Chas was slightly above average last season based on the metrics. He's the nearly the same this season but just a tick worse. Remember there are a lot of bad/average defensive CFs out there..
Nice comeback last night. Hope is a dangerous thing but I’m feeling it for this teams Look forward to seeing them Next weekend here in MN!
It's particularly impressive that it's come as a part timer. He's been playing almost everyday for a while now, but he still only has about 2/3 the PA of an everyday play. We're talking a 5 WAR season projected out to a full 650 PA. We'll see how it goes, he's been extremely up and down his entire career to this point. The fact that his improvement is due to him simply hitting the ball harder than past seasons makes me feel pretty good about him maintaining an above average bat.
I am pretty convinced that almost all of his struggles can be directly traced to injuries. Now he may be more likely to get hurt because of how he plays defense and because he’s been hurt many times before, but I think if he is somehow able to stay healthy over the next 3-4 years, he will be a star level player over that time.
I'm very happy that he appears to have gone through some cold times and been able to recover. That tells me it's more than just a good streak for a below average hitter. .868 thru 4/8 .617 4/9-4/30 1.072 5/1-5/24 .415 5/25-6/18 1.147 6/19 - current Obviously consistency is best, but being able to pull out of a slump shows you have true talent and belong not to mention are able to counter adjustments that pitchers make with those of your own. Pena is another one. Huge start .867 thru 4/20 .648 4/21-5/7 .917 5/8-5/21 .392 5/22-6/20 1.051 6/21 - current For gold glove caliber defenders in crucial defensive positions, growing offensively and being able to be a net positive with the bat is huge.
If we can do something with his arm... maybe an electric stimulation like Roy Oswalt or fall on his arm like Henry Rowengartner from Rookie of the Year.
When you say star level player, are you talking Tucker, Alvarez, Altuve type star level player? Meyers is a good useful player, but thinking he will ever be on that level is wishful thinking.
I don’t think Meyers will ever post a season with 5+ fwar, so by that measure he is not on the same level as Tucker/Altuve/Alvarez. But I think he will be a 3-4 win player over the next 3-4 years if he stays healthy, which I think is still a star level player and one of the top 10 CF in the league.
Those guys you mentioned are HOF talents, and all 3 could end up there some day. That's a huge bar, that 95+% of players simply had no chance to hit that even before they started. Meyers and Pena are simply different types of players. They went to college so had a later start and had to build and develop from a lower starting point from a tools/natural talent beginning. But it takes all types to win a championship. They all must have above average skills where needs are, and be a net positive in the big picture. 9 Tucker's, or 9 Alvarez's or 9 Altuve's would not win many baseball games.
I’ve thought about this a lot and I think you are wrong. I think 9 alavarez loneup lays waste to baseball. I think guys would learn whatever defensive position they needed to in order to be passable. I’m not counting pitcher. I think catcher would be the most difficult one- but still take 9 yordans to win that. Figure you are going to punch out 10 guys, maybe 12 on most nights. That means he only has to turn 15 or so batted balls into outs. The fly balls he should be fine on- even with limited range. Many ground balls are easy plays if the contact is soft. but- I’m pretty sure I would expect 10 runs from him most days. And he would just grinds the other teams starting pitchers into dust and terrorize the bullpens. catcher might be a real problem though.
That's a fun thought. Somewhere in the multi-verse that is happening and I'm pissed I can't watch. Of course that team would be short lived before it had a billion dollar payroll. I do hope you at least agree with the rest of my point.
I happy Meyers is doing well, but he's a good player not a star level player IMHO. Hitting.250-.260 and playing an above avg CF despite having a weak arm is a good player, not a star level player. I disagree with your last sentence, give me 9 of those type guys and I will take my chances.
I'm hoping he continues to improve with the bat. There's room for improvement. Unfortunately the arm isn't going to improve. Believe it or not, I thought Jake was going to be a star level player in the Bregs mold before he got hurt.
