Trout/Ohtani/Renfroe the past 5 games

[WicketMaiden]

43 minutes ago, Lou said:

Trout is 7th in the AL in OPS. 

And Shohei is 8th in the AL with .833 OPS.

As a comparison (qualified players):

Drury 34th - .778

Renfroe 44th - .744

Urshela 46th - .729

Ward 67th - .662

[Inside Pitch]

31 minutes ago, Lou said:

Trout is 7th in the AL in OPS. 

[ten ocho recon scout]

2 hours ago, Inside Pitch said:

Mike Trout decline talk is always overdone, I think partially because everyone is expecting it to happen and possibly be ugly.

Anyway the dude opened the season hitting .320/'.408/.612 over his first 26 games then had a 14 game stretch where he was awful.  From April 30th to May 16 (14 games) he put up a .185/.267/.259 (526 OPS), batting line -- since then he's gone .292/.393/.625 (1.018 OPS) in 13 games, include the 16th to make it an even two weeks in both samples and it's a .944 OPS.

Trout's been in decline, it's shown up in his walks mostly -- he's 31 and he's bound to be less productive.  But people obsessing over small sample triple slash data are doing it wrong.  Real "scary" decline will show and be worth tracking/talking about when it shows up in the predictive data.   If you want to see what someone looking like they have fallen off a cliff check out Jose Abreu's baseball savant data in 2023 .vs 2022. 

 

When you see a drop-off like that you have to wonder if there isn't an injury or something going on because it's such a steep fall.  But when you look at how big his power drop was last year you almost have to wonder if it started last year and he was actively swinging from the heels to try to fight off the loss of oomph in his swing.

Baseball is hard and for some guys when the end comes, it comes suddenly.

That's actually surprising, in a good way (the past 2 weeks). 

I don't watch as much as I like, but I seem to only catch him having bad ABs.

But again, I'm fairness, ai catch maybe 9 innings a week right now... spread over 7 days.

[totdprods]

Trout has proven time and time again he will make the necessary adjustments. That’s why he’s so good.

He’s right at the age where most players start to slip a bit and lose things that make them successful. Lesser players start crumbling quick. Trout will be okay even if is entering a new stage, but the time needed for him to adjust might be a bit longer than we’re used to, and it might not be as seamless as it used to. 

Not worried. Also if he and Ohtani are finally breaking out of their funk…this team could be looking real nice in a couple weeks.

[ten ocho recon scout]

19 hours ago, totdprods said:

Also if he and Ohtani are finally breaking out of their funk…this team could be looking real nice in a couple weeks.

I keep thinking the same thing. Renfroe will catch fire soon enough, too.

Rendon in theory could as well...

[totdprods]

2 hours ago, ten ocho recon scout said:

I keep thinking the same thing. Renfroe will catch fire soon enough, too.

Rendon in theory could as well...

They’ve been extremely frustrating but to be honest, I’m actually relatively pleased with where they’re at so far, and optimistic that there’s still a real strong team here. 

I had a feeling they were gonna struggle the first couple of months because there were going to be a lot of competing players for roles still. The infield had a bunch of guys without defined positions. The bullpen similarly with so many optionless arms, and specifically guys without pure relief ‘stuff’. The inconsistency at back of rotation has been one of the biggest weaknesses, but should stabilize. The defense was going to struggle until they figured out the right balance and usage for all these infielders. Losing O’Hoppe’s defense hurt a lot, as did not having Walsh at 1B, as well as Rendon’s offensive presence.

There’s a real chance I think this team can have a very hot June and July, and I think more than likely Arte and Perry are going to be extremely aggressive, and could start bringing in help via trade sooner rather than later. It could be not just Ohtani’s last year, but Arte’s, Perry’s, and Phil’s too. The future is Neto, O’Hoppe, Detmers, and I think they’re the formation of the new core. Neto’s arrival frees up some SS prospects for trade, the pitching stock is deep enough to deal from…I think unless they collapse entirely in June, they’re gonna go for it and swing a big trade or two, even if it means hurting what the farm could contribute in ‘24-‘25.

[Angel Oracle]

It has to start with no worse than a split in Houston AND Texas.

[REDneck]

1 hour ago, totdprods said:

they’re gonna go for it and swing a big trade or two, even if it means hurting what the farm could contribute in ‘24-‘25.

What area do you target in a potential trade?

And, does this mean that they will not trade Ohtani IYO?

[totdprods]

53 minutes ago, REDneck said:

What area do you target in a potential trade?

And, does this mean that they will not trade Ohtani IYO?

I think it entirely depends on how they play between now and ASB. If they’re treading water and ~10 games out of either race, they’ll move him. 

But anything less than that, even if it’s a very crowded playoff hunt, I think they go for it. I think it’s truly a defining point for the franchise. You have to go for it if it’s your last chance with Ohtani, even if it again thins the farm for the next couple seasons. 

A lot can change, but as of right now they need three things above all….two bullpen arms; someone steady, and someone with some high-octane/closer-level experience, unless Moore really does come back in a couple weeks (I think he’ll be out nearly all of June, tbh) in which case one arm may be enough.

They need someone reliable in the rotation. Who that is depends on how Canning, Sandoval, and Detmers perform this month. If they maintain what they’ve been doing, they probably need to target someone with a little more upside. Hard to say who because something like 26 of 30 teams are still “in it” to some degree. Lucas Giolito and Jack Flaherty are probably the “best” names that could fit that at this given moment. If our young arms kick it up a gear, someone who is simply steady - like (but not necessarily) Greinke for the 6th spot.

I don’t think they need to go crazy. Something like Brad Hand, Joe Kelly, and a vet rental SP could come relatively painlessly without mortgaging the future and improve the team on the margins enough to get a playoff spot, and I’d take Ohtani, Sandoval/Detmers, and a possible FA in a playoff series if our offense is at full-power.

[Blarg]

The last 13 games Ohtani has hit like a pitcher .184/.273/.490/.763. It's time to sit him for a while and have him focus on his pitching because that has been trash, an era over 4 for the month of May. June doesn't look very promising as well after tonight's crapfest. 

 

 

[Jason]

27 minutes ago, Blarg said:

The last 13 games Ohtani has hit like a pitcher .184/.273/.490/.763. It's time to sit him for a while and have him focus on his pitching because that has been trash, an era over 4 for the month of May. June doesn't look very promising as well after tonight's crapfest. 

 

 

I think this is a good idea. Maybe have Rendon and Trout share DH duties for a while