Now that the Angelos family is gone Nutting has finally achieved the official title of the worst owner in baseball. Congrats Bob. You’re number 1. Saddest part is that with any business acumen he could fairly easily make a lot more money by building a more competitive team but instead he prefers to do nothing and collect his share of the revenue MLB gives him. Pathetic really.
I'll give you number 1in the National League but Nutting has a ways to go to catch Fisher. Pittsburgh at least has good facilities, a team and at least a few good players they intend to keep.
I’m not going to try to defend BN. I stopped doing that long ago.
BN is ultra-conservative businessman, which plays out in MLB payroll and unwillingness to roll the dice on desirable FA’s.
Only hope for a different future is if Pirates develop additional revenue sources like the Braves did with The Battery, and Orioles are planning to do around Camden Yards.
I thought Lonnie White Junior hit around .400 his senior year in high school. Weren't newly elected hall of famers Todd Helton and Joe Mauer two pretty good football players? In fact, I think Peyton Manning was a back up quarterback to Todd Helton for a year.
He simply did things on a diamond that nobody else has done. He improved every year before the hip injury...he was so raw, but he was on his way to being an absolute monster.
You talking HS multi sport guys? Or both HS/College multi sport guys?
Fully agree on that sentiment with scouting though: the guy can be tooled up beyond belief but if he can’t hit, none of the rest matters. And many just hand-wave it away if he can’t hit.
The "drafted him away from football" class of multi-sport athlete.
Baseball dudes playing other sports in HS are too many to count, but the types that would go play football if not for a club throwing a bunch of money at them to play baseball seem to be the red flags, at least on the hitting side.
As someone mentioned, Joe Maurer is certainly one of the players who would’ve gone and played football if not for a club throwing a bunch of money at him. He was the number one ranked high school football player in the country, and had already committed to a very powerful Florida State team before Minnesota made him an offer that he couldn’t refuse. He turned out to be a pretty good baseball player.
I feel more confident in White than most two-sport athletes. He was originally committed to Clemson on a baseball scholarship before switching to Penn State for football and baseball. Same with Bubba and Georgia before committing to Clemson to do both. I'm glad Bubba is focusing on pitching.
It’s also much different if it’s a prep arm or prep bat that’s multi sport guy. You miss those at bats as a hitter and you can never get that back or replicate it.
I love the idea of a multi-sport athlete choosing baseball over football because who the hell doesn’t want to see that kind of athletic ability on a baseball field? But baseball is so nuanced and difficult.
I'll go to my grave arguing that hitting a round ball with a round bat straight is the most difficult single skill in sports and those who can do so at the professional level are intrinsically gifted in a manner that cannot be taught.
Hell, Ben chased Anthony Alford for literally a decade before accepting that he just can't hit.
I'm just some jag on the internet, but to my eye Lonnie's swing is even looser than Hanks. I don't know if that's promising for the former or damning for the latter but I choose to be hopeful for both!
I was! "best college bat in the country who can catch" seemed pretty good to me!
I trusted the swing was just...unique. I'm far too dumb to judge whether he'll make it work or not, but I've been pretty bummed watching him in pro ball against other pro baseball players. Again, I'm just some jag on the internet, but you can usually SEE guys jump out on the field when they're studs. And I've never watched a game where Hank looked like the best guy on the field, admittedly though almost all were on crappy MILBtv streams. It seems the work he's doing this winter is explicitly meant to loosen him up, though, so I'm hopeful.
I've only ever watched YouTube clips of Lonnie so I could be off on this, but he almost looks "too" big. He has the elite athleticism you'd expect for a former D1 football prospect but he's also pretty bulky. Is there any concern about him having to switch to first base or DH like Josh Bell? Again, I've never seen him play, only YouTube clips, so feel free to laugh at me if the question is completely off base.
He runs like a friggin deer; Bell from day 1 looked like an outfielder in name only.
And yeah, Lonnie was a literal man amongst boys at the levels he played last year. Maybe seeing him play grown-ass men changing the perception you had. But also he's an enormous human on any scale.
Really looking forward to a good year from Lonnie. It feels like not a lot of guys choose baseball over football anymore, I love that he took a chance.
I get that, but he wasn’t in Greensboro very long. Even if the park is as wonky as it is (and it’s the wind that’s the issue, right?) there’s still the level of competition that’s a leg up.
Orioles being sold to a couple of billionaires.
Now that the Angelos family is gone Nutting has finally achieved the official title of the worst owner in baseball. Congrats Bob. You’re number 1. Saddest part is that with any business acumen he could fairly easily make a lot more money by building a more competitive team but instead he prefers to do nothing and collect his share of the revenue MLB gives him. Pathetic really.
I'll give you number 1in the National League but Nutting has a ways to go to catch Fisher. Pittsburgh at least has good facilities, a team and at least a few good players they intend to keep.
Bucs-A’s WS in 2028. You heard it here first.
In Williamsport?
My backyard is fairly spacious...and not far from Williamsport!
You misspelled John Fisher...
I’m not going to try to defend BN. I stopped doing that long ago.
BN is ultra-conservative businessman, which plays out in MLB payroll and unwillingness to roll the dice on desirable FA’s.
Only hope for a different future is if Pirates develop additional revenue sources like the Braves did with The Battery, and Orioles are planning to do around Camden Yards.
Otherwise, don’t expect any changes.
Why cant we do that
Gonna be an incredible team when they start to spend. Hopefully Bob is somewhere licking his lips waiting for a big bag of his own.
O/T but why didn't BC release someone 8 days ago (Alika)? Just as a courtesy since it's almost Feb. Chapman must not be able to leave Cuba.
Never seen it take 2 guys longer to sign a Pirates contract that he and the Venezuela dude.
Lol! You should have posted this a few days ago. You asked and Chapman signed today!
The history of success in teaching football players to hit is effectively zero.
I bristle a bit at the new era of scouting that overlooks the most important tool a kid can have, the ability to actually hit the ball.
Here's to hoping Lonnie breaks the cycle. Kid's a f'n HOSS.
Brian Jordan had nearly 1,500 hits and 33 WAR.
This article is super old but there are many examples
https://www.jetnation.com/2005/10/06/from-football-to-hardball-mlbers-that-could-have-been-nflers/amp/
I thought Lonnie White Junior hit around .400 his senior year in high school. Weren't newly elected hall of famers Todd Helton and Joe Mauer two pretty good football players? In fact, I think Peyton Manning was a back up quarterback to Todd Helton for a year.
I, too, literally hit over .400 my senior year of high school. And I wasn't the only one on my team.
I believe the rules say you need to have at least 9 on your team.
Eddie Feigner, if he were alive, would beg to differ. 😁
Haha well done
Bo knows baseball...
Bo Jackson is the only correct answer
If only Bo would not have destroyed his hip playing football, he just might have been one of the best Baseball players ever.
He simply did things on a diamond that nobody else has done. He improved every year before the hip injury...he was so raw, but he was on his way to being an absolute monster.
You talking HS multi sport guys? Or both HS/College multi sport guys?
Fully agree on that sentiment with scouting though: the guy can be tooled up beyond belief but if he can’t hit, none of the rest matters. And many just hand-wave it away if he can’t hit.
The "drafted him away from football" class of multi-sport athlete.
Baseball dudes playing other sports in HS are too many to count, but the types that would go play football if not for a club throwing a bunch of money at them to play baseball seem to be the red flags, at least on the hitting side.
As someone mentioned, Joe Maurer is certainly one of the players who would’ve gone and played football if not for a club throwing a bunch of money at him. He was the number one ranked high school football player in the country, and had already committed to a very powerful Florida State team before Minnesota made him an offer that he couldn’t refuse. He turned out to be a pretty good baseball player.
Joe Maurer was literally the first overall pick in the entire draft you guys are SO dumb.
I feel more confident in White than most two-sport athletes. He was originally committed to Clemson on a baseball scholarship before switching to Penn State for football and baseball. Same with Bubba and Georgia before committing to Clemson to do both. I'm glad Bubba is focusing on pitching.
Bubba precisely supports my take.
He's a non-prospect unless he's on the mound!
It’s also much different if it’s a prep arm or prep bat that’s multi sport guy. You miss those at bats as a hitter and you can never get that back or replicate it.
I love the idea of a multi-sport athlete choosing baseball over football because who the hell doesn’t want to see that kind of athletic ability on a baseball field? But baseball is so nuanced and difficult.
I'll go to my grave arguing that hitting a round ball with a round bat straight is the most difficult single skill in sports and those who can do so at the professional level are intrinsically gifted in a manner that cannot be taught.
Idk why, but Bubba Starling always comes to mind when I think of guys like that.
Classic example!
Hell, Ben chased Anthony Alford for literally a decade before accepting that he just can't hit.
I'm just some jag on the internet, but to my eye Lonnie's swing is even looser than Hanks. I don't know if that's promising for the former or damning for the latter but I choose to be hopeful for both!
Sincere question, not a lame gotcha attempt: weren’t you a big HD fan when he was at Louisville? Has his swing changed (gotten “looser”)?
I was! "best college bat in the country who can catch" seemed pretty good to me!
I trusted the swing was just...unique. I'm far too dumb to judge whether he'll make it work or not, but I've been pretty bummed watching him in pro ball against other pro baseball players. Again, I'm just some jag on the internet, but you can usually SEE guys jump out on the field when they're studs. And I've never watched a game where Hank looked like the best guy on the field, admittedly though almost all were on crappy MILBtv streams. It seems the work he's doing this winter is explicitly meant to loosen him up, though, so I'm hopeful.
I've only ever watched YouTube clips of Lonnie so I could be off on this, but he almost looks "too" big. He has the elite athleticism you'd expect for a former D1 football prospect but he's also pretty bulky. Is there any concern about him having to switch to first base or DH like Josh Bell? Again, I've never seen him play, only YouTube clips, so feel free to laugh at me if the question is completely off base.
He runs like a friggin deer; Bell from day 1 looked like an outfielder in name only.
And yeah, Lonnie was a literal man amongst boys at the levels he played last year. Maybe seeing him play grown-ass men changing the perception you had. But also he's an enormous human on any scale.
Really looking forward to a good year from Lonnie. It feels like not a lot of guys choose baseball over football anymore, I love that he took a chance.
I hope they start Lonnie in Greensboro and that he's batting second in the order with Jebb leading off and Termarr 3rd with Forrester cleanup.
That lineup might score 10 a night with that top in greensboro
I hope Termarr is in Altoona.
To start the season in the ‘Toona?
Genuinely don't know at this point if time spent in greensboro is even a net positive for most bats...
I get that, but he wasn’t in Greensboro very long. Even if the park is as wonky as it is (and it’s the wind that’s the issue, right?) there’s still the level of competition that’s a leg up.
I do too! I almost put if not in Altoona after Termarr lol.
Lonnie will be out #1 prospect by the end of the year
I guess you are of the belief both Termarr Johnson and Bubba Chandler are getting traded this season.
promoted
and our starting center fielder by June of 2025
That would be incredible!
Spring training NRI list posted at mlb.com. Lonnie not on it, fwiw.
https://www.mlb.com/transactions
Surprised no Jase Bowen…although perhaps not being added to the 40 and subsequently not being selected by another club said enough.
Even weirder, inviting Andres Alvarez, who’s been pretty bad since May 2022, and not Bowen.
All those great young pitchers with absolutely zero chance of making the opening day roster.....
Except for Sean Sullivan . . . .
Helth is welth and we are poor, would be nice if lonnie could help us out
It would be nice to see Lonnie and Temarr fast track themselves in the same timeline.