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Jeepers, I didn’t realize he is also hitting .333!!!
How’s come he looked so lost when he was up at the big league level awhile back? Is MLB pitching THAT much better than AAA?
Baker was having the same problem Burleson had. They have been everyday players since they were in diapers and sudenly they are sitting on the bench for extended periods, plus facing the better pitching. Burly hits when he plays regularly and Baker probably would too.
Rat- When you get 12 AB’s over like 2 weeks it’s hard to adjust to the pitching.
Wondering if he and Burleson are destined to be Oakland or Las Vegas A’s?
Why don’t they play Baker more during the rest of this lost season? Our management is so incompetent.
Why don’t they play Baker more
I think its because he doesn’t figureinto the plans going forward. It would have to be a regular DH, now and then 1B role, and I don’t think the org wants to create that role. It also seems like the org would understand by now that Walker’s place will be everyday 1B after Goldy.
There is no reason for him to spend another year mostly in AAA. Its probably right to let him make a few ML paychecks and then move him out one way or another. Maybe he would get a real chance somewhere.
Unless another team wants Baker in a trade and he can fetch value in return, he will likely stay around a few more years as insurance in case of injury to Goldy while he still has minor league options remaining.
They have no reason to trade him (substitute others’ names here, too), for example just to give him a better chance elsewhere. It may not be until he uses his options (ex. Edmundo Sosa) or is in line for a big salary increase via arbitration.
I get that it may seem unfair to some fans, but this is how MLB contracts work. Teams generally keep useful players while inexpensive and as long as the player gives them roster flexibility. While in Triple-A, Baker is a masher.
I guess a Luke Voit for Giovanny Gallegos kind of deal would be possible…
P.S. I remember considerable complaining about that trade when Voit got off to a great start with NYY. Then he flamed out. NYY got 4.8 fWAR from him. So far, the Cards have 6.2 from Gallegos. A clear win, but few mention it.
To me, the organization has its biased favorites, see MOttar, and others who will never be given a chance. This isn’t how you run a club. Playing should be based on production. At this point does it really matter if Goldy plays every day. He can also DH. Maybe Baker is the real thing, but we will never find out.
“And speaking of AAA……I just checked the stats of the pitchers down at Memphis. Not very good.”
But numbers always need a context. The overall ERA in the International League this season is an ugly 5.23. In the Pacific Coast League it’s an even more objectionable 5.75. (Blame the automated strikezone.) So let’s look at the age-appropriate pitchers in the two AAA leagues who have been better than average this year.
Here’s a list of ALL the under-24 pitchers in the International League this campaign with a sub-5.00 ERA (min. 50 IP), or a sub-5.50 in the PCL:
Quinn Priester 4.13 (#17 pitching prospect per Fangraphs)
LIBERATORE 4.23
MCGREEVY 4.30
Joey Cantillo 4.39
GRACEFFO 4.40
Watson (PCL) 4.43
Arrigheti (PCL) 4.64
O’Laughlin 4.64
Kyle Harrison 4.66 (PCL, #3 pitching prospect in baseball)
DREW ROM 4.82
Ben Brown 4.85 (#9 overall pitching prospect)It would certainly appear that when it comes to Triple-A pitching prospects, nobody compares to the Birds in terms of quality depth. The numbers speak for themselves.
Yeah, my guess is that when they start that robo HPU, it’ll have more of an impact on the game than anything since the dead ball era.
With the season Baker is having I think he will be a good MLB player. The reason he has not shown much at the top level is due to inconsistent reps.
Give him a shot to play every day, and he should be pretty good. The MiLB ERA’s are not great, so his numbers are inflated some. But he would adapt and do well in my opinion. Probably not another Aaron Judge, but I think he could hit for a better average than Kyle Schwarber and maintain similar power.
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