Mateo Noise

[sportsfan8703]

1 hour ago, ScGO's said:

If he continues to get reps in CF and becomes more comfortable with the position, then he's an ideal utility man, pinch runner, defensive replacement for this team. Can probably meet be on from McKenna then

His added ability to play CF is huge. He isn’t playing that in the competitive winter league, but I expect him to play some CF in ST. 

[Tony-OH]

1 hour ago, forphase1 said:

If I believed that's how they'd use him,  as a utility guy/pinch runner, then I wouldn't mind so much him being on the roster. But Hyde had shown he's going to give the Mateos on the roster WAY too many starts and at bats for me to want him around.   

Hyde only gave him 30 starts in the second half of the season last year. Once Gunnar became the everyday SS basically Mateo became the utility guy. Barring injury, I think that will be his role in 2024. 

[Moose Milligan]

12 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

Hyde only gave him 30 starts in the second half of the season last year. Once Gunnar became the everyday SS basically Mateo became the utility guy. Barring injury, I think that will be his role in 2024. 

I’m having a hard time seeing where Mateo fits in for the 2024 season. And I LIKE Mateo, he’s one of my favorite bad Orioles of all time. 
 

But last year after his playing time got cut his defense suffered. And I don’t mean from a range perspective, he botched some routine grounders. 
 

For me he’s the end of the bench and ultimately expendable. 

[oriole]

Nice home run, but look who is pitching. 
 

Mateo is okay as the last guy on the bench. If another team believes he is a starting SS then you’ve got to take whatever it is they’re willing to give up for him. 
 

[HakunaSakata]

19 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

I’m having a hard time seeing where Mateo fits in for the 2024 season. And I LIKE Mateo, he’s one of my favorite bad Orioles of all time.

Uhmmm, excuse me sir, I have Jim Traber on the line and he would like a...word. 

[Tony-OH]

26 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

I’m having a hard time seeing where Mateo fits in for the 2024 season. And I LIKE Mateo, he’s one of my favorite bad Orioles of all time. 
 

But last year after his playing time got cut his defense suffered. And I don’t mean from a range perspective, he botched some routine grounders. 
 

For me he’s the end of the bench and ultimately expendable. 

No doubt Mateo was not as an effective defensive shortstop last year, and that did seemingly get worse once his playing time became erratic. Statcast has his run value at SS at -1, after being at 9 last year. 

Saying that, his fielding percentage was about the same as the year before so it really wasn't an abundance of errors, but more of a lack of making the spectacular play that Mateo made the year before. 

I'd rather have Mateo as a utility guy over Urias because Mateo has more versatility with the ability to play SS and the outfield. And before anyone points to Mateo being bad in the outfield, he had one bad play where he missed the ball at the wall that he should have caught easily in the game against the Astros.

His speed is another factor that give him the edge over Urias.  We also have to remember that although Urias was banged up last year, he's a marginal tool guy going into his age 30 season. Expecting him to bounce back is not a good bet in my opinion. 

Urias to me is a right-handed Adam Frazier at this point in his career and I don't see him being a good utility guy with the ability to play just 2B and 3B (1B too if needed but most infielders can play there), no speed, and limited pop. 

Mateo gives the team some defensive flexibility, and he's one of the few guys on this team that hit lefties effectively last year .276/.329/.417/.746. I have zero issues with him spelling Gunnar against a tough lefty or with more work in spring training, serving as the 5th outfielder against lefties, spelling Mullins as well.

[Three Run Homer]

I'm okay with Mateo being on the team as a backup SS/CF and pinch runner...as long as he isn't keeping Joey Ortiz in Norfolk.  

[Tony-OH]

35 minutes ago, oriole said:

Nice home run, but look who is pitching. 
 

Mateo is okay as the last guy on the bench. If another team believes he is a starting SS then you’ve got to take whatever it is they’re willing to give up for him. 
 

100% he should be available if that type of deal comes up, but I have hard time thinking any team out there would look at him as an everyday starter at any position any more. He's hit his way out of that thinking.

[OriolesMagic83]

10 hours ago, forphase1 said:

Not buying into any Mateo hype ever again.   Yes,  IF he could consistently hit,  he'd be a weapon.  That's also true for 100s of other players who don't make it because they CANT HIT!  Mateo has proven he can get blazing hot for a short period of time,  then completely suck for the rest of the year.   If I was the GM the VERY first thing I'd do before trading for Cease, signing Adley or Gunnar to an extension, or promoting Holiday to the MLB roster would be to trade or cut Mateo.  I don't want him on the roster next year, no matter how good he looks in a 30 second clip.   I'm over him. 

As stingy as this franchise (JA) is, it made no sense to offer Mateo a contract.  For teams like the Yankees and Dodgers, $2.7 mill is pocket change, for the O's it is real money.  As for me, I'll never buy into any Mateo hype again and think the team would be better off if he is DFA'ed.

[interloper]

Fool me once, etc 

[Moose Milligan]

58 minutes ago, HakunaSakata said:

Uhmmm, excuse me sir, I have Jim Traber on the line and he would like a...word. 

Lol 

[Moose Milligan]

39 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

No doubt Mateo was not as an effective defensive shortstop last year, and that did seemingly get worse once his playing time became erratic. Statcast has his run value at SS at -1, after being at 9 last year. 

Saying that, his fielding percentage was about the same as the year before so it really wasn't an abundance of errors, but more of a lack of making the spectacular play that Mateo made the year before. 

I'd rather have Mateo as a utility guy over Urias because Mateo has more versatility with the ability to play SS and the outfield. And before anyone points to Mateo being bad in the outfield, he had one bad play where he missed the ball at the wall that he should have caught easily in the game against the Astros.

His speed is another factor that give him the edge over Urias.  We also have to remember that although Urias was banged up last year, he's a marginal tool guy going into his age 30 season. Expecting him to bounce back is not a good bet in my opinion. 

Urias to me is a right-handed Adam Frazier at this point in his career and I don't see him being a good utility guy with the ability to play just 2B and 3B (1B too if needed but most infielders can play there), no speed, and limited pop. 

Mateo gives the team some defensive flexibility, and he's one of the few guys on this team that hit lefties effectively last year .276/.329/.417/.746. I have zero issues with him spelling Gunnar against a tough lefty or with more work in spring training, serving as the 5th outfielder against lefties, spelling Mullins as well.

All good points. 

[Frobby]

49 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

No doubt Mateo was not as an effective defensive shortstop last year, and that did seemingly get worse once his playing time became erratic. Statcast has his run value at SS at -1, after being at 9 last year. 

Saying that, his fielding percentage was about the same as the year before so it really wasn't an abundance of errors, but more of a lack of making the spectacular play that Mateo made the year before. 

I'd rather have Mateo as a utility guy over Urias because Mateo has more versatility with the ability to play SS and the outfield. And before anyone points to Mateo being bad in the outfield, he had one bad play where he missed the ball at the wall that he should have caught easily in the game against the Astros.

His speed is another factor that give him the edge over Urias.  We also have to remember that although Urias was banged up last year, he's a marginal tool guy going into his age 30 season. Expecting him to bounce back is not a good bet in my opinion. 

Urias to me is a right-handed Adam Frazier at this point in his career and I don't see him being a good utility guy with the ability to play just 2B and 3B (1B too if needed but most infielders can play there), no speed, and limited pop. 

Mateo gives the team some defensive flexibility, and he's one of the few guys on this team that hit lefties effectively last year .276/.329/.417/.746. I have zero issues with him spelling Gunnar against a tough lefty or with more work in spring training, serving as the 5th outfielder against lefties, spelling Mullins as well.

I’d be fine with this if Mateo could have a role like McKenna where he bats under 200 times.  But Mateo and Urias batted 350 times each last year.  At that point, the difference between Urias’ career 106 OPS+ and Mateo’s 78 overwhelms these other factors IMO.   

[Tony-OH]

Just now, Frobby said:

I’d be fine with this if Mateo could have a role like McKenna where he bats under 200 times.  But Mateo and Urias batted 350 times each last year.  At that point, the difference between Urias’ career 106 OPS+ and Mateo’s 78 overwhelms these other factors IMO.   

If either Urias and Mateo get over 350 plate appearances next year, something went wrong.

[Frobby]

23 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

If either Urias and Mateo get over 350 plate appearances next year, something went wrong.

I don’t know.  Last year those two plus Frazier got 1201 PA.   Frazier’s gone and we are discussing one of the other two being gone.  To keep the remaining one below 350 PA, that’s 851 PA going somewhere else.  That’s a lot of PA, especially assuming Holliday isn’t on the OD roster.