Nolan Reimold

[Tony-OH]

You do have to remember that he isnt a lifetime LFer, pretty new to the position, but nonethe less, whether LF or RF, your instincts would tell you to throw to the cutoff standing lined up with 3rd, but at the same time, your entire team should be communicating with you yelling "THREE!" or "THIRD"! .....I didnt see the play so I cannot comment much further, but I do think he will be good for us out there and needs to be given a chance to acclimate himself with this new position. How long as he been in Left? Didnt he move last year?

This is a great point by the way. I don't know what was being communicated on the field or not, but I know when I've been in the outfield making a play with my back to the infield, I was constantly listening for "direction" from the infield on where to go once I come up with the ball.

[snatch311]

Back to Reimold. You guys think he's going to cool off?

He's been popping a lot of balls up, and I'm not sure he's going to be able to hit 25% of FBs for bombs.

I think this set of LHP will get mashed by him, and then I worry he'll be due for an extended cold streak.

His K-Rate hasn't been as bad as I expected, but his BB-Rate hasn't been as good. I'm sure both will go up a bit.

[ScottieBaseball]

I don't think it was the content of your response that upset him, but it was how you worded your response. When I first read your reply, I thought you were lashing out at the guy. The multiple question marks with "What are you talking about????" and the "rolling eyes smiley" really made me feel this way. Your post just seemed too aggressive, even if wasn't really meant that way. Maybe a response of "I'm not judging him based off of tonight's performance, but my experience watching him in the minors" would have been better.

Edit: Ravenbird said it before me.

This is the last I'll say on it...

You know, most of the time I labor over making sure the things I post on this message board are well-thought and minimally offensive. I also go out of my way to remain open-minded, both within myself and publically here. For the first time in a long time I get a little passionate about a subject, add a few question marks and a smiley, and someone got his feelings hurt? That made him feel like I was trying to stifle his opinion or was disrespecting him somehow?

Like I said, I'm pretty sensitive to peoples' overall feelings here. More than I should be sometimes. His reaction takes it to a whole new level, and that's one I have no sympathy or compassion for.

I'm SOOOO done with this drama.

[ScottieBaseball]

Back to Reimold. You guys think he's going to cool off?

He's been popping a lot of balls up, and I'm not sure he's going to be able to hit 25% of FBs for bombs.

I think this set of LHP will get mashed by him, and then I worry he'll be due for an extended cold streak.

His K-Rate hasn't been as bad as I expected, but his BB-Rate hasn't been as good. I'm sure both will go up a bit.

I think there will be a back-and-forth in terms of adjustments: Opposing hitters will adjust to him and he'll have to adjust in return. We'll probably see this up-and-down from him for the rest of the year. Just my opinion.

[snatch311]

Honestly, I haven't had as much expecations for Reimold as it seems many people do. I think he will be an average to above average LF with power. He has more potential than that, but I think that is what he has the best chance of becoming. That is very valuable, especially considering he is young, cheap, and under control until after 2015. And that may even be good enough to give us the best OF in baseball. But I don't think he is going to be an AS caliber player.

Still think Pie has a higher ceiling, although you can't argue with Reimold playing over Pie, obviously.

You think Pie has a higher ceiling than Reimold's .280/.380/.550 with decent defense?

[TyCobb]

Yikes. I hope you mean you don't put much weight into our ability to rate a players instincts because if you don't think baseball instincts exist then we certainly have nothing more to discuss on this subject.

Nah. I probably agree with your ability to rate a players instincts. Instincts by definition is something that can't be learned. I just don't put much weight into a player's "instincts" especially when we are talking about a LFers fielding "instincts". To me it is worthless when you compare it to the other abilities/talents.

If you guys are trying to use "instincts" and "fundamentals" as the same word than that is different. Nolan doesn't look like a Manny character. I think he will practice and learn that you always throw the ball to 3b in that situation no matter who is running. Over time I think his fundamentals will improve by practice to where this "brain farts" rarely ever happen. I am sure he heard a mouth full when he got to the bench to the point where that won't happen again.

And you have said that he has play so many innings of baseball. That is true but he hasn't played that many innings in LF and the play where he had a "brain fart" is a play that will only happen to a LFer. RF has the same cut off man from 2nd and 3rd base.

[ScottieBaseball]

Nah. I probably agree with your ability to rate a players instincts. Instincts by definition is something that can't be learned. I just don't put much weight into a player's "instincts" especially when we are talking about a LFers fielding "instincts". To me it is worthless when you compare it to the other abilities/talents.

If you guys are trying to use "instincts" and "fundamentals" as the same word than that is different. Nolan doesn't look like a Manny character. I think he will practice and learn that you always throw the ball to 3b in that situation no matter who is running. Over time I think his fundamentals will improve by practice to where this "brain farts" rarely ever happen. I am sure he heard a mouth full when he got to the bench to the point where that won't happen again.

And you have said that he has play so many innings of baseball. That is true but he hasn't played that many innings in LF and the play where he had a "brain fart" is a play that will only happen to a LFer. RF has the same cut off man from 2nd and 3rd base.

How much professional baseball do you think he needs to play before it's ingrained that with THAT runner on THAT ball you go to third? If he comes up looking to third, he'd have found the cutoff man. It's not the other way around.

[TyCobb]

Well you and Scottie acted as though you had no idea what Ruzious was upset about, and I just felt like I should help you out and point out what was obvious to me and at least someone else who also posted in this thread.

I agree with you. I didn't want to get in the middle of it, but I had the same opinion when I read Scotty's reaction.

[snatch311]

Discussion about the discussion is less interesting than the topic.

[TyCobb]

How much professional baseball do you think he needs to play before it's ingrained that with THAT runner on THAT ball you go to third? If he comes up looking to third, he'd have found the cutoff man. It's not the other way around.

I think he learn his mistake already. I am sure DT or Shelby said to him you always throw to 3rd in that situation.

It was obvious to me that he was mad he had a bad route to the ball and try to make up for it by doing too much. He clearly threw the ball before he looked up. I am not surprised Jones wasn't screaming "3rd" on that play. Like I said...a little leaguer knows to throw towards 3b.

[TinCup]

Discussion about the discussion is less interesting than the topic.

Every now and then, the proverbial "what he said", serves a point.

[ScottieBaseball]

I think he learn his mistake already. I am sure DT or Shelby said to him you always throw to 3rd in that situation.

It was obvious to me that he was mad he had a bad route to the ball and try to make up for it by doing too much. He clearly threw the ball before he looked up. I am not surprised Jones wasn't screaming "3rd" on that play. Like I said...a little leaguer knows to throw towards 3b.

Don't you think, though, that point has been discussed at skull sessions and practiced both at spring training and with the Tides?

[TyCobb]

Don't you think, though, that point has been discussed at skull sessions and practiced both at spring training and with the Tides?

I am not there so I don't know. I know in HS/Summer/Fall leagues we did situation drills a lot, but I don't know how much situation drills they do at the MLB or Minor league level. I never been to a practice or spring training sessions. If Reimold read OH then I think he definitely will learn never to do it again

[ScottieBaseball]

I am not there so I don't know. I know in HS/Summer/Fall leagues we did situation drills a lot, but I don't know how much situation drills they do at the MLB or Minor league level. I never been to a practice or spring training sessions.

Tony? Are they still doing situation drills in Sarasota, at extended, etc.?

(Good question, by the way. I'm assuming because I've heard guys talk about it once in awhile that it's part of the regular routine, but I don't know for sure.)

[RShack]

Here's what I don't understand: If Reimold is prone to brain farts about basic baseball things, why not DH him and let somebody else play LF who isn't prone to brain farts?

I guess you could put Scott back out in LF and let Reimold DH, but is Scott's defense any better? You could give Pie another shot out there, but if you do that and you have Reimold at DH where does Scott go, 1st Base, then you gotta do something with Huff. You could really get a good game of musical chairs going!

Well, I have no idea how much of an issue this really is, simply because I've only see Reimold play on TV and I have no clue about his propensity to do the wrong thing. So, I'm not trying to say he shouldn't be in LF, because I really don't know.

However, I don't recall Luke making me sorry to see him out there. I think Luke is better at it than maybe some folks think he is. The main reservation I had about the Pie trade was whether it would hurt Luke to DH (it sure doesn't seem to have hurt him any). I'm not saying Luke never made a mistake, but I don't recall him ever doing anything in LF that made me think he was baseball-dumb.