caulfield12 Posted February 25, 2021 Share Posted February 25, 2021 (edited) Robert at 5, Jimenez at 8 and Vaughn at 21. Moncada 25 years old already. Madrigal (23) and Kopech (24) not mentioned. https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-best-players-under-25?partnerId=zh-20210225-156906-MLB&qid=1026&bt_ee=fCmeGMRvCaJnHXI9fXyGVuRvlHCMzP6Ut8PVgiwhUALVNnB4NOwQgudsK9nRO%2Fk2&bt_ts=1614256686777 https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-spring-training-four-young-players-including-gavin-lux-and-jo-adell-with-something-to-prove-in-2021/ Adell, C.Kieboom, Lux, Mize Edited February 25, 2021 by caulfield12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulfield12 Posted February 25, 2021 Author Share Posted February 25, 2021 Robert already showed us how low his lows can go last September, forfeiting what seemed like an easy claim to AL Rookie of the Year honors by hitting .136 (11 for 81) with a .409 OPS. It's not fair to assess a player by his worst month, of course, but when that month is basically half his season (not to mention his career), it weighs heavily. Only one of the seven qualifying batters who struck out as often as Robert did in 2020 (32.2 percent) had higher than his .233 batting average (Willy Adames at .259), and while we've seen players like Aaron Judge and Joey Gallo thrive with that sort of strikeout rate in years past, it required them to be some of the hardest hitters in the game. Robert's average exit velocity (87.9 mph) was actually in the bottom half of the league. His expected batting average, according to Statcast, was .226. His expected slugging percentage was .466. No matter how scarce stolen bases are, Robert won't live up to his ADP without taking a leap as a hitter, and while such a leap is possible, I'm not willing to project it onto him at the expense of another ace or a Corey Seager-type hitter. There will be chances for those sorts of gambles later. https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/fantasy-baseball-rankings-2021-sleepers-from-advanced-model-that-called-will-smiths-strong-season/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOFHurt35 Posted February 25, 2021 Share Posted February 25, 2021 Braves = 4 Sox = 3 Padres = 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Parkman Posted February 25, 2021 Share Posted February 25, 2021 (edited) Kopech turns 25 at the end of April so maybe that's why he's not there. Edited February 25, 2021 by Jack Parkman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulfield12 Posted February 26, 2021 Author Share Posted February 26, 2021 10 hours ago, Jack Parkman said: Kopech turns 25 at the end of April so maybe that's why he's not there. Injuries/lack of playing time/issues off the field. Nobody in baseball knows exactly what to expect, and how/if he will respond to such an extended layoff. You could even argue for the vision of Crochet as Randy Johnson over Kopech's long term future as a starter. We just don't have a clue how he will react. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RagahRagah Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 I think how Robert fares this year will make or break how good this lineup will be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raBBit Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 17 hours ago, RagahRagah said: I think how Robert fares this year will make or break how good this lineup will be. I dont know. 1B Vaughn, 3B Moncada, SS Anderson, LF Eloy & CF Robert all have the potential to be top players at their positions and 2/3/4 hitters on playoff teams. All of these guys are under contract for a long time. Robert's defense and position really insulate the risk. If Moncada doesn't return to 2019 form, Anderson regresses and Robert never puts it all together at the plate then you have something to worry about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppysox Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 1 hour ago, raBBit said: I dont know. 1B Vaughn, 3B Moncada, SS Anderson, LF Eloy & CF Robert all have the potential to be top players at their positions and 2/3/4 hitters on playoff teams. All of these guys are under contract for a long time. Robert's defense and position really insulate the risk. If Moncada doesn't return to 2019 form, Anderson regresses and Robert never puts it all together at the plate then you have something to worry about. This lineup is flat-out exciting. Can it fail...sure. Will it fail...I highly doubt it. Not long now boys!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RagahRagah Posted February 27, 2021 Share Posted February 27, 2021 2 hours ago, raBBit said: I dont know. 1B Vaughn, 3B Moncada, SS Anderson, LF Eloy & CF Robert all have the potential to be top players at their positions and 2/3/4 hitters on playoff teams. All of these guys are under contract for a long time. Robert's defense and position really insulate the risk. If Moncada doesn't return to 2019 form, Anderson regresses and Robert never puts it all together at the plate then you have something to worry about. Potential, sure. But we've never actually seen Vaughn even in Triple A so IMO he is likely not a factor. Pretty much everyone else you listed has basically proven themselves. Robert came up and immediately made an impact but fell into a slump at the end of the season, if he stays in that slump then there is some nervousness there but if he gets back into gear very quickly I say that's about as big an indicator you need that this lineup will be elite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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