Around Baseball 2018

[Bobthe4th]

Too early. But really, Ohtani should decide whether he should pitch or hit.. because 2 way players don't exactly work well in MLB.

 

They didn’t in Japan either. Until Ohtani.

[jaysfan2014]

They didn’t in Japan either. Until Ohtani.

 

Yes, but Japan is the equivalent of AA/AAA--it's not certain the experiment will work in MLB. But if he can pitch well, it still will be worth it for the Angels..

[Bobthe4th]

Yes, but Japan is the equivalent of AA/AAA--it's not certain the experiment will work in MLB. But if he can pitch well, it still will be worth it for the Angels..

 

Of course it’s not certain and the odds are against him, but he only came over now (and not in a few years for a massive payday as a pitcher) to see if he could do it at the highest level. He also would not have signed for the Angels without been given the opportunity to do both.

[jays4life19]

Too early. But really, Ohtani should decide whether he should pitch or hit.. because 2 way players don't exactly work well in MLB.

 

I was obviously joking.

[CraigG]

Yes, but Japan is the equivalent of AA/AAA

 

People need to stop saying this. What metric are you using to qualify this evaluation? Sounds like hogwash to me.

[jays_fever]

Japan is the equivalent to the make believe AAAA league we have here.

[King]

Of course it’s not certain and the odds are against him, but he only came over now (and not in a few years for a massive payday as a pitcher) to see if he could do it at the highest level. He also would not have signed for the Angels without been given the opportunity to do both.

If they are only giving him pinch run and pinch hitting opportunities on days he isn't pitching, the experiment probably won't last long.

[jaysfan2014]

If they are only giving him pinch run and pinch hitting opportunities on days he isn't pitching, the experiment probably won't last long.

 

Well, the Angels better figure it out soon on Ohtani's role.. as they have to win now, as Trout's a free agent in 2 years, and may not stay in LA if the Angels don't start showing progress of being a World Series contender.

 

As for Ohtani.. we'll have to see more sample size before we are sure whether this experiment lasts. If he's hitting down in the .100s by the time Opening Day comes, the Angels will more than likely pull the plug on Ohtani being a two-way player and ask him to focus on pitching.

 

The only reason he chose the Angels is because the organization is an absolute joke compared to their crosstown rivals in the Dodgers and have no clue what they're doing and just throws money at everything, with a non-existent farm system... no playoff wins this entire decade, and wasting Trout's prime and increasing the chances he'll leave in 2020..

[Bobthe4th]

If they are only giving him pinch run and pinch hitting opportunities on days he isn't pitching, the experiment probably won't last long.

 

The plan is for him to DH at least once a week. He won’t hit the game after pitching, but will likely be used as a pinch hitter on other days.

[BTS]

Hamate surgery for Yuli Gurriel. RIP is 2018 fantasy value.

[Bobthe4th]

Duda signs with the Royals. So we're stuck with Morales then.........................

[z3r0s]

Duda signs with the Royals. So we're stuck with Morales then.........................

 

that was exactly my thought lol. Hell of a deal for Duda tho.

[The Iceman]

Shows you the value of Morales...less than $3.5 million. getting paid $10.5 HOLY!!!!!

[Captain Adama]

hamate surgery for yuli gurriel. Rip is 2018 fantasy value.

 

f***

[Boxcar]

Hamate surgery for Yuli Gurriel. RIP is 2018 fantasy value.

 

Woo hoo, AJ Reed time.

[glory]

For the money the Jays are paying Morales, how many projected wins could they have added in free agency? 2? 3?

[BTS]

For the money the Jays are paying Morales, how many projected wins could they have added in free agency? 2? 3?

 

Could have probably had Morrison and Cahill on 1-year deals.

[Terminator]

I think it'd be fair to ask if Morales would even get a major league deal in this climate. But whatever, every FO is going to have a blemish or two and this one is hardly back breaking. Hopefully he bounces back but I wouldn't even be surprised to see his playing time cut. I'd prefer Pearce get more of the PT at DH.

[glory]

Could have probably had Morrison and Cahill on 1-year deals.

 

Or Morrison and Dyson.

 

Oh well. Time for Kendrys to prove the haters wrong and make use of dat exit velocity and launch angle or whatever analytics reasons he was signed. His exit velocity was still elite last season despite his poor performance, so maybe there is hope.

Edited February 28, 2018 by glory

[Spanky__99]

Woo hoo, Tyler White time.

 

fixed

[King]

The plan is for him to DH at least once a week. He won’t hit the game after pitching, but will likely be used as a pinch hitter on other days.

So 5-7 PA's per week. Cool.

[BTS]

So 5-7 PA's per week. Cool.

 

I remember when Spanky and Dinger called me dumb for saying hitter Ohtani will be replacement level in a 20-team league. I hope they enjoy their 4-8 PA a week.

[Brownie19]

The way we rip Morales gives me hope he'll hit like 2017 Smoak!

[King]

I remember when Spanky and Dinger called me dumb for saying hitter Ohtani will be replacement level in a 20-team league. I hope they enjoy their 4-8 PA a week.

 

5-7 PA coming off the bench cold against high octane relievers.

 

And if he stumbles out of the gate he will see even fewer opportunities.

[Sammy225]

So 5-7 PA's per week. Cool.

 

If he is getting 7ABs a week it won't last you cant get in a grove doing that. Hard to get timing hard, if he had any chance to succeed with the bat he would need regular plate appearances.

[Orgfiller]

I remember when Spanky and Dinger called me dumb for saying hitter Ohtani will be replacement level in a 20-team league. I hope they enjoy their 4-8 PA a week.

 

He's also probably not that good a hitter to begin with, this won't help.

[Terminator]

He's also probably not that good a hitter to begin with, this won't help.

 

I think he's at least a league average hitter, maybe even better. But as a DH who plays sparingly that's not really going to get you on a fantasy roster unless it's a deep league. Pitching he should be a solid #2 to #4 type of pitcher. Pretty cool and unique player but his fantasy stock is too high.

[Jonn]

I still don't understand why Ohtani came over now. Hes going to be used a pinch hitter and left so much money on the table to pitch here. He could have comfortably continued doing both in Japan and came over for 200+ million. I will never understand his decision its mind blowing. Hes a better person than I if he truly doesn't care about money because hes going to have to be insanely elite to ever sniff that kind of money again.

[metafour]

I still don't understand why Ohtani came over now. Hes going to be used a pinch hitter and left so much money on the table to pitch here. He could have comfortably continued doing both in Japan and came over for 200+ million. I will never understand his decision its mind blowing. Hes a better person than I if he truly doesn't care about money because hes going to have to be insanely elite to ever sniff that kind of money again.

 

Its a very different culture. Most Japanese are content working ridiculous hours for s*** pay; because its their duty to do so. Their athletes fall in line in the sense that they behave in a similar manner, its a collectivist mindset vs. individualist. I remember reading a few years ago that the highest paid players in the Japanese league were all old former stars who were well out of their prime. I'm not sure if thats still a case, but if so, its a direct reflection of Japan's culture towards respecting elders: you make your money when you are old and have been deemed to have earned it, not when you are young and actually deserving of it based off of your play. Here people get pissed if a guy like Pujols is getting paid out to ass in his late 30's while sucking, over there its expected.

[nmrch]

He's also probably not that good a hitter to begin with, this won't help.

 

If he's just relegated to pinch hitting duties, his career as a hitter will be severely damaged. Its hard to hold on to your skills, let alone develop them if you're getting so few reps. Even if he turns out to be a decent bench bat, it doesn't provide with all that much value, he just saves you a roster spot. Overall, such a waste of a unique talent.