It’s official. He’s up Friday.
― Mad Piratical (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Wednesday, 24 April 2019 23:32 (five years ago) link
Mike Fiers made his MLB debut in 2011, the same year Vlad Guerrero Sr. retired. Now he’ll become the first pitcher Vlad Jr. faces in the big leagues on Friday.— Faizal Khamisa (@SNFaizalKhamisa) April 24, 2019
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Wednesday, 24 April 2019 23:51 (five years ago) link
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D49POxjVUAAswAb.jpg
― but I can't let Trae do it I got Huerter on my mind (Spottie), Thursday, 25 April 2019 00:00 (five years ago) link
The range of names here is amusing: from Lou Gehrig to Nick Swisher, and everybody in between.
https://www.mlb.com/news/vladimir-guerrero-jr-projections-10-years-c303459710
― clemenza, Thursday, 25 April 2019 00:02 (five years ago) link
if you asked me a week ago to name the teams of this guy and Tatis Jr, I couldn't have done it
― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 25 April 2019 00:44 (five years ago) link
Lot of talk on the radio tonight: how much notice will fans get, will the debut be a sell-out, is this the most anticipated debut of any Toronto athlete ever (any sport), etc. If there's enough notice, I might just try to buy a couple of cheap seats immediately and figure out who else can go later.― clemenza, Friday, April 12, 2019
70,000 for the three games (29/21/19). I don't know why I too thought they might sell out Friday (or Saturday). As Mike Wilner pointed out, they didn't draw for Clemens in '97 and '98, having two historically great seasons--when they contend it's a zoo, when they don't it's half-empty, and it doesn't matter who's on the field.
― clemenza, Monday, 29 April 2019 01:38 (five years ago) link
Which is typical for most teams, and halfway between the few that draw no matter what, and the few that have trouble filling seats even when they contend.
― clemenza, Monday, 29 April 2019 01:55 (five years ago) link
Getting the day off tonight. No concern at all, although with so much scrutiny, you don't want a slow start to take on a life of its own.
― clemenza, Thursday, 2 May 2019 22:38 (five years ago) link
Finally a multi-hit game today (2-2). It's been ugly--here's hoping Mendoza Land's in the mirror within a week or two.
― clemenza, Sunday, 12 May 2019 02:04 (four years ago) link
home run derby bound!
― mookieproof, Friday, 21 June 2019 21:51 (four years ago) link
Is it normal for them to invite rando non-all stars?
― Mad Piratical (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Saturday, 22 June 2019 02:30 (four years ago) link
What's the record for lowest amount of HRs (or lowest SLG) to be invited to the HR derby?
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Saturday, 22 June 2019 02:40 (four years ago) link
ffs you people hate fun and/or 20-year-olds
would you rather have ketel marte and renato nunez
― mookieproof, Saturday, 22 June 2019 04:08 (four years ago) link
come join me on the Soto thread...
BlueJays rookies ranked by ISO:
https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=y&type=8&season=2019&month=0&season1=2019&ind=2&team=14&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&startdate=2019-01-01&enddate=2019-12-31&sort=10,d
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Saturday, 22 June 2019 04:24 (four years ago) link
Mookie otm I hope Senior throws
― Van Horn Street, Saturday, 22 June 2019 04:24 (four years ago) link
tbh the entire home run derby should be keith law pitching to jeff mcneil
― mookieproof, Saturday, 22 June 2019 04:37 (four years ago) link
i just want to point out that Cavan Biggio has a 18.6% walk rate.
― Mad Piratical (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Saturday, 22 June 2019 06:14 (four years ago) link
Waiting, waiting, waiting...The notion that the HR Derby would get him going, that didn't happen. I realize that he's 20 and that this whole season could be a write-off and it really wouldn't matter. I'm just a little surprised by how much of a flat-line his season has been.
― clemenza, Thursday, 18 July 2019 14:06 (four years ago) link
what's the book on him?
― Li'l Brexit (Tracer Hand), Thursday, 18 July 2019 15:06 (four years ago) link
Scouting, you mean? Basically, I think, that he was one of the best pure hitters in ages, but that he could stand to lose a few pounds.
This was posted today:
http://jaysjournal.com/2019/07/18/blue-jays-arguing-vladimir-guerrero-jr-reset-demotion/
I'd be more inclined to let him work things out.
― clemenza, Thursday, 18 July 2019 15:28 (four years ago) link
pic.twitter.com/o614UMDzfP— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 18, 2019
― mookieproof, Thursday, 18 July 2019 16:08 (four years ago) link
i mean what are his weaknesses? have pitchers "figured him out"?
― Li'l Brexit (Tracer Hand), Thursday, 18 July 2019 17:03 (four years ago) link
He tore apart Triple-AAA pitching...I guess that's possible, but I've gotta believe it's just a case of him figuring out them. There's a Jays analyst, Kevin Barker--who drives me up the wall most of the time--who a couple of weeks ago was saying that pitchers are exploiting Guerrero's long swing, and that Vlad (he contrasted this with Gurriel, Jr.) isn't making any adjustments.
― clemenza, Thursday, 18 July 2019 17:12 (four years ago) link
so they are, so to speak, "smokin him inside"?
― Li'l Brexit (Tracer Hand), Thursday, 18 July 2019 17:14 (four years ago) link
Nice--and then frustrated Jays fans pound some Labatt's.
― clemenza, Thursday, 18 July 2019 17:17 (four years ago) link
i think you hit the main point early on, clemenza: "I realize that he's 20"
― Karl Malone, Thursday, 18 July 2019 17:36 (four years ago) link
check mike trout's rookie season stats, etc
i don't see any point in sending him down to learn stuff. he already crushed AAA. it's not like the jays are going anywhere this year (sorry) - so take advantage of this season to give him plenty of time to work on things at the big league level, imo
― Karl Malone, Thursday, 18 July 2019 17:37 (four years ago) link
he has never, in a baseball sense, faced adversity before or been forced to make adjustments. this is the only level that can teach him anything
― mookieproof, Thursday, 18 July 2019 17:45 (four years ago) link
it's not like the jays are going anywhere this year (sorry)
I take great umbrage at you writing off the Jays so cavalierly.
No argument with anything above. He does need to lose a few pounds, though. You're not supposed to have the body of a 30-year-old Prince Fielder unless you're 30 and Prince Fielder.
― clemenza, Thursday, 18 July 2019 18:11 (four years ago) link
He's not embarrassing himself out there, he's just not tearing it up. he's mediocre, though actually just a bit above replacement level. Karl otm w/r/t Mike Trout's first taste of MLB pitching.
― omar little, Thursday, 18 July 2019 19:06 (four years ago) link
First grand slam tonight. (Jays set a record for most grand slams from rookies.)
― clemenza, Sunday, 21 July 2019 02:01 (four years ago) link
Vladdy notches his 1st career grand slam. This tshirt was made for him by a friend.Translator Tito LeBron tells me it says “the man with power.” pic.twitter.com/dltXme8zsp— Hazel Mae (@thehazelmae) July 21, 2019
― Andy K, Sunday, 21 July 2019 03:55 (four years ago) link
Possible that he presses a bit at home:
Home - 5 HR, .256/.337/.430Away - 10 HR, .308/.374/.522
Rogers is pretty neutral as a park.
― clemenza, Friday, 23 August 2019 18:30 (four years ago) link
Last 30 games for Vlad Guerrero Jr..380/.446/.676, 13 BB, 17K, 7 HR, 1.122 OPS#BlueJays— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) August 23, 2019
― mookieproof, Friday, 23 August 2019 18:33 (four years ago) link
I thought the dome was a hitters park?
Dude has been on fire since Bichette came up.
― Mad Piratical (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Saturday, 24 August 2019 00:04 (four years ago) link
Baseball Reference has:
Multi-year: Batting - 97, Pitching - 98One-year: Batting - 100, Pitching - 101
Seems pretty neutral...but I might not be interpreting that right.
― clemenza, Saturday, 24 August 2019 03:09 (four years ago) link
he seems to have figured out how to hit at home - 267 wRC+, .563 wOBA, 1.389 OPS!!
― parenthetically yours, (Karl Malone), Sunday, 16 May 2021 21:30 (two years ago) link
when will he receive the clemenza seal of approval tho
― mookieproof, Monday, 17 May 2021 00:54 (two years ago) link
Hey--I'm happy! My issue all along was his seeming indifference to his weight. He did something about it, came back in much better shape, and--no coincidence, surely--he's the hitter we'd heard so much about.
― clemenza, Monday, 17 May 2021 01:31 (two years ago) link
i'm starting to think this guy might be good
― Karl Malone, Wednesday, 26 May 2021 04:57 (two years ago) link
it's weird, just knowing a guy by his stats. i've barely seen him play. not at all this year, not last year, only a bit during 2019. he's graded at 80/80 on raw power, but then you'd look at his minor league stats and see 13 HRs in 2017, 20 or so in 2018, ok. but not he's on pace for 45+ this year, while hitting .333, on base 44% of the time. O_O OK!
― Karl Malone, Wednesday, 26 May 2021 04:59 (two years ago) link
sorry, weird typos. i guess it's just cool to see him realize his power potential. it probably also helps, in a way, to be swinging against guys throwing 95+. solid contact against fast throwers = longballs
― Karl Malone, Wednesday, 26 May 2021 05:01 (two years ago) link
also, theoretically there's this thing with athletes "filling" out in their early 20s and getting stronger. personally, i have found that my body is like a coughed bird skeleton, but these are pro athletes so
― Karl Malone, Wednesday, 26 May 2021 05:19 (two years ago) link
maybe i’m cynical but i always chalked up the “filling out” to young athletes meeting “trainers” with very specific cutting edge uh nutritional regimes that dance on the edge of legality
― Tracer Hand, Wednesday, 26 May 2021 07:39 (two years ago) link
it makes sense to be cynical when the words "a physical specimen" come up so often in baseball writing
― Karl Malone, Wednesday, 26 May 2021 07:56 (two years ago) link
“a UCLA product”
― Tracer Hand, Wednesday, 26 May 2021 08:13 (two years ago) link
Vlad had actually dropped weight going into the season. he showed up last year a little heavier and didn't perform like people had hoped so there was some pressure there. i think it helped his fielding a lot – but with his hitting he's just stopped chasing every other pitch. i think he was way too aggressive when he came up and was wiffing on too many major league caliber pitches. i also think moving to 1B helped, kinda like with encarnacion. i feel like playing a position you are better suited for seems to make the hitting part easier.
― FRAUDULENT STEAKS (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Wednesday, 26 May 2021 12:49 (two years ago) link
A Triple Crown for Vlad is again not entirely out of reach. (It seemed so a few weeks ago). He's regained the lead in BA, is three HR behind Ohtani and five RBI behind Abreu. He's got 24 games to make that up.
― clemenza, Monday, 6 September 2021 21:34 (two years ago) link
If it ever happened, a Triple Crown vs. Ohtani would be a great MVP story.
― clemenza, Monday, 6 September 2021 21:35 (two years ago) link