Kurtenbach: Answering your questions on Patrick Bailey, Bob Myers, and the sad, sorry state of the A’s
It’s been a while since we opened the Kurtenbag. Let’s fix that.
Some of these questions are from readers. Some aren’t. Some are from conversations I had with strangers at the dog park. Most aren’t. Does it really matter where the question came from if there’s a good answer?
Let’s get to the bottom of some things:
Can Patrick Bailey keep this up at the plate? What happens when Joey Bart comes back?
First four-hit game
What a day for No. 11 @SFGiants prospect Patrick Bailey! pic.twitter.com/FwRWv6Jc4S
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 27, 2023
Bailey was the kind of prospect that folks in the Giants organization kept saying was going to be “worth the wait.”
They weren’t kidding.
The kid has been an outstanding receiver behind the plate — 24 years old going on 34. His pitch framing is really impressive, and he has such a calm and confident disposition that seems to be contagious.
Catcher is one of those positions that still defies the analytics era. You either have it, or you don’t behind the plate. Bailey unquestionably has it.
But his bat has been most impressive in his short time in the majors. A switch hitter (how great is that?), Bailey is 13-for-39 to start his career, with some serious slugging — three doubles and two homers.
Can he keep it up?
Absolutely.
To a degree.
After 11 games, Bailey has a .423 batting average on balls in play. He’s hitting the ball hard, but that’s absurdly high. When that normalizes, his numbers will fall.
One walk to 11 strikeouts isn’t a formula for long-term success, either.
At the same time, Bailey is tattooing the ball when he hits it. His xBA (expected batting average) is .339, and his xwOBA (expected weighted on-base average, a stat that uses launch angle, exit velocity, and sprint speed to predict the impact of a player’s hitting) is the 23rd best in baseball — above Bryan Reynolds, Mookie Betts, Randy Arozarena, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
It’s a small sample size, sure, but I say it’d be malpractice not to let that sample size grow.
So what happens when Bart — who needs to increase his sample size, too, as he nears a rehab assignment for his groin injury — returns to the big leagues?
I say the Giants put them both in the lineup. Keep Bailey behind the plate (for now), and let Bart be the DH. Blake Sabol goes back to being a super utility player who can occasionally step behind the plate for a few innings. A lot of teams are carrying three catchers these days. I see no reason why that wouldn’t work for the Giants if Bailey keeps hitting.
Doesn’t Bob Myers owe it to the Warriors to devote his full time and efforts to overseeing the team’s draft?
Bob Myers is tired of bro smh
— Agenda (@sprdsheet) May 30, 2023
If Bob wants to go on vacation, he should. What are the Warriors going to do, fire him?
But seriously, why would the Warriors want their burned-out GM making picks on his way out the door? If the new guy — be it Mike Dunleavy Jr. or Kirk Lacob — can’t handle the job of selecting 19th in the draft come June 22, then they shouldn’t be in charge.
And remember, Myers is leaving specifically because he cannot give his full energy and focus to the Warriors anymore. He’s turning down millions of dollars so he can take a beat. All he owes them is a decision and a clean transition. By announcing his plans this past week, Myers provided that. The rest is on the organization.
That’s why it was so embarrassing to hear Warriors CEO Joe Lacob say, “I’m going to work him every last day ’till June 30 … whether he knows it or not.”
Maybe it was a joke. Maybe it wasn’t. I don’t think it was.
For an organization that is so organized and buttoned up, the comment showed how Myers’ resignation had knocked everything off kilter. It’s on Lacob to restore balance.
Ownership is sports’ great separator. He might be arrogant, but you can’t question Lacob’s resume as an owner. Yes, he has proven himself to be one of the best custodians of a team in any league, and his relentless competitive fire is precisely what you want from the man in charge.
But Lacob has a big decision to make here. One’s reputation is constantly being built.
What do you think of the new NWSL team’s name — Bay FC?
The Bay Area's incoming NWSL team now has a name and a logo:
Bay Football Club, or Bay FC — @WeareBayFC.@mercnews story (which will be updated): https://t.co/Iw4PnJ9cIE pic.twitter.com/bSa4WA7Nsi
— Alex Simon (@AlexSimonSports) June 1, 2023
I love it.
It’s simple, it’s memorable, and I’m digging the font.
I will have great options for daddy-daughter dates between the Oakland Soul (the Roots’ women’s team, playing in a lower division) and Bay FC. I’m particularly excited my little girl will see women playing the game at the highest level here with this new NWSL team. Representation is important.
(Now, let’s get some representation in basketball, too. What do you say, Joe?)
Selfishly, I’m excited there will be a first-division soccer team in the region not owned by John Fisher. You’ll never believe this, but Fisher’s Earthquakes are one of the cheapest teams in Major League Soccer.
Speaking of Fisher…
I saw that Fisher and Kaval were at the Nevada Statehouse. Does the A’s Las Vegas deal get done?
Seen in the #NevLeg Building – @Athletics owner John Fisher and team president @DaveKaval
"We have back to back meetings," Kaval told me.
Fisher and Kaval are meeting with legislators about #AB509@TheNVIndy
Photo by @calvertphoto pic.twitter.com/PGlzRijuR1— Howard Stutz (@howardstutz) May 31, 2023
What’s the opposite of a charm offensive?
I can say this: The clock is ticking. The A’s won’t move forward without Nevada’s money (heaven forbid Fisher not receive a handout), but the state’s legislative session ends on June 5. And they shut things down in Nevada — the legislature only convenes every two years.
If Fisher and Kaval can’t make a deal by Monday, they’ll have to wait until 2025 to receive some silver from the Silver State. No pressure.
And anyone who says they have faith in either man to get this over the finish line hasn’t been paying attention.