43 replies to this topic

[BSLChrisStoner]

Name a player, or positional unit (rotation, bullpen, infield, of), or the team in-general... and give a gut feeling, and also a surprise. 

 

For example) 

 

The Bullpen

 

Gut Feeling - If the rotation is good in-front of them, I think the pen can be adequate. 

 

Surprise - It would surprise me if the O's don't prioritize adding a high-leverage guy by the deadline.

[BSLSteveBirrer]

Rotation

 

Gut Feeling - its not quite good enough to put this team in position to have a legit shot at the WS

 

Surprise - It will surprise me if the O's don't make a monster move by the deadline. Elias realizes his lineup has the goods and he has the depth pieces to step out of his comfort zone and pull the trigger.

[glenn__davis]

Gut feeling - Zach Eflin will turn out to be the best value addition of the offseason.

 

Surprise - I'll be surprised if Holliday puts up an OPS+ over 100.

[RichardZ]

Gut feeling.

Cowser is going to lose his job and possibly get optioned before June 1.


Surprise

I will not be surprised if Zach Eflin leads the rotation in innings pitched.

[BSLSteveBirrer]

Gut feeling.

Cowser is going to lose his job and possibly get optioned before June 1.


Surprise

I will not be surprised if Zach Eflin leads the rotation in innings pitched.

What ERA do you suspect Eflin will pitch to? Great if he's an "innings eater" but only if they are quality innings.

[Mackus]

Happy:

 

Gut feeling:

 

Westburg returns by June and plays very well

 

Surprise:

 

One of our SP prospects ends the season in the rotation and not out of necessity

 

 

Sad:

 

Gut feeling:

 

Ward plays fine with a 750ish OPS but Grayson Rodriguez makes all our worst fears of that trade come true

 

Surprise:

 

Gunnar misses at least two months with a major injury

[SBTarheel]

Gut Feeling
Shane Baz ends up pitching at an all star level.

 

Surprise
Heston Kjerstad somehow helps us at some point this season

Negative:
Gut Feeling
Westburg is simply injury prone and we just have to hope for the best while he's out there. 

 

Surprise:
Helsley's second half of '25 is just what he is now. 

[Slidemaster]

Gut feeling good:

Shane Baz is looked at as a TOR starter by this time next year.

Gut feeling bad: Jackson Holliday disappoints again, raising questions about whether he can be relied on to contribute as an every day player next season.

Surprise good: I will be (pleasantly) surprised if Tyler O'Neill puts up a positive WAR this season.

Surprise bad: I will be (unpleasantly) surprised if Basallo isn't a top 10 offensive catcher by year's end.

[RichardZ]

What ERA do you suspect Eflin will pitch to? Great if he's an "innings eater" but only if they are quality innings.

Around 3.50 to 3.80

[BSLMikeLowe]

Gut feeling: no shock here…defense and fundamentals will continue to be an Achilles heel

 

Surprise: even with Kittredge out, the bullpen will be better than expected

[BSLChrisStoner]

Gut Feeling
Shane Baz ends up pitching at an all star level.

 

Surprise
Heston Kjerstad somehow helps us at some point this season

 

 

 

I think Baz will be productive, and flash. 

I also think Kjerstad - if he's healthy, and the beaning is now behind him - gets ML ab's, and I think a healthy Kjerstad is a contributing bat.

[weird-O]

It's strange to me, that Kjerstad won't discuss the injury (or whatever it was) that shut down his 2025 season. 

[BaltBird 24]

It's strange to me, that Kjerstad won't discuss the injury (or whatever it was) that shut down his 2025 season.

If it was some sort of mental thing than physical or he's just not comfortable talking about his health to strangers, I don't see what's strange about it.

[weird-O]

If it was some sort of mental thing than physical or he's just not comfortable talking about his health to strangers, I don't see what's strange about it.

The reason it seems strange to me, is because injuries in pro sports are seemingly always discussed in depth, sometimes ad nauseum. I just can't remember a time when a player chose not to share anything. 

[BSLJamieSieck]

Gut feeling-Kyle Bradish makes a legit run at the Cy Young award

 

Not sure if this fits as a surprise but Albie finding a way to balance the playing time and ABs for the corner OF/DH spots. We have a bunch of platoon options on paper but I don't want to see the blind obedience to handedness like Hyde had.

[Mackus]

We have a bunch of platoon options on paper but I don't want to see the blind obedience to handedness like Hyde had.

 

I really doubt that the prioritization of the platoon advantage was a Hyde initiative.  Always felt like that was the sort of thing that came down from above.  Not daily lineups, but the general instruction.

[Nigel Tufnel]

The reason it seems strange to me, is because injuries in pro sports are seemingly always discussed in depth, sometimes ad nauseum. I just can't remember a time when a player chose not to share anything. 

 

Didn't Adley do the same thing in 2024?

[weird-O]

Didn't Adley do the same thing in 2024?

If so, I don't remember. I know teams, in all leagues, can be tight lipped during an uncertainty period of the injury. Either way, I didn't mean to make a big deal of it.  

[BSLJamieSieck]

I really doubt that the prioritization of the platoon advantage was a Hyde initiative.  Always felt like that was the sort of thing that came down from above.  Not daily lineups, but the general instruction.

 

Whether it was Hyde initiative or not it was certainly stuck to, fairly religiously during his tenure. Maybe Hyde took instructions to attempt to exploit platoon advantages too literally? Hard to say.

 

However, to your point, if Albie's lineups and pinch hitting decisions look like managing by numbers, we can reasonably deduce that the FO is behind it.

[dude]

 Hard to say.

 

However, to your point, if Albie's lineups and pinch hitting decisions look like managing by numbers, we can reasonably deduce that the FO is behind it.

 

I don't think it's hard to say.  This FO, in an ecosystem of analytical FOs, likely wants to be the most analytical.

 

So you think they want to hand all of the FO work over to "feel" of the Manager?  I'm gonna say no.

 

Just so I'm clear, I don't care.  I think if the decision works everyone is a genius and every time it doesn't obviously we should have done something else.  Welcome to sports.