So who goes for Mountcastle?

[CharmCityHokie]

32 minutes ago, gtman55 said:

I just don't see how you can bring Mountcastle up. He literally is stinking against AAA pitching right now. Bring him up and he bats .100..  then what?

I'm not a Mountcastle-apologist, I certainly think he should get more time to get himself right in AAA, but this is a strange argument in my opinion. He's had 11 ABs in AAA, and he's hitless, I get that. But did you agree with bringing back Cedric Mullins after he had 10 ABs in AAA on rehab and had a single hit to show for them? Mountcastle needs time, at Norfolk, I absolutely agree, but saying he is terrible in AAA after 12 ABs is a bit weak. 

[Brian88]

2 hours ago, Jagwar said:

If the Elias considers this team a playoff team, Mountcastle cannot get any ABs against RH pitchers. 

Or Major League pitchers 

[Moose Milligan]

27 minutes ago, CharmCityHokie said:

I'm not a Mountcastle-apologist, I certainly think he should get more time to get himself right in AAA, but this is a strange argument in my opinion. He's had 11 ABs in AAA, and he's hitless, I get that. But did you agree with bringing back Cedric Mullins after he had 10 ABs in AAA on rehab and had a single hit to show for them? Mountcastle needs time, at Norfolk, I absolutely agree, but saying he is terrible in AAA after 12 ABs is a bit weak. 

I don't find this to be a strange argument, not in the least.

Mullins was our best offensive player when he went down with his injury, he was having a fantastic season.  One could even argue that Mullins is an offensive force.  No one can say the same about Mountcastle...as a matter of fact, Mountcastle was having his worst season in the majors.  I've pointed it out before a few times (others have, too) but he's been on a decline year after year since he arrived in the majors.  Slash lines, OPS+, all the stats point to a guy in decline.  I don't want to hear how unlucky he's been, he's not unlucky when he's swinging and missing at sliders out of the zone and rarely taking a BB.

So for Mullins to only have one hit in his rehab assignment is a blip on the radar.  It shouldn't even be a blip, it shouldn't even register with anyone, anywhere.  What mattered the most for Mullins on his rehab assignment was that he could run without pain and that he could do all the things he could typically do on a ballfield without aggravating anything.  All that anyone had to care about in regards to Mullins' rehab effort was that he was comfortable on the field.

Mountcastle shares those concerns, too.  He needs to recover from vertigo.

But he also was having a terrible season before he was sidelined and his 12 at bats in Norfolk are a continuation of that.  In a season when a few people on here were calling for him to be optioned to Norfolk in the first place, it makes sense to be a bit more critical of him. 

You'd like to see him tear up AAA pitching.  Yes, I know it's only 12 at bats and that's a small sample size but, IIRC, he's striking out at the same clip down there as he was up here.  

I hate to view it this way because it's a cold way of looking at things, but Mountcastle getting sidelined with vertigo might be a blessing in disguise for the Orioles AND for Mountcastle.  For the Orioles, he's not on the roster and O'Hearn continues to rake in his place.  For Mountcastle, it's a chance to do whatever he needs to do to get back to being a capable hitter, maybe even learning a little bit of plate discipline if that's possible for him.  

[Jagwar]

7 hours ago, Brian88 said:

Or Major League pitchers 

He has a 311/342/676/1017 slash line with 7 HR in 82 plate appearances against LH pitchers this year. He should be given an opportunity to continue that production IMO.   

[now]

51 minutes ago, Jagwar said:

He has a 311/342/676/1017 slash line with 7 HR in 82 plate appearances against LH pitchers this year. He should be given an opportunity to continue that production IMO.   

Ryan Mountcastle, meet Benny Ayala.

[waroriole]

9 hours ago, CharmCityHokie said:

I'm not a Mountcastle-apologist, I certainly think he should get more time to get himself right in AAA, but this is a strange argument in my opinion. He's had 11 ABs in AAA, and he's hitless, I get that. But did you agree with bringing back Cedric Mullins after he had 10 ABs in AAA on rehab and had a single hit to show for them? Mountcastle needs time, at Norfolk, I absolutely agree, but saying he is terrible in AAA after 12 ABs is a bit weak. 

It’s not just the Norfolk ABs. He has a sub .270 OBP for the year. He’s been terrible and is continuing that trend in the minors. 

[Frobby]

13 hours ago, emmett16 said:

He’s 0-2 tonight with a K.  Rocking a .071 OPS.  I’d like to see him mash AAA pitching a bit before continuing to watch his terrible ABs.  

There is zero reason to bring him back to the majors unless he’s raking in AAA.

[Bahama O's Fan]

Does he have options left?

[wildcard]

46 minutes ago, Bahama O's Fan said:

Does he have options left?

Mountcastle has 2 options left.

[oriole]

I’m curious to see how this is approached by Elias. The obvious answer is to option him to AAA, but he’s been a good major league player for a few years now and he still has potential. I feel like it’d be a Duquette/Buck era type move to put Mountcastle back at first despite everything because they’re loyal to what’s worked for them in the past. I’m hoping to see Elias take a more calculated approach where players aren’t just handed playing time based on tenure…but we’ve seen it happen already by Elias so who knows what will happen?

Edited June 25, 2023 by oriole

[interloper]

No world exists where it's not Ortiz, unfortunately.

[OriolesMagic83]

34 minutes ago, wildcard said:

Mountcastle has 2 options left.

If Mountcastle was in an arbitration year could he be sent down.  I always thought the options were only for your 1st 3 years in the majors, obviously a year could be 1 day in a year.

[glenn__davis]

He'll be brought back as soon as they decide he's healthy and he'll be back in the lineup at least 5 days a week. 

[wildcard]

8 minutes ago, OriolesMagic83 said:

If Mountcastle was in an arbitration year could he be sent down.  I always thought the options were only for your 1st 3 years in the majors, obviously a year could be 1 day in a year.

Players can be sent down without their permission until they reach their  fifth year of service time.  As long as they have options. Options can be used in the the player fifth year of service time if they give their permission to be optioned.

Edited June 25, 2023 by wildcard

[Aristotelian]

42 minutes ago, interloper said:

No world exists where it's not Ortiz, unfortunately.

Why not McKenna?