Official Around Baseball 2023 Thread

50PoundHead said:
I wouldn't say the Pirates are stacked at the position, but they have Hayes at 3B, Gonzalez currently at SS (although his future is probably at 2B), SS Llover Peguero is in AA and he was a top 100 guy not too long ago whose star has fallen somewhat. Marcano came over from the Padres in the Adam Frazier deal and he can play around the IF/OF. Surrendered Braves' international signing Jae-Hwan Bae is also in the IF mix for them. I don't know if Grissom would fit there, but he might.

Grissom has graduated out from prospect rankings, but I wonder what his value truly is. He's hit for average in Gwinnett with doubles power, but I think the question for him is will he hit enough to play 3B or improve his middle infield defense enough to play at a position where his bat will carry. He's still only 22 and he did get rushed last year, so his game is likely still in the refinement stage. I just wonder if his perceived ceiling isn't high enough to generate a lot of interest.
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You forgot Oneil Cruz for the Pirates. He is their future at that position.
 
Carp said:
You forgot Oneil Cruz for the Pirates. He is their future at that position.
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Thanks. Forgot he was on the IL. I wonder if he'll outgrow SS, but the guy can rake. I'm so old, I remember an era when it seemed like every SS was under six-foot. The emergence of these tall, lanky guys like Cruz and de la Cruz at the SS position is really something to watch. Just amazing how much more athletic guys are now than they were in the 1960s.
 
Speaking of the Pirates, I wonder what the realistic cost would be if we could get David Bednar?

He would be a reliable pen piece and could also close out games and has an additional year of team control.
 
trob15 said:
Speaking of the Pirates, I wonder what the realistic cost would be if we could get David Bednar?

He would be a reliable pen piece and could also close out games and has an additional year of team control.
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the peg legs won't be sellers this year. Unless they have a stash of quality pen guys that they feel like they can do without, then maybe.. otherwise the peg legs are going to want to add to their roster without creating holes. Why I said blocked prospect for a blocked prospect. I knew they had Cruz.. but Gonzo I missed. Everyone else they had seemed meh and maybe a young Grissom would fit perfectly with Reynolds/Cruz/Bae core. That could be a fun team to watch if they got some quality pitching. The Reds/Priates could be the class of the central for a bit.
 
bravesfanMatt said:
the peg legs won't be sellers this year. Unless they have a stash of quality pen guys that they feel like they can do without, then maybe.. otherwise the peg legs are going to want to add to their roster without creating holes. Why I said blocked prospect for a blocked prospect. I knew they had Cruz.. but Gonzo I missed. Everyone else they had seemed meh and maybe a young Grissom would fit perfectly with Reynolds/Cruz/Bae core. That could be a fun team to watch if they got some quality pitching. The Reds/Priates could be the class of the central for a bit.
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Hmm... maybe I am wrong here.. I forgot they had a horrible June and have fallen back quite a bit. Maybe they would sell a good reliever, since those are pretty easy to replace.
 
bravesfanMatt said:
the peg legs won't be sellers this year. Unless they have a stash of quality pen guys that they feel like they can do without, then maybe.. otherwise the peg legs are going to want to add to their roster without creating holes. Why I said blocked prospect for a blocked prospect. I knew they had Cruz.. but Gonzo I missed. Everyone else they had seemed meh and maybe a young Grissom would fit perfectly with Reynolds/Cruz/Bae core. That could be a fun team to watch if they got some quality pitching. The Reds/Priates could be the class of the central for a bit.
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If they can scrape up enough dough to keep some of their young cores around, both the Reds and Pirates could make some noise. Throw back to the 1970s when those franchises consistently fielded very good teams. Would be good for baseball if those two could maintain some stability.
 
Carp said:
He isn't the only reason they are at +26. Abbot has been a huge boost too with a whopping 2.4 bWAR in only 6 starts. And getting Votto back has helped too. But there is no denying that Elly has energized that club since his arrival.
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Matt McLain, Spencer Steer, T.J. Friedl, as well.

They will get Greene and Lodolo back at some point.

Cincinnati has some good looking young players. I expect them to win the Central at this point.
 
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SJ24 said:
Matt McLain, Spencer Steer, T.J. Friedl, as well.

They will get Greene and Lodolo back at some point.

Cincinnati has some good looking young players. I expect them to win the Central at this point.
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The Reds really cashed in on their deadline deals last year. Steer and a solid AAA 3B/1B (Strand-Encarnacion) in the Mahle deal. Two great IF prospects in the Castillo deal (and Levi Stoudt who may turn out to be something). Another solid SS prospect in the Drury deal. A couple of the guys are down the system, but it was a pretty good haul. They're ahead of the competitive curve by a season or two, but it's kind of fun to watch some of the great franchises from the 1970s (Reds, Orioles, and Pirates [to a lesser degree at this point]) show signs of life. Orioles remind me of the early-1990s Braves in terms of position players. Pitching is obviously not there for them in the same way as the 1990s Braves.
 
It’s amazing that the Braves have a softer strength of schedule the rest of the way than the Guardians who play in a division where everyone else is .500 or much worse.

Only the Cubs, Astros, Mariners, Royals, Twins, White Sox and Tigers have easier schedules the rest of the way.
 
CyYoung31 said:
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Acuna does that at 3b a lot.

Home is a different animal though.

It really reminds me of 10u travel ball when one team is really good at baserunning and the other team is barely able to execute a pick off without tossing it to the fence.
 
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