Just chiming in to say that HTM couldn't be more wrong on Yuli. I actually was bullish on him coming into the season (as he would be coming off a "normal" offseason, and didn't come into a brand new country mid-season last last year), and after a slow start, has been exactly what I was hoping for. Also, dude has been WAY better defensively than almost all realistic expectations, so any criticism about his defense is just about wrong. Carry on.
This whole I'm moving the goalposts is just disingenous by you and others. I just want a fair analysis of Harden's playoff performances in competitive series since he has been the leader of this team... (Port/LAC/GSW)... posters like you try and totally ignore it and dance around it. He hasn't been a superstar. Saying he scored a certain amount of points is not a fair analysis. Harden has played 23 playoff games between Port/LAC/GSWx2 and how many remarkable performances did our superstar have? I said he hasn't impressed. He was brought in with some fanfare and is being paid more than most anybody on the team right? You want the big contracts to justify their salary. He has been OK and recently better but hitting into a DP yesterday and making that mistake in a close game obviously is frustrating.
Well I made that comment in real time so the advantage of hindsight wasn't there. It was an important play in a close extra innings game and was rightfully frustrating.
Weird (or not) how every off-day goes this route. Yuli has been pretty great on defense--in general as a 1B, and even moreso for someone that never really spent much time over there prior to this off-season. It was a hell of a stop in the 10th. I wanted the out, but wasn't mad that it didn't happen.. Just like I wasn't super pissed at Springer when he didn't make the insane catch he dove all-out for a few days ago. Super close plays that would have been amazing if they were nailed. Spoiler: Harden The Harden argument I think has some merit (or could at least be discussed) if presented in a more well-reasoned/nuanced way--there's a difference between meeting expectations, consistency, carrying a team, performing through adversity, adjusting in a series, just "sucking", etc, and for some reason they're all being lumped into a quick statement here. But that's for another forum.
Yeah...had he not made a nice diving stop on a hard hit ball, he would not have even had the opportunity to make that "mistake".
You asked for one game. I provided it. Anyone that can't see how important Harden has been to the Rockets in most of the playoff games, is not paying attention (kind of like yesterday when you didn't even remember why you were complaining about Gurriel) The first 2 games of this series, he played at a superstar level. Arguably did in game 3 as well, but since he did not hit the game tying/winning shot in the closing seconds, he failed. Back to baseball concerning Yulieski: For a Cuban player who has around 200 plate appearances in the major leagues, after coming to a new country and a new league, who has made one error in that stretch (at 3B), who currently leads all AL first basemen in batting average, he has been pretty impressive. I don't see how anyone could form an opinion otherwise.
It was a play he should have made and didn't... it was an important play and could have been extremely costly given the circumstances. Perfectly reasonable to be frustrated with it. You're disingenuously dancing around the crux of the matter and you know it. It's cute though. Your little "gotcha" game is adorable. So you take one extreme of the Yuli situation... he is also a 17 year pro who has a large contract and fanfare and had been average/underwhelming before the last couple of series.
So, to you his defense has been unimpressive because after he made a diving stop, he was unable to complete the play? He has made 0 errors at first. He has made a number of nice scoops at first as well as a number of nice plays. Those are factual statements. Not sure what disingenuousness I have exhibited. Why are you allowed to be of the opinion that Gurriel is unimpressive, but we aren't allowed to be of the opinion (and offer some actual facts) that he has been impressive?
You've exhibited dis-ingenuousness in regards to the Harden playoff discussion. I thought it was obvious that the first part of my response was discussing that. You're little "gotcha" game in regards to that is totally disingenuous. You're ignoring the crux of the matter. Like I said. Finding one game out of 23 playoff games vs. Port/LAC/GSWx2 and saying, "well look how silly you look HTM he has clearly he has been great" is disingenous. You can have a positive opinion of Gurriel and I can be "not impressed" by him. Overall I have not been impressed by Gurriel. I never said anything about defense specifically. I made that comment after a poor play by Gurriel that could have been very important. You throw out all types of things in his favor but ignore other considerations (17 years a pro + big contract and fanfare) are those not relevant factors to consider when conducting an assessment of Gurriel? Does an assessment of a defensive play stop after the dive? Is it not important to not **** up the toss to first?
Can we please stop talking about James Harden here? There might be another section dedicated to James Harden and his team, it might be a good idea to check it out. Now if you want to talk about Carlos Delgado, I'd be all for it.
Please note that the defensive play occurred in the 10th inning yesterday which was sometime after 3:00 PM. Your "not impressed" quote regarding Gurriel was made around 1:30 PM. How can you say my finding a game in which Harden clearly played at a superstar level when that is THE EXACT THING YOU ASKED FOR is disingenuous? Doesn't that then make your question disingenuous? Also, as I said in a previous post, he performed at a superstar level in games 1 and 2 (as well as past year's playoff games). Also, unlike that superstar Westbrook, it can be argued that Harden recognized his suckiness yesterday and rather than jack up a bunch of shots in the 4th quarter, I believe he was 3-5 once he got back into the game and deferred to his teammates. He admittedly made a rally stupid turnover in the final 30 seconds. He sucked for most of the game. He didn't try and play hero ball. The Rockets won.
I'm done...sorry for the derailment. That Delgado was a stud the one year he got into the playoffs. .351/.442/.757/1.199. 4 HR, 11 RBI, 10 games. I do seem to remember a diving stop he made, but he could not get a handle on the ball, so it went as an infield single. No harm though.
Haha all good buddy, my post wasn't really directed at you, you were just answering a question, and then being called disingenuous for it. It really grinds my gears when a player makes a great attempt, and gets to a ball that most players at his position would not, but then have the nerve to not finish the play.
1. Ok so my aggravated post was after yet another DP the Astros hit into.. the Astros hit into 3 yesterday I think... they rank something like last in baseball in hitting into them... so I was frustrated by Gurriel hitting into a double play and made the comment that he hasn't impressed me. That's not an unfair thing to say in the totality of his career as an Astro. Even if he has been good the last couple of series. 2. it's disingenuous because you pull ONE thing out of a BIG post to harp on. Ignoring EVERYTHING else. The larger debate is about Harden showing up in competitive playoff series. Respond to that.
Freakin Hillarious...I was just thinkin similar thoughts scrollin thru he last couple pages then I see your post haha
I've responded directly to this at least twice. I'll type slower. Harden played at a superstar level in games 1 and 2. Would have been at a superstar level in game 3 had he hit the winning shot, but he didn't so he failed. He has played at a superstar level in games in his other playoff series with Houston. Has he disappeared/sucked in other playoff games - he clearly has. But, to say he has never played at a superstar status in the playoffs with the Rockets, is definitely disingenuous. Now, if you want to continue to talk Harden, let's move it to the Rockets thread. If you want to continue to nitpick over a diving stop and the inability to make a throw, feel free to discuss it in this appropriate forum.
who is this harden fatty with bad posture playing with round melons? Let's talk about that epic gattis swing to tie the game up, then winning it. I almost forgot Springer didn't even play! amazing.
Just remember, all of this is occurring on a day after the Astros won a series at TB for the first time in like 9 years, and the Rockets won a pivotal game in a massive playoff series also on the road, in one of the hardest arenas to play in. I can't imagine how "unimpressed" @HTM will be the next time either of these teams loses a game. I'm going to counteract all of the negative energy he's brought into this forum by saying this: The veteran presence on this Astros team (and yes, that INCLUDES Yuli Gurriel, I'm sure much to the chagrin of certain posters) has been unbelievable. These guys never panic, never get too down on themselves, and never allow themselves to get too caught up in individual plays. It's a long ****ing season, and they've shown that it's possible to have fun and win games at the same time, all while maintaining a professional approach to the game. God bless.
Yuli is a good player. He can help this team. If he can play a stellar 1st base, hopefully hit around .290 and have a respectable OPS, then that's all we really need. That is light years better than what we had last year. No knock on Marwin but Gurriel probably the much better hitter. Im sure they are paying him to be. We need a bat that makes contact and he does that very well. Like with every hitter, we need a larger sample than 20 games. This should be revisited on June 1. Right now, look around the league. Lots of great bats haven't woken up yet. I believe Gurriel's may have.
