GDT 8/16/22: Braves vs Mutts - Let the Revenge Continue

[zbhargrove]

I get it. Just because you’re good at reading the weather, doesn’t make you good at reading text.

That’s a bit different than “magically falter down the stretch” come on

[Enscheff]

We haven’t talked about 2 games in a row with Contreras at DH. If TDA is the DH tomorrow I think that means Ozuna is benched for a bit.

Rosario at DH, Grossman in LF.

Has Ozuna been relegated to DH PAs only when Conteras is catching and the Braves are facing a LHP? Ouch...

[chop2chip]

Rosario at DH, Grossman in LF.

Has Ozuna been relegated to DH PAs only when Conteras is catching and the Braves are facing a LHP? Ouch...

Ozuna’s complete inability to play the outfield essentially makes him a useless player unless he’s hitting at an above average level. It’s hard to fathom how AA felt justified giving him four years before the DH was a certainty. (And a poor use of resources if he was signed for 4 years to be a DH)

[Enscheff]

Ozuna’s complete inability to play the outfield essentially makes him a useless player unless he’s hitting at an above average level. It’s hard to fathom how AA felt justified giving him four years before the DH was a certainty. (And a poor use of resources if he was signed for 4 years to be a DH)

You'll be hard pressed to find anyone that disliked the deal when it was signed.

[clvclv]

Ozuna’s complete inability to play the outfield essentially makes him a useless player unless he’s hitting at an above average level. It’s hard to fathom how AA felt justified giving him four years before the DH was a certainty. (And a poor use of resources if he was signed for 4 years to be a DH)

Not really. If you expected Freeman to finish his career here and watched Ozuna hit during the COVID season, the signing made plenty of sense. At the time of that contract signing...

1.) The other LF candidates were Schwarber, Brantley, Joc, Duvall, and Rosario. Exactly ONE RH option to "protect" Freddie.
2.) Ozuna was coming off of a 39 game stretch as a DH where he hit .362 with 14 HRs, 7 2Bs, and 40 RBI.
3.) He was actually a big part of the good clubhouse.

While we can technically say the DH wasn't a "certainty" at that point, it's awfully hard to find many people who actually believed it wasn't a given that it was coming. What's hard to fathom is how Alex could have foreseen him getting into it with his wife and having to miss an entire season when he was in the middle of possibly the best offensive stretch of his career. More bad luck for Alex than an actual mistake IMO.

I can remember folks complaining about the length of the deal - and justifiably so - but most were begrudgingly OK with it because they expected to be able to at least hide his defense while he was still hitting.

[chop2chip]

You'll be hard pressed to find anyone that disliked the deal when it was signed.
Guilty as charged (it was hard not to be excited after the year he had after years of excellent statcast data).

So, yes, benefit of hindsight obviously resigning Ozuna sucked. But there were plenty of red flags if you could look past the 1.000 OPS.

[CyYoung31]

That’s a bit different than “magically falter down the stretch” come on

Lmao…okay, bud.

[Heyward]

If we beat both Scherzer and deGrom would that break their spirit for the division? I could see them spiral a little bit (still take the top WC spot) with their other rotation guys hurt.

Nah, Mets have a much much more favorable schedule the rest of the season than we do. Their September schedule is mostly vs teams below .500, they'll be fine. To have a shot at the division we probably gotta win these next 2 imo.

[GovClintonTyree]

Ozuna’s complete inability to play the outfield essentially makes him a useless player unless he’s hitting at an above average level. It’s hard to fathom how AA felt justified giving him four years before the DH was a certainty. (And a poor use of resources if he was signed for 4 years to be a DH)

Nuh. What had happened was, Ozuna forgot how to hit. I remember in his monster Covid year being very impressed with the way he was using the whole field, going to right center, squaring up balls. Now he's trying to jerk everything, he's rolling over and punching out and his sub-.700 OPS despite 20 bombs shows it.

It's a fallacy that Ozuna is a poor defensive outfielder. He can play the outfield. He cannot throw, not at all, and that makes him tough to play.