194 replies to this topic

[Nigel Tufnel]

Supposedly Henderson is gold glove caliber at 3B, so having him and Mateo on the left side is a possibility for next year, or even for September.

[Old Man]

Supposedly Henderson is gold glove caliber at 3B, so having him and Mateo on the left side is a possibility for next year, or even for September.

Gold glove is good, considering some that the team has run out there at third for the last 2 decades.

 

You have to admit, Manny did things at 3rd, that didnt seam humanly possible.

 

Seeing that with Mateo this season.

[You Play to Win the Game]

During an in-game interview today, Elias made the comment that Mateo would be with the organization for a while.

[dude]

During an in-game interview today, Elias made the comment that Mateo would be with the organization for a while.

 

Mateo is ARB1 next year so he is under team control for 3 more years.

 

My guess is he gets traded.  The SS market is a little crowded, but I'd expect Gunner to be our SS next year and while you could certainly work the pieces around however, I think there's risk in the 'utility' role.  He could certainly feel like he's earned the opportunity to be the starter.  You're in arbitration, so your playing time (perspectives on starter versus utility, PAs, performance) directly impact your salary.  Maybe he wants nothing more to be an Oriole in whatever role and I'm confident he'll say many of the right things regardless, but he knows this is his opportunity to bank some money and you don't really want guys looking for theirs in the clubhouse.

 

If a guy is IN the utility role, it's easier to keep him there.  Once he's a starter (and successful at some level), then going back to utility is a demotion.  I've commented the same with Tyler Wells, is he going to go back to the bullpen? ...because decent starters get paid more than good relievers. ...now he's been a pretty good starter?  I'd now leave him in that role. 

 

MLB is a closed set, so for every guy promoted, there's another guy losing his job...there's a lot of other people in the ear of every player (wife, dad, agent) and that can have a consequence.

[BSLChrisStoner]

Balt Sun: How a meeting with Orioles coaches helped unlock Jorge Mateo’s swing — and a deeper lineup

[NewMarketSean]

5 for 5 last night.

 

He's my favorite player on the team. 

[TwentyThirtyFive]

OPS+ is at 92. If he can keep it there thats good enough

[Mackus]

OPS+ is at 92. If he can keep it there thats good enough

 

Ice cold (518 OPS) over the past month.  82 OPS+ on the season.  That's good enough to be a passable option in 2023 given his defense and speed, and there is some upside left for the bat to reach 90 or higher OPS+ like it was after his hot July and August.. 

 

I still think SS is the primary spot to find a stud FA though.  Mateo then could become trade bait as part of a package for a pitcher, perhaps Miami would be looking to go with a younger version of their no-hit, all-field SS?

[mweb08]

Despite the bat issues, he has a 3.2 rWAR and a 2.5 fWAR.

 

That's roughly a win (or more using rWAR) better than Mountcastle and Hays. 

 

So beyond how much stock one puts into WAR, I think what position makes most sense to upgrade comes down to many factors:

 

- Projecting these guys out. Is Mateo this good or better going forward or will his bat crater? Will Hays and/or Mountcastle step it up? What to make of Urias, who has a similar WAR to Mateo? Then there's Stowers, Vavra, and all the prospects.

 

- Where should Gunnar play?

 

- The availability of potential upgrades

 

- The varying degrees of quality of these upgrades

 

- The cost of said upgrades

 

- Trade value for all the guys that could be replaced / relegated to a lesser role

 

- Desired future opportunity for the young dudes (plenty of future options at SS for instance as 2035 mentions)

 

All that is very worthy of discussion, but for the Mateo thread, the first two are likely the best to be focused on.

[TwentyThirtyFive]

Said it last night. He puts me on a roller coaster. That said, I think for this organization in the spot we are in right now the best option is just to hand him the starting job. Especially knowing you have other guys in the organization that can replace him if needed. I just dont think its wise to spend a huge chunk of money and years on one of the premium FA SS. Especially considering what we have internally. Spread the payroll availability around on pitching and a corner position bat

[BobPhelan]

He should either be traded if his value is high enough or be on the bench if it’s not. I’m personally not sold on the bat ever being good enough but he can still be important to us in a reserve role.

[BSLChrisStoner]

Sign one of the 4 FA SS.  

[Old Man]

He should either be traded if his value is high enough or be on the bench if it’s not. I’m personally not sold on the bat ever being good enough but he can still be important to us in a reserve role.

Would Belanger played on your team as a starter?

[BobPhelan]

Would Belanger played on your team as a starter?

It was a different game back then and I wasn’t born yet but I’m sure he would’ve.

[mweb08]

In a vacuum I prefer to keep Mateo starting over Urias, Hays, and Mountcastle.  

[BobPhelan]

In a vacuum I prefer to keep Mateo starting over Urias, Hays, and Mountcastle.

Agree with you on Urias and Hays. Still bullish on Mountcastle but I can understand listing him here too.

[Mike B]

It was a different game back then and I wasn’t born yet but I’m sure he would’ve.

I am pretty sure he would have too.  I have always thought Mark was Ozzie Smith without the back flips.

[Mike B]

Agree with you on Urias and Hays. Still bullish on Mountcastle but I can understand listing him here too.

I agree, I don't think Ryan belongs on the list.  He had a good year last year, and has had up and down runs this year.  I think he like Hays, Trey and most of our right handed bats were hurt by the wall.Mountcastle, IMO is much improved defensively and is only 25 years old.  He is under team control for 4 more years, and is cheap.  He should be the first baseman next year.

[mweb08]

I agree, I don't think Ryan belongs on the list.  He had a good year last year, and has had up and down runs this year.  I think he like Hays, Trey and most of our right handed bats were hurt by the wall.Mountcastle, IMO is much improved defensively and is only 25 years old.  He is under team control for 4 more years, and is cheap.  He should be the first baseman next year.

 

Mountcastle had a solid year last year. Nothing special and the wall probably doesn't help him as you mention. 

 

A team could do worse than Mountcastle at first, especially factoring in cost, but we shouldn't care that much about his low salary if the team is actually going to spend like some say they will.

 

All the position players are cheap plus even cheaper guys have arrived and more will arrive next year, so if they're going to upgrade in a spot or two, it's going to be at the expense of cheap players. The amount of cash that should be available to upgrade the roster should be a staggering figure. Even if not, you would think it would be enough to replace one or two cheap players with a player or two at the market rate. 

 

It's supposedly liftoff from here so spend money on 2-4 upgrades rather than worrying about everyone being a great value for ownership. 

[CantonJester]

Mateo's role should be as a super util guy. Get him playing 2B and 3B and he's a decent bench guy a few times a week. If he gets his OPS+ near 100 all the better. He's not the starter on a team that expects to win 100 games though. Not nearly enough upside in that bat.