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2021 Series #28 | Indians @ A's | July 16-18

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Wham with the Right Hand said:
Zimmer gets hit a lot (8 times already) and Jose refuses to take a walk, hacking at almost everything he sees. Jose is hitting .257, way below where he should be, while Zimmer is up to .241. Jose is too home run happy, swinging for the fences every at-bat and pulling everything into the shift which hurts both his BA and his OBP.

It's crazy to see that Zimmer has the highest OBP on the team by 32 points. I've always thought of him as the easiest player to get out, but he's actually the hardest.

In terms of runs created per 27 outs, Zimmer is 4th, behind Reyes, Jose, and Bradley. When you factor in his defense at a critical position he's really been a pretty valuable player in the time he's been in the lineup. Zimmer is quietly resuscitating his career this season. He's hitting .293 with runners on, .292 with RISP, and .500 with RISP and two out. He doesn't get a lot of hits but he gets them at good times.

Lately he's been adding power to the package. Only a couple of weeks ago he still did not have an extra base hit this season. He's hit four inthe last 13 games. He's been pretty stealthy about it but he's quietly putting together some good numbers, mainly the .374 OBP.
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I'm a big Zimmer fan. I'm old enough to remember being the only Zimmer fan on here as of bout 3 weeks ago.

Is it sustainable? I think it's reasonable to think this is the Zimmer to expect with consistent ABs. He played really solid when he first came up. Then some injuries and the COVID season derailed him. Everyday in the lineup--leading off (and hint, he's going to lead off when we deal Cesar so Francona doesn't have to go R-R with Rosario at 2)--he should produce pretty well. The pop we've seen lately in his bat is more indicative of his profile than his weird streak of about a month with no extra base hits.

Plus the defense. Oh my it was so nice to finally trot out 3 Plus defenders rather than 3 negative defenders out there. Luplow should never return and Eddie should be traded for whatever we can get. 1 of Zimmer/Mercado/Johnson should stick as a bottom-of-the-order, strong defensive, speed on the bases OF. And I think it will be ZimmerGOAT.
 
DickyLeftridge said:
I'm a big Zimmer fan. I'm old enough to remember being the only Zimmer fan on here as of bout 3 weeks ago.

Is it sustainable? I think it's reasonable to think this is the Zimmer to expect with consistent ABs. He played really solid when he first came up. Then some injuries and the COVID season derailed him. Everyday in the lineup--leading off (and hint, he's going to lead off when we deal Cesar so Francona doesn't have to go R-R with Rosario at 2)--he should produce pretty well. The pop we've seen lately in his bat is more indicative of his profile than his weird streak of about a month with no extra base hits.

Plus the defense. Oh my it was so nice to finally trot out 3 Plus defenders rather than 3 negative defenders out there. Luplow should never return and Eddie should be traded for whatever we can get. 1 of Zimmer/Mercado/Johnson should stick as a bottom-of-the-order, strong defensive, speed on the bases OF. And I think it will be ZimmerGOAT.
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Zimmer is healthy and getting to play every day. There doesn't seem to be any pressure where if he goes 0-for-4 he'll get benched. This is exactly what he's always needed; good health and playing every day with no pressure for an extended period of time. He's 28 and his time is up. He has to stay in the lineup and contribute or he won't be back.

It took a little while but he's starting to swing the bat with authority. He's always been a hitter who likes to take a couple of pitches and work the count, but latey I've noticed him attacking fastballs early in the count, like the leadoff home run yesterday. This is a different approach for him. In the past it always looked like he was trying to draw a walk.

Over the next 70 games or so he'll have the chance to salvage his career. I think he'll be one of the most interesting players to watch as the season plays out, along with Mercado and Harold Ramirez. Can Oscar hit enough to stay in the majors? Can he be our left fielder next year? Can he hit enough to play a corner outfield spot or is it center field or nothing? What about Harold - can he hit well enough to overcome his defensive lapses? He doesn't draw any walks and he's mainly a singles hitter, rarely hitting the ball in the air. How much value is there in a .280 singles hitter who is bad defensively?

Can Harold learn to pull the ball and elevate it? Does he want to, or is he satisfied with hitting hard ground balls and line drives up the middle and to right field like Yandy Diaz?

How does the playing time get divvied up when Rosario and Luplow get back?

Next year there could be a logjam in the outfield with Zimmer, Mercado and possibly Amed Rosario in center and Luplow, Naylor, Mercado, Harold, Daniel Johnson, and Nolan Jones competing for corner outfield spots. It will be interesting to see who makes their case for a starting job next year as we finish out this season.
 
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Never thought I’d see Jose described as refusing to take a walk :chuckle:
 
Lee said:
To be fair, i live in Phoenix and it is 110 degrees out, i refuse to take a walk right now on a daily basis.
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i said hey baby, take a walk on the wild side -- Reed
 
Didn't know where to post this so I'm putting it here. Was watching the rundown and Smoltz asked where would the Indians be if not for the injuries to Bieber, Civale, and Plesac. Then Vasgersian went on to mention that JRam has been in a funk too. The point is that it just isn't many of us that think this team is good. Let's hope this series with the Astros doesn't deflate us. Again, we're on the verge of something special in Cleveland.
 
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