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Post by domeplease on Feb 14, 2022 17:55:07 GMT -5
Tequila thinks he might be heading for the Yanks??? But what does a parrot know???
Has Rangers utilityman Isiah Kiner-Falefa become a key trade candidate?
The Rangers’ decision to cannonball into the deep end of the free-agent pool this offseason has radically reshaped their infield mix and given them one of the top offensive double-play tandems in Major League Baseball.
Corey Seager and Marcus Semien are slated to hold down the shortstop/second base pairing in Arlington for the next seven seasons.
One side effect of that seismic splash is that it leaves Isiah Kiner-Falefa without a clear-cut defensive home.
A Gold Glove winner at third base in 2020, Kiner-Falefa played a strong shortstop in 2021 and had been squarely atop the depth chart there prior to the Seager/Semien stunner. That’s no longer the case. Kiner-Falefa has been an elite fielder by measure of Defensive Runs Saved and finished third among MLB shortstops in the Fielding Bible’s voting this past season. Metrics like Ultimate Zone Rating and Outs Above Average aren’t as bullish, but Kiner-Falefa is at worst regarded as a roughly average defender (and generally agreed upon as a good bit more than that).
Beyond his accolades with the glove, Kiner-Falefa is fairly a solid performer at the plate, albeit in more of an “old school” manner. He’s been 13 percent worse than the average hitter, by measure of both wRC+ and OPS+, over the past two seasons — but that’s primarily due to a lack of power.
Kiner-Falefa has still posted a solid .273 batting average and a respectable .316 on-base percentage in that time. He’s only drawn a walk in 4.6% of his past 905 plate appearances, but he’s also only fanned in 13.5% of those trips to the plate.
There’s plenty of value derived from Kiner-Falefa’s ability on the base paths as well. He went 20-for-25 in stolen-base attempts this past season and ranked in the 75th percentile of MLB players in terms of average sprint speed, per Statcast.
On top of that, Kiner-Falefa has played in all but six of the Rangers’ games dating back to 2020. Only six big league players have appeared in more games than Kiner-Falefa over those two years.
He may not be a star, but Kiner-Falefa is a good defender and baserunner who rarely strikes out and, despite a lack of power, gives his club solid at-bats.
That’s a valuable player, even if the overall skill set is a bit less typical now than it would have been a generation ago. A simple course of action is to just shift Kiner-Falefa back to the hot corner, where he won that previously mentioned Gold Glove in 2020. That would be a straightforward means of addressing the infield. However, there is also the presence of fast-rising prospect Josh Jung.
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Post by rizzuto on Feb 14, 2022 18:01:46 GMT -5
Tequila thinks he might be heading for the Yanks??? But what does a parrot know???
Has Rangers utilityman Isiah Kiner-Falefa become a key trade candidate?
The Rangers’ decision to cannonball into the deep end of the free-agent pool this offseason has radically reshaped their infield mix and given them one of the top offensive double-play tandems in Major League Baseball.
Corey Seager and Marcus Semien are slated to hold down the shortstop/second base pairing in Arlington for the next seven seasons.
One side effect of that seismic splash is that it leaves Isiah Kiner-Falefa without a clear-cut defensive home.
A Gold Glove winner at third base in 2020, Kiner-Falefa played a strong shortstop in 2021 and had been squarely atop the depth chart there prior to the Seager/Semien stunner. That’s no longer the case. Kiner-Falefa has been an elite fielder by measure of Defensive Runs Saved and finished third among MLB shortstops in the Fielding Bible’s voting this past season. Metrics like Ultimate Zone Rating and Outs Above Average aren’t as bullish, but Kiner-Falefa is at worst regarded as a roughly average defender (and generally agreed upon as a good bit more than that).
Beyond his accolades with the glove, Kiner-Falefa is fairly a solid performer at the plate, albeit in more of an “old school” manner. He’s been 13 percent worse than the average hitter, by measure of both wRC+ and OPS+, over the past two seasons — but that’s primarily due to a lack of power.
Kiner-Falefa has still posted a solid .273 batting average and a respectable .316 on-base percentage in that time. He’s only drawn a walk in 4.6% of his past 905 plate appearances, but he’s also only fanned in 13.5% of those trips to the plate.
There’s plenty of value derived from Kiner-Falefa’s ability on the base paths as well. He went 20-for-25 in stolen-base attempts this past season and ranked in the 75th percentile of MLB players in terms of average sprint speed, per Statcast.
On top of that, Kiner-Falefa has played in all but six of the Rangers’ games dating back to 2020. Only six big league players have appeared in more games than Kiner-Falefa over those two years.
He may not be a star, but Kiner-Falefa is a good defender and baserunner who rarely strikes out and, despite a lack of power, gives his club solid at-bats.
That’s a valuable player, even if the overall skill set is a bit less typical now than it would have been a generation ago. A simple course of action is to just shift Kiner-Falefa back to the hot corner, where he won that previously mentioned Gold Glove in 2020. That would be a straightforward means of addressing the infield. However, there is also the presence of fast-rising prospect Josh Jung.
Saddened that a .316 OBP would be considered "respectable." Isn't Kiner-Falefa what Inger sodded his yard with a couple years ago? |
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Post by inger on Feb 14, 2022 18:38:30 GMT -5
Tequila thinks he might be heading for the Yanks??? But what does a parrot know???
Has Rangers utilityman Isiah Kiner-Falefa become a key trade candidate?
The Rangers’ decision to cannonball into the deep end of the free-agent pool this offseason has radically reshaped their infield mix and given them one of the top offensive double-play tandems in Major League Baseball.
Corey Seager and Marcus Semien are slated to hold down the shortstop/second base pairing in Arlington for the next seven seasons.
One side effect of that seismic splash is that it leaves Isiah Kiner-Falefa without a clear-cut defensive home.
A Gold Glove winner at third base in 2020, Kiner-Falefa played a strong shortstop in 2021 and had been squarely atop the depth chart there prior to the Seager/Semien stunner. That’s no longer the case. Kiner-Falefa has been an elite fielder by measure of Defensive Runs Saved and finished third among MLB shortstops in the Fielding Bible’s voting this past season. Metrics like Ultimate Zone Rating and Outs Above Average aren’t as bullish, but Kiner-Falefa is at worst regarded as a roughly average defender (and generally agreed upon as a good bit more than that).
Beyond his accolades with the glove, Kiner-Falefa is fairly a solid performer at the plate, albeit in more of an “old school” manner. He’s been 13 percent worse than the average hitter, by measure of both wRC+ and OPS+, over the past two seasons — but that’s primarily due to a lack of power.
Kiner-Falefa has still posted a solid .273 batting average and a respectable .316 on-base percentage in that time. He’s only drawn a walk in 4.6% of his past 905 plate appearances, but he’s also only fanned in 13.5% of those trips to the plate.
There’s plenty of value derived from Kiner-Falefa’s ability on the base paths as well. He went 20-for-25 in stolen-base attempts this past season and ranked in the 75th percentile of MLB players in terms of average sprint speed, per Statcast.
On top of that, Kiner-Falefa has played in all but six of the Rangers’ games dating back to 2020. Only six big league players have appeared in more games than Kiner-Falefa over those two years.
He may not be a star, but Kiner-Falefa is a good defender and baserunner who rarely strikes out and, despite a lack of power, gives his club solid at-bats.
That’s a valuable player, even if the overall skill set is a bit less typical now than it would have been a generation ago. A simple course of action is to just shift Kiner-Falefa back to the hot corner, where he won that previously mentioned Gold Glove in 2020. That would be a straightforward means of addressing the infield. However, there is also the presence of fast-rising prospect Josh Jung.
Saddened that a .316 OBP would be considered "respectable." Isn't Kiner-Falefa what Inger sodded his yard with a couple years ago? The balance sheet on Kiner-Falefa Plus: His bat and OBP are not so bad if he can continue play SS at a high level for a few more years. We need the “D”. Is .316 “respectable”? No. Unless he’s a run stopper at the position. At this point I’d take Mark Belanger’s clone after seeing the defense we’ve gotten at SS since the last three years of Jeter to now. He would be disposable or moveable to another position or utility if a youngster breaks through. Although he hasn’t caught for two years, he’s caught 70 or so games in MLB, and looked okay at the position. His legs look like prime horseflesh compare to most of the Yankees. His days of stealing will likely not last long, but he’s not likely to be a long term starting option. Negative: No. .316 is not great. Little power is an issue too. But why, I’m not sure. Don’t be power hungry. But it would be nice if he became a better OBP guy. I only see a short term player, so if somebody DOESN’T step up to take the position, we have the same conversation two-three years from now. I found that Kiner-Falefa is rather thirsty for this climate. I’m not so sure my back yard is going to come back this year. Too damned many names, kid. Pick ONE and stick with it. The other parent will get over it. Especially if you wind up with a decent contract at some point. The result. If he’s cheaper than he likely will be, grab him. He’s got some energy. I do like him. I don’t love him, though… |
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Post by rizzuto on Feb 14, 2022 18:45:23 GMT -5
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Post by inger on Feb 14, 2022 19:01:47 GMT -5
But is that a smile or a frown? The kid’s face is upside down… 🙃 |
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Post by domeplease on Feb 15, 2022 12:18:54 GMT -5
Should We should look at at a couple of these Catchers???
Post-Lockout Trade Candidates: 27 Regulars Who Could Plausibly Change Teams.
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Post by domeplease on Feb 16, 2022 16:35:06 GMT -5
Juan Soto turned down Nationals' 13-year, $350 million contract offer...
I would have counter at $350M for 11-years = $32M/year -- makes him 34 Years old at the end of the contract
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Braves: Reunion with former closer could solve bullpen issues altogether.
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AL West Notes: Astros, Rangers, A’s.
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Post by chiyankee on Feb 16, 2022 19:11:25 GMT -5
Imaging being in a position to turn down a 350 million dollar contract and not even be phased by it. That's a lot of guaranteed cash.
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Post by inger on Feb 16, 2022 20:07:18 GMT -5
Imaging being in a position to turn down a 350 million dollar contract and not even he phased by it. That's a lot of guaranteed cash. I wonder if he did the Soto Shuffle when he walked out that meeting?… |
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Post by kaybli on Feb 16, 2022 20:20:35 GMT -5
Imaging being in a position to turn down a 350 million dollar contract and not even he phased by it. That's a lot of guaranteed cash. I wonder if he did the Soto Shuffle when he walked out that meeting?…  |
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Post by chiyankee on Feb 16, 2022 21:39:54 GMT -5
Imaging being in a position to turn down a 350 million dollar contract and not even he phased by it. That's a lot of guaranteed cash. I wonder if he did the Soto Shuffle when he walked out that meeting?… Keeping up with the times, the meeting was virtual. |
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Post by inger on Feb 16, 2022 21:59:41 GMT -5
I wonder if he did the Soto Shuffle when he walked out that meeting?… Keeping up with the times, the meeting was virtual. Probably turned off his camera and did the old “Teaberry Shuffle” naked… |
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Post by rizzuto on Feb 17, 2022 12:29:26 GMT -5
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Post by domeplease on Feb 17, 2022 16:52:26 GMT -5
Since SOTO declined the $350M offered...MIGHT the Nationals trade him? Maybe we Trade Judge plus to Nationals for Soto
OR will SOTO hit FA in 3-years at 26-years-old and maybe the Yanks/Dodgers, etc. sign him to $450M???
Projecting Yankees contract offer for Juan Soto after Nationals update
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Post by noetsi on Feb 17, 2022 18:41:11 GMT -5
What will we talk about if there is no season? Russia taking over the Ukraine, but I think politics is banned.
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