Orgfiller

This advice is Vlad in a nutshell.

If there's one thing that's truly unexplainable to me is why over half the lineup is underperforming their expected stats: https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/leaderboard/expected_statistics?type=batter&year=2023&position=&team=141&min=q&sort=13&sortDir=asc These are pretty big gaps, for some of our better hitters. 5 of them with more than just a tiny difference. Varsho sure would look better with an actual wOBA of .324, Vlad with a .400+ wOBA, Springer with a .337. Do they just have unprecedented predictable hitting patterns that every team in the league is ahead of us in? Meanwhile of course, the f***ing Rays. https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/leaderboard/expected_statistics?type=batter&year=2023&position=&team=139&min=q&sort=13&sortDir=desc Basically their entire lineup is overperforming. You can't convince me that if you take a look at their hitting talent and ours and tell me that this is just something that's teachable and the Jays are way behind. Sure, Tampa is definitely doing something to make all of these guys straight up hit better, but not being lucky on purpose.

I mean if there's one group of guys who you could just tell to get their heads out of their asses and hit better it's Springer, Bichette (already elite), Vlad, Chapman, Kirk, Jansen, Belt (actually looking competent these days). The only ones there currently with issues is Vlad who has every single hitting tool you could ask for, but bad habits, and Kirk who's become a groundball machine but could certainly snap out of it. It's not like this is the Yankees current lineup who is Judge, Rizzo, Torres and a bunch of literal scrubs to just be better. These guys are actually good and have been good. Biggio, Espinal, whatever, yeah good luck to them.

Springer is finally regressing to his xStats and career numbers and you wanna move him down lol. 136 wRC+ in May, .335 xWOBA this season. He's fine unless you want to flip him and Bo for whatever reason and fix something that isn't broken. Springer's power will return, no reason to move him around in the lineup.

What's been the problem with Kirk's defense? His arm has been lacklustre, but as evidenced by games like today the pitchers aren't giving him anything to work with. He's a good framer and an excellent pitch blocker, two aspects in which he's been better than Moreno at.

Vlad has to be the most angsty good hitter in a clutch spot. He just can't look for a good pitch, just has to make an impact on anything close to the zone and as usual makes weak contact as a result of swinging at junk.

Yup

Can't wait for a Bo single and Manuel Margot to rob Vlad of a homerun the next AB.

Small victories, since those are the only ones it seems we'll get this game; Biggio and Kirk have a few decently hit balls this game. This to go along with Cavan's homerun from yesterday.

Is it honestly worth considering stretching Richards out for 3-5 innings until Francis is healthy or we find another SP option? Something like Pearson for 2, Richards for 3-4, turn it over to the rest of the bullpen and have another long man in waiting (to replace Manoah's spot) in case it all goes horribly wrong.

Wow, a line drive straight at someone, who would've thought.

Man, Belt is just a solid ass hitter. Ump's been great too in an otherwise awful game to watch.

Yeah those all sucked for sure.

I mean it's not luck that their awful fielding 1B can't make routine plays but hangs on long enough to make the out. But Kirk hitting a rocket to RF with a man on second only to find yet another glove is truly infuriating.

Brooks Raley is the Ron Washington first base meme personified. "It's incredibly hard". He looks hopeless out there.

f***ing hell, not a single f***ing line drive that can find a hole.

The 5 walks don't help also, lol.

They're getting laughable jumps off of him. Clearly he's too rattled by the s***** command to even notice each runner reading him like a book and getting a gigantic lead.

Raley was just getting absurd jumps off Manoah. Couple that with him struggling to put these two guys away after getting to two strikes early…already a very frustrating game.

Piss poor defense all around this inning.

Kiermaier trying to do too much there, tried to prevent the double which was never happening, instead resulted in a standup triple.

Nice job Varsho (+ baserunning), Vlad and Belt.

Shapiro and Atkins are not at all familiar with this version of Kluber.

His current K rate is kind of a mirage. His whiff and chase rates are both below average, not much higher than they’ve ever been for him in previous seasons.

But why? He’s a generic middle reliever. Mediocre fastball, loopy slider that didn’t really generate swings and misses. He still doesn’t get chases or whiffs. Perfectly average reliever who wouldn’t add anything to the current bullpen.