2024 Game Thread

[Todd]

He’s just unlucky. It’s the defense. Blame Arraez. Don’t you remember his spring???

In fairness the defense is really bad.

[lou]

To be fair he should be in AA or AAA trying to work things out but that’s not an option.

I think he can be safely DFA'd now though right?

[Namaste]

He’s just unlucky. It’s the defense. Blame Arraez. Don’t you remember his spring???

It was great not having you around for a week. Go back to your hole.

[Namaste]

If I was calling the shots, I wouldn't DFA Sixto when the team is 6-25.

[Namaste]

HUGH 9th inning comeback in progress

[fish16]

It was great not having you around for a week. Go back to your hole.

It’s funny that this started with you doing a gloating lap in spring training and saying I couldn’t admit when I was wrong and now you’re doing everything possible to deflect from the fact that the guy is fucking awful.

[Nick]

lol just tuned in for that Bethancourt AB during Magic halftime.

[Nick]

I know who cares at this point, but if you’re going to pinch run Anderson for Bethancourt in the 10th, why didn’t you pinch hit Anderson for Bethancourt in the 9th?

[Nick]

LMAO at that ending.

[Nick]

Rockies wanted the L more.

Severino: “What an up and down month!” Really fella?

[Nick]

Myers should be playing every day at this point, right? Why the hell not?

[Namaste]

It’s funny that this started with you doing a gloating lap in spring training and saying I couldn’t admit when I was wrong and now you’re doing everything possible to deflect from the fact that the guy is fucking awful.

If Sixto ultimately ends up being garbage, I will eat it and say I was wrong. Admit I was wrong. Something everyone here knows fish16 would never do.

I think Sixto should get more time based on his velocity and all of the time he missed. What's the rush? We're not terrible because of Sixto. There are 50 reasons we are terrible and he is one of them.

Let's debate it for 47 pages, fish16.

Nah, let's not. Please go crawl back into your I Hate The Marlins Hole.

[lou]

Myers should be playing every day at this point, right? Why the hell not?

Holy shit that’s a box score!

Practically sure, who cares. But I do think you want DLC, Jazz, Sanchez, and Gordon playing everyday too so Dane starts running out of space to play quickly. It’s a little easier with Burger out right now for sure. I think you need to see what you have and if any of DLC/Sanchez/Gordon are keeps next year. DLC and Sanchez still hit the ball pretty hard for some development jumps.

I think this is my ideal roster for the season with current personnel when they can get to this by say July. Obviously Bethancourt and Garcia are hard cuts, maybe they can trade Bell and Anderson if they show anything and eat money, or just cut them who cares, and Arraez lands them something real good in a package.

Fortes, Pereda(Betancourt)
Burger(Bell since Burger on IL)
Edwards(Arraez)
Brujan, Lopez
Bride(Anderson), Rivera
Gordon, DLC(DH)
Jazz
Sanchez, Dane(Garcia)

Dane will get 300+ MLB PA appearances with this easily considering current injuries and maybe another 200 at the MiLB level so we’ll have an idea. Maybe he plays some 1B/3B too.

Don’t get me wrong this is probably (really) horrible, but maybe some lightning strikes and there is more than just Jazz, Burger, and presumably Edwards for 2025 here. Very quietly Brujan is up to .275/.341/.400 which would be a pretty awesome development if he can find a defense home, etc. Hopefully a few things like that happen where “scrappy Rays types” emerge.

Let them all play. Bendix doesn’t have the balls but we’re at full tryouts for next year so the sooner they get to something like this the better.

[fish16]

If Sixto ultimately ends up being garbage, I will eat it and say I was wrong. Admit I was wrong. Something everyone here knows fish16 would never do.

I think Sixto should get more time based on his velocity and all of the time he missed. What's the rush? We're not terrible because of Sixto. There are 50 reasons we are terrible and he is one of them.

Let's debate it for 47 pages, fish16.

Nah, let's not. Please go crawl back into your I Hate The Marlins Hole.

Good to know I’ve gone from being a homer to hating the team. I guess not giving a shit anymore about a 7-24 dumpster fire of an organization with the worst owner in the sport makes me a hater. Guilty as charged.

I admit I’m wrong all the time. I was wrong about the team being remotely competent this year as opposed to historically bad, I was wrong about Brinson, it appears I’m wrong on Anderson having a bounce back year. I was also right on dlc being awful

Not sure what you don’t get about sixtos velocity not being remotely impressive this year. Hes averaging 95 out of the bullpen. That is every single pitcher in the league at this point. His velocity is down almost 4 full mph compared to 2020 and even scarier is that he’s doing that mostly out of the bullpen as opposed to 2020 when he was starting full time. He has terrible stuff, and he’s now a pitch to contact bullpen arm, which is probably the least valuable thing in the sport. Hes not good. He just got completely lit up by a truly awful Rockies team. And you took a fucking condescending victory lap over 8 meaningless spring innings. It’s almost as dumb as continuing to watch and monetarily support this shit. This organization deserves 0 fans. Maybe then they can get to an ownership group that is not an embarrassment.

[lou]

Some minors updates:

VMJR - 85PA, .312/.365/.558, 8.2% BB, 11.8% K, .302 BABIP (https://www.fangraphs.com/players/vi...ts?position=OF). This is a level increase from last year to note and in AAA. 22 years old. I'm going to need to see another 100 PA before getting excited, but that BB/K and BABIP combined with the slugging is "get fucking pumped" territory. He whiffed 22.9% in AA last year. Berry is 23 in AA and his OPS is lower than VMJR's slugging BTW. He is probably prospect # 4 unarguably after the three arms and may be ticking up to a true FV45+ guy. Fingers crossed.

Bride's BABIP is also starting to normalize (.351), and he's slashing .351/.480/.740 (!!!!) with a 16.2% BB rate and 15.3% K rate. The BB/K is consistent with his previous 800 or so PA between AA/AAA, but the slugging is a major jump. Probably a SSS (98 PA), but he was out in the PCL last year so we can't say it is the ballpark as he has played in launching pads already. He deserves an extended look (300+ PA) rather immediately at the MLB level to see if he is in fact just a AAAA player. Maybe they let him rake another 4-6 weeks down there and call him up through the end of the season. Basically Rivera gets another month plus and he is cast aside if doing nothing. Bride is 28, it is now or never and they need to try him out.

A third potential interesting development - .268/.381/.465, 14.3% BB / 23.8% K (.333 BABIP)...... Griffin Conine is doing a thing in 84 PA. This is 10-15% K rate drop based on AA/AAA time last year which is why I'm interested as the whiffs were always the problem, and the walks are spiking up a little. This is in AAA. He's 26 so I am not as enthused as with Mesa Jr., but he is positioning himself for a real August call up if this keeps up. He has the power hit tool to maybe succeed if he can hit .240+ at the MLB level with those walks, and especially a righty hit split. Would be a good story from an after thought prospect.

Quietly, forgotten man Devers had an OK 2023 in AA (.276/.352/.421), and is also hitting in AAA (.281/.338/.500, 5.6%/BB/22.5% K, .326 BABIP). He's still just 24 if he is somehow healthy again and maybe starting to grow into himself. We'll see what happens here in another 200-300 PA.

For some comparison stats for these four, other FV40/35+ types are not doing so great against the same schedule:

Johnston is hitting .277/.341/.393 in AAA
Gray .240/.306/.570 (33.3% K)
Dane was hitting .237/.336/.323 with a 31.8% K rate
Banfield .214/.267/.371 with a 42.7%(!!!) K rate