Series Thread: MARINERS MINORS 2021

[NWinAZ]

 

[NWinAZ]

Don't ever call him up...

 

[NWinAZ]

 

[SeattleCoug]

Wonder if that fire fits in on this team

 

[NWinAZ]

 

[seahawksfan234]

The funny thing to me about all the Kelenic stuff, why no outcry for Cal? The guy is of major league age, has a 18 game hit streak, and is a good defensive player at a position that really is available for the taking. It just all seems odd to me...and I get all the pacify the future king stuff, but don't forget about your knights either.

I think with Cal (I didn't realize how well he was hitting before you mentioned this tbh) it's partially due to the fact that I don't think the Mariners are ready to give up on Tom Murphy yet. Perhaps I'm putting too much hope into Murphy, but I'm willing to see the Mariners continue to give him ABs. Perhaps I'm overlooking his 2021 slump and the fact that aside from 2019 he was nothing more than a replacement level player, but I still think he can be the player he was in 2019.

If I had to guess, the organization could just be trying to figure out if Tom Murphy is the 2019 Tom Murphy or the 2015-2018 & 2021 Tom Murphy, which I don't think is the worst approach. Not like we're in playoff contention so it doesn't hurt giving Murphy more ABs in the meantime.

 

[seahawksfan234]

Wonder if that fire fits in on this team

That fire? In the major leagues with the Mariners? C'mon that fire only exists with guys who want to compete. The Mariners haven't done that in years.

 

[NWinAZ]

I think with Cal (I didn't realize how well he was hitting before you mentioned this tbh) it's partially due to the fact that I don't think the Mariners are ready to give up on Tom Murphy yet. Perhaps I'm putting too much hope into Murphy, but I'm willing to see the Mariners continue to give him ABs. Perhaps I'm overlooking his 2021 slump and the fact that aside from 2019 he was nothing more than a replacement level player, but I still think he can be the player he was in 2019.

If I had to guess, the organization could just be trying to figure out if Tom Murphy is the 2019 Tom Murphy or the 2015-2018 & 2021 Tom Murphy, which I don't think is the worst approach. Not like we're in playoff contention so it doesn't hurt giving Murphy more ABs in the meantime.

Not being a contender is the perfect reason to give Cal the AB's. Plus, M's love running out a two catcher lineup.

But I agree with your points, I just don't agree with M's logic. Lol, I said M's and logic in the same sentence.

 

[seahawksfan234]

Not being a contender is the perfect reason to give Cal the AB's. Plus, M's love running out a two catcher lineup.

But I agree with your points, I just don't agree with M's logic. Lol, I said M's and logic in the same sentence.

That's actually a fair point about us not being a contender and I did think about that as well. That being said I still understand the logic in trying to see what we have with Tom Murphy.

I read "I just don't agree with the M's logic." and was going to respond with "M's and logic in the same sentence is quite the oxymoron," but you essentially beat me to it lol.

 

[seahawksfan234]

The game is to drive in runs, an RBI is the exact same thing as a solo home run. The fact RBI is hated by analytics to me proves they do not understand baseball. An RBI means nothing because it combines skill and luck. But so does launch angle, is a guy really a home run hitter if he doesn’t hit any home runs against legitimate pitching. Let alone the RBI argument I don’t understand because they believe a single is a single except when that single is a bunt. A double is a double except when there is a walk or a single and the runner steals second. It is just cluster f of hypocrisy that has never led to a championship.

An interesting note on France is Raleigh has been playing 1B a few times with the Rainiers. I truly think 2B or 3B is his position if they make him play in the field. Raleigh’s offense has blown me away from what I thought his ceiling is. Without question he is the best defensive catcher in the organization but are trying him at 1B reminds me of the Seager/Ackley situation where Ackley was the 2B of the future but Seager was killing in the minors so they switched him Tacoma to 3B.

I don’t see it either, but I am bias and know his average sucked but he was squaring up balls. But he and his buddy played at a much higher level than I could have dreamed and told me he has a hole in his swing. But it was a positive hole, it was on breaking balls they said. If the hole is on an inside or outside fastball then there is no hope, but adjusting to major league caliber consistent breaking balls shows hope.

I was high on Seager just from seeing how much better he was than Ackley when they came and played a few weeks in Tacoma together. I hated Betencourt. I liked Mike Carp a lot as well and more than Smoak (obviously wrong). Carp just got hosed by the Mariners. But he is the definition of the problem with a player who can only play 1 position. He was a 1B. Was a massive failed experiment in the OF. Carp and Heredia are two guys I stumped for giving them to the everyday gig would’ve given them the confidence to be every day starters. Not all stars but the Mariners aren’t going to every come close to the All Stars they got in 2001. But neither of those guys amounted to anything. Though to give a pat on the back, Tyler O’Neill is doing a lot better than Marco and I was very vocal on how much I hated that trade. The Narvaez is another deal I hated.

I actually didn't even think about Cal Raleigh until I read @NWinAZ's comment about why is nobody calling for him to be called up. I didn't realize how well he was hitting. I could be misremembering, but I remember the scouting reports on him being that he is great defensively with the bat being a work in progress. With how he has been hitting, that doesn't seem to be the case. I think you're wasting Raleigh's talent as a defensive catcher by putting him at 1B where defense isn't really that important. Only reason I could see them playing him at first is if they're trying to get Luis Torrens more reps behind the plate to improve his defense, but I don't follow the Rainiers closely enough to know if that's the case.

That's fair on Kelenic and I'll defer to the guys you mentioned. Obviously I don't have the knowledge they do, but I have to assume part of the issue stems from playing only a couple dozen games above high A. He has never seen the caliber of pitching that he's going to see in the majors.

I think that Yuniesky Betancourt was probably the most hated Mariner back in the CBS days. I don't think any of us liked him. It's been years but I always remember those stupid double play twins commercials they'd run with him and Jose Lopez. Looking back I can't believe they played those guys up the middle. Betancourt looked more like a DH than a shortstop.

With both Narvaez and Marco I think when those trades happened we all hated them. I honestly can't tell you what we received for Narveaz and I'm not going to bother looking it up because it'll probably just make me hate the trade even more. I don't hate the O'Neill trade as much as I did at first because Marco has been solid since the trade. I hadn't checked on O'Neill in probably years and I'm not surprised that in 2021 he's playing like the guy we all thought he'd be.

 

[seahawksfan234]

I know it has probably been mentioned, but man Noelvi Marte has been killing it this year. He has 8 HRs in 33 games. The rest of the Modesto Nuts combined have 13 HRs. Pretty impressive for a 19 year old.

 

[NWinAZ]

I think that Yuniesky Betancourt was probably the most hated Mariner back in the CBS days. I don't think any of us liked him. It's been years but I always remember those stupid double play twins commercials they'd run with him and Jose Lopez. Looking back I can't believe they played those guys up the middle. Betancourt looked more like a DH than a shortstop.

Boy I remember those days with the Double Thick twins really well. Yuni had a great story getting to America but seemed to coast once here instead of realizing what a life he could have had ahead of him with just a little work ethic. Crazy days.

 

[NWinAZ]

I honestly can't tell you what we received for Narveaz and I'm not going to bother looking it up because it'll probably just make me hate the trade even more.

December 5, 2019: Traded by the Seattle Mariners to the Milwaukee Brewers for Adam Hill (minors) and 2020 supplemental second-round draft pick (Connor Phillips).

 

[NWinAZ]

 

[wazzu31]

Haven’t looked in awhile but isn’t the Everett pitching staff killing it?

 

[NWinAZ]

Haven’t looked in awhile but isn’t the Everett pitching staff killing it?

I really haven't followed season stats for minors only twitter posts. I think from what I see that they are.

 

[NWinAZ]

 

[NWinAZ]

 

[wazzu31]

This kind of seems to be the issue with his swing though. He can go opposite field with power, but had issues with inside fastballs which then in turn makes him struggle with outside off speed pitches.

 

[NWinAZ]

This kind of seems to be the issue with his swing though. He can go opposite field with power, but had issues with inside fastballs which then in turn makes him struggle with outside off speed pitches.

Ya pretty much right on. I am no hitting coach, but always thought he should change his position in the box. He pulls off all pitches which means he can't hit the outside pitches and isn't quick enough to turn on inside pitches. Changing locations in the box is the only thing I know of that can help. I say stand closer to the plate and give up the inside pitch. If it is a strike then so be it. If it is inside, take the HB. Then dive and drive the outside pitch the other way.