Our Last 3 "can't miss" hitting prospects

[icon]

Oscar Tavares, Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman have played 8 seasons and 785 games

They've accumulated a slash line of .228 / .299 / .394 / .693

Their OPS+ is 98, using the league average OPS from 2014-2025.


Was curious of what Gemini AI would say about player today with these kinds of stats:
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The player would rank among the lower-tier to below-average everyday position players in MLB today.

Here's a breakdown of why:

OPS+ of 98:
OPS+ (On-Base Plus Slugging Plus) is the key metric here. A score of 100 is league average after adjusting for park factors.
An OPS+ of 98 means the player is an ever-so-slightly below-average hitter (2% worse than league average).

In a typical season, there are often around 150-200 players who qualify for the batting title or play enough to be considered a regular. A 98 OPS+ would likely place this player somewhere in the bottom half of that group offensively, perhaps ranking roughly in the 60th to 75th percentile of everyday hitters from the bottom up, meaning they are better than maybe 25−40% of regulars, and worse than 60−75%.

Traditional Stats:

The .693 OPS falls just below the typical range for "Average" (.700 to .7666) and into the "Below Average" (.6334 to .6999) classification.

The .228 AVG is quite low, and the .299 OBP is also low, especially in a modern context where OBP is highly valued. The player relies on the .394 SLG to keep their offense near average.

Overall Value:

When you combine a slightly below-average bat (98 OPS+) with bad to below-average fielding and baserunning, the player's total value (often measured by WAR - Wins Above Replacement) would be very low, likely near or even below replacement level (0.0 WAR).

This profile describes a player who provides offensive production just shy of average but is a liability on defense and sometimes on the bases.

Conclusion on Rank:

They would be a starter on a bad team, a platoon player, or a utility/bench player on a good team, especially if they play a position that doesn't demand elite defense (like 1st base or a corner outfield spot).

They would not be considered a good everyday player, and would be one of the least valuable regulars in the league, perhaps ranking in the bottom 15-20% of all full-time position players by overall value.

Oscar Taveras barely played and is dead. Leave him the [fork] alone, you low class trash.

[icon]

Hard to see why Tavares is on the list as well. He barely played.

No kidding. Just low class to trash a guy who died far too young.

[Goldfan]

Oscar Tavares, Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman have played 8 seasons and 785 games

They've accumulated a slash line of .228 / .299 / .394 / .693

Their OPS+ is 98, using the league average OPS from 2014-2025.


Was curious of what Gemini AI would say about player today with these kinds of stats:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The player would rank among the lower-tier to below-average everyday position players in MLB today.

Here's a breakdown of why:

OPS+ of 98:
OPS+ (On-Base Plus Slugging Plus) is the key metric here. A score of 100 is league average after adjusting for park factors.
An OPS+ of 98 means the player is an ever-so-slightly below-average hitter (2% worse than league average).

In a typical season, there are often around 150-200 players who qualify for the batting title or play enough to be considered a regular. A 98 OPS+ would likely place this player somewhere in the bottom half of that group offensively, perhaps ranking roughly in the 60th to 75th percentile of everyday hitters from the bottom up, meaning they are better than maybe 25−40% of regulars, and worse than 60−75%.

Traditional Stats:

The .693 OPS falls just below the typical range for "Average" (.700 to .7666) and into the "Below Average" (.6334 to .6999) classification.

The .228 AVG is quite low, and the .299 OBP is also low, especially in a modern context where OBP is highly valued. The player relies on the .394 SLG to keep their offense near average.

Overall Value:

When you combine a slightly below-average bat (98 OPS+) with bad to below-average fielding and baserunning, the player's total value (often measured by WAR - Wins Above Replacement) would be very low, likely near or even below replacement level (0.0 WAR).

This profile describes a player who provides offensive production just shy of average but is a liability on defense and sometimes on the bases.

Conclusion on Rank:

They would be a starter on a bad team, a platoon player, or a utility/bench player on a good team, especially if they play a position that doesn't demand elite defense (like 1st base or a corner outfield spot).

They would not be considered a good everyday player, and would be one of the least valuable regulars in the league, perhaps ranking in the bottom 15-20% of all full-time position players by overall value.

Oscar Taveras barely played and is dead. Leave him the [fork] alone, you low class trash.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/118 ... l-accident

Yes Lloyd, don’t sully the reputation of this fella who killed his GF and himself driving drunk recklessly at 5x the legal alcohol limit……

[butsir01]

Starting with failure to can Oli, I believe we have in store more feats of clay by Willy III.

[icon]

Oscar Tavares, Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman have played 8 seasons and 785 games

They've accumulated a slash line of .228 / .299 / .394 / .693

Their OPS+ is 98, using the league average OPS from 2014-2025.


Was curious of what Gemini AI would say about player today with these kinds of stats:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The player would rank among the lower-tier to below-average everyday position players in MLB today.

Here's a breakdown of why:

OPS+ of 98:
OPS+ (On-Base Plus Slugging Plus) is the key metric here. A score of 100 is league average after adjusting for park factors.
An OPS+ of 98 means the player is an ever-so-slightly below-average hitter (2% worse than league average).

In a typical season, there are often around 150-200 players who qualify for the batting title or play enough to be considered a regular. A 98 OPS+ would likely place this player somewhere in the bottom half of that group offensively, perhaps ranking roughly in the 60th to 75th percentile of everyday hitters from the bottom up, meaning they are better than maybe 25−40% of regulars, and worse than 60−75%.

Traditional Stats:

The .693 OPS falls just below the typical range for "Average" (.700 to .7666) and into the "Below Average" (.6334 to .6999) classification.

The .228 AVG is quite low, and the .299 OBP is also low, especially in a modern context where OBP is highly valued. The player relies on the .394 SLG to keep their offense near average.

Overall Value:

When you combine a slightly below-average bat (98 OPS+) with bad to below-average fielding and baserunning, the player's total value (often measured by WAR - Wins Above Replacement) would be very low, likely near or even below replacement level (0.0 WAR).

This profile describes a player who provides offensive production just shy of average but is a liability on defense and sometimes on the bases.

Conclusion on Rank:

They would be a starter on a bad team, a platoon player, or a utility/bench player on a good team, especially if they play a position that doesn't demand elite defense (like 1st base or a corner outfield spot).

They would not be considered a good everyday player, and would be one of the least valuable regulars in the league, perhaps ranking in the bottom 15-20% of all full-time position players by overall value.

Oscar Taveras barely played and is dead. Leave him the [fork] alone, you low class trash.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/118 ... l-accident

Yes Lloyd, don’t sully the reputation of this fella who killed his GF and himself driving drunk recklessly at 5x the legal alcohol limit……

Do I hear an echo from more low-class trash? So you're one of those perfect people who never dodged a bullet or 2 from stupid mistakes of youth and beyond. Got it.

Time to shine your goody 2 shoes, asswipe.

[Goldfan]

Oscar Tavares, Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman have played 8 seasons and 785 games

They've accumulated a slash line of .228 / .299 / .394 / .693

Their OPS+ is 98, using the league average OPS from 2014-2025.


Was curious of what Gemini AI would say about player today with these kinds of stats:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The player would rank among the lower-tier to below-average everyday position players in MLB today.

Here's a breakdown of why:

OPS+ of 98:
OPS+ (On-Base Plus Slugging Plus) is the key metric here. A score of 100 is league average after adjusting for park factors.
An OPS+ of 98 means the player is an ever-so-slightly below-average hitter (2% worse than league average).

In a typical season, there are often around 150-200 players who qualify for the batting title or play enough to be considered a regular. A 98 OPS+ would likely place this player somewhere in the bottom half of that group offensively, perhaps ranking roughly in the 60th to 75th percentile of everyday hitters from the bottom up, meaning they are better than maybe 25−40% of regulars, and worse than 60−75%.

Traditional Stats:

The .693 OPS falls just below the typical range for "Average" (.700 to .7666) and into the "Below Average" (.6334 to .6999) classification.

The .228 AVG is quite low, and the .299 OBP is also low, especially in a modern context where OBP is highly valued. The player relies on the .394 SLG to keep their offense near average.

Overall Value:

When you combine a slightly below-average bat (98 OPS+) with bad to below-average fielding and baserunning, the player's total value (often measured by WAR - Wins Above Replacement) would be very low, likely near or even below replacement level (0.0 WAR).

This profile describes a player who provides offensive production just shy of average but is a liability on defense and sometimes on the bases.

Conclusion on Rank:

They would be a starter on a bad team, a platoon player, or a utility/bench player on a good team, especially if they play a position that doesn't demand elite defense (like 1st base or a corner outfield spot).

They would not be considered a good everyday player, and would be one of the least valuable regulars in the league, perhaps ranking in the bottom 15-20% of all full-time position players by overall value.

Oscar Taveras barely played and is dead. Leave him the [fork] alone, you low class trash.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/118 ... l-accident

Yes Lloyd, don’t sully the reputation of this fella who killed his GF and himself driving drunk recklessly at 5x the legal alcohol limit……

Do I hear an echo from more low-class trash? So you're one of those perfect people who never dodged a bullet or 2 from stupid mistakes of youth and beyond. Got it.

Time to shine your goody 2 shoes, asswipe.

He had a reputation as a partier, he was CMarts best friend…..you think that was the first time he drove plastered? Lucky he didn’t kill OTHER innocent people.
And reading through the OP all that is written is his name with accumulated stats….that’s enough for some bleeding heart defense?? There was no character opinion other than the fact of his poor MLB stat line…..

[russellhammond]

No reason at all to include Taveras on this list.

[Lloyd Braun]

No reason at all to include Taveras on this list.

Do facts bother you?

[icon]

Countless people drive hammered every single day, and most are just plain lucky they don't kill themselves or others.

Josh Hancock was not so lucky. Neither was Leonard Little, who killed a woman, and he was lionized by Rams fans.

I go to a happy hour some Fridays, and there is a barfly there who gets hammered every day, and he ain't calling Uber. And I've seen it elsewhere many times. Judgment goes out the window after too much to drink. So, many drive instead of getting a ride.

Of course, Oscar Taveras was wrong to drive drunk and recklessly, and he paid with his life and that of his girlfriend. Sad story. But years later, to call him out for meager stats when he barely played and is now dead is both bad baseball analysis and low-class.

Anyway, I don't derail this thread further.

[Goldfan]

Countless people drive hammered every single day, and most are just plain lucky they don't kill themselves or others.

Josh Hancock was not so lucky. Neither was Leonard Little, who killed a woman, and he was lionized by Rams fans.

I go to a happy hour some Fridays, and there is a barfly there who gets hammered every day, and he ain't calling Uber. And I've seen it elsewhere many times. Judgment goes out the window after too much to drink. So, many drive instead of getting a ride.

Of course, Oscar Taveras was wrong to drive drunk and recklessly, and he paid with his life and that of his girlfriend. Sad story. But years later, to call him out for meager stats when he barely played and is now dead is both bad baseball analysis and low-class.

Anyway, I don't derail this thread further.

The stats are what they are. And it’s a small data set because he was benched for a period of time……
Your attempt to make excuses for drunk drivers is perplexing…..

[blackinkbiz]

Oscar Tavares, Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman have played 8 seasons and 785 games

They've accumulated a slash line of .228 / .299 / .394 / .693

Their OPS+ is 98, using the league average OPS from 2014-2025.


Was curious of what Gemini AI would say about player today with these kinds of stats:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The player would rank among the lower-tier to below-average everyday position players in MLB today.

Here's a breakdown of why:

OPS+ of 98:
OPS+ (On-Base Plus Slugging Plus) is the key metric here. A score of 100 is league average after adjusting for park factors.
An OPS+ of 98 means the player is an ever-so-slightly below-average hitter (2% worse than league average).

In a typical season, there are often around 150-200 players who qualify for the batting title or play enough to be considered a regular. A 98 OPS+ would likely place this player somewhere in the bottom half of that group offensively, perhaps ranking roughly in the 60th to 75th percentile of everyday hitters from the bottom up, meaning they are better than maybe 25−40% of regulars, and worse than 60−75%.

Traditional Stats:

The .693 OPS falls just below the typical range for "Average" (.700 to .7666) and into the "Below Average" (.6334 to .6999) classification.

The .228 AVG is quite low, and the .299 OBP is also low, especially in a modern context where OBP is highly valued. The player relies on the .394 SLG to keep their offense near average.

Overall Value:

When you combine a slightly below-average bat (98 OPS+) with bad to below-average fielding and baserunning, the player's total value (often measured by WAR - Wins Above Replacement) would be very low, likely near or even below replacement level (0.0 WAR).

This profile describes a player who provides offensive production just shy of average but is a liability on defense and sometimes on the bases.

Conclusion on Rank:

They would be a starter on a bad team, a platoon player, or a utility/bench player on a good team, especially if they play a position that doesn't demand elite defense (like 1st base or a corner outfield spot).

They would not be considered a good everyday player, and would be one of the least valuable regulars in the league, perhaps ranking in the bottom 15-20% of all full-time position players by overall value.

Yes, but we have Bloom now and he has magical powers where EVERY draft choice and current minor leaguer will turn into top MLB talent
This is how the Cardinals will once again gain prominence…..within 2-3 yrs….

The irony is we don't need magical powers. Even above average prospects would be light years of improvement over the, omg, I can't believe I can FINALLY say it and it's true...

FORMER regime!

[blackinkbiz]

Oscar Tavares, Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman have played 8 seasons and 785 games

They've accumulated a slash line of .228 / .299 / .394 / .693

Their OPS+ is 98, using the league average OPS from 2014-2025.


Was curious of what Gemini AI would say about player today with these kinds of stats:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The player would rank among the lower-tier to below-average everyday position players in MLB today.

Here's a breakdown of why:

OPS+ of 98:
OPS+ (On-Base Plus Slugging Plus) is the key metric here. A score of 100 is league average after adjusting for park factors.
An OPS+ of 98 means the player is an ever-so-slightly below-average hitter (2% worse than league average).

In a typical season, there are often around 150-200 players who qualify for the batting title or play enough to be considered a regular. A 98 OPS+ would likely place this player somewhere in the bottom half of that group offensively, perhaps ranking roughly in the 60th to 75th percentile of everyday hitters from the bottom up, meaning they are better than maybe 25−40% of regulars, and worse than 60−75%.

Traditional Stats:

The .693 OPS falls just below the typical range for "Average" (.700 to .7666) and into the "Below Average" (.6334 to .6999) classification.

The .228 AVG is quite low, and the .299 OBP is also low, especially in a modern context where OBP is highly valued. The player relies on the .394 SLG to keep their offense near average.

Overall Value:

When you combine a slightly below-average bat (98 OPS+) with bad to below-average fielding and baserunning, the player's total value (often measured by WAR - Wins Above Replacement) would be very low, likely near or even below replacement level (0.0 WAR).

This profile describes a player who provides offensive production just shy of average but is a liability on defense and sometimes on the bases.

Conclusion on Rank:

They would be a starter on a bad team, a platoon player, or a utility/bench player on a good team, especially if they play a position that doesn't demand elite defense (like 1st base or a corner outfield spot).

They would not be considered a good everyday player, and would be one of the least valuable regulars in the league, perhaps ranking in the bottom 15-20% of all full-time position players by overall value.

Oscar Taveras barely played and is dead. Leave him the [fork] alone, you low class trash.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/118 ... l-accident

Yes Lloyd, don’t sully the reputation of this fella who killed his GF and himself driving drunk recklessly at 5x the legal alcohol limit……

Do I hear an echo from more low-class trash? So you're one of those perfect people who never dodged a bullet or 2 from stupid mistakes of youth and beyond. Got it.

Time to shine your goody 2 shoes, asswipe.

I did a LOT of dumb sh*t when I was in my twenties. H*ll, and thirties... h*ll, and teens, h*ll... and... Actually, never mind, you get the point. I wasn't an alcoholic but let's just say there was plenty of "questionable" driving. Dodged a few bullets, caught a couple flesh wounds, but fortunately never hurt anyone and never got charged with a felony. Never had to do any time beyond a couple drunk tanks.

You know why? Because I know that, even after drinking, having a few too many and carefully operating a vehicle to get home while praying every light behind me isn't a cop is WAAAAAAY FOOKIN DIFFERENT THAN DOWNING A 5TH, GETTING BEHIND THE WHEEL OF F'N SPORTS CAR AND DRIVING LIKE A MANIAC NASCAR DRIVER AT HIGH SPEEDS WHEN IT'S F'N RAINING OUT AND THERE'S AN INNOCENT 18-YEAR OLD GIRL IN THE PASSENGER SEAT!!!!

I'm not trying to speak ill of the dead but Oscar Taveras unfortunately got what likely comes to the majority of people who do something THAT f'n stupid, reckless, dangerous, and inconsiderate of other human beings.

Sadly, his girlfriend didn't get what she deserved.

[ICCFIM2]

Oscar Tavares, Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman have played 8 seasons and 785 games

They've accumulated a slash line of .228 / .299 / .394 / .693

Their OPS+ is 98, using the league average OPS from 2014-2025.


Was curious of what Gemini AI would say about player today with these kinds of stats:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The player would rank among the lower-tier to below-average everyday position players in MLB today.

Here's a breakdown of why:

OPS+ of 98:
OPS+ (On-Base Plus Slugging Plus) is the key metric here. A score of 100 is league average after adjusting for park factors.
An OPS+ of 98 means the player is an ever-so-slightly below-average hitter (2% worse than league average).

In a typical season, there are often around 150-200 players who qualify for the batting title or play enough to be considered a regular. A 98 OPS+ would likely place this player somewhere in the bottom half of that group offensively, perhaps ranking roughly in the 60th to 75th percentile of everyday hitters from the bottom up, meaning they are better than maybe 25−40% of regulars, and worse than 60−75%.

Traditional Stats:

The .693 OPS falls just below the typical range for "Average" (.700 to .7666) and into the "Below Average" (.6334 to .6999) classification.

The .228 AVG is quite low, and the .299 OBP is also low, especially in a modern context where OBP is highly valued. The player relies on the .394 SLG to keep their offense near average.

Overall Value:

When you combine a slightly below-average bat (98 OPS+) with bad to below-average fielding and baserunning, the player's total value (often measured by WAR - Wins Above Replacement) would be very low, likely near or even below replacement level (0.0 WAR).

This profile describes a player who provides offensive production just shy of average but is a liability on defense and sometimes on the bases.

Conclusion on Rank:

They would be a starter on a bad team, a platoon player, or a utility/bench player on a good team, especially if they play a position that doesn't demand elite defense (like 1st base or a corner outfield spot).

They would not be considered a good everyday player, and would be one of the least valuable regulars in the league, perhaps ranking in the bottom 15-20% of all full-time position players by overall value.

Yes, but we have Bloom now and he has magical powers where EVERY draft choice and current minor leaguer will turn into top MLB talent
This is how the Cardinals will once again gain prominence…..within 2-3 yrs….

I understand you miss mo but it will be okay

Oz, come on…..you buy into this “we’re going to draft and develop to field a playoff team”? It’s never been that way in modern Cards history
Always a couple outside studs to put it over the top, which means spending money

It’s like that with every team, not just the Cardinals.
The Dodgers
Betts
Freeman
Glasnow
Ohtani
The Phillies
Harper
Turner
Schwarber
Wheeler
The Yankees
Fried
Rodon
Chisholm
Bednar
The Padres
Machado
Bogaerts
Cease
Arraez
You can go on and on. Almost no one doesn’t supplement their roster with FAs and trades. Almost no one grows all of their own talent.

The Cardinals will NOT be successful without supplementing their roster with FAs and an astute trade or two.

Amen that’s why this narrative being shoved down fans throats that we’re in a “rebuilding phase” is BDW propaganda. With the starting group they have now and a couple of the right FA this team could be in the playoff next season. We saw this year, they were in it til June when they kept running out guaranteed loses in Miles and Fedde and Cubbies took our knees out and the season was over.
This doesn’t mean that the team can’t draft and develop…..its means at some point money will need to be spent on outside top talent and theres really no reason to not do it NOW other than BDW doesn’t want to spend money
Current starters worth keeping
Burly 1b
JJ 2b
Winn SS
Donovan 3b
Herrera DH/LF
Crooks/Pages C
LF FA
CF Scott
RF FA

1 Gray
2 FA
3 Libby
4 McGreevy
5 Leahy/other

I agree they can make a run at the playoffs. I agree with your rotation entirely, except I think they may trade Gray. If they do, they can acquire some cheap free agents. Dustin May may be a value pick-up. Spotrac has him at $3.8M. Max Scherzer may want to pitch 1 season here and may come here cheap. He might be terrible, he might be OK. Then they can also make a trade for a young pitcher. They also have 3-5 young guys that should be ready similar to McGreevy this year to backstop the rotation. Probably not good enough. But, a couple of 1 year deals to bridge to the kids with some upside like that and they won't cost much gives them a chance.

I can't see them signing any FA position players. Since you have all of Contreras, Walker, Gorman, Nootbar and Arenado gone off of your team listed above, they are certainly going to get something back for that, who can hopefully play. I am guessing Contreras is here which pushes Burleson to the OF. They likely keep Walker and give him one more chance. If he fails and Baez starts well in Memphis, maybe they give Baez a chance by June. They may also bring back a ML ready OF for what you are suggesting they trade plus a major league ready SP.

By 2027, they should know exactly what they need. If some of these players pan out like we hope, perhaps they only have 2-3 holes to fill and $75-80M of free agent spending covers that and then we can all hopefully enjoy winning baseball again in 2027. There is really no excuse for them not to be able to do that.

[russellhammond]

No reason at all to include Taveras on this list.

Do facts bother you?

The "fact" that Taveras only had 234 MLB ABs before he passed away makes your premise much less valid....that's all.