What if Yermin Mercedes keeps hitting?

[ShoeLessRob]

5 minutes ago, tray said:

"Assuming Eloy still has trade value"    Really?

Eloy will be the Sox  starting LFer when he returns. He did not sacrifice his position because of a freak injury that wasn't his fault. It was a freaking accident.

How many more “freak” accidents does he need to have to show he isn’t a capable LF, he’s a liability to his team and personal health out there.

[Flash]

7 minutes ago, tray said:

"Assuming Eloy still has trade value"    Really?

Eloy will be the Sox  starting LFer when he returns. He did not sacrifice his position because of a freak injury that wasn't his fault. It was a freaking accident.

He cannot play left field so the notion that it is "his position" is wishful thinking. I think we might be surprised at Eloy's trade value as an injury prone DH under contract for 6 years at $43M plus. And of course it was his fault.

[tray]

LOL.

[Jose Abreu]

2 hours ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

Vaughn will K a lot more than Mercedes. Guys who can make contact are pretty valuable in situations like last night when both Robert and Vaughn K'd with men on 2nd and 3rd with no outs. Mercedes had just got the last of his 3 hits against Cobb, a double with 2 strikes on him . At least 4 of his 8 consecutive hits he had 2 strikes on him.

Vaughn and Mercedes have pretty much identical minor league strikeout rates. I know Vaughn struck out last night but he projects to be really tough to strike out throughout his career

[Balta1701]

1 hour ago, Flash said:

He cannot play left field so the notion that it is "his position" is wishful thinking. I think we might be surprised at Eloy's trade value as an injury prone DH under contract for 6 years at $43M plus. And of course it was his fault.

Technically Eloy is under contract for 4 years and $43 million, then there are 2 more expensive option years after that.

Plus the whole Eloys Funeral thing.

[South Side Hit Men]

1 hour ago, tray said:

"Assuming Eloy still has trade value"    Really?

Eloy will be the Sox  starting LFer when he returns. He did not sacrifice his position because of a freak injury that wasn't his fault. It was a freaking accident.

Setting aside his six previous injuries and three DL stints in just over a full MLB season, he is also one of the worst LFers in MLB history, with a -2.0 dWAR. Carlos Lee and Dave Kingman were Gold Glove OFers in comparison, and they sucked ass. The only argument for keeping him in LF is if he can't hit in the DH role, as many hitters do have trouble adjusting to a DH role. In that instance, he should be traded as he can bring in solid value, and Abreu looks to be able to produce for at least a few more seasons.

Mercedes can rake, but he isn't a better hitter than Eloy, regardless of how many posters are crowning Mercedes after two ML Games. Glad he is doing well, really can use his bat with the roster Hahn assembled, but he will come down to Earth at some point. He still can be a very good regular DH until Eloy returns. As for Vaughn, he should get a few weeks to see if he can hit at this level, but should otherwise be sent down to develop beyond A ball and save his service clock if he doesn't start raking regularly.

Edited April 4, 2021 by South Side Hit Men

[JuliusO1274]

3 hours ago, Flash said:

Yermin makes Eloy and to a lesser extent, Vaughn, redundant. We trade whoever possesses the highest trade value. Going into this season and even before Yermin mania, I advocated pursuing Tauchman (NYY). He is a Chgo kid who bats LH and is well better than avg at all 3 OF positions. I'd still pursue him (Lopez + ???). He can hold the fort down until Colas/Cespedes emerges. Vaughn needs to continue his development and build confidence which he is less likely to do while learning a new position. He can go to Charlotte for a bit. Assuming Eloy still has trade value (I posited trading him for Corbin Burnes and this board wanted to hang me from the highest tree), I'd use him to bring in another SP although Burnes is obviously out of the question now. FWIW, am guessing Abreu will still be playing first and hitting 3rd come 2022 and likely beyond. Obviously just one man's opinion.

Vaughn would be more likely to get traded than Eloy.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

3 hours ago, Jose Abreu said:

Vaughn and Mercedes have pretty much identical minor league strikeout rates. I know Vaughn struck out last night but he projects to be really tough to strike out throughout his career

Vaughn never advanced beyond A+ to face tougher pitching. What he did against a far inferior product has no bearing whatsoever on how he will fare against MLB pitching. He needs to learn and that will be a process that Mercedes mostly has been through. I have no doubt Vaughn has the capacity to learn. Hoping it will come quickly . Also hoping Mercedes continues to prove he can hit MLB pitching. We have some very inexperienced players and even our veterans have not played in night games in some of these parks for quite a while. Guys like Madrigal , Collins , Robert , Mercedes and many of our young pitchers not at all.

I know it's not in our nature to consider these things as we blast away at them but I'm also hoping at least a few hesitate a bit before posting scathing remarks in game threads and beyond. They are all pressing to make a good impression with a lot of expectations. They will calm down but now is a time for patience and understanding.

[caulfield12]

29 minutes ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

Vaughn never advanced beyond A+ to face tougher pitching. What he did against a far inferior product has no bearing whatsoever on how he will fare against MLB pitching. He needs to learn and that will be a process that Mercedes mostly has been through. I have no doubt Vaughn has the capacity to learn. Hoping it will come quickly . Also hoping Mercedes continues to prove he can hit MLB pitching. We have some very inexperienced players and even our veterans have not played in night games in some of these parks for quite a while. Guys like Madrigal , Collins , Robert , Mercedes and many of our young pitchers not at all.

I know it's not in our nature to consider these things as we blast away at them but I'm also hoping at least a few hesitate a bit before posting scathing remarks in game threads and beyond. They are all pressing to make a good impression with a lot of expectations. They will calm down but now is a time for patience and understanding.

Sure, but you can't have it both ways. The White Sox have been hyping most of these kids and cranking up expectations.  It's up to the coaching staff to determine if these players have the psyches to deal with struggles.  It is not like we are in a media market that crucified players like Boston, NY and Philly.  All things considered, the White Sox have been pretty isolated.  The defensive pressure Madrigal is putting on himself is self-induced and totally unrelated to game threads... he set extremely high expectations for himself, not unlike Gordon Beckham. The game's just moving too fast or too slow for both Vaughn and Madrigal, and LaRussa needs to speak with both of them to calm things down and take a step back. 

[joejoesox]

Vaughn is nervous, that AB vs Cobb where he threw 2 or 3 straight splitters (all were low out of the zone) in a row and Vaughn swung through all of them, on 0-2.  he needs to figure out how to relax.  When Vaughn is himself, there's no way he strikes out on a pitch out of the zone on 0-2, he would know the count in that situation and that a chase pitch is coming

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

9 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

Sure, but you can't have it both ways. The White Sox have been hyping most of these kids and cranking up expectations.  It's up to the coaching staff to determine if these players have the psyches to deal with struggles.  It is not like we are in a media market that crucified players like Boston, NY and Philly.  All things considered, the White Sox have been pretty isolated.  The defensive pressure Madrigal is putting on himself is self-induced and totally unrelated to game threads... he set extremely high expectations for himself, not unlike Gordon Beckham. The game's just moving too fast or too slow for both Vaughn and Madrigal, and LaRussa needs to speak with both of them to calm things down and take a step back. 

Not sure what 2 ways I am asking for ? People get nervous in unfamiliar places and with new experiences.  They need to relax and I don't care if its their fellow players or the manager that says relax, slow your mind down , you're our guy . I never said what they are doing out there is related to game threads. That's not even possible. I just want people to be nicer on one day. It's just a place to start from.

[MiddleCoastBias]

On 4/3/2021 at 10:54 AM, Jerksticks said:

Great story but what if he goes 0 for his next 15?

This has aged poorly.

[ron883]

Anybody notice how with 2 strikes, Yermin will completely eliminate his leg kick or "loading" mechanism, whatever you want to call it. His front leg didn't move at all there, but he was still able to get enough power to crush the ball. Pretty impressive. 

Leg kick with 1 strike

Loading with 2 strikes. Still more loading than in the video if the homerun.

Edited April 6, 2021 by ron883

[Paulie4Pres]

On 4/3/2021 at 3:20 PM, Flash said:

Yermin is gonna disrupt this lineup. I want that guy at the plate as often as possible. He has great plate coverage and a terrific eye. Short to the ball and an idea of what he wants to do each at bat. My guess is he will continue to impress, in which case we'll have a high-class problem. 

So much this... I've watched almost every at bat thus far this season. I can only walk away thinking....why is this the first time he's had a good look at the MLB level? I think his approach at the plate is fantastic. He has a short swing, and sees pitches very, very well. I don't see why he cannot continue to hit the ball. Am I completely off base here? When he's up to bat, I just see a good hitter... 

[hi8is]

41 minutes ago, ron883 said:

Anybody notice how with 2 strikes, Yermin will completely eliminate his leg kick or "loading" mechanism, whatever you want to call it. His front leg didn't move at all there, but he was still able to get enough power to crush the ball. Pretty impressive. 

Leg kick with 1 strike

Loading with 2 strikes. Still more loading than in the video if the homerun.

Yup

[hi8is]

1 minute ago, Paulie4Pres said:

So much this... I've watched almost every at bat thus far this season. I can only walk away thinking....why is this the first time he's had a good look at the MLB level? I think his approach at the plate is fantastic. He has a short swing, and sees pitches very, very well. I don't see why he cannot continue to hit the ball. Am I completely off base here? When he's up to bat, I just see a good hitter... 

Yup

[caulfield12]

9/29/2014- The Baltimore Orioles have acquired the rights to Yermin Mercedes from the White Sands Pupfish. Mercedes split the year between Douglas and White Sands in 2014. 

Ryan Powell, The Baltimore Orioles Independent League Scouting Director is no stranger to the Pecos League. He managed Carlsbad in 2011 and in Trinidad for 2012. "It is great to sign a player from the Pecos League. The Pecos League continues improve every year and has quality players. We look forward to having Yermin." says Powell. 

"Yermin was the best player in the Pecos League" says Sean Wolfson Pecos League Umpire.

"If Yermin wasn't going to get signed then no one is going to get signed. He can flat out at hit. " says White Sands Manager Darrell Carrillo. 

Mercedes is represented by Toro Sports Agency out of Pensacola Florida.

Edited April 6, 2021 by caulfield12

[caulfield12]

The White Sands Pupfish play their home games in Alamogordo, near the nuclear testing site. 

He has to be "Fat Man/Pequenito (little boy)" as his nickname, or A-Bomb/Y-Bomb, something like that. 

He's too kind hearted and fun loving for The Yerminator, although tthat's really clever.

[MexSoxFan#1]

I like the kid, I hope he becomes a good MLB hitter.

[caulfield12]

Leading Cedric Mullins of the Orioles in MLB batting average, hits (12-10), tied with Whit Merrifield and trailing only Nick Castellanos in total bases for MLB, 5th in OPS behind Will Smith (LAD), Castellanos, Byron Buxton and JD Martinez.

Edited April 6, 2021 by caulfield12

[Squirmin' for Yermin]

I haven't won a day since February 3, 2020.  I deserve to win the day today due to my continued Mercedes support and all knowing baseball knowledge.  Please like this post. I deserve it  

[bmags]

this is so dumb, you just keep them all because they are all in cheap years and then you have more good players. Trading from surplus on a competitive team is such video game thinking.

[hogan873]

After watching Mercedes hit this past week, it's amazing that he hasn't gotten an extended look at the MLB level before.  And it's entirely possible he only made the team this year because Eloy tore his tit.  I understand that he's essentially a DH that can catch a bit, but he's shown the past two seasons in spring training that he can hit and has shown so far in the majors that he can hit.  He seems to have a pretty good eye and doesn't chase too many bad pitches.  He has a ton of power but doesn't rely on it with every swing.  He goes up there looking for a hit, not just a home run.

If he continues to get playing time, which he certainly should, he's going to hit some monster HRs.

He's an exciting player, and I'm happy he's with the Sox.

[caulfield12]

27 minutes ago, Squirmin' for Yermin said:

I haven't won a day since February 3, 2020.  I deserve to win the day today due to my continued Mercedes support and all knowing baseball knowledge.  Please like this post. I deserve it  

You sound like a politician.  This begging approach is beneath you.

Nobody deserves likes.  They have to be earned, haha.

[Squirmin' for Yermin]

23 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

You sound like a politician.  This begging approach is beneath you.

Nobody deserves likes.  They have to be earned, haha.

My reasoning, is why it's earned.  Let me beg.