Mountcastle back, Zimmermann down

[Can_of_corn]

23 minutes ago, royalstillman said:

If Grayson was sporting an e.r.a. of say 7, during his recent demotion, and just got called up, would everyone be good with that?

Did Grayson have decent enough success in the majors from 2020-2022?

Also would Grayson be coming off an IL stint and not a demotion?

This is closer to what happened with Cole Irvin and folks were not this unhinged about him coming back.

[Il BuonO]

1 hour ago, Can_of_corn said:

What I said is the amount of angst over this move is ridiculous.

Folks are acting like he's the worst player in the league and beyond all hope of ever doing anything useful on the field again.

He IS the worst player in the league! Don’t you get that? And useful on the field? Nope. No chance. He’s toast. Get over it.

I see your angst and raise you delusion.

[Can_of_corn]

2 minutes ago, Just Regular said:

Pregame show with the gaggle, he described feeling dizzy/lightheaded a couple of the games in Milwaukee before going out.

If he didn't immediately inform the team that's a bad look for him.  That's not something you want to mess around with.

Edited July 9, 2023 by Can_of_corn

[interloper]

People losing it over this is pretty funny.

He's here for today's game as a bench bat. It's a nice gesture to get him back on the active roster before the break. Will he still be here on Friday? I think that's much less certain. 

 

[Just Regular]

"Not much."

-Brandon Hyde, first 2 words of response to Melewski pregame question what today's move means for O'Hearn.

[oriolediehard]

Mountcastle said he had vision problem, pitched ball looked like a pea, he said he feels better now.

[StottyByNature]

2 hours ago, Can_of_corn said:

I would have been fine if they had kept him down until he showed more at AA that being said.

1. He isn't some butcher at first base like some contend.  The data doesn't support that claim. 
2. He isn't a platoon bat, him hitting better VS LHP is a recent thing and SSS.
3. Elias and company are not going to weigh his performance this season over his career numbers.  His career 1400 AB with an OPS+ of 110 mean more than the 89 OPS+ he put up over 242 AB this season.

You folks are better than this.

 

Yep. I get why people want to move on from him, but it’s not like O’Hearn has a long track record of maintaining this production.  Mountcastle, while flawed, does have more data to draw from.  I think the O’s are smart enough to continue to ride O’Hearn while he’s hot and give Mountcastle at-bats when possible.  If O’Hearn regresses they will not hesitate to go back to Mountcastle full time.  It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

[HelenaEngineer]

16 minutes ago, interloper said:

People losing it over this is pretty funny.

He's here for today's game as a bench bat. It's a nice gesture to get him back on the active roster before the break. Will he still be here on Friday? I think that's much less certain. 

 

I don't know about that. I think his activation today is a pretty strong signal that he won't be optioned before Friday. You bring someone up for a game and then option him to a pitcher who is up for a day or two as an emergency arm but not to someone with a history like Mountcastle. It is a Vallimont kind of move. You can make an argument that the one-day activation is the right move from a pure numbers view given Zimmerman won't be needed today, but that is just not how things are done with established players. Promoting him for one day and then optioning him would probably be viewed more as a slap than a nice gesture. I think it would be a lot easier and cleaner just to let him know he was staying down for the time being until he re-established his hitting stroke than go through a one-day song and dance if that was the plan.

If they were going to keep him in Norfolk until an injury or his performance justified a promotion, then they would have just done that. I am not defending or attacking the activation to the roster, but I am almost certain it tells us he is here for the foreseeable future. I don't know who goes when they need to go back to 13 pitchers, but I think it will be a tough decision unless there is a trade in the works or someone gets hurt. I just think Elias basically said that it won't be Mountcastle in his own way.

[7Mo]

56 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

This sucks. 
 

And whatever, I just don’t like watching the guy play baseball. His at bats are terrible to watch. I will grant that his defense is mediocre at best but that’s not a reason to keep trotting him out there. He’s not Keith Hernandez. 
 

@Can_of_cornhas yet to adequately address the fact that Mountcastle’s production has steadily dropped across the board since he came into the league.  Year over year, his batting average, slugging percentage, on base percentage, OPS+ has declined.
 

I think Just Regular had a good point that this is one game before the 4 day break. Bullpen is in pretty good shape so you go a pitcher short and maybe a pinch hit opportunity vs a lefty gives him a shot. 

If he's here and playing regularly after the break, I'll be right behind you in the riot.

I don't disagree with anything you're saying other than I don't think this is an indication of their long term thinking. But I am worried that it might be a bad sign.

[btdart20]

3 hours ago, Can_of_corn said:

I would have been fine if they had kept him down until he showed more at AA that being said.

1. He isn't some butcher at first base like some contend.  The data doesn't support that claim. 
2. He isn't a platoon bat, him hitting better VS LHP is a recent thing and SSS.
3. Elias and company are not going to weigh his performance this season over his career numbers.  His career 1400 AB with an OPS+ of 110 mean more than the 89 OPS+ he put up over 242 AB this season.

You folks are better than this.

 

For your last point, they aren’t completely throwing out his career stats.  But they weight the most recent 50 game stats more than any other 50 game block of time as one measure.  Mountcastle is an interesting “case” in so many ways.  Hopefully he can return to 2020-21 form!

[eddie83]

I think Ryan will get some starts vs RHP. How many is question. 
 

May be a way to rest some guys here and there as well. 

[eddie83]

We saw Elias constantly juggling the roster earlier in the season sending guys up and down. Perhaps he does the same until September trying as much as possible to keep a 7 man pen. 
 

Easier said than done though. 

[waroriole]

1 hour ago, Can_of_corn said:

Did Grayson have decent enough success in the majors from 2020-2022?

Also would Grayson be coming off an IL stint and not a demotion?

This is closer to what happened with Cole Irvin and folks were not this unhinged about him coming back.

Is 2.7 fWAR in almost 1600 PAs decent enough success?

[Bahama O's Fan]

And...Mountcastle is in the game

[Bahama O's Fan]

With an RBI