9/18: Home Away from Home G/T

[Petert]

Brennan dealing. Nice to see him come back this strong.

[TraderGary]

I'm not ready to give up on KK. His stuff is much better this year, and he's got the arsenal to be pretty effective. I think it's all mental at this point. Can they get him straightened out? That remains to be seen, but the potential exists. Next year will be the key for him.

He’s got VG stuff, but as Julioooo pointed out out, either it deserts him when he needs it, or he loses focus on the zone when facing RH hitters under pressure. I would think the coaching staff would take this into consideration and try to work him through these issues. So, I’m starting to wonder if he’s coachable and no one’s willing to say he isn’t.

That's a very good point Petert, and I think it's a valid question. Certainly the M's organization realizes it's just a mental issue with him. The frustrating thing is that the stuff is there.

This is only his second season in the majors and I think he lacks confidence, particularly with men on base as you alluded to. The question is, can that be resolved? I'm wondering if he had 3 or 4 good outings in a row, would that give him a new sense of confidence and a belief in his abilities.

[Juliooooo]

I'm not ready to give up on KK. His stuff is much better this year, and he's got the arsenal to be pretty effective. I think it's all mental at this point. Can they get him straightened out? That remains to be seen, but the potential exists. Next year will be the key for him.

He’s got VG stuff, but as Julioooo pointed out out, either it deserts him when he needs it, or he loses focus on the zone when facing RH hitters under pressure. I would think the coaching staff would take this into consideration and try to work him through these issues. So, I’m starting to wonder if he’s coachable and no one’s willing to say he isn’t.

I think he's coachable, he's made adjustments and is willing to try new things. Being coachable and having the mentality are 2 different things. I'd argue that KK is much more coachable than Felix, but Felix has the mentality that KK is missing. Gonzales is another example of that killer mentality. He is never defeated and always competes. He doesn't have 1/4 the "stuff" that KK has, but he competes and is always in in mentally in it.

[Petert]

I'm not ready to give up on KK. His stuff is much better this year, and he's got the arsenal to be pretty effective. I think it's all mental at this point. Can they get him straightened out? That remains to be seen, but the potential exists. Next year will be the key for him.

He’s got VG stuff, but as Julioooo pointed out out, either it deserts him when he needs it, or he loses focus on the zone when facing RH hitters under pressure. I would think the coaching staff would take this into consideration and try to work him through these issues. So, I’m starting to wonder if he’s coachable and no one’s willing to say he isn’t.

I think he's coachable, he's made adjustments and is willing to try new things. Being coachable and having the mentality are 2 different things. I'd argue that KK is much more coachable than Felix, but Felix has the mentality that KK is missing. Gonzales is another example of that killer mentality. He is never defeated and always competes. He doesn't have 1/4 the "stuff" that KK has, but he competes and is always in in mentally in it.

I guess that was my point without stating it, and you brought it to light with your Felix analogy. Mental toughness is something that has to be there in the athlete, but sometimes brought out by coaching.

[TraderGary]

I'm not ready to give up on KK. His stuff is much better this year, and he's got the arsenal to be pretty effective. I think it's all mental at this point. Can they get him straightened out? That remains to be seen, but the potential exists. Next year will be the key for him.

He’s got VG stuff, but as Julioooo pointed out out, either it deserts him when he needs it, or he loses focus on the zone when facing RH hitters under pressure. I would think the coaching staff would take this into consideration and try to work him through these issues. So, I’m starting to wonder if he’s coachable and no one’s willing to say he isn’t.

I think he's coachable, he's made adjustments and is willing to try new things. Being coachable and having the mentality are 2 different things. I'd argue that KK is much more coachable than Felix, but Felix has the mentality that KK is missing. Gonzales is another example of that killer mentality. He is never defeated and always competes. He doesn't have 1/4 the "stuff" that KK has, but he competes and is always in in mentally in it.

Great post Julio. KK could learn a lot from Gonzales (my favorite current Mariner) and his always compete/never defeated killer mentality.

[IStillLoveTheMs]

This is well over... another get close to the playoffs... choke it all the fuck away Servais year.

[IStillLoveTheMs]

White killed that. lord.

[DavidGee24]

A little White Power breaks the shutout.

[Juliooooo]

I guess that was my point without stating it, and you brought it to light with your Felix analogy. Mental toughness is something that has to be there in the athlete, but sometimes brought out by coaching.

I just don't think of that killer instinct as a coachable trait. Its something a guy like Kobe and Lebron and MJ had. If you could take Gonzales' mentality and put it with Kikuchi's stuff, you would have a perennial cy young contender imo. I don't have any delusions of Kikuchi being an ace, because I don't think that can be developed. I do think he can be more consistent and be a serviceable starter. He was able to do it for years in Japan, and pitchers in the past have shown that the jump from Japan to MLB is doable. Not sure why its been so tough for him. I think he's shown some positive things this year, but he's just not been able to put it altogether.

[TraderGary]

This is well over... another get close to the playoffs... choke it all the fuck away Servais year.

Yep it's a done deal that we're not making the playoffs. I have to wonder how the players feel knowing the organization didn't care enough to give them any help for a playoff push. But on the other hand, in what is a very unusual season, I think getting an extra year of Kelenic and Gilbert was the best decision.

It's hard for me to root for my team to lose, but I think tanking for a better draft pick is the best option at this point. I would like to see the individual players do well and gain confidence, but getting a higher draft pick is the best we can hope for at this point. That being said, I hate the Astros and their cheating ways, so I will likely be pulling for the M's to sweep them. But I don't really see it happening.