Is the 2024 team better than 2023’s?

[owknows]

10 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Thought about it, but it’s really hard to judge defense based on 33 games.  Overall I think it’s close to a wash.   What do you think?

Just using last year's stats I'd say more of Westburg is an upgrade over Frazier

More of Cowser is a downgrade over Hays.

Maybe the infield is solid better..  Outfield a little worse.

I think the infield boost may ultimately make the pitching better

 

[Sports Guy]

Cowser is better than Hays

[Jagwar]

1 hour ago, Sports Guy said:

The 2024 team isn’t even as good as it’s going to be

I'm thinking another reliable shutdown reliever or two. Maybe one can be a closer to push Kimbrel to the setup role. 

[Frobby]

48 minutes ago, owknows said:

Just using last year's stats I'd say more of Westburg is an upgrade over Frazier

More of Cowser is a downgrade over Hays.

Maybe the infield is solid better..  Outfield a little worse.

I think the infield boost may ultimately make the pitching better

 

Everyone knows I’m a huge Hays fan, but I think Cowser is considerably faster and covers more ground.  His arm is less consistent, for sure.  

Mullins is losing a bit of speed every year.  Sprint speed 27.7 this year to 28.0 last year, 28.5 in 2022.  He’s still a plus defender but covers less ground.  

Santander looks better this year than last, I think.  

 

[owknows]

7 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Everyone knows I’m a huge Hays fan, but I think Cowser is considerably faster and covers more ground.  His arm is less consistent, for sure.  

Mullins is losing a bit of speed every year.  Sprint speed 27.7 this year to 28.0 last year, 28.5 in 2022.  He’s still a plus defender but covers less ground.  

Santander looks better this year than last, I think.  

 

Always nice to hear your take.

Agree Cowser is faster than Hays... don't think he's as natural a defender, re: lines and glove. I think we're giving up a little, but Cowser isn't an embarrassment by any means.

Mullins is of course slowing, and will continue. Might shift to a corner in a year or two if we keep him. Doubt we will. Too much in the pipeline.

Hard to argue that Santander isn't a little better. But he's always had a better arm than he got credit for. He looks a little less beefy to me. Wonder if that has improved his range?

This is among the best defenses in the league this year and last, so most of the critique is fine detail.

 

[Jim'sKid26]

SSS makes we hesitate to agree with you, @Frobby. But the thread idea is thought provoking as most of yours are. Thanks for that!

I will say I feel like the depth of the organization is better than last year. With both Means and Bradish looking all healed up, even the SP depth looks rather good. Case in point is the total absence of an OH melt down when Grayson went on the IL. 

I think the only aspect of this team that looks like it needs to be fortified at the trade deadline, ( at least as it currently stands on this Cinco de Mayo) is the bullpen. And if Wells and Irwin find themselves there by then, maybe not even there.

Mike Elias has the bullets in his gun to make a deadline trade if he needs to. But he might not need to. That's a really powerful place to be!

[HowAboutThat]

The Yankees series showed us really sloppy baseball.Ny didn’t do the little things well, and missed a few of the big things, too.

The eye test shows the D to be pretty good. We’ve had the odd bad throw, but I don’t recall many bad fundamentals. How many TOOTBLANS have we had? Two? Three?

Yesterday, when Mateo backed up first and threw out an excellent runner in India, no one was more surprised than India himself. But that’s a “Little Thing,” and it’s what good teams do.

We aren’t just better than the Yankees, they’re bad. And we have the depth to keep this up.

I have my annoyances with Hyde, but I’ll honestly be disappointed if the Os don’t win 101+ this year.

[potota_bread]

1 minute ago, Philip said:

I have my annoyances with Hyde, but I’ll honestly be disappointed if the Os don’t win 101+ this year.

I wouldn't be disappointed as long as we made a deeper run in the playoffs.

[One eyed Bird]

Back end of the pen I will keep us from being a better team this year vs last, if we still had the Mountain closing games than yes without a doubt

[HowAboutThat]

1 hour ago, Sports Guy said:

Cowser is better than Hays

I’m not saying you’re wrong, and given age and salary, I hope you’re right, but Hays has only 24 ABs in LF, to Cowser’s 44. That’s way too few attempts to conclusively say. Cowser is marginally faster and has a stronger arm, but I couldn’t find a stat on jumps, route quality,accuracy, so Hays may make up for being a fraction slower if he’s better in those.

 

Cowser certainly hits better at the moment.

 

[HowAboutThat]

7 minutes ago, potota_bread said:

I wouldn't be disappointed as long as we made a deeper run in the playoffs.

Oh I think that’s a given, but team quality has much less impact on the playoffs, where a burst of luck can win a series for a team.

After 162 games, the best teams will have the best record. 

[Aristotelian]

Yes. We lost Felix but added Burnes and Kimbrel. Plus Cowser and Westburg have a year more experience, Gunnar is taking an incremental step forward, and we could add to the core with Holliday or Mayo. Bradish is a question mark but Bradish/Means will give us as much or more than Bradish/Gibson.

[Aristotelian]

Also we are #3 in runs scored and #6 in ERA, both of which are incremental improvements over last year. We really are a world series contender IMO. Only thing standing in our way is health. 

[dystopia]

23 minutes ago, Aristotelian said:

Also we are #3 in runs scored and #6 in ERA, both of which are incremental improvements over last year. We really are a world series contender IMO. Only thing standing in our way is health. 

I would say Brandon Hyde is the weakest link with this team... which is really just a testament to how complete of a team they are more than anything.

[Bemorewins]

To answer @Frobby's question, yes this team is better than last year and is probably the best in the sport. The improvements are due mostly to the natural progression of key guys being on the right side of the age curve (Gunnar, Adley, Westburg, Cowser, Mountcastle) and the improvement of O'Hearn and Mateo to some degree (from the offensive side of things). 

The defense was very good last year and is very god this year. But the biggest difference IMO is the starting pitching. With Bradish and Means back along with Burnes, there isn't a team that I look at in MLB (Braves, Dodgers, Phillies, Yankees) and think "they are better than us".

The only potential weakness is closer. But we have so much ammunition (in terms of trade chips) AND we have an owner who is serious about winning and has the means to provides to provide the backing to the front office to make any significant upgrade necessary. 

I know it's early, but every so often you just have that feeling. This team feels like it is on the road toward a World Series. It would be a MAJOR upset if ANYONE in the AL beats us. We are that good!

And this is without whatever Holliday, Mayo, Kjerstad turn into/give us.