2021 was weird, is 2025 weirder?

[msgkings322]

So to this day we don't really understand what happened in 2021, winning 107 games completely out of the blue...the reasons are many but a big one is just about everyone in the lineup had career years or close to it, and so did some bench guys:

Crawford was a 6.1 WAR player (highest on the team) with a 141 OPS+
Belt was at 160 OPS+
Posey 140
Longoria was even at 124
Mike Yazstremski had 25 home runs, Lamonte Wade had a .808 OPS and 18 home runs, Darin Ruf had 16 HRs in 262 ABs and a 143 OPS+, Austin Slater had 12 HRs in 274 ABs
And the pitching was excellent
so ok, that's weird, you don't expect everyone to do that right?

Well 2025 might be weirder...we are winning games (less than 2021 but still pretty good pace) and NO ONE is killing it at the plate. It's almost ALL pitching. This worries me because it might mean we are due to regress...on the other hand if guys start hitting at least a little better we might not with such good pitching

Just something that caught my attention

 

[tzill]

I don't find this season "weird" like that season b/c great pitching to me isn't weird.

Phenomenal hitting is very weird to me though....

Thought experiment:

O's make O'Hearn and Rutschman available. Would it make sense to pick them both up and if so, how much would we need to give up?

Harry plus what?

 

[stanford the manford]

Don't ignore the defense which is keeping opponents scores low so our pitiful offense can win

 

[calsnowskier]

I would say the 2016 collapse is “weirder” than this season.

 

[stanford the manford]

I don't find this season "weird" like that season b/c great pitching to me isn't weird.

Phenomenal hitting is very weird to me though....

Thought experiment:

O's make O'Hearn and Rutschman available. Would it make sense to pick them both up and if so, how much would we need to give up?

Harry plus what?

As long as Bailey is our starter, we need a productive and reliable back-up. If Tom Murphy is a career IL guy, cut 'em loose and find someone. Churning catchers is a sure way to fall out of the pennant race. Hell, I'd push for Buster to take a 10d stint at this point.

I know nothing about either guy, but from what I've seen Smith looks very serviceable at 1st. Eldridge is in the wings so unless O'Hearn is a guaranteed offensive stud I'm would'd feel a need to replace Smith

 

[SF11704]

I would say the 2016 collapse is “weirder” than this season.

For ... the 2016 season will always be a mystery ... the collapse was sudden and it was lengthy ...

 

[msgkings322]

I don't find this season "weird" like that season b/c great pitching to me isn't weird.

The weird part is winning with zero hitting

Phenomenal hitting is very weird to me though....

Thought experiment:

O's make O'Hearn and Rutschman available. Would it make sense to pick them both up and if so, how much would we need to give up?

Harry plus what?

Harry is the weakest of our 'ready' young arms so if the league still likes him, go for it

Throws 70% fastballs and doesn't really have another premium pitch

 

[msgkings322]

I would say the 2016 collapse is “weirder” than this season.

That was also weird just comparing surprisingly winning seasons

 

[stanford the manford]

I would say the 2016 collapse is “weirder” than this season.

2016 isn't quite up there with 2002 re: disappointment, but it was bad

 

[msgkings322]

2016 isn't quite up there with 2002 re: disappointment, but it was bad

Sure 2002 was way more disappointing but was it weird like 2016 or 2021?

 

[LHG]

I don't find this season "weird" like that season b/c great pitching to me isn't weird.

Phenomenal hitting is very weird to me though....

Thought experiment:

O's make O'Hearn and Rutschman available. Would it make sense to pick them both up and if so, how much would we need to give up?

Harry plus what?

O'Hearn will be available but I don't see Rutschman on the trading block. He has too much name recognition for them to jettison him. I don't think they have a stud catcher waiting in the wings either (but could be wrong on that part).

Did you see the Q &A on MLBTR subscription talking about potential 1st baseman available on the trading block and what it is likely to cost?

 

[stanford the manford]

Sure 2002 was way more disappointing but was it weird like 2016 or 2021?

no not weird, but i gotta admit how obsessed i am with the '16 collapse. should have been the wake up call to the f.o. to move on.

i'm old... don't have that many fan years left and i feel like '17 plus were lost years, just now coming into form

 

[tzill]

O'Hearn will be available but I don't see Rutschman on the trading block. He has too much name recognition for them to jettison him. I don't think they have a stud catcher waiting in the wings either (but could be wrong on that part).

Did you see the Q &A on MLBTR subscription talking about potential 1st baseman available on the trading block and what it is likely to cost?

I didn't read that. TL/DR?

 

[LHG]

I didn't read that. TL/DR?

Basically, O'Hearn is likely to be the best 1st base bat on the market and will likely cost some premium prospects. All others are not that exciting.

 

[tzill]

Basically, O'Hearn is likely to be the best 1st base bat on the market and will likely cost some premium prospects. All others are not that exciting.

I wouldn't give up Bryce or Whiz for him. Probably wouldn't give up Tibbs or Jordan either.

Guess we won't make that deal.

 

[msgkings322]

I wouldn't give up Bryce or Whiz for him. Probably wouldn't give up Tibbs or Jordan either.

Guess we won't make that deal.

Depends what Posey would or wouldn't do more though

Gotta think they get a bat maybe not a big name but a legit starter level player, gotta take shots when you are in range

 

[calsnowskier]

no not weird, but i gotta admit how obsessed i am with the '16 collapse. should have been the wake up call to the f.o. to move on.

i'm old... don't have that many fan years left and i feel like '17 plus were lost years, just now coming into form

I spelled out a pretty detailed plan for a rebuild in a post in ‘16 or ‘17. I figured we could be back to the top of the league in 3 years if they just I’d a couple of uncomfortable things (primarily trading Bum when he still had about 2 years left on his deal).

Well here we are, 8 years later, and we are hoping to maybe compete for a wildcard spot.

 

[tzill]

I spelled out a pretty detailed plan for a rebuild in a post in ‘16 or ‘17. I figured we could be back to the top of the league in 3 years if they just I’d a couple of uncomfortable things (primarily trading Bum when he still had about 2 years left on his deal).

Well here we are, 8 years later, and we are hoping to maybe compete for a wildcard spot.

That has more to do with the lack of a salary cap in MLB than anything else.

The fact that los doyers can spend $329M on payroll when the fish spend $67M is ridiculous.

If we had, say a $200M cap then we wouldn't be "competing for a wild card.

 

[stanford the manford]

I spelled out a pretty detailed plan for a rebuild in a post in ‘16 or ‘17. I figured we could be back to the top of the league in 3 years if they just I’d a couple of uncomfortable things (primarily trading Bum when he still had about 2 years left on his deal).

Well here we are, 8 years later, and we are hoping to maybe compete for a wildcard spot.

I remember that discussion and I was an advocate of breaking up the band and rebuilding