9 replies to this topic

[BSLChrisStoner]

MASN: Borgschulte on Orioles offense, Hays, Mateo and Henderson

https://www.masnspor...log/borgschulte

[mikezpen]

Mateo holding his own at .250. I know he's often a stranger to breaking pitches. But if he can hold this average or close to it, they will have a hard time getting him out of the lineup. He is elite both as an infielder and as a base runner. In fact, he is a game-breaker in the latter.

 

And while he may never develop as a hitter, I still sense that he has a lot of pop in his bat. 

[Mackus]

Problem with Mateo is he's been incapable of solving a slump. As soon as has a bad couple weeks, we gotta tap out. Hopefully he keeps playing well, but I'd abandon him at the first meaningful sign of trouble. I'd guess Mayo will get his chance or Holliday will be ready to return by then.

[BaltBird 24]

Mayo is down for a while. I'd give Norby a go at 2B if/when Mateo inevitable begins to falter.

[jamesdean]

If Mateo can give you a .240-.250 batting average, it will be tough to move him out of the line-up.  I wish he was more selective and could at least draw some walks.  Or utilize his speed and drop some bunts every now and then but he is what he is.  Extremely poor discipline at the plate and prone to extended slumps.  So far, he's been holding his own.  He's certainly not a long-term solution but ultimately, could be a solid, utility player. 

[NewMarketSean]

Pretty crazy to say Mateo is the least of this offense's issues right now, but he is.

[russsnyder]

Problem with Mateo is he's been incapable of solving a slump. As soon as has a bad couple weeks, we gotta tap out. Hopefully he keeps playing well, but I'd abandon him at the first meaningful sign of trouble. I'd guess Mayo will get his chance or Holliday will be ready to return by then.

I disagree.

Mateo has seized the second base job IMO.

He's playing good defense and he's swinging the bat pretty well. While you make a good point about Mateo's inability to adjust, I'd give him a few weeks before I'd think about replacing him.

Further, I don't think Holliday should be on tap to replace anyone right now. Let him work out the mechanical issues in the minors.

[Mackus]

I disagree.

Mateo has seized the second base job IMO.

He's playing good defense and he's swinging the bat pretty well. While you make a good point about Mateo's inability to adjust, I'd give him a few weeks before I'd think about replacing him.

Further, I don't think Holliday should be on tap to replace anyone right now. Let him work out the mechanical issues in the minors.

 

I'm not saying to replace Mateo now or even soon.  I'm saying I don't think he can figure his way out of a slump, so when it comes, I wouldn't give him much time to play through it.  Some time, not no time.  I'm not yanking him after his first 0-8, but if he has two bad weeks like we've seen other guys have two bad weeks, I'd be getting ready to make a change.  We've seen how deeply awful his slumps are and how long they last.  Maybe he's improved and can bust out more quickly now, but I'm not all that eager to find out when we have very attractive alternatives available.

[makoman]

Mateo had a .300 something OPS over more than 2 months last year. We have too many options to just let that kind of slump happen again. But I’m happy letting him start a lot right now while he’s doing fine, especially vs lefties.

[russsnyder]

I'm not saying to replace Mateo now or even soon. I'm saying I don't think he can figure his way out of a slump, so when it comes, I wouldn't give him much time to play through it. Some time, not no time. I'm not yanking him after his first 0-8, but if he has two bad weeks like we've seen other guys have two bad weeks, I'd be getting ready to make a change. We've seen how deeply awful his slumps are and how long they last. Maybe he's improved and can bust out more quickly now, but I'm not all that eager to find out when we have very attractive alternatives available.

Ok.

I think a couple of weeks is more than fair.