What are your offensive expectations for Westburg if given regular playing time in 2024?

[NCRaven]

31 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Yep, last year was 77 and even then he was a part timer, hanging on for a paycheck.

He retired in August with a month to go in the season.  He wasn’t Chris Davis.  I don’t think he ever had a multi-year contract.  Brooks wasn’t hanging on for a paycheck.

[Frobby]

6 minutes ago, wildcard said:

I did answer the question. You assume that his playing time will come like it did in 2023 and I don't believe that is a given.   There are plenty of other posters here.  If they can figure out where  Westburg will play, how much playing time he gets and what numbers he will have then have at it.

For me too many unknowns at the moment.

The question is hypothetical.   You didn’t answer it.  We’ll have to live without knowing your answer.   

[wildcard]

8 minutes ago, orioles22 said:

The Orioles didn't have anyone like Ortiz in 1982. I think DeCinces was traded to make room for Cal at third, but since the Orioles didn't have a very good shortstop at the time, it made sense to move him to short. It worked out pretty well. It could also work out for Gunnar. I think Cal would have been just as good at third.

Pretty hard for Hyde to tell Gunnar that he is not playing a lot of SS after he won ROY and a Silver Slugger by playing SS/3B this season.  Gunnar believes he is a SS.  Looks like he proved it.

[Jagwar]

26 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Do you ever answer the question that’s asked?   It’s pretty frustrating. 

He's just upset he didn't think of starting this thread. 

[wildcard]

1 minute ago, Frobby said:

The question is hypothetical.   You didn’t answer it.  We’ll have to live without knowing your answer.   

Works for me.  Sorry that frustrates you.

[Jagwar]

2 minutes ago, wildcard said:

Pretty hard for Hyde to tell Gunnar that he is not playing a lot of SS after he won ROY and a Silver Slugger by playing SS/3B this season.  Gunnar believes he is a SS.  Looks like he proved it.

Gunnar is going to hesh up, put his head down and run out to whichever Hyde writes him into the lineup. 

[Can_of_corn]

4 minutes ago, NCRaven said:

He retired in August with a month to go in the season.  He wasn’t Chris Davis.  I don’t think he ever had a multi-year contract.  Brooks wasn’t hanging on for a paycheck.

Yes he was.  Pretty sure he admitted as much.  Do you not know the story?

[orioles22]

2 minutes ago, wildcard said:

Pretty hard for Hyde to tell Gunnar that he is not playing a lot of SS after he won ROY and a Silver Slugger by playing SS/3B this season.  Gunnar believes he is a SS.  Looks like he proved it.

He can just say, "Gunnar, you're playing third." I'd say the odds are he does play more short, but I just don't see Ortiz as a third baseman, and I can't get past that. I guess Mayo could end up there. I think Ortiz will be the best shortstop - not the best player, but the best shortstop.

[wildcard]

3 minutes ago, Jagwar said:

He's just upset he didn't think of starting this thread. 

Frobby is frustrated.  I am not upset at all.

[wildcard]

1 minute ago, orioles22 said:

He can just say, "Gunnar, you're playing third." I'd say the odds are he does play more short, but I just don't see Ortiz as a third baseman, and I can't get past that. I guess Mayo could end up there. I think Ortiz will be the best shortstop - not the best player, but the best shortstop.

That is a valid opinion.  But Ortiz does not have Gunnar's arm at SS.  That may be important. 

I have watched Urias play 3B.  What I like about him  at  3B is  his quick reflexes.  I think Ortiz's reflexes are just as quick and he probably outhits Urias.

[Frobby]

28 minutes ago, wildcard said:

That is a valid opinion.  But Ortiz does not have Gunnar's arm at SS.  That may be important. 

I have watched Urias play 3B.  What I like about him  at  3B is  his quick reflexes.  I think Ortiz's reflexes are just as quick and he probably outhits Urias.

I think Ortiz could play as well at 3B as Urias.  But I also think he’s a better defensive SS than Gunnar.  If they’re both on the left side of the infield, I want Ortiz at SS and Gunnar at 3B.

By the way, I recall that when Gunnar, Ortiz and Westburg were all on the same team in the minors, they divided SS about evenly, but Ortiz was typically at 2B when not playing SS, while Gunnar played 3B.  Westburg split his non-SS  time 50/50 between 3B and 2B, playing 3B when Gunnar was at SS abd 2B when Ortiz was at SS.  So, I think 3B is the least likely destination for Ortiz, though I have no doubt he could play it well.  

[RZNJ]

2 hours ago, Frobby said:

I think Ortiz could play as well at 3B as Urias.  But I also think he’s a better defensive SS than Gunnar.  If they’re both on the left side of the infield, I want Ortiz at SS and Gunnar at 3B.

By the way, I recall that when Gunnar, Ortiz and Westburg were all on the same team in the minors, they divided SS about evenly, but Ortiz was typically at 2B when not playing SS, while Gunnar played 3B.  Westburg split his non-SS  time 50/50 between 3B and 2B, playing 3B when Gunnar was at SS abd 2B when Ortiz was at SS.  So, I think 3B is the least likely destination for Ortiz, though I have no doubt he could play it well.  

Although I think Ortiz looks like a magician at SS I’m not 100% sure he’s actually better than Henderson.  Let’s start with the assumption that Henderson is a slam dunk to stay in the lineup and played an above average SS last year.  It’s possible, but unlikely to me, that they ask him to move while Ortiz gets an audition at SS unless they are super confident and committed to Ortiz which they didn’t seem to be last year.  Next let’s assume that Westburg’s best position is 2B and the Orioles are more confident and committed to Westburg’s bat than Ortiz which seemed to be the case last year.  Under those assumptions, the Orioles might like to see if Ortiz can gain traction offensively at the ML level at his 3rd most impactful decision without disrupting Henderson or Westburg.  He won’t hit like your typical ML 3B but neither did Urias.   If Ortiz does hit, then the Orioles can decide later about reconfiguring defensively and what to do about Holliday and Mayo.

[Yossarian]

.265/.310/.405

12 HR (40 flyouts to the warning track)

70 RBI

[Moose Milligan]

I think the slash like is somewhere in that .265/.330/.450 range like others have said. 
 

I would have liked to have seen more power from him last year, hopefully that comes around this year. 

[Frobby]

On 11/16/2023 at 1:55 AM, RZNJ said:

Although I think Ortiz looks like a magician at SS I’m not 100% sure he’s actually better than Henderson.  Let’s start with the assumption that Henderson is a slam dunk to stay in the lineup and played an above average SS last year.  It’s possible, but unlikely to me, that they ask him to move while Ortiz gets an audition at SS unless they are super confident and committed to Ortiz which they didn’t seem to be last year.  Next let’s assume that Westburg’s best position is 2B and the Orioles are more confident and committed to Westburg’s bat than Ortiz which seemed to be the case last year.  Under those assumptions, the Orioles might like to see if Ortiz can gain traction offensively at the ML level at his 3rd most impactful decision without disrupting Henderson or Westburg.  He won’t hit like your typical ML 3B but neither did Urias.   If Ortiz does hit, then the Orioles can decide later about reconfiguring defensively and what to do about Holliday and Mayo.

They wouldn’t really be asking Gunnar to move, as he split his time almost exactly 50/50 between SS and 3B last year.  Granted, he probably played more 3B in the first half and more SS in the second half, as Mateo lost playing time as the year went along as his poor hitting dragged on.   

Anyway, I think we will see all kinds of permutations in spring training and Hyde will make some judgments about Ortiz then, both offensively and defensively.  It will be interesting to watch how this plays out.