Aaron_Kennelly

Well I'm not sorry I missed this game. Chalk it up to Coors being Coors and move on? (It would appear the defense sucked, too, though?)

You have to wait until the 5th spot in our lineup to face a guy with an OBP that doesn't rank in the top 15 in MLB.

I liked the idea of Rose a lot when I saw him earlier in the year, when he was still struggling. He's got a large, strong, wiry body. (Think Kris Bryant, only skinnier.) Obviously he's not anything like Kris Bryant. But he reminded me a lot of Bryant, based on what he looked like, his posture, how he moved about and carried himself, etc. And he looked pretty athletic, too. I saw him make a crazy catch, on a dead sprint up, reaching over the dugout fence. He definitely has raw power to spare. It's really exciting to see it coming out in games. I wonder what the deal was with him earlier in the year. He wasn't really striking out a crazy amount or anything. He just wasn't hitting.

Well said, craig. I feel very much like you do on all four of these. That Katoh list was weird on a number of rankings for me, including Almora. Perhaps it was his defense that factored in so greatly. FWIW, the metrics (Fangraphs) really liked his D in the short time he was in the majors this season. The scouting on Wilson is really exciting. Adding the 2nd half breakout with the bat really piques the interest. And there are several scenarios as to how DJ might fit in down the line. The ones you listed are all possible. Szczur continues to do well and steps in if Fowler leaves with Heyward playing some CF. Almora gets traded or craps out with the bat and becomes the 4th OFer, etc. Obviously, there's a ton of wait and see between now and then. Katoh doesn't look at defense, other than what position a guy plays at. Basically, it assumes him to be a league average center fielder. Katoh likes Almora pretty much exclusively because of his age and contact ability (and that he plays center). Those two things play well as guys move up to the big leagues, so Katoh favors them a lot.

With that, I'm cool with Cahill and Montgomery both making more starts, as we stay with a 6-man rotation even with Lackey out.

That's pretty much all you can ask from a spot start, piggyback combo. 2 runs in Coors, with all nine innings split as close to as identically as you can get.

MVP! MVP! MVP!

http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=np&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=0&type=13&season=2016&month=0&season1=2016&ind=0&team=0,ts&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&sort=10,d

This Bryant guy sucks.

What's the disconnect on those numbers from his -0.1 defensive rating that's going into his WAR calculation? For catchers with at least 190 PAs (to get his 196), only Flowers, Gattis, and Montero are worse (32 total). That is largely a result of his 164 innings that have graded out poorly at a non-premium position (LF, where he has a -19.6 UZR/150). Bad grade at bad position = poor defensive WAR number. Further, I don't believe FG is incorporating any sort of pitch framing gain into WAR as of yet. No, they don't incorporate pitch framing. And that's where you can see the biggest gains from being good defensively behind the plate. And, I should clarify, I am fine with Contreras playing left when he did. For one, he was fresh up from the minors and it was a good way to ease him in. Secondly, with Fowler and Soler out, we needed someone to play in the outfield. So he was a great addition, in that regard. His versatility was key when there were injuries. It's nice to have that option with him. But, the bad numbers at a non-premium position really hold him back in terms of value. He was still valuable overall, but not as much as he should be. If we don't need him out in the outfield, then he should play the position he is really good at, especially considering that it is a premium position.

Well, that was pretty much everything I wanted to say in the Contreras piece I was planning. What's the disconnect on those numbers from his -0.1 defensive rating that's going into his WAR calculation? For catchers with at least 190 PAs (to get his 196), only Flowers, Gattis, and Montero are worse (32 total). His time in the outfield. Which was going to be the basis of my article, demanding that Miggy be sent to rot away as Willson catches everyday. He's losing a ton of value by playing in the outfield. He's good at catching. And he can add a ton of defensive value by just staying back there.

Well, that was pretty much everything I wanted to say in the Contreras piece I was planning.

Seems like the stupid air there would effect him just like it would anyone else. I just remember reading somewhere awhile ago that the Rockies actively look for sinkerball pitchers to fit their environment. Guessing because there isn't as much movement on it compared to a curve or even a slider/2 seamer. That said, a sinker that doesn't sink as much especially for a pitcher who isn't acclimated to pitching at Coors will lead to weak contact ground balls being turned into hard hit fly balls so who knows. http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=20069 Curveball = really bad Slider and cutter = not as bad as the rest Everything else = equally horrible, but not so much as a curve Really, nothing works. It is a miserable, horrible place for pitchers. I think this quote best illustrates things. The Rockies have played there for decades now. And they've spent decades trying to formulate the secret sauce to pitching in Coors. And they never can figure it out. So they keep changing the sauce. Nothing will ever work. There is no answer. There is no sauce. That place is where pitching goes to die. And you should never feel safe with any pitcher going to pitch in that park.

I don't think there is any perfect pitcher for Coors. Part of the problem, other than the ball flying out of the park, is that the thin air affects spin and movement on pitches. A guy like Hendricks, who relies a lot on movement, might lose what makes him a good pitcher. And, sinkers are affected pretty heavily, if I recall correctly. I think sliders and cutters are the pitches that work the best in Coors. A sinker/changeup guy like Hendricks might not be able to be his normal ground ball/weak contact self.

Yes, every thread in the Game Threads forum.

This offense, though...

Phew.

You suck!

Dammit

Oh, Willson.

Come on, Patton.

Yeah, this is definitely Bad Jake.

I didn't proclaim him fixed. I said he's back. And by that, I clearly meant that the bad version we've gotten used to is back.

Can you do an article on him? He's up next, after I do the second part of my Hendricks article tonight.

I love Willson. It's still ridiculous to me that he randomly popped up and became part of the core.