Friday, May 13, 2016

Weekly Check In: Jorge Mateo


When we last check in with Jorge Mateo it was just days after him being removed from a game with a phantom injury. Speculation immediately began as to what happened and quickly rumors became truths as we learned that Mateo was removed from the game for not hustling. To hear that a guy that stole over 80 bases last season is not hustling is a huge shock to me but it may explain some things in my mind. Mateo is surprisingly a terrible base runner and a bad base stealer. He gets by in the lower depths of the minor leagues based strictly off his speed.

Mateo gets caught stealing far more than he should and he also gets picked off at a rate that is not nearly talked about enough. If Mateo isn’t hustling that would explain a lot to me because if he’s that disinterested that he won’t hustle it would lead me to believe that his head is not fully in the game. This is troubling and worrisome to me but I have a tendency to overreact so maybe I’m looking too much into this. Maybe I’m not though, remember similar acquisitions thrown Jesus Montero’s way?

Some players take a public humiliation and a benching for lack of hustle on the chin, they straighten up and they fly right. Some players take it to heart and carry a chip on their shoulder and some spitefulness in their gut. Spitefulness will ruin a career in the long term, hard work will make one flourish. Let’s hope for the latter and not the former in this case with Mateo or he could become trade bait before the rest of the league catches on.


YearAgeLevGPARH2B3BHRRBISBCSBBSOBAOBPSLGOPS
201621A+30134284245422981130.350.406.567.973

6 comments:

  1. i know it's early and we are talking class A, but even if he's bad on stealing, a solution would be just not to steal as much. maybe he can't steal like jose reyes, maybe he would be more like brett gardner (in regards only to stealing), where he's fast, but doesnt steal much.

    if he can use lets to turn singles into doubles, doubles into triples, avoid double plays, but get be a good hitter and fielder beyond "legs" that would be perfectly fine.

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  2. A week ago or so I wrote something like this;
    Players with so much God given talents don't even think of the rest of us. We need all the work and practice we can get. Many talented players have never needed to work at being better than the rest of us, so they have no work ethics to draw from. When they get to a higher level and start playing with better talent all of a sudden they get frustrated because they don't know the game. Those that wish to use the talent they have and become better start the learning prosses and within a year or so they have what the media calls a "breakout year" and the better talent added to learning the way to play the game makes for a good and sometimes star player.
    Bottom line: Mateo needs to get his shit together and start to learn the game. With his talent (as is) and hard work, just think how good he could become!

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    Replies
    1. Same topic but not any player was named.

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    2. nice. but isn't that more of a reason to bump him up to trenton rather than let him destroy A level pitching?

      There's a way to go, and much more talented pitching. but yes, nice perspective ken.

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    3. You could be right and most likely are but I am trying to think as if I were running the situation with him NOT going all out and getting benched (maybe).
      He is not only hurting the team but himself, and as I am a team type guy...that is not tolerated! Plus he dosesn't know how to steal bases. This can be taught (about 75% of it) and he has the other 25% (Speed). Put those together and you have a very good player, don't you think?
      Therefore, I would keep him where he is and make sure he sees the carrot of "AA" to get him hooked with working on his game and his progression with his work. Moving him up would make it harder to make a lot of headway. One step at a time.

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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)