Mountcastle ?????

[turtlebowl]

Is Mountcastle sacrificing power to maintain a higher average or has his bat speed slowed?  

I think we were all excited when Mounty made it to the majors.  We knew we likely had a guy with low on base skills but he was also known to have pretty good contact rate and high-end power.  I remember when he hit 2 HR's in a game against Toronto at the start of his MLB career and he just pummeled a couple of middle in fastballs into left field.  In fact, it was obvious that you couldn't go inside on him because he had the capability of pulling balls off the plate inside and hitting bombs.  It became apparent the book got out on him and we saw the struggles on the sliders off the plate.  It appears he has made some adjustments over the last year by really focusing on letting the ball get deep and hitting the ball to the right side.  

I am just not sure this version of Mountcastle is better than the other one that was looking to turn and burn on every mistake pitch.  Now we have a player that still has a low OBP even with a little higher average and diminished power numbers.   If he is never going to be a high on base guy I think I might rather see him start looking to pull the ball more and focus on his power numbers.  

Thoughts?

[Malike]

He has the 2nd fastest bat on the team. He slumps and then he doesn't. We have seen this movie before. 

Edited July 8 by Malike

[Sports Guy]

 

[sportsfan8703]

He’s been struggling since April. Cowser and Mounty both have. Cowser didn't play yesterday, and Mounty hit 7th. In the same time period,

Mounty .708 OPS

Cowser .618 OPS

Mateo . 672 OPS

Urias .793 OPS

McCann .529 OPS

Edited July 8 by sportsfan8703

[interloper]

He doesn't really look himself. Ton of balls dying at the warning track, and not just at home in LF. On the road in CF mostly. 

He hasn't really turned on a heater in a long time, it feels like. Consistently late on the fastball just going on the eye test. 

But of course, he could go on a torrid stretch tomorrow and start blasting balls out of the park and ripping doubles, because that's kind of how he is. 

Much more worried about Mullins, who is again riding the struggle bus after faking us out with a good stretch. 

Edited July 8 by interloper

[turtlebowl]

3 minutes ago, Malike said:

He has the 2nd fastest bat on the team. He slumps and then he doesn't. We have seen this movie before. 

We have seen this before.  Again the concern I have is what happened to the ability to turn on the inside heater?  Stats show a fast bat, but the results don't show someone that is regularly driving fastballs inner 1/2 like you would think he should.  Just think the attempt to cover the outside slider has overall changed his approach.  I believe it does help him maintain his average but I do believe it also has an adverse affect on the power.

[RZNJ]

My unofficial team leaders (total guess on my part) for warning track outs.

1. Ryan O’Hearn

2. Ryan Mountcastle

3. Cowser?   Westburg?

I know Hays hit the ball 458 one time and Mountcastle hits some long ones but I just don’t think Mountcastle is all that powerful.   He’s a pretty good hitter with power but Waltimore has affected him and although he goes to RF quite often these days, Westburg, with his shorter swing, probably has more oppo homers than Mountcastle.   

[Frobby]

7 minutes ago, Malike said:

He has the 2nd fastest bat on the team. He slumps and then he doesn't. We have seen this movie before. 

No kidding!   It kind of amazes me how longtime followers of the team buy into every hot streak (“he’s finally turned the corner!!”) or slump that he has.   Honestly, he’s having a very typical Mountcastle year.

Career: .264/.318/.456, 115 OPS+

2024: .268/.312/.454, 120 OPS+

[interloper]

1 minute ago, turtlebowl said:

We have seen this before.  Again the concern I have is what happened to the ability to turn on the inside heater?  Stats show a fast bat, but the results don't show someone that is regularly driving fastballs inner 1/2 like you would think he should.  Just think the attempt to cover the outside slider has overall changed his approach.  I believe it does help him maintain his average but I do believe it also has an adverse affect on the power.

I agree, I've been watching his ABs closely and he is late on everything. Fouls a lot of fastballs off. 

[sportsfan8703]

1 minute ago, Frobby said:

No kidding!   It kind of amazes me how longtime followers of the team buy into every hot streak (“he’s finally turned the corner!!”) or slump that he has.   Honestly, he’s having a very typical Mountcastle year.

Career: .264/.318/.456, 115 OPS+

2024: .268/.312/.454, 120 OPS+

You're right.  He's having a typical Mountcastle year, but this year we have better options when he slumps and there is a RH SP.  

[Malike]

3 minutes ago, sportsfan8703 said:

You're right.  He's having a typical Mountcastle year, but this year we have better options when he slumps and there is a RH SP.  

Who?

[CTBear]

14 minutes ago, interloper said:

He doesn't really look himself. Ton of balls dying at the warning track, and not just at home in LF. On the road in CF mostly. 

He hasn't really turned on a heater in a long time, it feels like. Consistently late on the fastball just going on the eye test. 

But of course, he could go on a torrid stretch tomorrow and start blasting balls out of the park and ripping doubles, because that's kind of how he is. 

Much more worried about Mullins, who is again riding the struggle bus after faking us out with a good stretch. 

Mullins has been just missing on so many extra base hits. He’s been really jumping on pitches early in the count but pulling them just foul and then he’s in a bad hitters count where he has to protect. I like the aggressiveness but he’s just gotta figure out a way to keep some of those balls fair. He gets a little home run happy when he’s going well and I think he could dial it back a bit and just make sure he keeps the ball in play. If he’s hitting at the bottom of the lineup, a single or double is pretty damn valuable with Gunnar at leadoff. 

[turtlebowl]

45 minutes ago, interloper said:

I agree, I've been watching his ABs closely and he is late on everything. Fouls a lot of fastballs off. 

That is really the gist of my post.  I think he fouls off more hittable fastballs then anybody in the regular lineup beyond Cedric when he was going really bad.  Just seems odd that he is known for this quick bat yet he misses so many pitches that a hitter with a profile like him should destroy.  

Since the data shows that his bat speed is still elite maybe the question is, were the adjustments made to cover breaking pitches better or has the wall frustrated him so much that he doesn't look to pull fastballs?

[LTO's]

Moving Mountcastle in a deal with a “contending” team could be a creative way to improve the pitching without giving up one of the big 4 and getting Mayo on the 26 man.

I think that might be a move that happens in the off-season if it were to happen though. For all Mounty’s flaws, he still has a career ~.850 OPS vs lefties (pretty much in line with his splits this year) and I think it would be unrealistic to bank on that type of production from Mayo this year despite all the talent he possesses. 

[sportsfan8703]

4 minutes ago, LTO's said:

Moving Mountcastle in a deal with a “contending” team could be a creative way to improve the pitching without giving up one of the big 4 and getting Mayo on the 26 man.

I think that might be a move that happens in the off-season if it were to happen though. For all Mounty’s flaws, he still has a career ~.850 OPS vs lefties (pretty much in line with his splits this year) and I think it would be unrealistic to bank on that type of production from Mayo this year despite all the talent he possesses. 

The million dollar question is what contending team is willing to move pitching at all, or better than what we have?  I agree, it sounds like a good idea.  Mountcastle might do better out of the tough competition of the AL East and the WALL.  Probably a deal that happens this offseason.