I just don't get all the days off for some of the players but not others. He also gives players days off after they have had good days, further preventing them from building on success. It's just terrible managing. Dusty is not making winning a priority. He should be fired for that alone. best players in 2023 by OPS: 1) Yordan (26 in 2 days) - currently njured as of 6/8 and 4 games in late April. When healthy, has started all but 2 games from 1st half of April. 2) Yainer Diaz (24) - Has only started 32 of 77 games. Has started 12 of 14 games since Yordan was hurt, but only 2 at catcher. Prior to that injury, he had only started 20 of 63 games. He had at least 1 hit in 14 of them but started the next day only twice. 3) Tucker (26) - Has started all but 2 games. Started 51 games then a day off, then 5 games and a day off. Has currently started 19 games in a row. 4) Chas (28) - was benched the 1st 2 games of the year despite being important contributor to winning the WS. Missed 24 games with back injury in April and May. Has started 37 of 53 games healthy, but only 25 of 38 since returning. Started 4 games in a row upon return, but has only started 3 consecutive games twice since, the last time ended the first game of Alvarez's current injury. Has started 8 of 14 games since Yordan's injury. 5) Altuve (33) - Missed the first 43 games with broken thumb and 4 games in early June w/ illness. Started 25 of 30 healthy games. Today will be his 3rd game off plus 2 off days in 17 days since Yordan was hurt. Since June 1st, he has 4 games of 2+ hits and given the next day off 3 of them. 6) Bregman (29) - Has started 76 of 77 games. 7) Dubon (28) - started 36 of 43 games until Altuve came back from broken thumb. Not expected to be starter, but has started 19 of 34 since. 8) Pena (25) - started 71 of 77 games. Started 48 of 1st 49 games, but only 23 of 29 since. 9) Meyers (27) - started 1st 2 games of season, and got off to terrible start and only started 3 if next 12 until Chas got hurt. Started all 24 games Chas was hurt in April and May. Has only started 22 of 33 games since. 10) Julks (27) - started 51 of 77 games. Started 7 of teams first 11 games despite never having an OPS over .668 during that time. Went on a hot streak getting OPS up to .824 while starting 8 of next 10 games. Started 16 of next 22 games despite OPS steadily falling to .622. Continues to start over 2/3 of the games including 6 starts at DH despite his OPS settling well below MLB levels. 11) Abreu (36) - Started the first 36 games and 72 of 77 despite hitting at a historically bad level. Has had a much better June, with an above MLB average .757 OPS even if not at slugger all star level. 12) Maldonado (36) started 56 of 77 games despite having a terrible season by every measure imaginable. Julks and Abreu have been the most frustrating because they have started the 3rd and 9th most games on the team despite being the 10th and 11th best hitters
I believe statistically, there is no particular correlation between a player's stats from day to the next in a larger sample size. Playing people because "they are hot" is very non-analytical decision-making.
The only “crushing loss” in baseball is an elimination game or playoff game. There’s no such thing before the All Star break..
Cool. Did you watch yesterday and now today? Or last Sunday? Some losses hurt a metric **** ton more than others.
I was mostly unworried two weeks ago. More worried now. As of this moment this is a bad baseball. Many of our best players playing far below their expected level. Add injuries, a bust of an offseason, and routinely suspect managerial decisions, and this team is playing with real fire.
This is where I’m at. Sure, they’re within striking distance and have the pedigree, but they’ve generally looked pretty rank this season (by their/our admittedly lofty standards). Barring trade and Yordan + Brantley just balling out post-ASG, I don’t see things coalescing in a good way this fall. Hope to be proven wrong.
I'm kind of panicking about some of our pitchers being gassed, especially Javier who never pitched a whole season as a starter. I think if we need to have a Verlander type trade at the deadline. Thank God, Crane likes those types of moves. We just need to be in striking distance when things shake out.
