Future Infield Alignment - 2025

[RZNJ]

It’s opening Day, 2025.  Pick the most likely infield you expect to see.  Not what you want or what you would do but what you expect from the Orioles.

[ShoelesJoe]

Better than even odds Mayo sticks at 3B. My gut tells me the OD ‘25 infield is:

Basallo 1B

Holliday 2B

Henderson SS

Mayo 3B

[Gurgi]

What happens if Westburg looks good in spring training and has a great season next year at third base does Mayo still just push him off the position?  What a situation to be in.  

Anyone think Ortiz can win the starting SS position and force Henderson to third?  I really want Ortiz to get a long look in the majors before we just make him a utility guy.   

You got to think we trade Urias for a lottery ticket this offseaon.  

[Frobby]

4 out of 5 options have Msyo at 1B?   That’s a bit heavy, even though I like it.  

Truth is, I have no idea which is most likely, since my guess is that someone is getting traded.   I voted Mayo-Holliday-Ortiz-Henderson because that’s the one I like the best if Ortiz proves he can hit at the major league level.  But I have no idea if he’ll prove that, or if he’ll even be in our organization then.  
 

[RZNJ]

13 minutes ago, Frobby said:

4 out of 5 options have Msyo at 1B?   That’s a bit heavy, even though I like it.  

Truth is, I have no idea which is most likely, since my guess is that someone is getting traded.   I voted Mayo-Holliday-Ortiz-Henderson because that’s the one I like the best if Ortiz proves he can hit at the major league level.  But I have no idea if he’ll prove that, or if he’ll even be in our organization then.  
 

If Mayo at 3B then 99.9% that Henderson is at SS which also means 99% that Holliday is at 2B unless Elias throws us a curve and converts Holliday to CF.    

[oriole]

I get kinda stuck on the “pull side power” attribute I’ve read on Mayo. That’s not gonna do much good in Camden Yards, but I don’t know how to verify where he’s been hitting his home runs. I know half the games will be elsewhere, plus everyone can’t be left handed, but Mayo and his rising prospect status screams trade bait for a controllable pitcher to me. 

[Can_of_corn]

Folks it isn't as if he's going to go from 50 HR to 5.

 

[RZNJ]

38 minutes ago, oriole said:

I get kinda stuck on the “pull side power” attribute I’ve read on Mayo. That’s not gonna do much good in Camden Yards, but I don’t know how to verify where he’s been hitting his home runs. I know half the games will be elsewhere, plus everyone can’t be left handed, but Mayo and his rising prospect status screams trade bait for a controllable pitcher to me. 

Mayo started hitting homers to right center last year and many of his pull Homers are shots that will clear the Wall.  Of course, he'll lose some but I do n't think it will hurt him as much as it does Hays and Mountcastle.   Much rather trade excess like Ortiz, Norby,  and one of  Cowser/Kjerstad/Beavers.

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, RZNJ said:

Mayo started hitting homers to right center last year and many of his pull Homers are shots that will clear the Wall.  Of course, he'll lose some but I do n't think it will hurt him as much as it does Hays and Mountcastle.   Much rather trade excess like Ortiz, Norby,  and one of  Cowser/Kjerstad/Beavers.

I don't think Hays and Mountcastle have been hurt that badly.

In 2023

Mountcastle

Home HR-9

Road HR-9

Hays

Home HR-9

Road HR-7

 

[RZNJ]

7 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

I don't think Hays and Mountcastle have been hurt that badly.

In 2023

Mountcastle

Home HR-9

Road HR-9

Hays

Home HR-9

Road HR-7

 

Check their splits in 2021 before the changes versus 2022 and 2023 after the changes.   Mountcastle clearly changed his style of hitting in the second half last year, maybe for the better, but less home runs overall.

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, RZNJ said:

Check their splits in 2021 before the changes versus 2022 and 2023 after the changes.   Mountcastle clearly changed his style of hitting in the second half last year, maybe for the better, but less home runs overall.

And that might not be because of the wall.

 

And it's fewer. 

[RZNJ]

23 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

And that might not be because of the wall.

 

And it's fewer. 

Mountcastle had 22 home runs at home in 2021, 10 on the road.  Hays had 13 at home, 9 on the road.   The old dimensions helped them.  The new dimensions hurt them.   In terms of home runs.  Seems like common sense when you move a wall back 30 feet.

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, RZNJ said:

Mountcastle had 22 home runs at home in 2021, 10 on the road.  Hays had 13 at home, 9 on the road.   The old dimensions helped them.  The new dimensions hurt them.   In terms of home runs.  Seems like common sense when you move a wall back 30 feet.

Quote

I don't think Hays and Mountcastle have been hurt that badly.

Of course their HR numbers would be boosted by a little league wall in left.

If you look at his spray chart from 2021.

https://www.fangraphs.com/players/ryan-mountcastle/18373/spray-charts?position=OF&type=battedball&pid2=18373&ss1=2021&se1=2021&ss2=2021&se2=2021&cht1=hittype&cht2=battedball&vs1=ALL&vs2=ALL

[Frobby]

8 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

Mountcastle had 22 home runs at home in 2021, 10 on the road.  Hays had 13 at home, 9 on the road.   The old dimensions helped them.  The new dimensions hurt them.   In terms of home runs.  Seems like common sense when you move a wall back 30 feet.

Sure.   But it’s not like the old dimensions were the model of fairness.   Many of the “lost” homers wouldn’t have been out in most other ballparks, even though they would have cleared the old wall at OPACY.

As to Mountcastle, there’s a misconception that he was a heavy pull hitter before the wall was moved.  In 2021, he was 69th of 132 qualifiers in pull %.   So, essentially league average.  It’s true he’s gone away from pulling even more since the wall was moved (114/130 in 2022, approx. 126/133 in 2023), but he wasn’t a big pull hitter in the first place.  

[orioles22]

3 hours ago, Gurgi said:

What happens if Westburg looks good in spring training and has a great season next year at third base does Mayo still just push him off the position?  What a situation to be in.  

Anyone think Ortiz can win the starting SS position and force Henderson to third?  I really want Ortiz to get a long look in the majors before we just make him a utility guy.   

You got to think we trade Urias for a lottery ticket this offseaon.  

That's what I think on Ortiz. Not sure about Mayo at first but I picked that since I like the rest of the lineup.