anyone have any idea why Wieters stinks?

[Boy Howdy]

Over three decades ago, a switch-hitting catcher put up a .973 OPS in the minors and was starting in the major leagues the following year.

Some of us are still waiting for Butch Wynegar to realize his promise. There are no guarantees or sure things.

Baseball is a very hard game, particularly at the major league level. That said, Matt Wieters' best days remain ahead of him and he'll be very good, though I think it's inevitable that some will perceive him to be a disappointment no matter what he accomplishes after all the unfair hoopla.

[Old#5fan]

Yet you won't take that from our right fielder. Odd.

He better get busy if he wants to get anywhere close to twenty homers.:laughlol:

Also, in case you don't know it the corner outfielders are normally expected to hit with more power than the Centerfielder. It is known by most baseball fans that I have ever conversed with. Not sure why you wouldn't know this?

[orioleman123]

My guess is because they rushed him. That's the problem they rush to many players in this organzation.

[Arthur_Bryant]

I heard one person talking about how the length of the swing doesn't matter, it's just a matter of how long the bat is actually in the hitting zone.

"Short to the ball, long through the ball" is one of the mantras of the modern baseball power swing. You really, really can't glance at just the path of the bat and diagnose the swing. (Really). It's all about the load, position of the hands up to the point of contact, weight transfer, and timing.

Wieters to me is not generating much load, and therefore very little power. He has become tentative. He looks like he is trying to compensate for poor timing, essentially keeping the bat in the zone longer than he should to give himself a chance to make contact. (This is where it becomes worrisome). He just doesn't seem to anticipate pitches, or he isn't reading the pitches, or he is picking them up late.

I don't think that this is fundamentally about swing mechanics. His swing mechanics right now are not very good, and I bet he's spending hours in the cage, but the reason why his mechanics are poor is what concerns me. If he isn't reading pitches, or he's picking them up late, then hours and hours in the cage won't solve the problem.

Maybe it's a problem that needs to be addressed at a video station more than in the cage. We have been told about his great mental preparation and work habits, but I wonder if someone is sitting down with him before a game and going over what he can expect from different pitchers in different counts and situations.

The basically unthinkable worst case is that he is getting fooled because he simply is late in reading the spin and movement, and isn't processing that picture quickly enough. That would be depressing because it's harder to fix than mechanical or preparation issues. In fact, it may not be truly fixable at all. I can't believe it's true; you don't put up those monster numbers in the high minors without being able to pick up pitches and adjust. So right now I'm thinking that he may be mentally overwhelmed. When you are playing every day there are only limited hours in the day to take care of business, and much of that is probably devoted to being a well-prepared catcher.

That's my hope, anyway.

[JTrea81]

Terry Crowley?

This is my guess.

Crowley's failure with our franchise player is reason enough to get him fired.

The Orioles can not afford to have Wieters fail.

Gotta hope the next manager gives him the heave ho...

[Miller192]

So that ball he hit int he 8th is a few feet to the right and he's the hitting hero with the big home run. Nothing wrong with that swing.

Eh, it goes both ways. He got ahead on a mistake pitch.

If he could stay back on that mistake, he's a hero.

[wingman123]

This is my guess.

Crowley's failure with our franchise player is reason enough to get him fired.

The Orioles can not afford to have Wieters fail.

Gotta hope the next manager gives him the heave ho...

If the next manager does not fire Crowley then you know something is up.

[panick]

Too many of the O's(Wieters included) just seem to be trying to make contact.

I couldn't help but notice the way the Jays hit. I know Gaston wants the hitters to look for first pitch fastballs to hit out of the park, but they seem to swing at all pitches with mean intentions.

Maybe the O's hitters should adopt the philosophy "Swing hard in case you hit it."

[Arthur_Bryant]

Too many of the O's(Wieters included) just seem to be trying to make contact.

I couldn't help but notice the way the Jays hit. I know Gaston wants the hitters to look for first pitch fastballs to hit out of the park, but they seem to swing at all pitches with mean intentions.

Maybe the O's hitters should adopt the philosophy "Swing hard in case you hit it."

I don't know about other hitters, but this approach for Wieters is just going to produce more swinging strikes.

He is being tentative because he doesn't have a feel for the pitch and the timing.

[fansince71]

http://www.camdenchat.com/2010/5/17/1475850/some-stats-on-terry-crowley

^^^This^^^

[Mr. Solo Dolo]

Maybe he was just never that good and the scouts were talking out of their you-know-what the whole time? Hate to think that way, but I'm starting to believe it.

[Bradysburns]

This is my guess.

Crowley's failure with our franchise player is reason enough to get him fired.

The Orioles can not afford to have Wieters fail.

Gotta hope the next manager gives him the heave ho...

Honestly, if the next manager fails to oust Crowley - the Baltimore Barnacle - I will cancel my MLB.tv subscription and move to Maine. There I will write about the Orioles without watching any more games - I will use my "head movies."

[jets4ever]

This is my guess.

Crowley's failure with our franchise player is reason enough to get him fired.

The Orioles can not afford to have Wieters fail.

Gotta hope the next manager gives him the heave ho...

I take it you mean Crowley and not Wieters, right?

[RShack]

So right now I'm thinking that he may be mentally overwhelmed. When you are playing every day there are only limited hours in the day to take care of business, and much of that is probably devoted to being a well-prepared catcher.

That's my hope, anyway.

That gets my vote. I think it's one of the downstream effects of all the guys being on the DL. It leaves bigger shoes to fill, and he's already got a full plate trying to keep the P's from giving up dingers. Plus, he knows about all the hype, all the stupid crap about Switch Hitting Jesus, etc. If he was in the middle of a team that's clicking on all cylinders, or at least on *some* cylinders, I bet he'd be doing way better...

[Arthur_Bryant]

That gets my vote. I think it's one of the downstream effects of all the guys being on the DL. It leaves bigger shoes to fill, and he's already got a full plate trying to keep the P's from giving up dingers. Plus, he knows about all the hype, all the stupid crap about Switch Hitting Jesus, etc. If he was in the middle of a team that's clicking on all cylinders, or at least on *some* cylinders, I bet he'd be doing way better...

You mean the psychological side of "mental," and I am sure that's part of it.

But I also believe that the sheer volume of mental preparation involved in being a new catcher (taking-an-exam type of prep work) may not leave him enough time to do the prep work he needs to do as a hitter. Not all hitters watch video of the pitchers they expect to face that day, but Wieters may well have learned to rely on it, and he may not be doing as much of it as he would like.

That's just speculation, I don't know. I do know that he seems to get fooled too often. I also know that while pro ballplayers seem to lead a leisurely existence, their day tends to fill up in a hurry, especially if they're hitting in a cage or lifting.