Heston Kjerstad 2023

[SemperFi]

1 hour ago, Orioles Jim said:

Apparently O’Neil Cruz did that just last year:

https://reddit.com/r/baseball/s/EQamAHexHI

I caught a Jay Gibbons BP ball that came within 5-10 feet of the wall so IMO it will happen sometime.  

[Otter]

1 hour ago, Sports Guy said:

I kind of felt this before anyway but Kjerstad > Cowser

Now, that doesn’t mean I don’t like Cowser or don’t think he won’t be good or that I don’t want to hand him a starting job next year but if I had to trade one or the other, I’m trading Cowser and if I could only start one on OD next year, it’s Kjerstad.

I know Cowser may be the more complete player but I’m still taking Kjerstad’s power as the one skill I feel will translate the most/best out of any skill either possesses and they both possess a lot of skill.

A year ago, I definitely preferred Cowser over Kjerstad as the more complete player with more defensive value.  At this point now, I agree with you that I prefer Kjerstad.  For a rookie playing his first games he looks very comfortable against major league pitchers.  As for Cowser, I won't judge his hitting stats in a small sample size, but I've been disappointed with his defense and he seems slower and less athletic than I expected.

[Bemorewins]

9 minutes ago, Otter said:

A year ago, I definitely preferred Cowser over Kjerstad as the more complete player with more defensive value.  At this point now, I agree with you that I prefer Kjerstad.  For a rookie playing his first games he looks very comfortable against major league pitchers.  As for Cowser, I won't judge his hitting stats in a small sample size, but I've been disappointed with his defense and he seems slower and less athletic than I expected.

I remember hearing early in the year how Elias said that Kjerstad had legit 40 homer a year potential in the bigs. That combined with the Bowie manager saying quite early in the year that Kjerstad “could hit big league pitching right now”, gave me the confidence or at least the belief that this guy may indeed be special as a hitter. 

Nothing that I have seen of his performance this season has swayed me any differently. You can just see it with some guys (similar to how I see “special” in Holliday. (I mean most people do so that’s not really anything of note.) But most of our top prospects hit the ball now, but we know not all will make it and/or be stars/all stars/superstars when they arrive.

I think many get caught in numbers, (which is fine) but in order to truly evaluate a player IMO you have to factor in ability/talent. For example, that ball Adley hit out on Sunday at 101 not many people on this planet can do that. That home run that Kjerstad hit on Friday when he collapsed those hands and destroyed that pitch on the inside against a pitcher who was absolutely filthy and flirting with a no-no, that screamed “special” hitting talent to me.

[Aristotelian]

Kjerstad is definitely passing the eye test. When he makes good contact the ball has that extra zip. The HR came on a night when none of the regulars could do anything and last night he hit Verlander hard even when making outs. I liked that his first out was hard opposite field contact. He has gotten overmatched occasionally but not nearly as much as Cowser. 

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

3 minutes ago, Aristotelian said:

Kjerstad is definitely passing the eye test. When he makes good contact the ball has that extra zip. The HR came on a night when none of the regulars could do anything and last night he hit Verlander hard even when making outs. I liked that his first out was hard opposite field contact. He has gotten overmatched occasionally but not nearly as much as Cowser. 

Out of the younger players who are either Orioles or have at least made it to Bowie, there's a good chance Kjerstad could end up being the best MLB hitter out of all of them. Maybe Kjerstad won't be the best all round player, but he's making good contact nearly every at bat so far.

[Moose Milligan]

The early returns are encouraging.  He looks pretty good so far.  The hard contact is nice to see.

[RZNJ]

Have to agree on Kjerstad vs. Cowser.   Kjerstad has passed Cowser in the pecking order and Beavers is right on his heels.   The tea leaves suggest Ortiz, Norby, and Cowser as most likely to go if Elias attempts to make a splash.

[vab]

Looks hitter-ish. Short, compact swing but generates a lot of power. Hope he can be at least be adequate in the field somewhere, at least part-time. 

Edited September 19, 2023 by vab

[deward]

4 minutes ago, vab said:

Looks hitter-ish. Short, compact swing but generates a lot of power. Hope he can be at least be adequate in the field somewhere, at least part-time. 

I haven't seen anything to indicate that he's not at least as capable as Santander and O'Hearn in RF. He's not slow.

[wildcard]

3 hours ago, Sports Guy said:

I kind of felt this before anyway but Kjerstad > Cowser

Now, that doesn’t mean I don’t like Cowser or don’t think he won’t be good or that I don’t want to hand him a starting job next year but if I had to trade one or the other, I’m trading Cowser and if I could only start one on OD next year, it’s Kjerstad.

I know Cowser may be the more complete player but I’m still taking Kjerstad’s power as the one skill I feel will translate the most/best out of any skill either possesses and they both possess a lot of skill.

Cowser and Kjerstad are both keepers.    It just may take a little time for their time to come.

[deward]

I don't know if I'm ready to put him ahead of Cowser; I suspect it might be a case where they can get to similar value, but in different ways. There's room for both if you're willing to move on from one of Hays or Santander. That said, if I could only pick one to keep, I'd lean Kjerstad, because the power is very alluring.

[Sports Guy]

8 minutes ago, deward said:

I don't know if I'm ready to put him ahead of Cowser; I suspect it might be a case where they can get to similar value, but in different ways. There's room for both if you're willing to move on from one of Hays or Santander. That said, if I could only pick one to keep, I'd lean Kjerstad, because the power is very alluring.

I think it’s fair to say the value will be similar.

But like I said, I think if I were betting on one specific skill from either, it’s Kjerstad’s power.

[InsideCoroner]

I've have had a weird feeling since watching Kjerstad earlier in the year that he just might become a truly fearsome hitter, like a Todd Helton type who could just roll out of bed and hit a double (the ol' "wake and rake").

[Just Regular]

If we earn the bye to the ALDS, I believe the only LHP we may see among TB-TOR-SEA-TEX are Jordan Montgomery or Yusei Kikuchi.

In the 63% likelihood its Tampa, Poche and Diekman I expect to face Gunnar twice a game.     6th puts Kjerstad far enough away most of the PA probably would come against RHP, if in Mountcastle-Hicks absences he basically joins the starting nine.

9 PA into his career - he has seen Eflin, Stephenson, Fairbanks, Verlander, Neris, Pressly.     They aren't all this good, even in October.

[btdart20]

The two big things in favor of Kjerstad (24) over Cowser (23):  raw power and K%.

I'm still in the Cowser herd overall but it's not hard to see the case for Kjerstad too.  Cowser definitely struggled in his SSS making contact with any type of authority and if that's who he is then it will put much more pressure on the other skills.  I do think he'll adjust to the speed/skill of MLB pitching though and settle in as a solid overall contributor.

Kjerstad has constantly had a lower K% across the various MiLB levels.  That should allow him to tap into his raw power more consistently in games.  Plus, who doesn't want to see what an HK can put down range?!