How terrible is Randall Grichuk at this point?

[nivisi]

It's like every year he gets worse! Is he hopeless at this point?

 

.287 OBP , .737 OPS

 

.737 OPS!?!

 

I'm puzzled by this guy and how to interpret him at this point, is he even an everyday player anymore?

 

Is he going to continue to be given everyday at-bats if we go on a run here?

 

Interested in someone's knowledgeable take on him, driving me nuts!

[Jimcanuck]

He's due for a hot streak.

[JFD]

He's not exactly providing veteran leadership is he.

 

30 wRC+ in high leverage.. He's regressed back to his St Louis days.

 

Not an everyday player or bench player

[dineke]

What's so surprising about a .737 ops? Am I missing something?

[jaysguy44]

He has what, 2 years left on that deal after this season?

 

Hopefully they can find a way to unload him in the off-season.

[Laika]

It's like every year he gets worse! Is he hopeless at this point?

 

.287 OBP , .737 OPS

 

.737 OPS!?!

 

I'm puzzled by this guy and how to interpret him at this point, is he even an everyday player anymore?

 

Is he going to continue to be given everyday at-bats if we go on a run here?

 

Interested in someone's knowledgeable take on him, driving me nuts!

 

He's one of the easiest Blue Jays to project. He has been exactly this mediocre for like three seasons now. Not a starting position player, by talent.

[gruber92]

He's due for a hot streak.

 

That's what I'm hoping for. If he goes on one of his four week hot streaks starting in the next few weeks, what a huge impact it would be. The only thing is that it would be during a high leverage, post season push. I'm not sure Grichuk's mental make up can handle that type of pressure. We'll see..

[AI9764]

Honestly I'm surprised he has a .737 OPS by watching him play.

[The Iceman]

He is CF insurance at this point. He has lost his every day role to Dickerson thankfully.

[BCZ]

Everyone here was kissing his ass 2 months ago

[Brownie19]

Everyone here was kissing his ass 2 months ago

 

You mean we were really happy when our 4th OFer stepped into a starting role and produced well while Springer was on the IL? I was pretty stoked that we managed to 'hit' one of his hot streaks while George was out. He should have returned to a part time 4th OF role when Springer returned, but we were a little short handed with Biggio sucking/hurt and Dickerson still on the IL.

 

I think the people kissing his ass where Buck and Tabby. They told us he'd made adjustments and was a better hitter now. They tell us that every year like clockwork and every year, they are incorrect.

[Carlos Danger]

Carlos Danger told you so. If you don’t believe me, just look at Spanky’s sig line

[Signal]

I think Gurriel has a better chance of getting hot than Grichuk. Grichuk has had his hot streak and his contributions were important to the club early on, but think it will be Gurriel who has more of an impact offensively as the season begins to wind down.

[Spanky99]

Carlos Danger told you so. If you don’t believe me, just look at Spanky’s sig line��

 

You love Grichuk! lol... he's a fine 4th OF, good teams have decent 4th OF'ers.

 

Hopefully he gets hot here soon.

[polar bear]

You love Grichuk! lol... he's a fine 4th OF, good teams have decent 4th OF'ers.

 

Hopefully he gets hot here soon.

 

My opinion also.

[Spanky99]

Carlos Danger told you so. If you don’t believe me, just look at Spanky’s sig line��

 

I changed the sig, Laika cracked me up this morning.

[connorp]

You love Grichuk! lol... he's a fine 4th OF, good teams have decent 4th OF'ers.

 

Hopefully he gets hot here soon.

 

Yeah he just makes too much but no way they could unload it. Seems like the 4th OF we’ve tried to trot out over the years have been even hotter garbage. I don’t mind him but he’s been on the field more than ideal scenario

[connorp]

I was thinking he signed 4/40, forgot was 5 years

[connorp]

I changed the sig, Laika cracked me up this morning.

 

I guess Laila made if funny for everyone to understand. If he had just said “let’s all walk a day in Spanky’s shoes”, most people wouldn’t have understood

[Spanky99]

I guess Laila made if funny for everyone to understand. If he had just said “let’s all walk a day in Spanky’s shoes”, most people wouldn’t have understood

 

Are you legit retarded?

[InvincibleTiger]

Give me Gurriel over Grichuk any day of the wk

[connorp]

Are you legit retarded?

 

I have like 1000 times to say s*** like that to make us even on all the bald, short, psycho jokes you’ve made lol. Suck it up

[Jays24]

Such a bad contract. The remaining 2/20M can get you such a good player in free agency these days.

[Spanky99]

Such a bad contract. The remaining 2/20M can get you such a good player in free agency these days.

 

Not much value in the contract, but it isn't bad. FO took a gamble and it hadn't worked out for them as hoped.

[Laika]

I am an organizational apologist and extremely biased at all times. Here are three good things about the Grichuk contract.

 

1. It is a good educational event for how prudent teams approach deals.

2. It shows good process by the Blue Jays.

3. It was about more than Randal Grichuk and in hindsight has paid off.

 

By #1, I mean to say that how Grichuk is now performing kind of shows the likely thinking of the Blue Jays at the time he was extended. Most teams would not think of these things as a simple matter of comparing the player's projection vs the cost. Rather, they think about these things via a range of outcomes. If the player really underperforms and only plays to say their 10th percentile, what does that look like? If they figure some stuff out and take off, hitting the 90th percentile of their projected outcomes, what does that look like? I think the Blue Jays obviously thought Randal Grichuk was capable of more, perhaps they thought he projected better than this or hoped he would play much better... but they probably had a sober thought that even if he were to underperform and really flatline, it would not look that bad. They would have based this on the size of his MLB sample pre-extension, his age, his ability to hit for an okay average with power even when he sucked, his ability to play decent defense. And that bottom of the barrel outcome is not playing out and it's really not that horrible. $10M each for the next two seasons for a bench quality player. The deal did not work out but it's not a sunk cost entirely and it's not the end of the world.

 

Contrast this to the bottom of the barrel outcomes on things like the Chris Davis extension, or some of the mid-range contracts given out historically to starting pitchers (which always carry a downside risk of literally zero production) like Jordan Zimmerman, Homer Bailey. It's possible in baseball to spend $50M+ on player talent and get zero return.

 

I guess #2 is already explained within the above.

 

And #3 is obvious too. It helps to attract guys like Ryu and Springer, and some of the lesser FA pieces, if your team is not literally all children. As Toronto planned on cycling up their payroll they had to start somewhere. An extension for a veteran currently in the organization was a reasonable place to start. Perhaps a good signal to other players in the league that the team was committed to building around the kids coming up, committed to some level of monetary spending, etc.

[BCZ]

Grisuck... can both carry and bury a team, usually the later.

[AMS528]

I am an organizational apologist and extremely biased at all times. Here are three good things about the Grichuk contract.

 

1. It is a good educational event for how prudent teams approach deals.

2. It shows good process by the Blue Jays.

3. It was about more than Randal Grichuk and in hindsight has paid off.

 

By #1, I mean to say that how Grichuk is now performing kind of shows the likely thinking of the Blue Jays at the time he was extended. Most teams would not think of these things as a simple matter of comparing the player's projection vs the cost. Rather, they think about these things via a range of outcomes. If the player really underperforms and only plays to say their 10th percentile, what does that look like? If they figure some stuff out and take off, hitting the 90th percentile of their projected outcomes, what does that look like? I think the Blue Jays obviously thought Randal Grichuk was capable of more, perhaps they thought he projected better than this or hoped he would play much better... but they probably had a sober thought that even if he were to underperform and really flatline, it would not look that bad. They would have based this on the size of his MLB sample pre-extension, his age, his ability to hit for an okay average with power even when he sucked, his ability to play decent defense. And that bottom of the barrel outcome is not playing out and it's really not that horrible. $10M each for the next two seasons for a bench quality player. The deal did not work out but it's not a sunk cost entirely and it's not the end of the world.

 

Contrast this to the bottom of the barrel outcomes on things like the Chris Davis extension, or some of the mid-range contracts given out historically to starting pitchers (which always carry a downside risk of literally zero production) like Jordan Zimmerman, Homer Bailey. It's possible in baseball to spend $50M+ on player talent and get zero return.

 

I guess #2 is already explained within the above.

 

And #3 is obvious too. It helps to attract guys like Ryu and Springer, and some of the lesser FA pieces, if your team is not literally all children. As Toronto planned on cycling up their payroll they had to start somewhere. An extension for a veteran currently in the organization was a reasonable place to start. Perhaps a good signal to other players in the league that the team was committed to building around the kids coming up, committed to some level of monetary spending, etc.

 

My response to that is those things may be true but also should note that the Jays did not get much of a discount for signing a non-star piece to a long extension. I remember even at the time people noted that was a decent chunk of change for a player like Grichuk. Obviously Acuna is a uniquely bad extension, but it's insulting how little of a difference there is in their salaries. I'm quibbling though, maybe they could have saved a couple of million a year on that deal.

 

Ultimately like you said, he's not a complete zero so it's not the end of the world. It's just annoying, like a mosquito.

Edited August 10, 2021 by AMS528

[RobinThicc]

He sucks. Oh well.

[Jays24]

Grisuck... can both carry and bury a team, usually the later.

 

Now that he's batting 8th, he's exactly where he belongs. It's that damn contract that makes you hate him. Like others have said though, he's probably only overpaid by a couple of million or so. It's not the end of the world. He was one of our best hitters to begin the season when majority of our players were struggling.

[max silver]

Now that he's batting 8th, he's exactly where he belongs. It's that damn contract that makes you hate him. Like others have said though, he's probably only overpaid by a couple of million or so. It's not the end of the world. He was one of our best hitters to begin the season when majority of our players were struggling.

 

If Grichuk were utilized more like a true 4th outfielder rather than full time player there would likely be less consternation as well. Lately since Springer has been playing more frequently in the outfield and Dickerson has returned from injury we have seen a fair bit less of Grichuk in the lineup thankfully. I have no issues with having Grichuk on the roster, as you mentioned the excess salary is pretty small in the grand scheme of things, and will do nothing to prevent the Jays from signing more high quality players in the future.