Seriously...what is up with Wieters?

[Miller192]

I've written Wieters off as more of a role player as opposed to the impact player he is supposed to become.

That's probably wrong but he looks far off to me.

[davearm]

This whole though process is just dumb.

When Wieters came up here, with all the hype, all the fan fare, etc....there is no reason for us to think about him in any way other than future star.

To act as if it was wrong for us to do that is literally one of the dumbest things I have ever heard on this site..and that is saying a lot.

The fact that this thread exists is all the proof you need that what I'm saying has merit.

It was perfectly reasonable to hope Wieters would be a future star. There was every reason to think that was possible.

Assuming it, not so much.

If you're pulling your hair out now, you have only yourself to blame.

[Jagwar]

Wieters has showed better athleticism this year but crstoner and myself commented several times last year on just how surprising his lack of athleticism was.

Again, what has changed? Did always looked like this at the plate and is just now being exposed because of the competition or is this just him doing a poor job of making adjustments?

I don't know if "poor job" is the right description. Could it just be a matter that the adjustment has been more difficult than anticipated?

[Sports Guy]

I don't know if "poor job" is the right description. Could it just be a matter that the adjustment has been more difficult than anticipated?

If it has been this big of an issue, then he just isn't as good as we thought.

[BaltimoreTerp]

I've written Wieters off as more of a role player as opposed to the impact player he is supposed to become.

That's probably wrong but he looks far off to me.

The only things that are really wrong are the words "written" and "off". But when you are talking about someone with his talent only slightly more than a season into his career, those are the two most-incorrect words you can use.

[davearm]

I think he's bitter that Pie is doing more in Baltimore than he ever did in Chicago, personally

Haha no bitterness. After all the Cubs got Aaron Heilman out of that one

[Sports Guy]

The fact that this thread exists is all the proof you need that what I'm saying has merit.

It was perfectly reasonable to hope Wieters would be a future star. There was every reason to think that was possible.

Assuming it, not so much.

If you're pulling your hair out now, you have only yourself to blame.

No, it has no merit.

There was never any reason for us to believe this is what we would be getting. There wasn't a person alive that analyzed baseball, whether it be an ESPN "expert", a scout, scouting director, GM or whoever that had any doubt that he would become a big time star.

So no, there was no reason for us to discuss that and there is really no reason for an orioles message board to have to justify anything to a Cubs fan...But thanks.

[Jagwar]

If it has been this big of an issue, then he just isn't as good as we thought.

I don't know. I'm wondering if that argument is skewed by the switch hitting Jesus expectations.

Have any other top prospects had a tough time in their first 600-700 ABs or so, only to then put it together?

[geschinger]

Hype to performance ration reminds me a lot of Gregg Jefferies.

[Moose Milligan]

The thing that I'm having trouble getting my head around is how he finished last year. He looked completely different. He was locked in, hitting everything hard...we call his bat slow now, last year it looked effortless.

What happened to that guy?

It'd be interesting if IHeartMasn could cue up some video from last year when he was killing it in September compared to now.

I don't want to give up on the guy but he's making it really hard right now.

[davearm]

No, it has no merit.

There was never any reason for us to believe this is what we would be getting. There wasn't a person alive that analyzed baseball, whether it be an ESPN "expert", a scout, scouting director, GM or whoever that had any doubt that he would become a big time star.

So no, there was no reason for us to discuss that and there is really no reason for an orioles message board to have to justify anything to a Cubs fan...But thanks.

Sorry but this is just absurd. Of course there was doubt that he would become a big time star. That doubt exists with every single prospect. Until they're stars, they're just potential stars. And the word potential inherently implies doubt/uncertainty.

[SteveA]

This whole though process is just dumb.

When Wieters came up here, with all the hype, all the fan fare, etc....there is no reason for us to think about him in any way other than future star.

To act as if it was wrong for us to do that is literally one of the dumbest things I have ever heard on this site..and that is saying a lot.

He didn't say it was wrong, just that we should have thought in terms of probabilities, not assuming it was a done deal.

Frankly, I think that the top prospects each year are getting hyped too much and people are assuming automatic greatness. We've now had back to back drafts where the #1 pick has been declared a "once in a generation" prospect and the hype machine has already begun similarly for next year's likely #1 pick. Those are awfully short generations! Wieters was the 4th pick in the draft and he was hyped as possibly the best, most MLB-ready hitter to come out of college in years. Machado gets compared to A-Rod, one of the three best players of my lifetime, with a straight face.

At least when Ben McDonald was hyped as a once in a generation talent and the "best pitcher ever to come out of college", they waited another 20 years before giving someone else that designation.

I mean, just take a look at the list of #1 picks over the last 30 years, let alone top 5 picks. There are some damn great players. There are also plenty of total failures like David Clyde. There are plenty of good guys like BJ Surhoff who were fine, excellent MLB players but will never see Cooperstown.

And there are plenty of guys who wow all the scouts, do it in the minor leagues, and STILL don't ever succeed in the majors. I'm sick of hearing people talk about Wieters or Matusz and whine "but what about all the scouts who said he was this great? They CAN'T be wrong!". Yes, they can. They are right a good % of the time, but it ain't 100%. Once you get to the majors, you are on your own. The scouts are off looking for the next once in a lifetime player. The best pitchers in the world are trying to get you out, and what some scout saw in you vs inferior competition means all of nothing. The numbers you put up against inferior competition means nothing. The only scouts watching you now are being paid by other teams to study your weaknesses and instruct their team in how to pitch to you or to hit off of you. Players who have been in the game longer than you have been able to walk and have learned to make adjustments to their game are adjusting to any success you may have to try to prevent it from continuing.

What you did in the minors or high school or college can be used as a predictor of probability of success when no other data is present. But there aren't any sure things and I do think that too many of us, including me, believed that there was such a thing as a sure thing. Maybe because we needed it so damn badly to have any chance of turning the team around.b

[man toe]

Is it normal for a catcher's shoulder to be iced down like a pitcher's after games? In postgame interviews Wieters always has a huge icepack and gauze on his throwing arm?

[El Gordo]

Anyone who thinks there are sure things in baseball is an idiot. Wieters struggled in AA before he started hitting there. Even then he wasn't doing anything near what he did in AA. Had he been left there for the whole season he might have been exposed there.

[Gurgi]

Is it normal for a catcher's shoulder to be iced down like a pitcher's after games? In postgame interviews Wieters always has a huge icepack and gauze on his throwing arm?

I have noticed the icepack also. Maybe its just what baseball is doing these days? A catcher does throw the ball back every pitch. Even if it is easy toss maybe they think it helps?