Thoughts on Thaiss?

[Torridd]

I'd like assessments on how good you think he could be and will be. Is Don Mattingly-like a pipe dream?

[ScruffytheJanitor]

The question is: will anyone remember Mike Trout after the reign of Thaiss? He'd hit 700 HRs if he only used one arm.  He can cover 1st, 3rd, and Catcher-- at the same time. I've heard that the MLB wants to ban him -- apparently, his sweat is the worlds strongest performance enhancer-- but that they are worried about fan blow back

 

But seriously-- I think he's probably a 2-4 WAR 3rd baseman who is solid as solid can be. Basically  good David Freese.

[totdprods]

.249/.328/.427/.755

[mulwin444]

Who knows at this point? 

It looks like his swing is still a work in progress in terms of power, he walks as much as he strikes out, at least at AAA, and doesn't have much speed.

His upside, to me, looks somewhere around .280 .340 .800 15-20 HR 

[jsnpritchett]

53 minutes ago, Torridd said:

I'd like assessments on how good you think he could be and will be. Is Don Mattingly-like a pipe dream?

Yes.  Mattingly won the MVP in his age-24 season (which is the season Thaiss is in). 

[UndertheHalo]

I’ve seen Scott Hatterburg as a comp.  that seems decent to me. 

[totdprods]

1 minute ago, UndertheHalo said:

I’ve seen Scott Hatterburg as a comp.  that seems decent to me. 

Ooh, I like that one. I had been using Moreland as a default of sorts, but Hatteberg is much closer, at least in the slash/power numbers I'd imagine.
Thaiss won't walk more than he strikes out like Hatteberg did though - I actually think Thaiss' BB:K will look a little more like Logan Morrison's - something like 45-70 walks to 80-120 strikeouts depending on playing time.

[Angel Oracle]

How was his 3B defense by the time he was added to the MLB team? 

Maybe give Thaiss (3B), Rengifo (2B), and Fletcher (2B and 3B) all at least 2/3 of the starts between 2B and 3B?   

With Stella out for most of the rest of the season, there's no better time to assess all three players. 

[totdprods]

1 hour ago, RBM said:

I hope I'm wrong but I see more Robb Quinlan than Don Mattingly.

The Angels held onto Quinlan for an inexplicably long time, but for a three year stretch, 2004 to 2006, he was extremely useful as a bench piece for the corners. 
Slashed .305/.344/.479/.823, OPS+ 114 in that time, even if it was inflated due to his platoon use against lefties - a 162 game pace of 28 doubles, 16 homers, 24 walks, 67 strikeouts across 470 PA.

I'd be totally fine if we somehow squeezed a 114 OPS+ out of Thaiss as our reserve corner infielder over the next three years. 

After Quinlan turned 30 he was pretty awful. 

Personally, I would be quite happy if Thaiss was simply a 1-2 WAR player, 100-110 OPS+, covering the role that guys like Cowart, Valbuena, Marte, Cron had held. Semi-regular playing time. 
It'd be a lot better than spending money and being disappointed on some stopgap vet each year. I know it isn't an exciting outcome, but it'd save some money and stress. Anything better would be gravy. 

Edited July 12, 2019 by totdprods

[DMVol]

12 minutes ago, RBM said:

I hope I'm wrong but I see more Robb Quinlan than Don Mattingly.

There is a lot of ground between those two....doubt Thaiss is either....

[Second Base]

Thaiss' role on this team depends on how he does while La Stella is out. If Thaiss hits, he'll be a regular in the lineup next year, starting half the games at 3B and moving across the diamond to 1B when Ohtani isn't DHing and Pujols is. That would mean La Stella is traded this winter. 

If Thaiss doesn't hit, he'll likely spend 2020 bouncing between Salt Lake and Anaheim.

Defensively he looks passable at 3B and is solid at 1B. Offensively, he makes hard contact and is patient. But dont expect a particularly high batting average (maybe .270) or homerun output (10-15 across a full season). Just a high OBP and lots of doubles. 

But he's like any other prospect coming up recently, Fletcher, Rengifo, Ward, Hermosillo, etc...he has to hit in order to stay. He's not a can't miss prospect. 

[Scott34]

Not a huge fan. Think he would be a really good trade piece for a starter in the offseason. 

[ScruffytheJanitor]

17 minutes ago, Scott34 said:

Not a huge fan. Think he would be a really good trade piece for a starter in the offseason. 

I agree-- he's not the main piece for an Ace or anything, but he could certainly be the 2nd best part of a package that brings in a solid mid-rotation guy. This assumes we keep LaStella though-- if not, it's "Rondon or Thaiss" at 3rd base next year.

[Angelsjunky]

I'm thinking Brandon Belt's bat, average defense at 3B or 1B. Or:

Ceiling (20%): .290/.850, 4-5 WAR borderline star

Moderate (50%): .270/.800, 3-4 WAR quality regular

Floor (30%): .250/.700, 2 WAR fringe regular, solid bench player

[robblin17]

Meh.

[Jeff Fletcher]

5 hours ago, Torridd said:

I'd like assessments on how good you think he could be and will be. Is Don Mattingly-like a pipe dream?

You mean Don Mattingly who is a borderline Hall of Famer? That Don Mattingly?

[Adam]

He swings really hard

[Lou]

5 hours ago, Torridd said:

I'd like assessments on how good you think he could be and will be. Is Don Mattingly-like a pipe dream?

That is the definition of a pipe dream. 

He won't come anywhere close to being in the same conversation with Mattingly

[Blarg]

26 minutes ago, Lou said:

That is the definition of a pipe dream. 

He won't come anywhere close to being in the same conversation with Mattingly

Mattingly after age 28 was no better than CJ Cron. Some years worse. 

[Amazing Larry]

Dat moustache tho...

[Lou]

Cron won't come anywhere close to being in the same conversation with Mattingly

[stormngt]

4 hours ago, Angel Oracle said:

How was his 3B defense by the time he was added to the MLB team? 

Maybe give Thaiss (3B), Rengifo (2B), and Fletcher (2B and 3B) all at least 2/3 of the starts between 2B and 3B?   

With Stella out for most of the rest of the season, there's no better time to assess all three players. 

I don't think Fletcher needs anymore assessment.   

[ten ocho recon scout]

5 hours ago, mulwin444 said:

Who knows at this point? 

It looks like his swing is still a work in progress in terms of power, he walks as much as he strikes out, at least at AAA, and doesn't have much speed.

His upside, to me, looks somewhere around .280 .340 .800 15-20 HR 

More or less a freese type? Sans world series heroics?

 

[Torridd]

1 hour ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

You mean Don Mattingly who is a borderline Hall of Famer? That Don Mattingly?

Yes.

[tdawg87]

All I know is he'll fall somewhere between Brandon Wood and Babe Ruth.