Hicks and Mullins back this week…what happens with the roster?

[Aristotelian]

11 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

We have plenty of options whether Hicks or Mateo are here or not.

And btw, you are wrong.  I don’t want them to get limited playing time. I want them playing all the time. I have said that many times. 

Starting OF with everyone healthy is Mullins, Hays, Santander. Mountcastle is DH as long as he is hitting. Hicks/Cowser will not play ahead of any of those guys except to give rest. I'd rather have Hicks on the bench with Cowser getting everyday AB rather than Cowser on the bench and Hicks/Mateo released. See what happens and maybe Cowser comes back when rosters expand.

[Billy F-Face3]

5 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

Literally never said either of those things. So, you are either a liar or on purposely embellishing what I said.

If you want to have a conversation, I’m all for it but don’t be ignorant or a liar about it. 

This message board has receipts. I'll spend the time and energy to pull them up as soon as that time is available to me, because I am not the liar here.

[Sports Guy]

8 minutes ago, Billy F-Face3 said:

This message board has receipts. I'll spend the time and energy to pull them up as soon as that time is available to me, because I am not the liar here.

Go ahead..find it.

You will see that I said that taking at bats away from those guys should happen..not bench, just take away at bats. That Cowser would be an upgrade defensively(which so far has been wrong). 

But you won’t see me saying either player is no good.

Edited August 9, 2023 by Sports Guy

[Sports Guy]

8 minutes ago, Aristotelian said:

Starting OF with everyone healthy is Mullins, Hays, Santander. Mountcastle is DH as long as he is hitting. Hicks/Cowser will not play ahead of any of those guys except to give rest. I'd rather have Hicks on the bench with Cowser getting everyday AB rather than Cowser on the bench and Hicks/Mateo released. See what happens and maybe Cowser comes back when rosters expand.

Mountcastle and Hays have a history of not hitting righties. Hays hasn’t hit anyone for a month. Mounty is hot right now and should always be in Vs lefties but it won’t be long before he should be sitting vs righties.

Santander has been up and down all year. 

What you are saying is best case scenario for all of those guys and is saying that’s the lineup every single day. That isn’t and shouldn’t be the case.

And again, given that Mullins has already re-aggravated this injury once, he probably should sit/DH a few games a week for the time being..just to make sure because he’s invaluable come playoff time.

Put all this together and Cowser should be able to start 3-4 games a week and get some pinch hitting duties in other games.  That’s plenty of time to justify him being up here.

 

Edited August 9, 2023 by Sports Guy

[Brooks The Great]

The smartest move that would show some foresight would be to just DFA Hicks once he comes off the DL. He was reverting back to the same waivers-fodder player that he's been for the past couple seasons before he got hurt, including poor defense in CF.

It should be McKenna and Hicks that get sent down and DFA'd, with Mateo not far behind deserving to get DFA'd. But it will be McKenna and Cowser, which is a bad move because Cowser has the talent to be one of this team's best pure hitters before the end of the season, if he'd just be given the chance to get everyday at bats. Which the team has obviously not given to him past his first week or so on the team.

Edited August 9, 2023 by Brooks The Great

[Ripken]

2 minutes ago, Brooks The Great said:

The smartest move that would show some foresight would be to just DFA Hicks once he comes off the DL. He was reverting back to the same waivers-fodder player that he's been for the past couple seasons before he got hurt, including poor defense in CF.

It should be McKenna and Hicks that get sent down and DFA'd, with Mateo not far behind deserving to get DFA'd. But it will be McKenna and Cowser, which is a bad move because Cowser has the talent to be one of this team's best pure hitters before the end of the season, if he'd just be given the chance to get everyday at bats. Which the team has obviously not given to him past his first week or so on the team.

Yeah, all this talk assumes Hicks should stay but I don't agree.  I know he will stay, but I'm ready to move on.

[Sports Guy]

3 minutes ago, Brooks The Great said:

The smartest move that would show some foresight would be to just DFA Hicks once he comes off the DL. He was reverting back to the same waivers-fodder player that he's been for the past couple seasons before he got hurt, including poor defense in CF.

It should be McKenna and Hicks that get sent down and DFA'd, with Mateo not far behind deserving to get DFA'd. But it will be McKenna and Cowser, which is a bad move because Cowser has the talent to be one of this team's best pure hitters before the end of the season, if he'd just be given the chance to get everyday at bats. Which the team has obviously not given to him past his first week or so on the team.

Yea I think people are only remembering what Hicks gave this team the first 2-3 weeks he was here. He has hurt us far more than he has helped us since that initial time here.

[Aristotelian]

2 hours ago, Sports Guy said:

Mountcastle and Hays have a history of not hitting righties. Hays hasn’t hit anyone for a month. Mounty is hot right now and should always be in Vs lefties but it won’t be long before he should be sitting vs righties.

Santander has been up and down all year. 

What you are saying is best case scenario for all of those guys and is saying that’s the lineup every single day. That isn’t and shouldn’t be the case.

And again, given that Mullins has already re-aggravated this injury once, he probably should sit/DH a few games a week for the time being..just to make sure because he’s invaluable come playoff time.

Put all this together and Cowser should be able to start 3-4 games a week and get some pinch hitting duties in other games.  That’s plenty of time to justify him being up here.

 

I am under no illusion that these guys are complete All Star level players. But so far Cowser has hit .125 and looked overmatched. Pretty sure he has had multiple K's in the majority of his games. Some of the veterans have struggled at times, but Cowser has shown absolutely nothing. I believe he may still have a bright future and could even factor this year but for now Hays, Santander, and Mountcastle are the starters, Hicks is next in line, and Cowser is not needed. If Mountcastle goes 0-fer the next two weeks then maybe we reassess. One additional advantage of Hicks is he is a switch hitter, and the most likely scenario for this spot to get ABs is when OHearn sits vs LHP.

[Sports Guy]

11 minutes ago, Aristotelian said:

I am under no illusion that these guys are complete All Star level players. But so far Cowser has hit .125 and looked overmatched. Pretty sure he has had multiple K's in the majority of his games. Some of the veterans have struggled at times, but Cowser has shown absolutely nothing. I believe he may still have a bright future and could even factor this year but for now Hays, Santander, and Mountcastle are the starters, Hicks is next in line, and Cowser is not needed. If Mountcastle goes 0-fer the next two weeks then maybe we reassess. One additional advantage of Hicks is he is a switch hitter, and the most likely scenario for this spot to get ABs is when OHearn sits vs LHP.

It’s not an advantage if he sucks hitting from either side and it’s not an advantage if the defense isn’t good.

Edited August 10, 2023 by Sports Guy

[Aristotelian]

3 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

It’s not an advantage if he sucks hitting from either side and it’s not an advantage if the defense isn’t good.

It is an advantage if Cowser is like 10x worse and hits from the wrong side.

[Sports Guy]

1 minute ago, Aristotelian said:

It is an advantage if Cowser is like 10x worse and hits from the wrong side.

lol ok. 

[accinfo]

Hicks didn’t play in Norfolk tonight.  

[24fps]

McKenna and Cowser will be sent down to make room, that seems pretty safe to say at this point.  Mateo will not be DFA'd.  In fact he will stay on the roster for all of 2023, then finish his career as an Oriole.  Afterward his number will be retired and when he dies he will be buried between 2nd and 3rd because clearly that is preferable to giving Joey Ortiz a feakin' chance.

[hydropups]

DFA Mateo and Hicks, send down McKenna.

Start Mullins, keep and play Cowser, call up Ortiz to be the everyday SS.
 

I would love to see lineups that regularly feature Westburg, Gunnar, Ortiz across the infield and Cowser. And also never see Mateo/Hicks in orange and black again.

[vab]

Mullins, Hicks  - up

Cowser, McKenna - down

 

That's pretty obvious unless some other OF'er hits the IL. If Mateo was going anywhere he'd be gone by now.