When is the last time any ball that he hit even reached the outfield wall, by bounce or anything? The last couple of games he has had 3 walks which is very good for him. But the lack of power for a 2 month period is alarming. Rarely does he even hit foul balls with authority.

[LA2]

2 hours ago, HandsomeQuack said:

That's fair enough, but Mateo's career slash against LHP is .236/.283/.379. Given his horrific output this year, I am inclined to chalk up his positive lefty splits as random noise. Not to mention the development aspect of playing Gunnar vs LHP.

Yes, this is exactly why I qualified my statement up front as that of a Devil's Advocate, but continuing to play that hand:

The career slash you cited (resulting in a career OPS vs. LHP of .661) is still way above Gunnar's .516. To which one adds Mateo's defensive and base-running values.

The Henderson / Westburg train has left the station and so I foresee little chance that Mateo can be a regular starter on the team. What I'd like to see though is whether he can develop into a fine super-utility player, defensive replacement, and pinch runner, assuming that Frazier is gone next year and Hicks finds a starting role on another team. If so, he might be able to replace both Frazier and McKenna and make Vavra et al unnecessary. He would likely supply more to the O's that way than whatever they cd acquire by trading him.

Edited June 27, 2023 by LA2

[HandsomeQuack]

10 minutes ago, LA2 said:

Yes, this is exactly why I qualified my statement up front as that of a Devil's Advocate, but continuing to play that hand:

The career slash you cited (resulting in a career OPS vs. LHP of .661) is still way above Gunnar's .516. To which one adds Mateo's defensive and base-running values.

The Henderson / Westburg train has begun and so I foresee little chance that Mateo can be a regular starter on the team. What I'd like to see though is whether he can develop into a fine utility player, defensive replacement, and pinch runner, assuming that Frazier is gone next year and Hicks finds a starting role on another team. If so, he might be able to replace both Frazier and McKenna and make Vavra et al unnecessary. He would likely supply more to the O's that way than whatever they cd acquire by trading him.

I agree, he has the potential to be a very good superutility. A 2B/SS/CF that can also pinch run. I hope they try him in that role and he embraces it.

[LA2]

3 hours ago, MCO'sFan said:

Does anyone remember a playoff team that platooned at SS? None comes to mind for me. 

This is a good point. Until Cal, Jr., SS was usually--though not always (Zoilo Versalles' MVP year, Ernie Banks, etc.)--considered a purely defensive position that a good lineup could carry. The defensive value of SS is evinced by how players like Ed Brinkman and Belanger could garner MVP votes. So it probably didn't occur to teams to increase scoring by spending a roster spot on a SS platoon; with the deep benches back then, one could always pinch hit for a weak-hitting SS in the late innings if it seemed necessary.

The 1968 Tigers were a highly unusual situation because Oyler and Tracewski managed to hit significantly worse than a Belanger, Larry Brown, or Dal Maxvil. Their BAs were, respectively, .135 (215 AB) and .156 (212 AB)--it's surprising that they got as many walks as they did (20 and 24). Even the measly .203 of Matchick (whom I called 'Match Stick' bc he was skinny and cdn't hit) was still an improvement over such pitcher-like batting.

That said, going back to the topic of platooning, Matchick was a left-handed batter, but hit LHP for a much higher BA than  against RHP that season.

Edited June 27, 2023 by LA2

[interloper]

1 hour ago, Bemorewins said:

The thing that I have observed watching Mateo besides his inability to stop chasing low and away, is the lack of extra base hits or hit balls with authority. The extra base hits have been mostly grounders down the line or hustle doubles. When is the last time any ball that he hit even reached the outfield wall, by bounce or anything? The last couple of games he has had 3 walks which is very good for him. But the lack of power for a 2 month period is alarming. Rarely does he even hit foul balls with authority.

No homers since April after hitting 6 that month. 

It's really hard to fathom how he gets so hot and so cold, it's kind of unlike anything I've seen from a baseball player. Like what could possibly be going so wrong or be so different for him to get THIS cold? I'm sure the Orioles would love to figure it out. 

[24fps]

Today:

1B Santander

2B Westburg

3B Henderson

SS Mateo

With Urias getting plenty of playing time everywhere except SS.

I'm willing to carry Mateo's bat as long as Frazier isn't in the lineup nor Mountcastle until he's fixed.  As critical as I've been of Mateo, every time I see him in the field I'm blown away by how good he is with a glove.  Last night is a case in point, but there have been many other times too.  I'm not confident that any other in-house option will get that good any time soon and it seems pretty clear that Ortiz isn't going to get the opportunity to try.

[MCO'sFan]

10 hours ago, LA2 said:

Devil's Advocate here:

Few fans want to settle for Henderson as a platoon player, but the fact that it's currently the same number of ABs makes the following comparison convenient:

In Mateo's 73 AB vs. LHP this season--

.301 / .354 / .425 (.779)

3 doubles, 2 HR, 5 BB, 13 SB, 8 RBI

In Henderson's 73 AB vs. LHP entire career--

.178 / .310 / .206 (.516)

2 doubles, 0 HR, 14 BB, 3 SB, 4 RBI

Yes, we're only 382 PA into Gunnar's career and it's likely that his recent offensive improvement will generalize to a certain extent to his performance vs. LHP, but what Mateo contributes in terms of defense and speed makes the argument for platooning him at SS (+.263 OPS advantage) even stronger.

He stinks vs RHP and I’ve given up on him ever getting better. I’ve not given up on Gunnar