Taylor Ward at camp as a catcher

[ThisismineScios 138]

11 minutes ago, angelsnationtalk said:

That's why I put him where Upton plays. Could use his wheels in CF, but Trout will be there for a few more years.

Trout will only be in CF a few  more years if there is some clause in his contract that says they can't move him until he's 32. He's not good in CF now, sorry to say. You can check any defensive metrics you want, he's lost a step defensively. However, I think moving him to LF sooner rather than later would immediately make him a great LF. Marsh and Adams are both Gold Glove caliber CF, so it makes no sense to leave Trout there just because. Especially if you want to preserve him for as long as possible. There is 0 chance Marsh moves to 1B long-term when they can always put Walsh there, Thaiss there (agree with @Second Base about his beautiful swing) or even Ohtani if needed. 1B is a pretty easy position to learn. You would be wasting Marsh's incredible defensive ability by putting him at 1st. Adell's fielding tools were highly rated before last year's debacle. He was fine in AAA, and I think long-term he will play good RF defense. 

As for Ward, part of this is figuring out which guys you want to keep going forward. If Ward can play C, OF, and 1B/3B, he's incredibly valuable hitting league average (like he did last year) on a playoff roster. As for his catching ability, he has a canon and a good glove. It's more his ability to think the position at the major league level that didn't seem sustainable, as well as his ability to hit from the catching spot. As soon as they moved him his bat took off. 

[Tank 25,860]

3 hours ago, m0nkey said:

Page 3 on Taylor Ward

and that's before this thread gets hijacked and we suddenly start talking about which airport in the midwest is the best.

 

btw, it's kansas city.

[Angel Oracle 13,477]

Based on past scouting, best OF would be:

Trout LF, Adell CF, Marsh RF

[eligrba 5,121]

1 hour ago, Tank said:

and that's before this thread gets hijacked and we suddenly start talking about which airport in the midwest is the best.

 

btw, it's kansas city.

You obviously have an east coast bias by referring to middle America as midwest.

[True Grich 12,250]

2 hours ago, Tank said:

and that's before this thread gets hijacked and we suddenly start talking about which airport in the midwest is the best.

 

btw, it's kansas city.

Indianapolis.

[Tank 25,860]

4 hours ago, T.G. said:

Indianapolis.

[Tank 25,860]

5 hours ago, eligrba said:

You obviously have an east coast bias by referring to middle America as midwest.

You sound like someone who’d rather fly in to Omaha because it’d save you a few bucks.

[ELEVEN 3,218]

I'm thinking that for years we haven't been properly developing the talent we have been drafting. Maybe Minasian sees the quickest way to improve our farm is to better develop the players we have there.

 I mean, how did a player like Peter Bourjos come up to the Majors not knowing how to steal a base? Or hit the ball on the ground?

Addressing stuff like this could pay real dividends.

[ELEVEN 3,218]

On 2/19/2021 at 9:13 AM, ThisismineScios said:

Trout will only be in CF a few  more years if there is some clause in his contract that says they can't move him until he's 32. He's not good in CF now, sorry to say. You can check any defensive metrics you want, he's lost a step defensively. However, I think moving him to LF sooner rather than later would immediately make him a great LF. Marsh and Adams are both Gold Glove caliber CF, so it makes no sense to leave Trout there just because. Especially if you want to preserve him for as long as possible. There is 0 chance Marsh moves to 1B long-term when they can always put Walsh there, Thaiss there (agree with @Second Base about his beautiful swing) or even Ohtani if needed. 1B is a pretty easy position to learn. You would be wasting Marsh's incredible defensive ability by putting him at 1st. Adell's fielding tools were highly rated before last year's debacle. He was fine in AAA, and I think long-term he will play good RF defense. 

As for Ward, part of this is figuring out which guys you want to keep going forward. If Ward can play C, OF, and 1B/3B, he's incredibly valuable hitting league average (like he did last year) on a playoff roster. As for his catching ability, he has a canon and a good glove. It's more his ability to think the position at the major league level that didn't seem sustainable, as well as his ability to hit from the catching spot. As soon as they moved him his bat took off. 

LF is also closer to the Trout Farm.

[Dochalo 25,607]

2 hours ago, ELEVEN said:

I'm thinking that for years we haven't been properly developing the talent we have been drafting. Maybe Minasian sees the quickest way to improve our farm is to better develop the players we have there.

 I mean, how did a player like Peter Bourjos come up to the Majors not knowing how to steal a base? Or hit the ball on the ground?

Addressing stuff like this could pay real dividends.

Bourjos made his debut 11 years ago.