OT: MLB Thread - Part XVIII: Home Stretch for Yanks. Coup de Grâce for Mets.

[Machinehead]

The team was 2nd in the league in OBP and that's with an injured Greg Bird. I don't really see the issue.

I predicted these two exact losses in June but everyone keeps telling me they don't see the issue.

The team struck out a lot and they were below average with RISP. These aren't massive problems, obviously, as the team was one win away from the WS, but why shouldn't we try to be better at those things?

 

[Cassano]

We don't need to go full Royals but if we had a couple of guys in that mold to add versatility to this lineup, that would be nice.

Sometimes you need to "keep the line moving" as the Royals would say.

Wouldn't Didi and Castro fit that description? High avg, low BB% guys.

 

[Machinehead]

This lineup will never be the 2015 KC Royals. I think that lineup was incredibly underrated, but this one is just built differently.

You can still win with this type of lineup though, the cubs just did it a year ago.



They got plenty of them, they didn't capitalize.

I'm not saying be the 2015 Royals. I'm saying stop striking out on at-bats where not a single pitch was in the zone. Can we start with that?

 

[Machinehead]

Wouldn't Didi and Castro fit that description? High avg, low BB% guys.

Didi is absolutely the kind of guy I like but he really got caught up in trying to hit the ball a mile in this series. Could be inexperience.

Castro is not what I'm looking for. Swings at horrible pitches and doesn't hit enough to make up for it. Strikes out a lot.

 

[Machinehead]

I think we need one more guy in this lineup who moves runners over, gets runners in, gets on base, sees a lot of pitches and doesn't f***ing strike out. Maybe runs the bases well. The kind of guy where you have a runner on third and he gets him in. You have a runner on first or second and if he makes an out, he at least gets him over.

We had Melky Cabrera in 2009. He had speed, he played situational ball, 59 strikeouts in 540 plate appearances. Was near the top of AL in sacrifice hits a couple of years back.

I know it's old school but it would be nice to have one guy...

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

I'm not saying be the 2015 Royals. I'm saying stop striking out on at-bats where not a single pitch was in the zone. Can we start with that?

I'm 100% behind getting a bit more contact oriented. I don't think you need a whole lot more power (if any more) than you have right now, especially if Bird stays healthy. You'll get 100+ from he, Sanchez and Judge alone. I'm completely behind getting rid of Castro.

But I don't agree with saying that is why they lost this series.

 

[Cassano]

I predicted these two exact losses in June but everyone keeps telling me they don't see the issue.

The team struck out a lot and they were below average with RISP. These aren't massive problems, obviously, as the team was one win away from the WS, but why shouldn't we try to be better at those things?

You predicted an ALCS loss in June? Interesting.

Team RISP is very misleading. Pretty much everyone under-performs relative to their average in RISP. Doesn't even take into consideration of 'productive outs'.

 

[Machinehead]

You predicted an ALCS loss in June? Interesting.

Team RISP is very misleading. Pretty much everyone under-performs relative to their average in RISP. Doesn't even take into consideration of 'productive outs'.

Don't see us getting a whole lot of productive outs.

I predicted that this team's season would eventually end because their offense is one-dimensional and they have no answer if that dimension is taken away.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

They hit pretty well with RISP in this series. I haven't seen the numbers, but I imagine that they did better in that area than Houston did.

 

[Cassano]

Don't see us getting a whole lot of productive outs.

I predicted that this team's season would eventually end because their offense is one-dimensional and they have no answer if that dimension is taken away.

I don't think it's one-dimensional. The big hits from game 4 and 5 didn't come from HRs.

Games 1 and 2 was a coin flip. They hit the ball hard those games as well and got unlucky. TBH, the Yankees were the better team in the series.

 

[Cassano]

Clint Fraizer had nearly the same career minor league SO% as Aaron Judge.

Thoughts?

 

[Machinehead]

I don't think it's one-dimensional. The big hits from game 4 and 5 didn't come from HRs.

Games 1 and 2 was a coin flip. They hit the ball hard those games as well and got unlucky. TBH, the Yankees were the better team in the series.

That was the exception, not the rule. 3 runs in 4 games in Houston is absolutely pathetic. Even if you factor in bad luck.

It's a great team. It could be better. I feel like the attitude here is "just try the same thing again."

Clint Fraizer had nearly the same career minor league SO% as Aaron Judge.

Thoughts?

I'm sad enough as it is.

 

[Machinehead]

I can pretty much live with 1-5 to as it is, although I would probably change the order. Gardner and Didi hitting walls at the same time hurt us but that's baseball.

6-9 right now, is three automatic outs and Todd Frazier. We could probably make that better.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

Clint Fraizer had nearly the same career minor league SO% as Aaron Judge.

Thoughts?

Clint Frazier was in AAA/MLB this year.

At the same age, Judge was splitting time between Charleston and Tampa.

They can both improve their K rate, but you expect Frazier to do it.

 

[Machinehead]

Judge can K all he wants.

I'm more worried about the guys, you know, not hitting 52 homers.

Not mentioning any names, but it starts with S, end with an O. Has arlin Castr in the middle.

 

[Cassano]

Clint Frazier was in AAA/MLB this year.

At the same age, Judge was splitting time between Charleston and Tampa.

They can both improve their K rate, but you expect Frazier to do it.

Yeah, I'm not gonna read too much into the numbers now. It burned me when predicting how Judge would be Lol.

 

[Machinehead]

I think Otani would be a great fit.

The guy can hit .300 and a million, gets on base, limits strikeouts.

Has pop but not really a slugger.

 

[Machinehead]

I feel like Romine kind of sucks but are good backup catchers even a thing?

 

[Cassano]

I feel like Romine kind of sucks but are good backup catchers even a thing?

Yes, Cervelli was a great player for us. He blossomed into one of the better catchers in the league as well.

I also liked JRM, but he's fallen off a cliff lol.

 

[Machinehead]

Yes, Cervelli was a great player for us. He blossomed into one of the better catchers in the league as well.

I also liked JRM, but he's fallen off a cliff lol.

Yeah, but I feel like it has to be a situation like that where you run into a guy who later becomes a starter.

Like, good backup catchers usually aren't just laying around.

I was thinking about maybe a halfway decent veteran who can mentor Gary going forward into the next few years. We gotta get him catching the ball with consistency. But I can't think of anyone.

 

[Bob Richards]

I feel like Romine kind of sucks but are good backup catchers even a thing?

Its hard to get too picky with backup catchers but Romine's bat is so incredibly worthless that you can honestly poke for something better.

 

[Machinehead]

Its hard to get too picky with backup catchers but Romine's bat is so incredibly worthless that you can honestly poke for something better.

Keep him around in case Cabrera wants to wrestle again next year

 

[darko]

I think we need one more guy in this lineup who moves runners over, gets runners in, gets on base, sees a lot of pitches and doesn't ****ing strike out. Maybe runs the bases well. The kind of guy where you have a runner on third and he gets him in. You have a runner on first or second and if he makes an out, he at least gets him over.

We had Melky Cabrera in 2009. He had speed, he played situational ball, 59 strikeouts in 540 plate appearances. Was near the top of AL in sacrifice hits a couple of years back.

I know it's old school but it would be nice to have one guy...

What's funny is that we won in 09 because of a power hitter that K's fair bit.

 

[darko]

Power hitters strike out alot. That's just the way it is and you have to put up with it. Power hitters that don't strikeout much are generational talents. Or borderline generational.

 

[Machinehead]

What's funny is that we won in 09 because of a power hitter that K's fair bit.

That was the makeup of the team for sure, but it also didn't hurt having Jeter and Damon constantly on base. That team was versatile.