Polar Bear Watching

[Edgy MD]

Consider Pete Alonso, doing a damned good Chris Davis imitation, going .167 / .262 / .259 // .522 over his first 14 games/61 plate appearances as an Oriole, with one homer and three RBI.  Yes, witness honestly the failings of your team, but know that you have no exclusive on Biblical-level lamentations.

Most notable (most Chris Davisable) is Alonso's 19 whiffs in his 61 trips — a whopping 31% of the time.  There is still time to change course — as there is for so many (most) of us — but periods have a way of becoming trends.

Alonso — forced to give up number 20 in favor of 25 in deference to Frank Robinson, for whom #20 is retired — also must contend with a tailor who has run out of 5s, and has ad-libbed by sewing a 2 upside-down and backwards to represent his second digit.

Here he is mourning one more moment of athletic and sartorial failure. 

[whippoorwill]

oh wow that 5  is terrible

[Edgy MD]

I'm trying to imagine it on Brooks Robinson's back, and I can't.

[A Boy Named Seo]

I really hope Pete doesn't go the way of Chris Davis (I still love that big, hairy baby), but the one thing that jumped out to me amongst all his early bad numbers is his bat speed.

He's consistently been elite (at least 75MPH and 90th percentile and above for several years running). So far this year he's at 73.1, a 2.3 MPH drop from last year that moves him from elite to above-average (66th percentile). He's still strong enough to have elite exit velocities when he hits it, but if he bat is really starting to slow down... 

[A Boy Named Seo]

This is obviously the "Pete Alonso Sucks" thread. He went 2-3 with a walk yesterday, including a go-ahead 2-run homer in the 7th. 

[MFS62]

1 hour ago, A Boy Named Seo said:

a go-ahead 2-run homer in the 7th. 

What is this go-ahead homer of which you speak? Sounds interesting. I'd like to see one.

Later

[The Hot Corner]

Oh you hve seen them this year.  It is just that most have them have been by the opposition.