I thought when he was drafted that he would ultimately end up there, so I'm probably biased to say I think so, but I do think so. He's a solid defender and if he's bulked his way out of middle infield (which I don't think he necessarily has), third would make some sense for him.
My observations from the weekend are pretty much in line with yours. But the 2 things I liked the most:
1. That Reyes HR was a shot. The way just the sound of it came through the radio definitely caught my attention. Music to my ears. Obviously, it doesn't guarantee that he's going to have a great bounceback season, but I've been high on his signing since it was announced, and it's certainly not a bad start.
2. I don't know what the odds are that Garcia can actually take the 3B spot from Dozier, & I definitely want him to earn it, not just be handed the position, but if he does, that will make me very happy.
I somehow missed the Reyes signing or at least didn’t realize what we were getting. The thought of him knocking 25 to 30 homers again like he used to is pretty exciting.
There are certain players who do their jobs as slowly as possible in an attempt to draw as much attention to themselves as possible. Call it David Ortiz syndrome. Or Kenley Jansen syndrome. The pitch clock will likely reign in those offenders to an extent. I'm surprised that you would be opposed to that.
Personally I'm very much looking forward to seeing many of them seriously discombobulated by the new requirement to do their jobs in a timely manner, particularly in April and May. (Unless MLB and the umpires union figure out ways to screw up enforcing the clock, which is a distinct possibility.)
Those of us who are old enough to have experienced seeing baseball routinely played at a rational pace could hardly stand to see how the game devolved into a marathon over the past couple of decades.
I wouldn't say they do it to draw attention to themselves. It's just their process. I mean I could scramble eggs faster than I do it, but I've just never done it that way. I don't think it's terribly different for anything else. I also think it might be an issue for some, but Josh Staumont is one of the slowest workers in baseball and he had no issues the other day, so I imagine it'll be fine for the vast majority.
I respectfully agree to disagree. Attention-seeking behavior is rampant throughout sports these days. MLB may have been a little late to that particular party but is hardly immune.
Anyone remember the "Human Rain Delay", Mike Hargrove? That was the mid to late seventies.... he had sort of an obsessive compulsive approach to getting read to stand in the batters box.
I do remember him quite clearly. Check out the videos of him on YouTube. He got ready for the next pitch much more quickly than numerous batters today.
This is one of the most insane takes I've seen in awhile. Why do some fans attribute anything they dislike to a moral failure on the part of the players?
Hitting a 95 mile per hour fastball with movement is hard. Really hard. Hell, hitting an 80 mile per hour changeup is really hard. The same is true for throwing those pitches. To do it requires a great deal of focus and guys have been taught to achieve that focus by following routines that slow down the game. It will be interesting to see how they do now that they're being forced to alter those routines.
By your logic, every golfer should use the Happy Gilmore running slapshot method because why are they standing quietly over the ball before swinging - must be seeking attention.
I didn't offer it up in a positive context. It's extraordinarily childish behavior. ("Hey lookit me! Lookit! Lookit! Lookit me!") But as you are fully aware I offered no moral appraisal of it.
Ann Rogers also reported Nick Loftin put on 20 lbs of muscle thru an off-season workout program, so your eyes weren't deceiving you. He has played mostly well except for his struggles at AAA, and has a high draft pedigree.... with a good season at Onaha, he will be back on the radar, either at 3B or the OF.
Very informative article today. Less walks is a good start. I think Loften is going to be very much like Whit Merrifield. He was a smart pick at the time. High floor, baseball smarts and willingness to learn...
Let's say Reyes makes the team...what do you think the plan is for him?.... trade him at the deadline or sign him to a multiple year deal.... noting he is blocking Pratto....
I would say Reyes is not a long-term answer. I think he's a power bat from the right side to pair with Salvy (and Witt to some extent) for now. If Pratto has earned his way back to the big leagues, I think Reyes can be a trade piece. If he struggles again, maybe Reyes sticks around all year. I don't think this organization pigeonholes themselves into answers anymore, which is very nice.
Interesting what you are hearing and seeing. I’m not worried about player performance yet but I do think you are on to something about the walk rate. IDK, that it means anything…but I am hopefully we at least see that down over spring of last year. Are we grasping at straws…maybe but the walk rate is a good one to monitor.
Strikeout and walk rates tend to stabilize pretty quickly. Not this quick, of course, but it's like we've said. Better to be good than bad when the sample is too small to really know what's what. I think it's something to watch closely all spring.
I was at Friday's game and thought Loftin made an outstanding play at third. Is he a possibility to stick there?
I thought when he was drafted that he would ultimately end up there, so I'm probably biased to say I think so, but I do think so. He's a solid defender and if he's bulked his way out of middle infield (which I don't think he necessarily has), third would make some sense for him.
My observations from the weekend are pretty much in line with yours. But the 2 things I liked the most:
1. That Reyes HR was a shot. The way just the sound of it came through the radio definitely caught my attention. Music to my ears. Obviously, it doesn't guarantee that he's going to have a great bounceback season, but I've been high on his signing since it was announced, and it's certainly not a bad start.
2. I don't know what the odds are that Garcia can actually take the 3B spot from Dozier, & I definitely want him to earn it, not just be handed the position, but if he does, that will make me very happy.
If I had to guess, assuming everyone is healthy, Garcia is playing shortstop in Omaha to start the year, but hey, you never know!
And yeah, the Reyes bomb was absolutely that.
I somehow missed the Reyes signing or at least didn’t realize what we were getting. The thought of him knocking 25 to 30 homers again like he used to is pretty exciting.
It was a minor league deal, so nothing crazy, but I thought from the second it happened that he had to lose his spot on the roster.
Wonderful to have your comments with actual games being played. Thank you.
Happy to have games to comment on!
Maikel Garcia is the 2023 AL Rokkie Of The Year
There are certain players who do their jobs as slowly as possible in an attempt to draw as much attention to themselves as possible. Call it David Ortiz syndrome. Or Kenley Jansen syndrome. The pitch clock will likely reign in those offenders to an extent. I'm surprised that you would be opposed to that.
Personally I'm very much looking forward to seeing many of them seriously discombobulated by the new requirement to do their jobs in a timely manner, particularly in April and May. (Unless MLB and the umpires union figure out ways to screw up enforcing the clock, which is a distinct possibility.)
Those of us who are old enough to have experienced seeing baseball routinely played at a rational pace could hardly stand to see how the game devolved into a marathon over the past couple of decades.
I wouldn't say they do it to draw attention to themselves. It's just their process. I mean I could scramble eggs faster than I do it, but I've just never done it that way. I don't think it's terribly different for anything else. I also think it might be an issue for some, but Josh Staumont is one of the slowest workers in baseball and he had no issues the other day, so I imagine it'll be fine for the vast majority.
I respectfully agree to disagree. Attention-seeking behavior is rampant throughout sports these days. MLB may have been a little late to that particular party but is hardly immune.
Anyone remember the "Human Rain Delay", Mike Hargrove? That was the mid to late seventies.... he had sort of an obsessive compulsive approach to getting read to stand in the batters box.
I do remember him quite clearly. Check out the videos of him on YouTube. He got ready for the next pitch much more quickly than numerous batters today.
This is one of the most insane takes I've seen in awhile. Why do some fans attribute anything they dislike to a moral failure on the part of the players?
Hitting a 95 mile per hour fastball with movement is hard. Really hard. Hell, hitting an 80 mile per hour changeup is really hard. The same is true for throwing those pitches. To do it requires a great deal of focus and guys have been taught to achieve that focus by following routines that slow down the game. It will be interesting to see how they do now that they're being forced to alter those routines.
By your logic, every golfer should use the Happy Gilmore running slapshot method because why are they standing quietly over the ball before swinging - must be seeking attention.
I said nothing about ethics or "moral failures" so your transparent attempt to put words in my mouth is laughable to me.
I also don't understand how standing outside the batter's box and farting around with your cup for 45 seconds makes hitting a fastball any easier.
My bad, I guess I haven't heard anyone described as "attention seeking" in a positive context before. 🙄
I didn't offer it up in a positive context. It's extraordinarily childish behavior. ("Hey lookit me! Lookit! Lookit! Lookit me!") But as you are fully aware I offered no moral appraisal of it.
Ann Rogers also reported Nick Loftin put on 20 lbs of muscle thru an off-season workout program, so your eyes weren't deceiving you. He has played mostly well except for his struggles at AAA, and has a high draft pedigree.... with a good season at Onaha, he will be back on the radar, either at 3B or the OF.
Yep, I should have mentioned that from her. I commented on that on Twitter, but definitely not here yet.
Very informative article today. Less walks is a good start. I think Loften is going to be very much like Whit Merrifield. He was a smart pick at the time. High floor, baseball smarts and willingness to learn...
Let's say Reyes makes the team...what do you think the plan is for him?.... trade him at the deadline or sign him to a multiple year deal.... noting he is blocking Pratto....
Thanks
Greg
I would say Reyes is not a long-term answer. I think he's a power bat from the right side to pair with Salvy (and Witt to some extent) for now. If Pratto has earned his way back to the big leagues, I think Reyes can be a trade piece. If he struggles again, maybe Reyes sticks around all year. I don't think this organization pigeonholes themselves into answers anymore, which is very nice.
Interesting what you are hearing and seeing. I’m not worried about player performance yet but I do think you are on to something about the walk rate. IDK, that it means anything…but I am hopefully we at least see that down over spring of last year. Are we grasping at straws…maybe but the walk rate is a good one to monitor.
Strikeout and walk rates tend to stabilize pretty quickly. Not this quick, of course, but it's like we've said. Better to be good than bad when the sample is too small to really know what's what. I think it's something to watch closely all spring.