moonslav59

He could also play 2B, but your point is well taken.

Bregman will have a talk with him in Spanish. he'll be down to 225 in no time.

...and get hit by foul tips, so the fans can cheer.

So, the job gets easier, so they pay them less? I doubt it.

Maybe not.... vs RHP: LF Anthony, CF Duran, RF Abreu vs LHP: LF Refsnyder, CF Duran, RF Anthony Anthony will not be called up to play PT. Refsnyder will not be benched vs LHPs.

Makes me wonder if he needed surgery last August and maybe he'd be okay by now.

Still need a home plate ump. all the other umps remain unchanged. So, one umps duties are reduced significantly, it doesnt mean he's out a job. Let em complain. We've been complaining about them for over a century. Let them see what it feels like.

Why? We'd still need an ump behind the plate. I'd be fine with a contract w umps guaranteeing no loss of jobs for 50 years

No umps will lose their jobs over this- not an issue.

The challenge idea is better than nothing, but just have the call be made every pitch by ABS. The call can be sent to the home ump's ear piece, so he still makes the call, just like the olden days.

I'm not sure we can read that much into one play. If Stoty's ar is an issue, we could eventually see Mayers at SS, Story at 2B and Campbell at 3b or OF.

When the talk of the Arenado and Castillo trades were being floated, I mentioned Rafaela as a piece to the trades as a way of bring the cost to a more reasonable level, while giving the other team a players who is not really a "salary dump," at this point, anyway. I think there are some teams that do not view Rafaela as an overpay, despite BTV having him at -6. Would you trade Giolito, Rafaela and Mullins for Luis Castillo? Would SEA?

I just wish they'd start in 2025 not 2026.

Waking a sleeping giant!

I totally agree. No challenges: just have the robo ump call it from the start.

Our offense has been criticized, some this winter, and rightfully so in most cases, but we have a lot of potential, and much is not speculative, as we just need a few guys to have seasons like they already have had- some in the last 1-2 seasons, like Yoshida, Wong & Casas. Some 3-6 years ago, like Story, Grissom, Bregman and maybe like Devers in 2019 or 2022, but just repeating last year's APR to July over the full season would also be great. Of course, Campbell, Anthony, Narvaez, Mayer and to some extent DHam, Rafaela and Abreu are speculative.

Maybe Bregman can shake off the slow start rap, this year and put up monster numbers.

Funny. I was hoping Fogel would make the 26! LMAO.

OK, sorry. I do think Rafaela as a super-duper utility man could still get 450-550 PAs, even without major injuries. He can play OF, 2B, SS and by moving others to 3B or 1B can fill in their slots, if a corner IF'er goes down. He's getting paid a lot for a bench role, but getting that many PAs, not to mention late inning defensive play or even PR'er duties, he can still earn his keep. The higher pay seasons are still a few years away, too. He could earn his way back to a starter role by then, or we could trade a starter to make room for him, if he seems deserving, by then.

Career in minors: Campbell: .327 21 82 (.986 OPS) in 601 PAs (per 650: .327 23 90) Anthony: .284 32 142 (.871) in 1114 PAs (per 650: .284 18 80) Mayer: .307 37 162 (.828) in 1218 PAs (per 650: .307 20 90)

Certainly, Mayer may not reach expectations, but other than injuries, he shows no signs of being a bust, and he's played in over 270 games, so far.

I'm not sure how much stock should be put into projections for prospects who have never played a single game in MLB. I'm also not sure how much stock should be put into how many #4 picks have done well or not. Many had Mayer as the #1 or #2, for what that means. To me, I see Mayer as ML ready on D. Only his health could add or subtract from that value. He may not be great on D, but he seems like he'll be a sure plus on D. His success in AA in '24, with his bat, is not a big sample size, and was at AA not AAA, so that is the area with the biggest questions, IMO. OBP is always the hardest part to project into MLB. We've seen so many players with .340-.370 OBP in the minors struggle to stay over .300 or approach .325. To me, if Mayer is 100% healthy, he may just need a few weeks to find his groove, after missing the last couple months of 2024 (just as he was promoted to AAA.) He may be MLB ready by mid April, if all goes well. If he is raking, and Story is looking good, we could have a tough question to answer, even with Bregman at 3B: who plays SS and who plays 2B? (Where does Campbell play, if Story or Mayer is at 2B?)

It can't hurt, and maybe seeing them get more attention might light an even bigger fire beneath him.

Yes, that's another way of putting it. He has not been like Story, who in his brief moments of being healthy, has not been able to hit, very well. Now, Story's bat skills are in question. Mayer has not reached that point. This also begs the question, why would one full and healthy season boost his ranking and value, so much? Would that prove he will stay healthy, going forward?

It's about his health, to me. I'm not sure the spotlight hurts. He does well, when he plays.