Author Topic: The Sunshine Squad 2023: Gotta be better, right?  (Read 12195 times)

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Offline imref

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Yea, this. Dude has definitely propelled himself into some conversations with his hot start to the season, but we shouldn't be knighting him the starting job yet.

Maybe. But...
- Baker was drafted as a favor to his dad
- Baker isn't a prospect
- Baker got lucky at Fredricksburg (.318 / .352 / .394 in 18 games)
- Baker won't be able to hit at A+ (.273 / .333 / .367 in 62 games)
- Baker won't get past AA (.290 / .356 / .361 in 43 games)
- Baker will be overmatched at AAA (.355 / .422 / .463 in 32 games)
- Baker doesn't have enough minor league games to draw any conclusions <-----YOU ARE HERE
- Baker is at best a backup IF at the major league level
- Baker is an everyday player at the major league level
- Baker is an all-star
- Baker is a future hall of famer
- Baker is traded before free agency because he won't accept 13 / $600 million
- Baker posts .202 / .258 / .217 for the Mets in the first year of his 13 / $600 million contract
- Baker attacks a fan
- Baker retires
- Baker signs with the Long Island Ducks

Online Mattionals

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Maybe. But...
- Baker was drafted as a favor to his dad
- Baker isn't a prospect
- Baker got lucky at Fredricksburg (.318 / .352 / .394 in 18 games)
- Baker won't be able to hit at A+ (.273 / .333 / .367 in 62 games)
- Baker won't get past AA (.290 / .356 / .361 in 43 games)
- Baker will be overmatched at AAA (.355 / .422 / .463 in 32 games)
- Baker doesn't have enough minor league games to draw any conclusions <-----YOU ARE HERE
- Baker is at best a backup IF at the major league level
- Baker is an everyday player at the major league level
- Baker is an all-star
- Baker is a future hall of famer
- Baker is traded before free agency because he won't accept 13 / $600 million
- Baker posts .202 / .258 / .217 for the Mets in the first year of his 13 / $600 million contract
- Baker attacks a fan
- Baker retires
- Baker signs with the Long Island Ducks


 :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

Offline Senatorswin

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Or maybe we just slow roll a guy with less than 80 games above Single A. Pretty sure that .414 BABIP isnt sustainable

He could stand to stay down in the minors but if he's still smoking for another month or so he should be coming up. He's 24 years old. He played in college instead of minors out of high school. He's hit the whole time he's been in the minors.

He's no Ryan Zimmerman but Zim also played in college. He was drafted in 2005 and by the fall was in the majors to stay at 20 years old.

You need to look at a guy who played in college different from a guy out of high school.

But again, where do you play him?

Online Natsinpwc

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If Baker continues to hit he should be in the mix for backup next year.  Would be helpful if he could also play SS and 3B.  Can he do that?

Online Natsinpwc

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Maybe. But...
- Baker was drafted as a favor to his dad
- Baker isn't a prospect
- Baker got lucky at Fredricksburg (.318 / .352 / .394 in 18 games)
- Baker won't be able to hit at A+ (.273 / .333 / .367 in 62 games)
- Baker won't get past AA (.290 / .356 / .361 in 43 games)
- Baker will be overmatched at AAA (.355 / .422 / .463 in 32 games)
- Baker doesn't have enough minor league games to draw any conclusions <-----YOU ARE HERE
- Baker is at best a backup IF at the major league level
- Baker is an everyday player at the major league level
- Baker is an all-star
- Baker is a future hall of famer
- Baker is traded before free agency because he won't accept 13 / $600 million
- Baker posts .202 / .258 / .217 for the Mets in the first year of his 13 / $600 million contract
- Baker attacks a fan
- Baker retires
- Baker signs with the Long Island Ducks
Is Boras his agent?  If so trade him now.

Online Slateman

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He could stand to stay down in the minors but if he's still smoking for another month or so he should be coming up. He's 24 years old. He played in college instead of minors out of high school. He's hit the whole time he's been in the minors.

He's no Ryan Zimmerman but Zim also played in college. He was drafted in 2005 and by the fall was in the majors to stay at 20 years old.

You need to look at a guy who played in college different from a guy out of high school.

But again, where do you play him?

No, he shouldnt. This year is about development. They dont need to do anything with Baker until after the trade deadline, at the earliest. Especially if they want to play him somewhere other than second base.

Online JCA-CrystalCity

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Robertson had to throw 40 pitches, which should knock him out of today and maybe Sunday

Offline imref

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Offline imref

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Via talknats - good day for the top prospects:

Quote
-  №1 prospect James Wood 3-3 HR, 2 2B, 2 RBIs, 2 walks, HR had a 107 mph exit velo and traveled 427 feet

- №2 prospect Robert Hassell III, 1-3 w/ 2 walks

- №3 prospect Elijah Green 2-4, 2B, 1 RBI, 0 Ks, 2 SB

Online Smithian

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This team so far is a near best case scenario. They keep it up and win 70 games and this will be one of my favorite seasons. Big 2010 and 2011 vibes coming off the dark days.

Offline welch

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Rizzo has done a great job rebuilding the team. So far, so good.

Offline imref

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71.2 win pace

Offline imref

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Happy 19-31 day!

Offline welch

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Happy 19-31 day!

1931 Day? which one? That was a fine season, 92-62-2 under manager Walter Johnson, but good enough only for 3rd place. Look at the team, mixing the last seasons of the 1924-1925 champs and the first season of the Wrecking Crew of '33. Sam Rice, at 41, hit .310 with .765 OPS...I'd rather have that Sam Rice in LF than Dickerson. Then the core of the team: Heinie Manush, Joe Cronin, Joe Kuhel, and the tough-as-nails Buddy Myer at 2B. That's the Buddy who kept getting spiked by the Yankees' Ben Chapman, until Myer had had enough. After turning a double play, Myer felt himself lifted into the air as Chapman ran far out of the base-path. Chapman had spiked the heel off of Myer's shoe, so our Buddy Myer kicked Chapman. And kicked Chapman (who was about 30 pounds heavier). And kicked him again, as the dugouts emptied and fans began to climb over the lower-deck railing to get at Chapman and the Yankees.

A great year, but the A's, the last of Connie Mack's power teams, and the Yankees had better records.

Offline imref

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1931 Day? which one? That was a fine season, 92-62-2 under manager Walter Johnson, but good enough only for 3rd place. Look at the team, mixing the last seasons of the 1924-1925 champs and the first season of the Wrecking Crew of '33. Sam Rice, at 41, hit .310 with .765 OPS...I'd rather have that Sam Rice in LF than Dickerson. Then the core of the team: Heinie Manush, Joe Cronin, Joe Kuhel, and the tough-as-nails Buddy Myer at 2B. That's the Buddy who kept getting spiked by the Yankees' Ben Chapman, until Myer had had enough. After turning a double play, Myer felt himself lifted into the air as Chapman ran far out of the base-path. Chapman had spiked the heel off of Myer's shoe, so our Buddy Myer kicked Chapman. And kicked Chapman (who was about 30 pounds heavier). And kicked him again, as the dugouts emptied and fans began to climb over the lower-deck railing to get at Chapman and the Yankees.

A great year, but the A's, the last of Connie Mack's power teams, and the Yankees had better records.

There is only one 19-31 day, the one in 2019. :)

Online Natsinpwc

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There is only one 19-31 day, the one in 2019. :)
If only we were that bad this year. Already 20 wins!

Offline welch

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If only we were that bad this year. Already 20 wins!

The 1978 Yankee season was plenty good, as my adopted home-town Yankees came from about 15 games back to beat the Red Sox, but nothing matches 2019. I wish my dad had lived to see it. He was only about twelve when the 1933 team won the pennant, and he suffered year after year when he got back from The War. Took me to my first game, 1954 Opening Day. Our Nats had just gotten good in 1960 when, maybe a month later, the dishonorable Calvin Griffith stole our team away to Minneapolis. And we were left with a hopeless expansion team. And then Bob Short took even the Expansion Senators of to some forgotten place in Texas.


Offline imref

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Beat San Diego tonight and we tie them in the WC standings.

Offline Elvir Ovcina

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Beat San Diego tonight and we tie them in the WC standings.

F the Prellers.

Offline imref

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2 back of Philly, 4 back of the WC.

Offline Count Walewski

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Strong 2011 vibes is right. This is an entertaining Nats team that is winning way more games than expected. Also like 2011, a lot of the heavy lifting is coming from random veterans and guys who washed out of other organizations who are not part of the core the team is trying to rebuild around. I went to something like 20 games in 2011 and recall a lot of game-winning hits from guys like Xavier Nady, Rick Ankiel, and whichever of the Hairston brothers the Nats had that year. I recall one game where Xavier Nady came up to bat in a huge situation, and Terrence went into the stands to grab an "X-MAN" sign some fan had brought to the game, and as Terrence ran along the top of the Nats dugout with that sign, sure enough Nady hit a game-winner. A beautiful moment but I recall being puzzled by the idea that somebody would bring an Xavier Nady sign to a ballgame.

Those guys were all ruthlessly replaced in 2012 by callups from a stocked minor league system and/or guys acquired over the offseason. Bryce Harper was already the best selling Nats jersey in 2011 iirc. Lannan didn't even make the starting rotation a year after being the team's ace. That same can't-miss minor league depth is not in the wings right now.

The Nationals badly need a lot of guys to go from 2011 Ian Desmond to mid-2010's Ian Desmond.

Offline welch

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It feels almost 2011 -- which was a delightful year. Only the fourth time in my lifetime that a Washington team finished around .500, and, unlike 2005, this team had good young players crowding toward the majors. That summer, Bryce Harper scored from first on a single when he spotted an infielder lazy-ing with a relay...that was the belly-slide that broke Harper's belt. Strasburg was rehabbing. Jordan Zim looked good.

I think this season feels closer to 2010.

Online JCA-CrystalCity

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it's still short of 1/3 of the season, and I do anticipate more of a "move non-core pieces in trade if we can" approach to July than we had in 2011, but it's interesting to look at the "Old Chelsea Tribute" post near the end of the GDTs after wins to look at comparable seasons for directions this year could take. the 4 most similar records to date / by game are 2008, 2021, 2019, and 2011. thru 51 games, we are tied with 2008 and 2021 and we are ahead of 2019 still. the 2011 team got its 22nd win in 50 games.

the 2008 team had started to crater early in May but stabilized mid-month around 8 under .500 before becoming the Strasburg-earning pathetic Acta-led disaster with a silver lining around 5/31, fittingly with a Jason Bergmann loss.

2019 and 2021 were about to  go on hot streaks with teams rich with veteran talent and headline starting pitchers. one of those headline pitchers, patrick corbin, was having an eerily-similar to this year kind of year in 2021, where he was horrid his first couple of starts but after that put together a middling, not bad stretch to the end of June.

2011 has been talked about. would you take 2011 desi or 2023 cj? 2011 Espinosa or 2023 Garcia? 2011 Buffalo or 2023 Ruiz? Joey isn't showing the pop this year of Michael Morse, there's no #11, and there's no underperforming Werth or injured LaRoche hanging around but important to the future. instead, you have thomas, good glove work in the corners, and hope for Robles to resume  good start at some point soon. 

Offline welch

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Who is Robles?