Heston Kjerstad 2024

[interloper]

2 minutes ago, Roy Firestone said:

I want to be clear that Im very aware that Bochy walking Kjerstad  to load the bases was a somewhat routine strategy. Its an obvious attempt to get a force or double play.. I understand that.. But I still had a small smile on my face when they walked him to load the bases, that this kid, with less than 30 MLB at bats is already creating a buzz around baseball, and that grand slam HR , his second HR in a week, was a "respect" moment. I have seen some  players with great starts, swoon, and some never recover. I dont feel that way about this guy. He looks nothing like a rookie or a very very young player.He is patient, never overswings, knows the strike zone, hits the ball with authority even in outs...and seems to really love to play. I think he's a keeper for sure, and just maybe a budding major star. My God, what talent we have. Now if we can just get some pitching, this is gonna be a fun summer. It already is. Heston Kjerstad is must see TV. I think he's gonna be a monster.

Kjerstad does not have that rookie look to him like Cowser last year or Holliday this year. Looks like a professional, seasoned baseball player up there. I expect we'll see the same from Mayo. 

[Say O!]

1 hour ago, interloper said:

Kjerstad does not have that rookie look to him like Cowser last year or Holliday this year. Looks like a professional, seasoned baseball player up there. I expect we'll see the same from Mayo. 

Kjerstad is 25yrs old, same as Westy and just one year younger than Adley.  And he is displaying that level of maturity. 

[ORIOLE33]

14 hours ago, PHRESH said:

I think it's going to be shocking whenever a deal goes down. I've really grown to like most of the guys on this team and I'm very intrigued by many of the guys down on the farm. It could certainly be a Mountcastle, O'Hearn, Santander, etc. Or maybe one of the top three prospects. I just hope the return is worth it. Yeah, do not envy ME's job, but it is certainly important he pull the right strings this year. 

 

Santander's not going anywhere. 

[Frobby]

I find it kind of funny how one our prospects will have 2-3 good games and suddenly everyone jumps on the bandwagon.   Kyle Stowers had a .924 OPS as of the end of May and he was briefly everybody’s darling.  Now it’s Kjerstad.   There’s a New Kid in Town!

Don’t get me wrong, there’s lots to like about Kjerstad.   It just amuses me the way enthusiasm waxes and wanes based on microsamples.   

[Hank Scorpio]

2 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I find it kind of funny how one our prospects will have 2-3 good games and suddenly everyone jumps on the bandwagon.   Kyle Stowers had a .924 OPS as of the end of May and he was briefly everybody’s darling.  Now it’s Kjerstad.   There’s a New Kid in Town!

Don’t get me wrong, there’s lots to like about Kjerstad.   It just amuses me the way enthusiasm waxes and wanes based on microsamples.   

That, my good man, is called being a fan.

I did not intend that to rhyme. It just organically happened. 

[RVAOsFan]

On 6/30/2024 at 2:07 PM, ORIOLE33 said:

 

Santander's not going anywhere. 

I think Santander is a big piece to our lineup and I don't want to see him go anywhere, in fact I would like to see him extended.  However if we are operating like a small market team like Tampa Bay (not sure what we are operating like under new ownership)... wouldn't Santander be the exact guy Elias would trade this deadline since his contract is expiring? Can a small market team like the Orioles just let a Santander walk for free and get nothing at the end of the season?

I don't want to trade him but I wouldn't definitively say he isn't going anywhere. 

[RVAOsFan]

12 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I find it kind of funny how one our prospects will have 2-3 good games and suddenly everyone jumps on the bandwagon.   Kyle Stowers had a .924 OPS as of the end of May and he was briefly everybody’s darling.  Now it’s Kjerstad.   There’s a New Kid in Town!

Don’t get me wrong, there’s lots to like about Kjerstad.   It just amuses me the way enthusiasm waxes and wanes based on microsamples.   

I can't lie I have changed positions on trading Kjerstad over the past week but I think he looks like a lot more adequate defender in the OF this go around in the MLB than he did before.  I was open to trading him because he looked like a guy who would hit but be primarily a DH, now he looks like a solid corner OF who can hit. 

[Sports Guy]

14 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I find it kind of funny how one our prospects will have 2-3 good games and suddenly everyone jumps on the bandwagon.   Kyle Stowers had a .924 OPS as of the end of May and he was briefly everybody’s darling.  Now it’s Kjerstad.   There’s a New Kid in Town!

Don’t get me wrong, there’s lots to like about Kjerstad.   It just amuses me the way enthusiasm waxes and wanes based on microsamples.   

Yea I have noticed that as well.  Don’t worry though, if Seattle pitching eats him up, people will say he’s no good and then you can complain about them jumping off the bandwagon.  

[Frobby]

2 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

Yea I have noticed that as well.  Don’t worry though, if Seattle pitching eats him up, people will say he’s no good and then you can complain about them jumping off the bandwagon.  

I’ll be sure to do that, though hopefully he won’t give anyone a reason to jump off.

It’s kind of interesting to compare his power to Cowser’s.   Cowser has the type where when he really barrels it up, he absolutely destroys a ball, often 440 feet or more.  But Kjerstad has the type where he can hit homers even when he gets a little under the ball.  You initially don’t think it will carry, and then it clears the fence rather easily.   I don’t see that with Cowser, he has less margin for error.   

[Sports Guy]

4 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I’ll be sure to do that, though hopefully he won’t give anyone a reason to jump off.

It’s kind of interesting to compare his power to Cowser’s.   Cowser has the type where when he really barrels it up, he absolutely destroys a ball, often 440 feet or more.  But Kjerstad has the type where he can hit homers even when he gets a little under the ball.  You initially don’t think it will carry, and then it clears the fence rather easily.   I don’t see that with Cowser, he has less margin for error.   

The discussion in the offseason was, if you trade one, who do you trade.

I kept going back and forth on the answer but my ultimate thought process was that Cowser is the better all around player but Kjerstad’s best tool, his power, is better than any single tool Cowser has.

I still basically stand by that thought. 
 

This is a long winded way of saying Kjerstad’s power is just better than Cowser’s, so he definitely can get away with things that Cowser can’t.

You have pointed out a lot of warning track outs for Cowser. I would suspect many of those would be homers off of Kjerstad’s bat.

[Frobby]

17 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

The discussion in the offseason was, if you trade one, who do you trade.

I kept going back and forth on the answer but my ultimate thought process was that Cowser is the better all around player but Kjerstad’s best tool, his power, is better than any single tool Cowser has.

I still basically stand by that thought. 
 

This is a long winded way of saying Kjerstad’s power is just better than Cowser’s, so he definitely can get away with things that Cowser can’t.

You have pointed out a lot of warning track outs for Cowser. I would suspect many of those would be homers off of Kjerstad’s bat.

It’s a tough call, mostly because Cowser’s hit tool isn’t quite as good as I expected, though he may make more contact with experience.  I like both players and they bring different things to the table.  

[RZNJ]

39 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I’ll be sure to do that, though hopefully he won’t give anyone a reason to jump off.

It’s kind of interesting to compare his power to Cowser’s.   Cowser has the type where when he really barrels it up, he absolutely destroys a ball, often 440 feet or more.  But Kjerstad has the type where he can hit homers even when he gets a little under the ball.  You initially don’t think it will carry, and then it clears the fence rather easily.   I don’t see that with Cowser, he has less margin for error.   

Let’s see Kjerstad barrel one up and hit it 440 and then we’ll talk.

[Sports Guy]

9 minutes ago, Frobby said:

It’s a tough call, mostly because Cowser’s hit tool isn’t quite as good as I expected, though he may make more contact with experience.  I like both players and they bring different things to the table.  

Neither player is a finished product and I think people tend to forget that.

Luckily we don’t have to choose…we just keep them both.

The single biggest question mark for either was could Kjerstad play in the OF?  I think he can. I’m not worried about it. I still want Mayo to play some RF but I don’t see any reason why Kjerstad should have to be at first.

[Frobby]

1 minute ago, RZNJ said:

Let’s see Kjerstad barrel one up and hit it 440 and then we’ll talk.

I remember his first HR in the AFL was a prodigious distance.  Couldn’t give you a number.  I’d say Cowser has hit at least 5-6 homers that traveled 440-450 over the last two years if you include the minors and spring training.   Like I said, he can absolutely destroy a ball when he gets all of it.  He just doesn’t seem to get the same carry on the “just missed it” balls that Kjerstad does.   Maybe it’s due to the backspin on the ball they generate, or length of swing or something.  

[interloper]

Cowser's home runs are some of the most aesthetically pleasing on the team. They're almost always absolutely tanked and well over 400 ft, it seems like.