2023 Game Thread

[fish16]

I had actually typed this up when walker had two strikes but…..

Right back to 14 over and erasing the braves series immediately. 4 left before the break, try to get 3 of 4 for a 6-1 week. Now 22 games over against all teams other than the braves with a +47 run differential.

go get Luis Robert please

[Nick]

I know what just happened. Hicks threw an easy comebacker into the front row.

[fish16]

It really is crazy guys can throw 102 on the corner but can’t throw to first base on a routine throw

[Namaste]

Even though we led most of the game we just stole a win. Feels good, though!

[fish16]

Any win you get when hoeing starts is just huge. Should be his last start in the rotation and hopefully Cabrera is back for this slot right after the all star break

[Erick]

Hampson impacting the game with his baserunning because it’s been that type of season. Fun!

Also, thanks Hicks lol.

[Lee Stone]

Any win you get when hoeing starts is just huge. Should be his last start in the rotation and hopefully Cabrera is back for this slot right after the all star break

I think Monteverde gets the next shot at the rotation.

[rmc523]

Idk how much power they have over changing game times for the rest of the year, but they are really doing themselves a disservice by continuing to start games at 640 instead of 710, at least on weekdays. They made the change because of the long games, they don’t need that anymore. We have some of the worst traffic in America, give people who work an extra 30 minutes to get to the game

I'd imagine changing the rest of the games is a tall order. A game here and there for specific reasons, sure, but changing the whole schedule from here on out I don't think they'll go for.

[fish16]

I think Monteverde gets the next shot at the rotation.

he wont be up this year. They dont want to add him to the 40 man. They will either keep hoeing in there until cabrera comes back, or make a trade at the deadline to get someone who can spot start. either that or i could see castano coming back and giving a spot start or 2 now that he is healthy. They also have cueto but i just dont see how you could do anything but DFA him at this point unless they are just super stubborn and expect him to do anything other than get teed off on at the big league level based on what he has done in every outing since the beginning of spring training. I hope they dont force the issue with him and just cut bait and take the L

[fish16]

I'd imagine changing the rest of the games is a tall order. A game here and there for specific reasons, sure, but changing the whole schedule from here on out I don't think they'll go for.

agreed, i just hope they change it back to 710 next year.

[fish16]

Xavier edwards is having a truly insane season in AAA. He is hittng .348, .422 OPS, .446 slugging, .868 OPS, 15/16 on sb's, and has 26 walks to just 12 strikeouts all year in over 200 at bats. 12 strikeouts is just absurd. There just has to be a role for him up here. There just has to be. Next year i really hope to see him and Arraez at the top of our order with Arraez shifting to 1b full time. That's just a ridiculous 1-2 in terms of plate discipline and contact hitting.

He's been even better as of late. In April he had 7 of his 12 k's for the year in his first 63 at bats. He had 3 of his k's in his first 7 at bats this year. So pretty much since april, he has struck out just 5 times in his last 138 at bats, let alone plate appearances. Since the 3rd game of the year, he has just 9 k's in 203 at bats. Im sorry, i dont care if the at bats would be somewhat limited, there has to be a role for that guy. I dont even care if they play him out of position a little at SS and just see if he hits, he needs to be up here. He is being wasted in AAA on a team that could use his hitting.

I like berti but he should not be playing as much as he has been,.

[fish16]

We are now 16th in the league in OPS, 3rd in average, 14th in OBP, 20th in slugging, 23rd in homers. We absolutely need a big middle of the order run producing bat to add to this mix, plus a C and maybe a guy like Candelario, but to act like this is some terrible lineup that is screaming for a huge regression against better teams like lou keeps saying is just nonsense. They have good hitters, they just need the 1 big piece or 2-3 solid pieces to add to the mix so the bottom of the lineup can produce more. This isnt a team that is going to collapse any time soon. We do need that 1 bat to actually be a threat in the playoffs, but this whole idea that this team is smoke and mirrors is just not reality. We are a average hitting team who needs a big bopper in the middle of the order to move DLC out of the 3 spot. They hit and make contact among the best teams in baseball, and the hot streaks of players at times have carried us along with tremendous SP and a good bullpen (definitely need to add bullpen arms at the deadline). This is a good team, enjoy it, but also add to it to really put us over the top.

Luis Robert, Candelario, and then a backup C like Yan gomes are my top 3 targets outside of bullpen help.

[lou]

I think Monteverde gets the next shot at the rotation.

That has certainly moved from never going to happen May 1st, to plausible because contending throws any 40 man issues out the window, but I still find this hard to believe because they have a looming very competitive 40 man:


Fortes, Banfield, Stallings, Allen
Encarnacion, Johnston, Leblanc
Arraez, Berti, Devers, Hampson
Amaya, Nunez
Segura, Groshans
DLC
Jazz, Edwards, D. Myers (not sure where to put him and Edwards?), Mesa Jr., Mangum
Sanchez, Garcia, Burdick
=24

Banfield is hitting some bombs and seems like a third catcher type. I think they'll protect him, Amaya, Nunez, Groshans, Myers, Mesa Jr., and Burdick for sure. They aren't giving up on any of them. I think Mangum is a real maybe for a plus CF defender and a very solid slash. He could be a .650 OPS 5th OF pretty easily. I imagine they don't cut ship on Garcia just yet. Including Jerar and Hampson just because they are on the 40 man, and Allen, Devers, Johnston, and LeBlanc are all doing OK and could be a last guy if there is no one else. Especially Devers there as maybe he is healthy and regains that upside. Which leaves Stallings as who knows if they value whatever it is he does.

Clearly some easy cuts here, but assuming they will have a backup catcher even if not Stallings/Allen, you can see 17-19 guys here very quickly (I'd ditch the 4th C, 3 1B, and Hampson, but as of today, probably keep Devers and Mangum to make this 19). They clearly need 2 or more MLB guys on top of this for the active roster, so ideally they would pull the plug on Garcia, and make this an even 20 guys just removing a last pitcher. Assuming of course all the young guys hold up enough. I. Lewis is also eligible, but I imagine they aren't concerned with someone taking him from A ball.


Sandy, Eury, Cabrera, Meyer
Luzardo, Garrett, Rogers, Eder
Puk, Scott, Okert, Nardi
---
Bender, Brazoban, Chargois, Hoeing, Maldonado, Reynolds, Soriano, and....... Sixto
=20

Others arms - Barnes and Floro (expensive), and assortment of arm talent - Nance, Simpson, Fitterer, MD Johnson, McCambley, Villalobos, Yan, Castano. Fulton doesn't need to be protected until after 2024 to further note. Maybe they save some money here and trade Scott/Okert and Chargois, but that's just promoting Fitterer and McCambley then probably as they are interesting in relief projections. Sixto I think they do one more offseason (he is OOO so this is it).


So as is, they are going to lose some relievers we don't completely hate and some bats we don't care too much about, and Monteverde would just knock another one out. I just find that hard when Hoeing and more disposable guys (Castano, and even Lindgren and Smeltzer) probably get the same results as Monteverde.


My best guess of the internal 40 man plan next year is this, with the bolds ideally swap outs for trade/FA upgrades. There is room for Monteverde this offseason, but I'd rather them keep Sixto, Fitterer, or McCambley as why not. The upcoming trades if Kim/Bruce get off their butts and get these guys the big bats they need may be instructive here too if there are longterm pieces as clearly the bottom 5 spots can be churned a little and some new names may be mandatory keeps and some names may disappear in those trades.

Fortes, Stallings, Banfield
Arraez
Berti, Devers
Amaya, Nunez
Segura, Groshans
DLC
Jazz, Edwards, D. Myers, Mesa Jr., Mangum
Sanchez, Garcia, Burdick

Sandy, Eury, Cabrera, Meyer
Bender, Chargois, Brazoban, Hoeing, Maldonado, Reynolds, Soriano, Sixto, Fitterer
Luzardo, Garrett, Rogers, Eder
Puk, Scott, Okert, Nardi

Trade/DFA to save money - Floro, Barnes, Cueto, Hampson
Unprotected - Nance, McCambley, Villalobos, Simpson, M.D. Johnson, Yan, other similar arms

[sports24/7]

Is it worth making a draft thread? I feel like the discussion all ends up here anyway.

Rumors seem to be that they like the safe college bats like Wilson, Gonzales, and Matt Shaw , but supposedly they do like Noble Meyer, the prep pitcher, and a couple of HS SS, namely Nimmala.

They obviously need bats, but the school of thought that they develop pitchers better, so continuing to build that stable and just trading for hitters makes some sense. Kyle Teel falling feels like a best case scenario.

[rmc523]

Is it worth making a draft thread? I feel like the discussion all ends up here anyway.

Rumors seem to be that they like the safe college bats like Wilson, Gonzales, and Matt Shaw , but supposedly they do like Noble Meyer, the prep pitcher, and a couple of HS SS, namely Nimmala.

They obviously need bats, but the school of thought that they develop pitchers better, so continuing to build that stable and just trading for hitters makes some sense. Kyle Teel falling feels like a best case scenario.

Given their recent track record, I'd say go through their normal process of who they'd pick, and then pick the opposite player lol.