GDT- Jays @ Twins - Game 2/3 - 2:10 EST

[Stangstag]

His launch angle is better and a lot of his numbers are looking similar to his 48 homer 2021 season, not his 2022 season. He's getting unlucky, his xwOBA is much much higher than his wOBA. Agree with DCJaysF, he's also in a slump.

 

I agree the launch angle looks good this year, just a lot of deep flyball outs. I think the knee is bothering him more than we think.

[Horses Fart]

Gonna take Vlad a few more games to get the timing back after the knee

 

Joke right? He missed two f***ing games? LoL hate to see if he missed 60, it would take him 3 years to get his timing back.

[Terminator]

We are going to win tomorrow to take the series. Berrios will be dealing against his former team.

 

Then we get a day off and it's back home and this funk we are in will be over.

[Solaxys]

Vlad is still very very good. But yeah he might need a bit of time to pull out of this funk.

 

I don't think many are concerned about his funk. It is his head.

 

Dude does not hustle out of the box and makes stupid baserunning choices because of that, despite having evidence (personal) to the contrary. If you are in a funk, do the fundamentals properly and give it all you got, eke out those runs/hits.

 

And his development hasn't really kicked off, he hasn't gotten 'better'. He's mechanically changed things to stop nuking things into the ground, sure, but that effectively is making him fly out a lot more and miss meatballs/hangers due to some wonky/lack of batspeed. The last two years, the entire league was scared to pitch him inside, doesn't matter this year.

 

But he still refuses to emulate the better hitters of the game - that is Trout, Judge, w.e - they don't hack at everything, they don't go after RBIs because RISP, pressure isn't their style. They wait and if they get one, they do not miss it. Vlad needs to be that kind of threat, he knows that - he started off the year doing that, and now he's back to his 2022 shenanigans.

 

Obviously, you don't give up on him and wait to see what contract he deserves rather than he commands, but dude needs to understand that he isn't running this show, he needs to run just as hard as the next guy down the line. He needs to be held accountable to his headspace of 'anything flies'.

 

Just like Manoah, but at least Manoah is getting humbled this season, so maybe something can happen. Vlad's baseline is so good that his attitude can be absolutely grating and he'll get by. That doesn't mean he is going to be the driving force for Jays' ambitions for WS if he settles for that baseline.

 

---

 

The counter being - maybe if he runs slower and not bust out every play, he'll stay healthier.

 

Maybe, but if that is the attitude he wants to carry, then he better be f***ing blasting s*** into the stratosphere every clutch AB. He doesn't command that kind of self-preservation the way he is right now. He isn't Yordan who has 1.000 OPS with RISP. Even Judge and Ohtani absolutely bust it out of the box - if those guys, who are older and more injury prone (cause Ohtani pitches as well), then there is 0 excuse for Vlad.

 

This isn't entirely on him though. This is on the FO/Coaching, why all this is allowed is beyond me.

If they do try and Vlad isn't learning, then maybe we need different coaches. If they don't try, then we... need different coaches.

Edited May 27, 2023 by Solaxys

[CdnSteeler]

Thanks for the belly shaking knee slapper.

[TorontonianJD]

Does Vlad even qualify as a superstar anymore?

 

No in my opinion. Very clear that BO has emerged as the much better player.

[Olerud363]

Joke right? He missed two f***ing games? LoL hate to see if he missed 60, it would take him 3 years to get his timing back.

 

Hasn't seemed the same since the wrist injury... then the knee followed that.

[Stangstag]

We are going to win tomorrow to take the series. Berrios will be dealing against his former team.

 

Then we get a day off and it's back home and this funk we are in will be over.

 

That’s the spirit

[Stangstag]

I don't think many are concerned about his funk. It is his head.

 

Dude does not hustle out of the box and makes stupid baserunning choices because of that, despite having evidence (personal) to the contrary. If you are in a funk, do the fundamentals properly and give it all you got, eke out those runs/hits.

 

And his development hasn't really kicked off, he hasn't gotten 'better'. He's mechanically changed things to stop nuking things into the ground, sure, but that effectively is making him fly out a lot more and miss meatballs/hangers due to some wonky/lack of batspeed. The last two years, the entire league was scared to pitch him inside, doesn't matter this year.

 

But he still refuses to emulate the better hitters of the game - that is Trout, Judge, w.e - they don't hack at everything, they don't go after RBIs because RISP, pressure isn't their style. They wait and if they get one, they do not miss it. Vlad needs to be that kind of threat, he knows that - he started off the year doing that, and now he's back to his 2022 shenanigans.

 

Obviously, you don't give up on him and wait to see what contract he deserves rather than he commands, but dude needs to understand that he isn't running this show, he needs to run just as hard as the next guy down the line. He needs to be held accountable to his headspace of 'anything flies'.

 

Just like Manoah, but at least Manoah is getting humbled this season, so maybe something can happen. Vlad's baseline is so good that his attitude can be absolutely grating and he'll get by. That doesn't mean he is going to be the driving force for Jays' ambitions for WS if he settles for that baseline.

 

---

 

The counter being - maybe if he runs slower and not bust out every play, he'll stay healthier.

 

Maybe, but if that is the attitude he wants to carry, then he better be f***ing blasting s*** into the stratosphere every clutch AB. He doesn't command that kind of self-preservation the way he is right now. He isn't Yordan who has 1.000 OPS with RISP. Even Judge and Ohtani absolutely bust it out of the box - if those guys, who are older and more injury prone (cause Ohtani pitches as well), then there is 0 excuse for Vlad.

 

This isn't entirely on him though. This is on the FO/Coaching, why all this is allowed is beyond me.

If they do try and Vlad isn't learning, then maybe we need different coaches. If they don't try, then we... need different coaches.

 

Yeah im starting to believe its the whole coaching staff mentality. Doesn’t make sense to have guys like KK and Belt coming in and making stupid mistakes. Springer too. We consistently make bonehead plays every damn year, and the central coaching staff has remained the same pretty much (Schneider, Martinez, Hudgens, Rivera, Pete, etc.)

[Stangstag]

Hasn't seemed the same since the wrist injury... then the knee followed that.

 

Its definitely possible that both are bothering him right now and he’s trying to play through but its sapping too much bat speed and power

[Spanky99]

Willi f***ing Castro and his 35 power hit two HRs today.

 

That was gross, and the difference, yikes.

[jaysblue]

Willi f***ing Castro and his 35 power hit two HRs today.

 

I shouldn't have dropped him in the LOD

[Terminator]

We are going to win tomorrow to take the series. Berrios will be dealing against his former team.

 

Then we get a day off and it's back home and this funk we are in will be over.

 

Told you all. Going to kill the Brewers next.