- This topic has 18 replies, 11 voices, and was last updated 2 years, 8 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
In the midst of all the opinions offered, Van Slyke gives Winn a strong endorsement. Potential Gold Glover. Dunston’s arm and Ozzie’s range. Can’t teach instincts. Maybe will never have Ozzie’s hands, but even if so, that is ok.
He feels Walker’s problems in the OF are his feet not being positioned properly and him not reading angles well. (I wonder where the coaching is… Hey Willie!)
He also “hates” Knizner catching on one knee. Doesn’t believe it helps the Cards get more strike calls from the umps.
Regarding Walker’s outfield play, about a month or so ago Van Slyke commented that Walker was taking angles to balls that he’d never seen any major league outfielder take.
I’d bet Willie is working with Walker every day but it takes thousands of reps to get smooth and maybe it just comes easier, more naturally for some guys over others.
I’ve noticed improvement from Walker in RF but to be fair it still looks ragged at times….average may be his ceiling as an outfielder? I guess time will tell because it seems like that is where he is going to play.
pitching:
“A huuuge overhaul and a lot of cash”.Walkers D:
“horrendous angles”O’Neill:
“I’m tired of watching this guy not play”
(Yogi-ism)Carlson:
“He has done nothing to show me he’s an everyday outfielder”I enjoy listening to Van Slyke because (a) I think he’s qualified to speak on baseball issues and (b) he actually shares his opinions instead of dancing around the issue in order to avoid hurting anyone’s feelings.
Not everyone can play outfield just because that’s what you want. I can see giving it another year, but there needs to be a plan in place if it doesn’t work out.
I see a lot of catchers with a knee on the ground, at least sometimes. Including Contreras. Drives me crazy.
Walker has definitely gotten better over the last month. I think he will be average out there going forward, which is all we need. I don’t think outfield defensive is as important as some make it out to be. You are talking about 300 outs per year.
Andy undoubtedly knows Willie pretty well, so maybe he has mentioned some of that to him.
I agree that some guys are more natural in the field than others. Given Walker’s athleticism, I think he can learn the techniques to improve his play. As he does the confidence will build and he will keep getting better.
Agree on Winn. Really like this kid. Real young and he will have some growing pains, but will be a very good and possibly great player as he matures and gains experience.
Here’s a quote from Brian’s 2017 Top Story #5 article:
“. . . DeJong finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting and seems set at his position for the foreseeable future.
Then again, we felt the exact same way about Diaz the year before, so perhaps the best thing to say now is that time will tell . . .”
DeJong WAS set at his position – for the next four or five years, thanks to the big contract they gave him. No one could predict his diminishing returns. It happens in some cases but many others, not. Trying to draw that parallel to others all depends on if one sees the glass half full or half empty. However, I had always thought Diaz was over hyped. As most know, Winn is a better prospect now than both of them were in their respective heydays. But it should go without saying that there are no guarantees.
Nope, the certainly are no guarantees. Injury, the yips, the big money takes away that sense of need and desire to perform – case in point – look at how many guys drift and then magically get it back together and crank it up a notch during a contract year…
Sounds like old Andy was a little under the weather when he did that podcast. Funny he said Dylan Carlson has done nothing to prove he is an everyday outfielder. If you compared each players first 3 years Carlson’s stats are slightly above Van Slyke. Carlson had more hits, doubles and home runs then Andy.
I think the pitching is a tad better these days than when Andy played. Have another Mr. Van Slyke.Walker has definitely gotten better over the last month.
I don’t think outfield defensive is as important as some make it out to be. You are talking about 300 outs per year.
In September, Walker had a game where he committed two errors (one fielding, one throwing) on one play.
He followed that up with a game where he committed an error, and they gave the other team a triple on what should have been scored a two base error.
These were games in September, after he supposedly improved in the outfield.
Nolan Arenado committed 3 errors in his last 18 games this year. That included 2 games in September that he committed errors in back-to-back games. He is still regarded as one of the best defensive third basemen of all time.
What this tells me is that you can’t just look at an error on a sheet of paper and make a broad assumption. Walker is still a long ways away from a gold glove. However, having watched a lot of games this year, he is definitely improving in RF. If he works hard this winter and is given most of the starts in RF this year, I think he could be close to league average by the end of 2024
We should not underestimate the value of McGee’s coaching and mentoring. As the season went along Walker settled into the strategy of playing deep, keeping the ball in front of him and making use of his strong arm to limit advances. It seems that such would be exactly what coach McGee would have suggested given Walker’s current limitations. Once he improves his routes and general technique, he would be able to play in a little more and reduce all those balls that drop in front of him right now. I bet that is exactly what Willie has in mind for Walker’s development.
I’d have to say that if you glance at a sheet of paper and see an E charged to a player in today’s game, you can bet the farm that it’s unquestionably an E. I’m talking about a sticking out like a sore thumb, elephant in the room E…I see countless plays that should undoubtedly be made and completed for an out, only to somehow be ruled a hit by the official scorers. If I were a pitcher in today’s game, I’d consider litigation.
Back to the TLR days, coaches would call up the press box and accost the scorer for his calls on borderline plays if it hurts my guy’s ERA or his batting average. IMO, there should be no contact allowed between the two parties. If the scorer makes valid calls that happen to disadvantage the home team’s stats, suck it up and deal with it. If the scorer is bad at his job, replace him.
P.S. I am not defending today’s very liberal scoring. Like you, I see many plays I feel are errors that are not scored that way, but only very rarely the reverse. Just commenting on part of the reason this may be happening.
Of course with all the video available today, if MLB thought it was a problem worth dealing with, they have the resources to address it. And it isn’t like the umpires, who have union protection.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.