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Clint Frazier has unlimited potential at the plate, but he's lazy in the outfield. How do your stats address that? And my "lazy" assessment is from an eye view, not statistical.
Good catch, I saw what you saw though I didn’t see it as laziness. He got awful reads, took awful routes, showed poor first step, and regularly had to make up for it with his legs. This behavior showed his motor was running way too fast, he was over thinking, he was pressing, he was in his head a ton. It looked like that to me, and it makes sense based on his track record. As a player who understands the importance of hustle, Frazier plays at 110% effort. So his first time in the show he was going to definitely have some pressing moments when he’s off balance or in his head, or trying too hard in general. In fact, this reflected offensively through his BB-K ratio in his brief call up. However there is good news. This is something that has happened every time he makes a new level, he struggles for 150-250 at bats, then starts mashing [especially relative to age] and playing plus plus defense. His Barrels/BBE in his first call up to the show was incredible [of players with 90 balls hit into play he ranked 31st out of 405 players] as was his foot speed [56th out of 451]. Never [in a full season] has he had a K rate over 24% at any level so he puts balls in play regularly. He regularly has a walk rate over league average and his strength is the opposite field. As a 23 year old who can do all of that, he’s got a lot of time to turn these already above average skills into one of the more insane all around games in…well the game. I’m a big fan. So in short, I think he just needs reps, kid needs to calm down and he can be whatever he wants to be.
What do you envision the Yankee's infield to look like in September?
While Drury and Wade make solid to pretty good regulars, barring injury or trade, very little should be able to stop 3B from being Andujar’s and 2B from being Torres’s. Didi for the moment is intrenched at SS though Manny Machado’s upcoming free agency has an outside chance of changing that. Still, Didi is the clear shortstop at the moment. Sanchez may be one of the greatest catchers of our era when all is said and done and I’m not sure any other catcher IN THE LEAGUE could beat him out for C of the Yankees. The team wants win both now and later after all vs just being a win now team. Bird is the only question mark for me and it has nothing to do with his ability. He just needs to stay healthy. I would bet on his health this year however. If Bird does get hurt however, the team would be smart to start giving Stanton reps there for a multitude of reasons first being to try and clear room in the outfield logjam. So ideally the season ends with Andujar at 3B, Didi at SS, Torres at 2B and Bird at 1B.
What is the upside of Blake Rutherford?
Jim Edmonds, Grady Sizemore, Alex Gordon and David Justice are the best comparisons. Could be a top 5 prospect in short order, 5 tool star.
What pitchers do you think the Astros should look to target at the trade deadline?
At this point its go big or go home. Think the biggest names on the market. The Astros can afford any option and they should deal. Gerrit Cole could be a great change of scene guy. Same could be said of Sonny Gray. Could also see them go after someone like Trevor Cahill now that he’s a beast.
Is Corey Dickerson for real?
Partially. He’s an above average hitter but I’d be shocked if he finished with a wRC+ in the 140s, surprised if it was in the 130s. Its mostly a batted ball thing, he’s been getting very lucky on balls in play. Dickerson is yet another nice find for Tampa Bay, they got a bit of an Oakland thing going on.
How does corner outfielder defense play in CF?
In most cases where an elite [top 5] defensive corner outfielder gets moved to CF, their defensive numbers either stay the same or increase. Obviously this changes from players to player, from park to park etc. Also depends on the players toolset. Range and arm play into it big time.
With all the emphasis on raising the angle of ball off bats there any place for a line drive hitter in baseball?
While launch angles are getting a lot of attention, [adjustments with them have maximized many players game power in the last year alone] adjusting your swing [which is essentially what you are doing] has less to do with the launch angle and a lot more to maximizing your swing in a way that creates effective loft through backspin, power and attack angle. However, some players aren’t strong enough to hit the ball hard for power and who, if they tried to put the ball in the air, would end up with tons and tons of fly outs. So it depends on your skill set. Some line drive hitters who lack fly balls use the whole field and their legs a lot of the time ending up with singles but having to play small ball in order to score runs. These types make great leadoff hitters, second lineup hitters [if your manager does that sort of thing] and second leadoff hitters [aka 9hole bats]. Line drive hitters who can also hit for power also tend to be the most clutch hitters due to frequency of hard hit ball to all fields. Getting back to the line drive hitters without power, they are far more affordable than the players who can hit for power, therefore assembling a team of them would cost a lot less. A lineup with 5-7 contact, line drive, speed types is always something teams dread facing. They’d cost a ton less, have a skill set that works better as a team, and these types work great with manufacturing runs [generally speaking here]. You would have to have these guys back to back to back though, otherwise you may run into a bunch of double plays [assuming you throw a more than couple slow runners in the mix]. The hit tool is always the most valuable tool and in the last 10 years we have seen the teams that are elite with the hit tool, compete for WS. Astros, Cardinals, Royals, Giants, Indians are some examples. So to answer the question, line drive hitters may be more valuable than ever as a cost effective winning option or as elite offensive machines geared for clutch situations [got to be fair some guys who are line drive hitters also have great launch angles and power]. Players elevating the ball more than ever is a great thing for the game, more home runs, more great defensive outfield catches, and as an odd side piece, as a way of creating an under valued way of winning that the big money teams have no reason to take advantage of. Its created a new market, a new way of structuring teams we haven’t seen, and a style of ball perhaps to come back at some point for a team or two, that we haven’t seen in a long time.
Who's playing third for the Yankees? Andujar is good, I'm not sure I trust him for the whole season. I like Torreyes as a utility player. Is there another third baseman in the system-or is there a free agent they should go for while they build up Andujar?
Andujar is definitely not the most concrete option at 3B due to his defense, while reports are that he’s cleaned it up there are still doubters for the moment. He really needs to show he’s a good option there in camp, no overthrows or clankers [he’s especially known for the former]. That being said, Bird was generally scouted as a below average defensive player as a minor leaguer. Just like when scouts said Bird had improved around a year ago before the public saw it, people in the Yankees organization are saying the same about Andujar. Bird has become solid at 1B, I hope to see similar things in Andujar. If I’m wrong and the team is wrong I can definitely see them shuffling Torres over to 3B for the rest of the year while giving Wade a legitimate shot at 2B. Yes, even with Drury’s presence. Some think higher of Drury than I do, I think he’s an plus super utility player in the making [please be a Prado type]. If Andujar doesn’t work out and essentially Wade replaces him on the roster, the roster will then be more left handed [something needed] and a LOT faster, so its not the worst thing. Andujar works as a great trade chip but even I have been underestimating him. His swing fundamentally has holes in it, but the guy makes so much hard contact stemming from bat speed that he’s gonna be a monster at the dish. He hits EVERYTHING. Seriously, look at his K%. Nobody with power like him should be K-ing that little. Its important to note the following. At different levels of the minors Andujar stumbled significantly offensively [especially with weak contact] before figuring out whichever level he had been at. So there may be some serious growing pains at the beginning of his big league time offensively as well as defensively. If he ends up being a long term piece, thats awesome, we just gotta be patient with him. If not then he’s a great trade piece. Its a win-win. Andujar if given consistent playing time however could be an offensive force down the stretch. Also, for the record, we didn’t see the real Tyler Wade last year, nothing even close. Check out his AAA numbers if you want to get hyped [especially considering he was 22]. So to answer the question, they could go add someone outside the organization, but the best answer [though not the sexy answer] is to trust the farm and be patient. I rarely trust prospects to this degree but with Wade, Andujar, and Torres, their hit tools will translate. Drury and Torreyes already have plus hit tools, giving them great value in their specialized roles. Everything above being said, its highly possible if not probable none of Torres, Andujar, or Wade make the team out of Spring Training. Service time, defensive work, confidence, injury insurance, and AAA offensive work mark various reasons why we may not see that group until a month or so in. However, we will see lots of Drury and hopefully lots of Andujar.
Can we expect Andrew McCutchen to get any better as a hitter?
McCutchen has the legs and bat speed as well as high walk rate and relatively low K rate to rebound in a big way. With strikeouts on the rise he should swing more, with his bat speed he’d hit for more power and swinging at more outside pitches should allow him to go back to his all fields ways even with an increased strikeout rate. The best case situation for him is to go to a team that can use him in a corner and surround him with young fast and aggressive players. If he can’t handle the corner outfield he’d make one of the best all around DH talents in MLB. Take note, fast DHs are coming.
Which teams in competition stand to have the most talent come from the DL and Minors midseason?
Dodgers, Cubs, Mets, Astros, Red Sox, Yankees, Indians are the most notable.
How high is Clint Frazier's ceiling?
Sky high. Insane bat speed plus a fantastic eye and zero contact problems at only age 22? Sign me up. 7 WAR stuff at peak, over .300/.400/.500.
Question: With Corey Seager out with Tommy John Surgery, what are the Dodgers chances?
Answer: Well when you couple that with uncertainty from Taylor, Bellinger, Pederson’s offense + the injury to Turner, as well as the lack of production in LF and 2B, then add in the SP injuries and injury history as well as Jansen looking cooked and thus the pen cooked as well…….The Dodgers chances aren’t looking so good. D-Backs look to win the division atm, Dodgers would be in competition with the Cardinals, Brewers, Nationals/Mets, and Rockies for a wild card spot, maybe even a couple other teams could get in there……
Question: Is what the Diamondbacks are doing sustainable?
Answer: In short, yes. D-Backs are for real and very dangerous. We haven’t seen them full strength Imo.
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