Hot Garbage and Pyrite

[CATS44]

A few thoughts...

1) Luplow crushes lefties. We have a system full of guys who can't hit out of a wet paper bag against them. At worst, Luplow has a lot of value on this roster as a platoon bat/situational pinch hitter. He also is a solid defender.

2) I know of a team whose GM recently left,, and left a real mess behind..

Their 1B, SS, and 3B will all be FAs after this season. There present back up IFs are both waiver pickups, neither of whom play SS.

Their 2B, former 1st rounder, has some of the worst stat cast numbers you can find. Simply put, he doesn't hit the ball hard, doesn't ever barrel a ball up, and beats the ball into the ground.

They have only 15 position players on their 40 man. They have no SS prospect in their system above the 19 yr old they just drafted. They have no true back up at 1B and no power corner prospect in their system. Their only 3B prospect would rank in the 20s in our system, and is nowhere near MLB ready.

Chang is better than any back up/util on their roster. Bradley is better than any power bat they have in their system and is MLB ready. We have four SS prospects that are better than anybody they have, and two...maybe three...will be MLB ready next year. Jones is better than any position prospect they have, is close to MLB ready, and profiles at two of this teams positions of need next year.

They have somebody that would fill a position of need, is fairly inexpensive, and under control for three years, and would come close to replicating the offense we lost from Lindor.

And we can't find a trade that will work?

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

Just watched him say it in a recent Tribe Report podcast with Jensen and Al. They basically asked if Naylor was considered for 1B and he said that he would be in the OF mix and that 1B was going to be Bauers or Bradley.

What makes you think that Naylor will hit enough to play 1B?

It was a 60 game season last year and Bauers spent the entire time there. I don't recall who said it, but one of Tito, CA, or MC mentioned that they were pleased with Bauers adjustments and that he looked good.

OK, thanks. I guess Bauers and Bradley fall into the category of finding out once and for all what we've got and if they're in the plans. Bauers had to have been humbled by last season and knows this might be his last shot at a major league career. I'm sure he was more than willing to make whatever adjustments they asked...a far cry from 2019 when he said he just went up there hacking with no plan in mind and resisted any efforts to get him to work on his swing. He now knows where that got him. Fear is a powerful motivator.

Bradley needs to shorten his swing as much as possible and just try to make contact. If he does the ball will go a long way just on his natural strength alone. He needs to cut way back on the K's.

So with Rosario in left that puts Naylor in right. Add in Bradley or Bauers at first and Hosey at 3rd and we have four power hitting lefties in the everyday lineup, plus Reyes. We could see a lot of long balls this season if either Bradley or Bauers can get it together.

I don't know where that leaves Luplow except maybe platooning with Naylor in right although Naylor is hitting .304 against lefties in his career, which is a small sample of 56 AB's.

 

[CDAV45]

OK, thanks. I guess Bauers and Bradley fall into the category of finding out once and for all what we've got and if they're in the plans. Bauers had to have been humbled by last season and knows this might be his last shot at a major league career. I'm sure he was more than willing to make whatever adjustments they asked...a far cry from 2019 when he said he just went up there hacking with no plan in mind and resisted any efforts to get him to work on his swing. He now knows where that got him. Fear is a powerful motivator.

Bradley needs to shorten his swing as much as possible and just try to make contact. If he does the ball will go a long way just on his natural strength alone. He needs to cut way back on the K's.

So with Rosario in left that puts Naylor in right. Add in Bradley or Bauers at first and Hosey at 3rd and we have four power hitting lefties in the everyday lineup, plus Reyes. We could see a lot of long balls this season if either Bradley or Bauers can get it together.

I don't know where that leaves Luplow except maybe platooning with Naylor in right although Naylor is hitting .304 against lefties in his career, which is a small sample of 56 AB's.

I don't understand what makes people think Josh Naylor is a power hitter. He is not and never has been. He's a good bat to ball hitter with moderate power at best. Don't take my word for it, look for yourself. Not just at his poor major league performance thus far, but his minor league numbers as well. I don't believe for one second that RF is automatically his. A Johnson/Luplow platoon could easily give you much more power production and be a helluva lot better defensively. If Johnson falls flat then Bauers could win his part of the platoon. I think Naylor could be a good bench bat or trade bait.

You're right, Bradley needs to make contact more consistently, but that's stating the obvious.

I have little confidence in any of the options for 1B, RF, and CF.

 

[CDAV45]

A few thoughts...

1) Luplow crushes lefties. We have a system full of guys who can't hit out of a wet paper bag against them. At worst, Luplow has a lot of value on this roster as a platoon bat/situational pinch hitter. He also is a solid defender.

2) I know of a team whose GM recently left,, and left a real mess behind..

Their 1B, SS, and 3B will all be FAs after this season. There present back up IFs are both waiver pickups, neither of whom play SS.

Their 2B, former 1st rounder, has some of the worst stat cast numbers you can find. Simply put, he doesn't hit the ball hard, doesn't ever barrel a ball up, and beats the ball into the ground.

They have only 15 position players on their 40 man. They have no SS prospect in their system above the 19 yr old they just drafted. They have no true back up at 1B and no power corner prospect in their system. Their only 3B prospect would rank in the 20s in our system, and is nowhere near MLB ready.

Chang is better than any back up/util on their roster. Bradley is better than any power bat they have in their system and is MLB ready. We have four SS prospects that are better than anybody they have, and two...maybe three...will be MLB ready next year. Jones is better than any position prospect they have, is close to MLB ready, and profiles at two of this teams positions of need next year.

They have somebody that would fill a position of need, is fairly inexpensive, and under control for three years, and would come close to replicating the offense we lost from Lindor.

And we can't find a trade that will work?

Shit, I'd help the Cubs add to their system for Happ. Maybe we could get in a menage a trois with the Cubs and the Yankees ang get Happ, Frazier, and Gil.

I'm sure the Yankees would love to get their hands on Contreras and Bryant.

 

[WhoAzcue]

I don't understand what makes people think Josh Naylor is a power hitter. He is not and never has been. He's a good bat to ball hitter with moderate power at best. Don't take my word for it, look for yourself.

I have looked, and he is a power hitter who hasn't yet tapped into his power as a professional. This is not unusual, especially for a fundamentally sound hitter who doesn't try to be a slugger. But Naylor isn't a guy whose homers just drop over the fence. Some guys hit plenty of those, maybe more than Naylor does currently, but those guys aren't power hitters. Naylor is. His homers are prodigious, indicative of a guy who definitely possesses the capability to significantly increase his power output, especially in our ballpark.

I have no problem with the Tribe messing around to see if Bauers or Bradley can cut it at first, but Naylor looks to be the guy there eventually. I like a lineup with him there, Luplow/DJ platooning in RF, E. Rosario in LF, and Mercado/Zimmer in CF. But admittedly, there are a lot of movable parts.

Naylor's going to be good, he just needs time. He wasn't called the Missasauga Mauler because he was a punch and judy hitter.

And for those who've already forgotten, as CATS pointed out, Luplow is a terror against lefties. The most games he's played in his ML career was 2019 when he got extended looks, which is difficult for the guy on the wrong-side platoon (that can easily explain his down 2020; tough to get in rhythm, but he was coming around at the end of the season)...anyway Luplow's OPS against LHP in 2019 was over 1.000. Let that sink in.

 

[AZ_]

I don't understand what makes people think Josh Naylor is a power hitter. He is not and never has been. He's a good bat to ball hitter with moderate power at best. Don't take my word for it, look for yourself. Not just at his poor major league performance thus far, but his minor league numbers as well. I don't believe for one second that RF is automatically his. A Johnson/Luplow platoon could easily give you much more power production and be a helluva lot better defensively. If Johnson falls flat then Bauers could win his part of the platoon. I think Naylor could be a good bench bat or trade bait.

You're right, Bradley needs to make contact more consistently, but that's stating the obvious.

I have little confidence in any of the options for 1B, RF, and CF.

The natural, easy power is pretty easy to observe for ones self.

Josh Naylor's solo home run | 09/29/2020

Josh Naylor crushes a solo home run to right field and makes the score 5-2 in the bottom of the 4th inning

www.mlb.com

Or, you know, 17 bombs as a 21 year old on Double-A. Not sure there is another person on earth who would classify that as “not a power hitter.”

Not even exactly sure what to say, dude has a ton of power.

It’s the hit tool which needs to go forward. The consistent approach.

 

[CDAV45]

I have looked, and he is a power hitter who hasn't yet tapped into his power as a professional. This is not unusual, especially for a fundamentally sound hitter who doesn't try to be a slugger. But Naylor isn't a guy whose homers just drop over the fence. Some guys hit plenty of those, maybe more than Naylor does currently, but those guys aren't power hitters. Naylor is. His homers are prodigious, indicative of a guy who definitely possesses the capability to significantly increase his power output, especially in our ballpark.

I have no problem with the Tribe messing around to see if Bauers or Bradley can cut it at first, but Naylor looks to be the guy there eventually. I like a lineup with him there, Luplow/DJ platooning in RF, E. Rosario in LF, and Mercado/Zimmer in CF. But admittedly, there are a lot of movable parts.

Naylor's going to be good, he just needs time. He wasn't called the Missasauga Mauler because he was a punch and judy hitter.

And for those who've already forgotten, as CATS pointed out, Luplow is a terror against lefties. The most games he's played in his ML career was 2019 when he got extended looks, which is difficult for the guy on the wrong-side platoon (that can easily explain his down 2020; tough to get in rhythm, but he was coming around at the end of the season)...anyway Luplow's OPS against RHP in 2019 was over 1.000. Let that sink in.

Only time will tell which one of us is right about Naylor. I'm hoping you are to be honest, but I can't see it. Where were his "prodigious" HRs hit? His average exit velocity doesn't scream "power hitter" and I've sorted through his highlights trying to find it. I've also looked back through his stats and noticed that outside of his time in the Texas and Pacific Coast leagues, his power is rather pedestrian.

For the record, I never called him a "punch and judy hitter" either because he's is not that, but he does not have "prodigious" power.

Luplow is damn good against LHP. You'd have to ask Tito why he has been relegated to a platoon role. I don't know if the 193/274/316/589 in 244 AB has anything to do with it or not, but I'm sure it doesn't help his case. Especially on a team that has Zimmer, Bauers, Johnson, and whatever other LHH they've trotted out there. Luplow's 2019 numbers against RHP that I looked at showed him hitting 216/274/299/573 in 97 AB.

 

[CDAV45]

The natural, easy power is pretty easy to observe for ones self.

Josh Naylor's solo home run | 09/29/2020

Josh Naylor crushes a solo home run to right field and makes the score 5-2 in the bottom of the 4th inning

www.mlb.com

Or, you know, 17 bombs as a 21 year old on Double-A. Not sure there is another person on earth who would classify that as “not a power hitter.”

Not even exactly sure what to say, dude has a ton of power.

It’s the hit tool which needs to go forward. The consistent approach.

Ton of power because he hit 17 HR in 500 AB in the PCL. OK, We'll go with that.

 

[CDAV45]

This is prodigious power.

 

[CDAV45]

This is prodigious power.

Austin Riley on HR, Game 1 win | 10/13/2020

Austin Riley discusses his clutch go-ahead home run in the 9th inning and the importance of the Braves' win in Game 1 of the NLCS

www.mlb.com

 

[CDAV45]

deleted

 

[AZ_]

Ton of power because he hit 17 HR in 500 AB in the PCL. OK, We'll go with that.

The PCL is Triple-A

San Antonio is Double-A, in the Texas League. They’re in the 48th percentile from a park factor perspective. 56th percentile in home runs.

A league in which, again, he was just 21 years old, three years below the average for the league.

For being such a condescending prick, you sure don’t seem to even remotely know what you’re talking about.

It’s not like this is some remotely debatable take, the dude has some serious power, and anyone dropping such scorching hot takes to the contrary should probably have at least a semblance of understanding of league, age and statistics before owning yourself and whiffing on all three.

Hopefully you can brush up and get better before the season rolls around, this can’t be the level you provide to this board all year.

 

[CATS44]

With Bradley I see prodigious swings, occasionally punctuated with contact.

We've been thru this before.

Naylor has a much better hit tool than Bradley. He has the same raw power as Bradley, and higher game power.

And, Naylor hit his 17 dingers in AA, not in the PCL.

 

[CDAV45]

The PCL is Triple-A

San Antonio is Double-A, in the Texas League. They’re in the 48th percentile from a park factor perspective. 56th percentile in home runs.

A league in which, again, he was just 21 years old, three years below the average for the league.

For being such a condescending prick, you sure don’t seem to even remotely know what you’re talking about.

Hopefully you can brush up and get better before the season rolls around, this can’t be the level you provide to this board all year.

I'm a condescending prick? This coming from someone that responded with "Hope and faith are technically metrics, no?". You're pathetic and arrogant. Nice combination.

 

[CATS44]

Lets play nice, guys.

In reality, we all should hope that both Bradley and Naylor break out as impact bats.