Blue Jays Hot Stove Thread
- Thread starter Kin
- Start date
itsgametime
New member
L K said:
100%
Atkins needs to cut his losses and just move on from both of them.
Urena was claimed by by the Orioles. He's only 23, they gave up on him way to quickly - seems like he didn't even get a fair chance to show his stuff. Who knows...maybe he could have been used in the OF.
bustaheims
Well-known member
Andy said:
I don?t think you?re missing anything. Urena is a replacement level player. He doesn?t do anything particularly well - or even above average. He?s a weak hitter with poor OBP, and he?s not an especially good defensive player, either. He?s a bench utility guy at best.
He?s basically a similar value player to Drury and Fisher, but with much less power potential.
itsgametime
New member
Andy said:
Fisher had a .924+ OPS in AAA and he sucks.
You can't just look at the numbers in isolation. Urena needs to be developed. He was having a good season in 2018 and started out well in 2019 then they send him down. That messed him up.
itsgametime
New member
Andy said:
Yes you do need to develop him. It's the whole point of the draft, acquire assets and maximize their value - either use them within or trade them for other assets. Drury and Fisher both suck and they proved it last season and both are more than 2 years older than Urena. Shatkins has a thing for player they acquired - how else to explain his love for Drury and Fisher?
Kin
Active member
L K said:
I think we could all agree that if Drury gets anything close to the 450 plate appearances he had last year it'd be a bad sign but I think he's got real value to the team as a bench player who you can put at 5 or 6 positions and not embarrass himself while hoping his offensive numbers rebound a little to where they were in Arizona.
This is especially true, I think, if the Jays at some point this year get realistic about Vladdy Jr's future as a defensive player. Having an inhouse guy to slide in there may make the transition slightly easier.
Kin
Active member
The Empire said:
Well, in Drury's case it's that he's shown he can hit Major League pitching at a reasonable clip over a full season and likewise Fisher with minor league pitching. With Urena you're hoping that you can just say the word "development" and it be some sort of magic wand that turns a bad minor league hitter into a good major league hitter.
itsgametime
New member
Nik Bethune said:
Drury hasn't been relevant since 2017.
Urena has some good winter ball numbers. We will see. I was hoping they try him in the OF, maybe he turns into a LGJ light.
Kin
Active member
The Empire said:
Ok. Urena has never been relevant.
Feel free to think that the Jays could turn him into something if you want and I'm sure your expert scouting opinion will be given all the respect it deserves but I don't think the rest of us are going to see the Jays preferring to go with guys who have some sort of proven aptitude at hitting professional pitching as an unfathomable mystery that needs to be explained.
itsgametime
New member
Nik Bethune said:
development comes with opportunity, playing time and patience- it's not magic. Shapiro himself has mentioned this numerous times.
They needed to maximize his value. Remember Gurriel? he was a disaster in the infield, couldn't throw a ball if his life dependent on it, he was sent down and by chance found himself in LF. No magic.
Kin
Active member
The Empire said:
And likewise, the Jays had Urena and he couldn't hit. So they sent him down to the high minors and gave him a ton of at bats and he still couldn't hit. So, despite those years of attempted development, they eventually realized that bad minor league hitters don't just flip a switch and become good major league hitters and moved on.
They have other guys they can give at bats to. Nothing Urena did, in the minors or in the big leagues, singled him out as being particularly worthy of exceptional patience or opportunity and that's before you factor in trying to shift positions with him.
itsgametime
New member
Nik Bethune said:
He was the one of the best hitters coming of the gate in 2019 then this...
https://jaysjournal.com/2019/04/13/blue-jays-option-richard-urena-minors/
itsgametime
New member
Nik Bethune said:
A young player that has a hot spring, remains hot to start the season, is one of the better hitters on the team is sent down in favor of Hanson and Brito. We know how that worked out.