Makeup game: Reds @ Indians | Aug. 9, 2021

[ZinAZ]

Zim eatin' Beef.

He's out-OPS'ing the entire lineup except for Franmil and Jose.

Well only because BB is out. More importantly is is now the top OPS OF, to bad he can't hit lefties

 

[CATS44]

I will probably regret this post in two months.

I dont believe in mirages, small sample sizes (good or bad), extremely high K rates, players with poor health histories, unsustainable peripherals, and 28 yr old prospects.

But...

We may be seeing the FO plan for the future.

Speed, speed, speed, and plus defense to back up very good pitching. With higher and higher fly ball rates, defense in the outfield is a premium.

Straw, Amed, Zimmer, Gimenez, Clement, Mercado, and Miller run like the wind. Jose runs very well. Even the big guys...Franmil and Bradley...are decent on the bases.

The FO could be planning on an offense that runs opponents to death..not the big bangers that fans love. Zimmer (gasp) could be the key. If he could hold down RF, the outfield looks pretty darned good.

Naylor could move to LF, while backing up Bradley at first. Mercado would be the 4th OF.

The answers to both the offense and defense might already be here.

 

[Beanie4Heisman]

He's like Jake Bauers if he could make contact, field his position, and swipe bags with ease.

I can’t really think of a better 4th OF option for next year. Maybe if he was a switch hitter.

 

[Beanie4Heisman]

If one cannot afford boppers the next best option is run stoppers.

 

[Steve_424]

I will probably regret this post in two months.

I dont believe in mirages, small sample sizes (good or bad), extremely high K rates, players with poor health histories, unsustainable peripherals, and 28 yr old prospects.

But...

We may be seeing the FO plan for the future.

Speed, speed, speed, and plus defense to back up very good pitching. With higher and higher fly ball rates, defense in the outfield is a premium.

Straw, Amed, Zimmer, Gimenez, Clement, Mercado, and Miller run like the wind. Jose runs very well. Even the big guys...Franmil and Bradley...are decent on the bases.

The FO could be planning on an offense that runs opponents to death..not the big bangers that fans love. Zimmer (gasp) could be the key. If he could hold down RF, the outfield looks pretty darned good.

Naylor could move to LF, while backing up Bradley at first. Mercado would be the 4th OF.

The answers to both the offense and defense might already be here.

It's hard for me to envision Naylor back in the outfield once he's fully recovered. He'll be coming back from a serious injury and he wasn't good out there before. 1B seems to be his likely landing spot.

I also don't think Mercado is a part of this organization next year.

 

[Alabuckeye]

Garza with as many wins as triston and Mejia. Weird stat….wins are so important, yet it can be a really non-relevant stat

 

[Kevalier]

I will probably regret this post in two months.

I dont believe in mirages, small sample sizes (good or bad), extremely high K rates, players with poor health histories, unsustainable peripherals, and 28 yr old prospects.

But...

We may be seeing the FO plan for the future.

Speed, speed, speed, and plus defense to back up very good pitching. With higher and higher fly ball rates, defense in the outfield is a premium.

Straw, Amed, Zimmer, Gimenez, Clement, Mercado, and Miller run like the wind. Jose runs very well. Even the big guys...Franmil and Bradley...are decent on the bases.

The FO could be planning on an offense that runs opponents to death..not the big bangers that fans love. Zimmer (gasp) could be the key. If he could hold down RF, the outfield looks pretty darned good.

Naylor could move to LF, while backing up Bradley at first. Mercado would be the 4th OF.

The answers to both the offense and defense might already be here.

I think there's plenty of merit to this, but I don't see Bobby Bradley returning next season and I think they look to upgrade at 1B in free agency or trade.

 

[sportscoach]

It's hard for me to envision Naylor back in the outfield once he's fully recovered. He'll be coming back from a serious injury and he wasn't good out there before. 1B seems to be his likely landing spot.

I also don't think Mercado is a part of this organization next year.

Actually he should have an easier time in LF than at 1B with that ankle. I know he does more running in the OF, but first base has way more action and way more twisting, turning, bending up and down on that ankle.

Also Mercado I feel is apart of this team next season... His numbers state he has been hitting lefties well and his OF metrics in the corners has way improved since 19...

I actually feel the guy who is gone is Daniel Johnson. He doesn't have a place on this roster anymore and why keep him over the likes of Mercado and Zimmer, who have MLB experience? Also with Palacios, Oscar Gonzalez and some others like that needing protected, I think HRam is gone too since we cannot keep Naylor, HRam, Jones, Palacios and Gonzalez...

 

[CATS44]

I think there's plenty of merit to this, but I don't see Bobby Bradley returning next season and I think they look to upgrade at 1B in free agency or trade.

Oh, I think the FO is gonna add a modest to major upgrade, and my guess it that it will be a corner bat capable of playing 1B and LF....which covers both Bradley and Naylor...whichever one doesn't work out.

We are seeing the result of not having either on the roster right now. If you look at the entire organization, the one hole we have is first base. There isn't anyone within multiple years of MLB that can reasonably be seen as a MLB 1B.

Two decisions the FO and Tito made for opening day...both of which I agreed with strongly (so its not a knock)... really hurt this season. The first was believing in the Logan Allen mirage, instead of going with the original choice of Quantrill. The second was taking a last look at Bauers.

I also highly doubt that Amed is going anywhere. He is having a better season than he is credited for...on the way to 2.5 fWAR. He is the fifth rated SS in the AL in terms of fWAR.

My eyes tell me he is wooden going to his left and on the pivot and very good going into the hole. But Saber stats say that overall in the field he is better than average.

Defensively, Amed is rated 3rd in the AL in fWAR, in spite of less time played there than any other qualifier. He doesn't have a good runs saved number (-8), but he ranks second in just about every other measurement.

And we see what his speed on the bases does.

 

[CATS44]

Again, I will probably kick myself in a few months for this post.

I have looked at Harold, Mercado, and Zimmer as three guys competing for one roster spot next year as the 4th OF. But if Zimmer could be a legitimate RF, Mercado could be kept as the 4th OF.

Ideally, the 4th OF can adequately play all three spots and be a legitimate def replacement late in games. He can also run and be a legitimate platoon pinch hit option. Mercado fits the job description.

There are some problems with all this. First, both Zimmer and Mercado are out of options. Second, we really need 40 man spots, and keeping both means we are likely to lose a prospect of value. Third, it means that the FO is hoping that Zimmer stays healthy.

Everything says that Zimmer is a mirage, but....

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

Oh, I think the FO is gonna add a modest to major upgrade, and my guess it that it will be a corner bat capable of playing 1B and LF....which covers both Bradley and Naylor...whichever one doesn't work out.

We are seeing the result of not having either on the roster right now. If you look at the entire organization, the one hole we have is first base. There isn't anyone within multiple years of MLB that can reasonably be seen as a MLB 1B.

Two decisions the FO and Tito made for opening day...both of which I agreed with strongly (so its not a knock)... really hurt this season. The first was believing in the Logan Allen mirage, instead of going with the original choice of Quantrill. The second was taking a last look at Bauers.

I also highly doubt that Amed is going anywhere. He is having a better season than he is credited for...on the way to 2.5 fWAR. He is the fifth rated SS in the AL in terms of fWAR.

My eyes tell me he is wooden going to his left and on the pivot and very good going into the hole. But Saber stats say that overall in the field he is better than average.

Defensively, Amed is rated 3rd in the AL in fWAR, in spite of less time played there than any other qualifier. He doesn't have a good runs saved number (-8), but he ranks second in just about every other measurement.

And we see what his speed on the bases does.

Also, Amed has been playing every day and it could be wearing him out. After he got four hits yesterday Hale made a point of saying that getting the day off on Sunday was much needed. He could very well be our SS next year.

Yep, I've been noticing how they are going with speed in the OF. Even Harold is very fast and sometimes is able to outrun bad jumps or initial miscalculations. I don't know if that was the plan so much as Naylor got hurt and Rosario underperformed and was traded for salary relief, leaving two holes with Zimmer and Mercado as the only guys available to fill them immediately. They are both taking advantage of the opportunity.

I was traveling yesterday and missed the game but was shocked at how they buried Castillo, who hasn't had a bad start since May. This year he has a 14.73 ERA against Cleveland and 3.78 against all other opponents. It's wierd how we owned this guy. But the Tribe bats are hot right now; 47 hits in the last four games.

Who would have believed Bradley Zimmer would hit the longest home run by an Indians player in at least six years, and off a lefty no less? Neither Franmil or Santana have hit one that far.

Looks like Josie's elbow is feeling better.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

I think there's plenty of merit to this, but I don't see Bobby Bradley returning next season and I think they look to upgrade at 1B in free agency or trade.

In 150 at-bats Bradley has 11 home runs and 25 RBIs which projects to 44 home runs and 100 RBI's over a full season of 600 AB's. He also has a .796 OPS, third on the team behind Reyes and Josie. He's 25 years old and getting his first extended exposure to big league pitching. I think he's off to a great start and isn't going anywhere.

 

[xmasbuck]

In 150 at-bats Bradley has 11 home runs and 25 RBIs which projects to 44 home runs and 100 RBI's over a full season of 600 AB's. He also has a .796 OPS, third on the team behind Reyes and Josie. He's 25 years old and getting his first extended exposure to big league pitching. I think he's off to a great start and isn't going anywhere.

his numbers remain distorted from his fast start - the league adjusted - his ops on june 30 was 954 - time for him to adjust - and bad time to go on the IL

 

[CATS44]

In 150 at-bats Bradley has 11 home runs and 25 RBIs which projects to 44 home runs and 100 RBI's over a full season of 600 AB's. He also has a .796 OPS, third on the team behind Reyes and Josie. He's 25 years old and getting his first extended exposure to big league pitching. I think he's off to a great start and isn't going anywhere.

I think you are right.

But if we were members of the front office, we would be asking ourselves at least two questions.

1) Can we roll the dice on not one, but two, extremely small sample sizes in Zimmer and Bradley?

2) When constructing a roster/lineup next year, how many bats can you put in it that K more than a third of the time?

I can't see this FO, being so risk adverse, not addressing both questions.

My guess is that the FO still views Naylor as a key player that could cover one or the other, but that they will still look for another option. If they are comfortable long term, the addition will be short term...a vet FA corner player. There will be plenty of them. If not, they will look at a major long term investment, like a Dominic Smith type.

 

[Kevalier]

In 150 at-bats Bradley has 11 home runs and 25 RBIs which projects to 44 home runs and 100 RBI's over a full season of 600 AB's. He also has a .796 OPS, third on the team behind Reyes and Josie. He's 25 years old and getting his first extended exposure to big league pitching. I think he's off to a great start and isn't going anywhere.

Since July 1st, here are some of Bobby Bradley’s statistics in 96 plate appearances:

43% K rate
.690 OPS
.306 wOBA
91 wRC+

We’re all rooting for the guy, but he’ll need to pull himself out of it once he returns or the front office will be looking for his replacement this off-season.