Season Super Game Thread

[Namaste]

last year we started off 14-27, this year we trade our 4 best hitters and are 10-18.

What was their record last year after their 14-27 start?

[fish16]

What was their record last year after their 14-27 start?

we were 7 under last year so we were 6 over .500 the rest of the year.

[lou]

Anderson is a natural in the OF. Brinson is at least making more contact and moving runners over.

I had this feeling that Straily wasn't going to be so good today. He wasn't really sharp in his rehab outings.

Everyone is talking about how JT Riddle should be back in Cincinnati, but who would lose the spot in the infield? Rojas? It doesn't make any sense to have him as an utility IF. He's been playing amazing defense and batting well.

It's a little early for that, but I think the general point of "he's a keeper" is pretty nice. I don't care if Anderson ends up at 1B, 3B, or LF. Give me a 2+ WAR player at any of those spots and that's tremendous value for the next 6 years. That fits around Brinson, Monte, Diaz, and Nelson/Dunand/Torress/etc. who could be left side of the infield guys.

You also play Rojas everyday and hope his average raises (terrible BABIP) and he turns into a luxury bench guy for a contender and we get a young Wittgren/Barraclough/Steckenrider type arm in A ball.

I think the most surprising thing for me is Ca. Smith/Tayron/Urena have solid FIPs (and I'll take Garcia's 4.00 FIP too despite his overachieving, that's also a win if he is a 4.00 ERA SP longterm). Garcia/Urena as a longterm 4/5 would be pretty nice. Where the fuck has this been for Tayron with the whiffs? I think it's going to be fun to see if those 4 are turning themselves into longterm pitching options. Wondering if Ca. Smith should be moved to a Miller/Devenski/Hader type role longterm to mitigate the walks and max out this out of nowhere K potential, but we'll see.

All in all, pitching has been better then I expected, and hitting much worse because Brinson/Bour/Dietrich stink. Hopefully just a bad April. Really like to see Brinson go down for 6 weeks for service time/get head straight issues.

[fish16]

Juan Soto now in A+ ball after tearing up the Sally league to start the year and he's also been great in A+ ball now too. 5/2 BB/K ratio, 3 XBH, and 7 hits in 6 games. The second Washington includes him in a deal we need to jump on that.

- - - - - - - - - -

It's a little early for that, but I think the general point of "he's a keeper" is pretty nice. I don't care if Anderson ends up at 1B, 3B, or LF. Give me a 2+ WAR player at any of those spots and that's tremendous value for the next 6 years. That fits around Brinson, Monte, Diaz, and Nelson/Dunand/Torress/etc. who could be left side of the infield guys.

You also play Rojas everyday and hope his average raises (terrible BABIP) and he turns into a luxury bench guy for a contender and we get a young Wittgren/Barraclough/Steckenrider type arm in A ball.

I think the most surprising thing for me is Ca. Smith/Tayron/Urena have solid FIPs (and I'll take Garcia's 4.00 FIP too despite his overachieving, that's also a win if he is a 4.00 ERA SP longterm). Garcia/Urena as a longterm 4/5 would be pretty nice. Where the fuck has this been for Tayron with the whiffs? I think it's going to be fun to see if those 4 are turning themselves into longterm pitching options. Wondering if Ca. Smith should be moved to a Miller/Devenski/Hader type role longterm to mitigate the walks and max out this out of nowhere K potential, but we'll see.

All in all, pitching has been better then I expected, and hitting much worse because Brinson/Bour/Dietrich stink. Hopefully just a bad April. Really like to see Brinson go down for 6 weeks for service time/get head straight issues.

I think the plan to add depth to the pitching in the organization is paying off. Even if most of these guys are long term back end of the rotation guys or back end of the bullpen guys, we finally have options for the first time in years and we can keep throwing stuff out there and seeing how they perform and evaluate and add from there. For the first year of a rebuild, we have to be very encouraged by the way the pitching has performed throughout the organization, not just at the major league level.

Guzman only pitched the one game but it was encouraging, Alcantara has been a little up and down but he has shown that even his floor is still a dominant closer, Caleb Smith looks like a keeper either in the rotation or bullpen and we got him for essentially nothing, Jarlin will regress but he has shown long term rotation potential or at the very least a dominant bullpen arm, Gallen has continued what he did in the STL system, Richards wasnt great but had outings where he actually looked like he could become a long term piece either in the rotation or bullpen, Steckenrider is our closer of the future 100%, Neidert has been decent, Merandy has impressed in limited time i the majors, and our draft from last year looks terrific. And we havent even seen Rogers or Braxton Garrett yet.

A lot of these guys will flame out, but its the whole idea of finally having cost controlled young pitching talent that we can let prove themselves over the next few years and hopefully find at least 3-4 quality SP's out of it and a whole bunch of bullpen arms that really has me encouraged for the future.

[tjfla]

Rivera would go down to AAA and Rojas or Riddle would be UT with other 1 SS

Anderson is still 3B of Future but gives us options with him. Dunand and James Nelson are both solid players who could turn into 3B in the majors so more spots he can play the better. Wouldn't surprise me to see him at 1B

[fish16]

Once anderson adds a little more power he'll be a long term keeper. He'll never be a 25-30 hr guy but i think 15-20 hr's and a lot of doubles and solid plate discipline and thats a long term keeper.

[lou]

I think the plan to add depth to the pitching in the organization is paying off. Even if most of these guys are long term back end of the rotation guys or back end of the bullpen guys, we finally have options for the first time in years and we can keep throwing stuff out there and seeing how they perform and evaluate and add from there. For the first year of a rebuild, we have to be very encouraged by the way the pitching has performed throughout the organization, not just at the major league level.

Guzman only pitched the one game but it was encouraging, Alcantara has been a little up and down but he has shown that even his floor is still a dominant closer, Caleb Smith looks like a keeper either in the rotation or bullpen and we got him for essentially nothing, Jarlin will regress but he has shown long term rotation potential or at the very least a dominant bullpen arm, Gallen has continued what he did in the STL system, Richards wasnt great but had outings where he actually looked like he could become a long term piece either in the rotation or bullpen, Steckenrider is our closer of the future 100%, Neidert has been decent, Merandy has impressed in limited time i the majors, and our draft from last year looks terrific. And we havent even seen Rogers or Braxton Garrett yet.

A lot of these guys will flame out, but its the whole idea of finally having cost controlled young pitching talent that we can let prove themselves over the next few years and hopefully find at least 3-4 quality SP's out of it and a whole bunch of bullpen arms that really has me encouraged for the future.

Yep. Three # 3/4 SP and a full killer bullpen by 2020 with what they have now and the impending summer trades, and that's a # 1 draft pick in 2019 and a free agent from a killer staff, with the depth being Garret/Rogers/E. Cabrera in AA by then.

I still think they need to focus all resources on pitching and if there is a surplus, you can trade/buy bats with it.

Brinson is the only real downer from this month on the longterm plan, everything else is fine or encouraging.

[tjfla]

Also reason Ziegler is still the"closer" is because they are trying to up his value. Right now u can get a mid level prospect for him but if he shows he can close he is worth more

[fish16]

I think brinson will be fine, i just wish theyd either stick with hitting him higher in the lineup or just send him to NOLA to work on things for a month. Hitting him 8th and getting him as few ab's as possible in front of the pitcher in the majors is the worst of all options.

[tjfla]

Yep. Three # 3/4 SP and a full killer bullpen by 2020 with what they have now and the impending summer trades, and that's a # 1 draft pick in 2019 and a free agent from a killer staff, with the depth being Garret/Rogers/E. Cabrera in AA by then.

I still think they need to focus all resources on pitching and if there is a surplus, you can trade/buy bats with it.

Brinson is the only real downer from this month on the longterm plan, everything else is fine or encouraging.

Will be interesting to see what they do in this years draft as well. I was hearing college SP but MLB.com has us taking Casas(HS 1B)

Brinson bat is a downer but the defense has been very good/Elite

[fish16]

Also reason Ziegler is still the"closer" is because they are trying to up his value. Right now u can get a mid level prospect for him but if he shows he can close he is worth more

teams are really not that stupid any more. him getting 10-15 saves but putting up the same numbers as he would if he wasnt the closer isnt going to get you any more prospects than if he put up the same numbers as a non closer. teams arent overrating saves anymore. it doesnt really matter, but if thats the only reason why he's the closer its a dumb one. I think the more important factor to the team is steckenrider and barraclough NOT getting saves so as to keep their arbitration numbers down when they get there.

[rmc523]

Once anderson adds a little more power he'll be a long term keeper. He'll never be a 25-30 hr guy but i think 15-20 hr's and a lot of doubles and solid plate discipline and thats a long term keeper.

So Christian Yelich?

[fish16]

So Christian Yelich?

he's not close to the pure hitter that yelich is, nor the value defensively that yelich brings.

[lou]

teams are really not that stupid any more. him getting 10-15 saves but putting up the same numbers as he would if he wasnt the closer isnt going to get you any more prospects than if he put up the same numbers as a non closer. teams arent overrating saves anymore. it doesnt really matter, but if thats the only reason why he's the closer its a dumb one. I think the more important factor to the team is steckenrider and barraclough NOT getting saves so as to keep their arbitration numbers down when they get there.

I hope Barraclough gets all the saves until he's traded in July. That improves his value as it does answer a pressure question for some teams knowing he won't meltdown. Team's know what a vet like Ziegler brings for sure. I don't see him as part of the future pen as he has less control then Steckenrider/Wittgren. Those two Guzman, Merandy, Gallen, I guess Tayron, etc. are the longterm right handers to me (if one can say such a thing with relievers).

Barraclough is an awesome kicker to throw into a Realmuto/Bour/whoever trade to get the 1 better guy. Max him out.

[Namaste]

Should be nice to get Straily back but id imagine he's not gonna be 100% back tonight just because his rehab outings havent been as sharp as Chen's were. So i bet on the phils tonight with arrieta on the mound. So naturally marlins win win big.

Please post all of your MLB plays in the Online Sportsbook thread. I see some potentially lucrative fade opportunities this season.