Disappointed That Guardians Don’t Add At Deadline

The Major League Baseball trading deadline has come and gone and the front office of the Cleveland Guardians decided to sit it out, making just one small deal for a minor league pitcher.

It’s a curious decision to be sure, especially since the Guards remain just one game behind Minnesota in the AL Central Division race, and the Twins upgraded their pitching staff, trading for a starter (Tyler Mahle) and two relievers on Tuesday.

We weren’t expecting a big blockbuster involving the organization’s best prospects, but we don’t believe anyone can question the Guardians have several players on the current roster that do not perform to big league standards.

To us, it means the front office is fine still using Bryan Shaw (and his 5.63 ERA) and Kirk McCarty on “bullpen days”. With Aaron Civale still on the shelf, why not go out and get a starting pitcher? Our guess is he will miss at least two more turns in the rotation. Are they really going to keep using the Shaw/McCarty model?

And catcher continues to be an offensive hole. We have said many times we understand the organization values defense behind the plate. When they had guys who played great defense and hit .220, that was fine. Austin Hedges is hitting .173 (521 OPS) and Luke Maile is at .206 (602 OPS).

Why not upgrade the hitting at that spot?

Also, although it has nothing to do with the baseball operation, it is still a business that needs customers. We are sure there are many members of the fan base (we would be one) that aren’t happy the front office decided not to make some kind of move when the team has a legitimate chance at the post-season.

We laughed when we heard Terry Francona’s comments about the players deserving to “keep their jobs” based on the way they have played this year.

That’s great, but it’s also not how it works.

Since the front office didn’t strike a deal, then it’s time to see even more young players. The first step happened yesterday when Tyler Freeman was called up, replacing Ernie Clement, who was being used (somehow) as a platoon bat vs. lefties when he was hitting .200 against them.

Many people have said there was no deal for a catcher because of the presence of Bo Naylor, now at AAA. If that’s true, then bring Naylor up right now. He has a 928 OPS at the AA and AAA levels in the minors this season. Why not see what he can do?

As for the pitching staff, either make Konnor Pilkington the fifth starter now, or perhaps try Peyton Battenfield (6-5, 3.31 ERA at Columbus) in that role.

And why not take a look at Nick Mikolajchak in the bullpen? He’s 4-2 with four saves and a 3.15 ERA at AAA, striking out 33 in 34 innings pitched. We’d rather see him than Shaw, McCarty, or Anthony Castro, a reliever Cleveland keeps bringing up when they shuffle their bullpen.

If this season is about seeing what the young players can do, and to date, those young guys have been pretty impressive, then go all in on them.

Once again, the Guardians are telling you next year matters more than the present, and unfortunately, that seems to be the case a lot lately.

At one game out, that’s a difficult agenda to push.

The Decision Is In…Maybe

So Judge Sue L. Robinson emerged from the mountain top and handed down a six-game suspension for Browns’ quarterback Deshaun Watson. Now, Cleveland football fans have to wait to see if NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will add on to the punishment.

First, it would seem to be a bad look for Goodell to add games since this is the first time the league has used Judge Robinson for this purpose, and for Goodell to overrule her would seem to be just what league was trying to avoid by hiring her.

On the other hand, this is the NFL and Goodell seems to do whatever he damn well pleases. So, we can see him adding to the punishment, perhaps adding another two games, keeping Watson on the sidelines for basically half the season.

Remember, that in a way, these kinds of proceedings can be like a game. If people are upset because Watson didn’t get a longer suspension, it may just be that the league didn’t provide the judge with enough evidence.

She can only rule on what she sees or hears.

And regardless of how fans in Cleveland feel about Watson and what he did in his massage sessions, the whole situation is a bad look for the NFL.

They’ve known about these allegations for pretty much a year and a half, so our question is why did it take so long for them to act? Yes, we understand they were collecting information from the women involved, but still, it should have been taken care of long before this.

And by the way, we aren’t condoning Watson’s actions. We have said right from the day he was acquired that we wish the Browns had not gone down this road. It’s a bad look for the organization and we understand fans that say they feel strange supporting the new quarterback.

As for the football aspect of all this, we think the Browns can be fairly certain Watson will be on the field at some point in 2022. Can the team tread water with Jacoby Brissett as the signal caller?

We would wager the offense will be much more of a ground and short passing game while Brissett is playing, with opponents getting a healthy dose of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt.

Remember, the Browns open at Carolina before coming home to take on the Jets and Steelers (on Thursday night) and then travel to Atlanta. Cleveland could be favored in all four games, even without Watson playing.

Then, the schedule gets considerably tougher with home games against the Chargers and Patriots, followed by road contests against division foes Baltimore and Cincinnati.

If the six game suspension holds, Watson would make his debut against the Ravens.

Because the commissioner has the right to review Judge Robinson’s “verdict”, Browns’ fans may have to wait three more days to find out the exact length of the quarterback’s suspension.

No doubt that will be discussed ad nauseum until Goodell makes the final decision.

Then Kevin Stefanski and his coaching staff can figure out how to proceed with reps. Since Watson hasn’t played since 2020, he needs some work, but that has to be balanced with getting Brissett ready for the regular season.

As usual, nothing is easy when it comes to the quarterback position for the Cleveland Browns.

Having Prospects Is Great. Winning Is Even Better

Tuesday is baseball’s trading deadline, and this year, with the Cleveland Guardians just two games out of first place in the AL Central Division, the team should be looking to add to the roster by August 2nd.

It is funny listening to Guardians’ fans though, how many don’t want the team to be buyers, and in some cases, they want them to be sellers, accumulating more prospects.

Some of that we equate to the age of the person having that opinion. It’s easy to keep looking to the future when you are young.

However, we started following this franchise in 1965. At that time, it was only 17 years since the Indians won a World Series and only 11 seasons since they were last in the Fall Classic. At that point, we loved the players on the team (my favorite was Sam McDowell) and didn’t realize most of them just weren’t very good.

Finally, the team got to be very good, thirty years later, getting to the Series in 1995 and 1997, trying to break a 37- and 39-year drought since a world title team was in the city.

They were oh so close in both ’97 and 2016 (68 years since 1948), and to be fair, since the rebirth of the team when they moved to Jacobs/Progressive Field, the franchise has been very competitive, more often than not.

Let’s face it, it’s easy to keep building a team, it’s tougher to try to take that last step and win.

Chris Antonetti went for it in ’16, dealing for Andrew Miller and almost landing catcher Jonathan Lucroy. And as we all know, the team made it to extra innings in game seven of the Series.

We understand the Guardians have a bright future. They have perhaps the best farm system in all of baseball, and at times that’s a portent of things to come. And we certainly don’t want them to mortgage that future to go all in for 2022.

After all, they are just two games over .500, even though they are only two games out.

Still, there are clearly positions the organization could upgrade without dealing one of the systems’ top 10 prospects. By WAR, the Guardians rank near the bottom at both catcher and starting pitchers.

And even if the roster is improved incrementally, it’s still better, and really that’s all you want, although we are sure some folks would like the Guardians to deal for the best players available.

However, we find it silly to read about trading players like Shane Bieber for a boatload of prospects. The organization already has a problem figuring out who they will put on the 40-man roster this off-season, they simply have too many candidates.

And why would you pull the plug on this season? Those folks will tell you they probably aren’t getting the World Series this season, but in reality, the odds are pretty low any team will get to the Series in any given season.

Even the Yankees this season, as dominant as they have been, currently only have a 33% chance of reaching the Fall Classic.

Antonetti and GM Mike Chernoff have to balance trying to make the playoffs this year with the bright future the organization has. With their track record, they deserve our trust.

At some point, you have to try to win. There’s no parade for having a great farm system.

Our Guardians’ Bullpen Confidence

One of the things about the Cleveland Guardians’ bullpen is outside of Emmanuel Clase, the group has kind of been in a state of flux all season.

Clase has been remarkable since the first two weeks of the season, and showed the entire baseball world how great he has been in the All-Star Game, when he struck out the side against the National League on ten pitches, earning the save for the AL.

The right-hander has allowed just 23 hits and six walks in 43 appearances this season, compiling 21 saves and a 1.31 ERA. However, the way Terry Francona and Carl Willis has gotten to Clase has changed a bit.

Early in the season, the Guards used Nick Sandlin and Trevor Stephan to set up, and mixed in Anthony Gose when a lefty was needed.

We should also mention there has been another constant, using Bryan Shaw in any role other than as the closer.

Gose proved to be prone to walks (14 in 21 innings) and the home run ball (he’s allowed four) and so Sam Hentges, who struggles with command too, started to be used in his place, but recently, Hentges hasn’t received a lot of work.

Sandlin couldn’t find the plate and Eli Morgan emerged as “a weapon” as Francona called him, able to work multiple innings. But he too as found a need to adjust as he’s allowed 11 earned runs in his last 15 innings.

Stephan had a rough stretch, but recently seems to have straightened himself out, and probably is back to being the pitcher of choice in the 8th inning of a close game.

Enyel De Los Santos is a guy who seems to be underused. He’s really had just two bad outing all season, and overall has a 2.87 ERA with 36 whiffs and 11 walks in 31-1/3 innings. There are times the skipper goes to Shaw, when De Los Santos would seem to be a better choice.

The Guards are also working back in James Karinchak, who missed most of the season, but in seven appearances totaling 8-2/3 innings, has struck out 16 and walked four. In his last five games, he hasn’t allowed a run in 6-2/3 frames. giving up three hits and fanning 13.

Based on all of the information currently at hand, here are our bullpen confidence ratings right now:

Clase (that goes without saying)
Stephan
De Los Santos
Sandlin
Hentges
Shaw
Karinchak
Morgan

This list is very fluid to say the least. We’d like to rank Karinchak higher, but you never know when he’s going to lose control. If he can demonstrate he can find the strike zone consistently, he’d be right there with Stephan.

And as good as Morgan was early in the year, right now, we would avoid using him in a close game. Maybe we will move him up if he can put up more zeroes.

Hentges seems to walk (or at least fall behind) the first hitter when he comes in the game and Shaw is prone to the long ball and the walk, two no-no’s for relief pitchers.

We guess what we are really saying is it would be nice if the front office got an extra arm for the bullpen by the trade deadline. Right?

It’s Not Fair, But We See Both Sides Of Cavs, Sexton Situation

It seems the Cavaliers and Collin Sexton are in for an awkward 2022-23 season. Sexton is a restricted free agent and reportedly would like a multiyear deal, but the two sides are far apart in terms of the money.

Sexton is said to want around $18-20 million per year, while the Cavs have offered a reported $13 million per season, presumably to stay under the luxury tax level for another year.

This is one of those situations where both sides are justified in their positions, and the best thing would be for Sexton to take the one year qualifying offer of $8.6 million for next season.

From the wine and gold’s standpoint, Sexton has been a productive player, albeit on real bad teams. He did average 24.3 points and 4.4 assists for Cleveland in 2020-21, but the team went 22-50 that year.

Last year, the Cavs got to the play in tournament and a chance to make an actual best-of-seven series, but Sexton missed most of the campaign with a knee injury, playing in just 11 games.

So, it depends how people view Sexton coming into his fifth year in the league. Is he a budding all-star, a player coming off an injury, or a guy who has demonstrated the ability to put up big numbers on a bad team?

As for Sexton, we are sure he would like a long term deal from the Cavaliers or any other NBA team, but right now, he doesn’t seem to be drawing any interest from around the league.

It could be because most teams are up against the salary cap right now, so the money simply isn’t there to sign a free agent from another team. Or it could be that Sexton is an strange fit, a 6’2″ off guard, who might be best served coming off the bench.

As we said before, we can see both sides on this one. Sexton has shown he can put up numbers in the NBA, but at this point, there doesn’t seem to be a market for him. On the other hand, for the Cavs, he probably was their best player heading into last season, but things change, and right now, he might be their fourth or fifth best player.

Timing is everything, and for Sexton, getting hurt and the Cavaliers having their best season since the departure of LeBron James (and the arrival of Sexton) is unfortunate for the player.

Things may loosen up on the sign-and-trade market once the situations are resolved with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Donovan Mitchell too. The Cavs and Sexton might even be involved to make things work under the salary cap.

Some things in life aren’t fair, but the best option for Collin Sexton might be to play under the qualifying offer this season, show everyone around the league what kind of player he can be, and see what his value is around the NBA.

And if the Cavaliers make the playoffs in 2022-23 and Sexton is a key contributor to that effort, he can and will make Koby Altman dig deep into his pockets to keep him around. If Sexton still wants to be around at that point.

Early Or Not, Guardians Deserve A Chance To Compete

In the last week or so, we’ve read and heard some things about the Cleveland Guardians being ahead of schedule. These people are saying the front office felt like 2023 was the year they could contend for the post-season again.

Our guess is if these folks are in the know, meaning they have talked to high-ranking officials in the Cleveland front office, they are setting up supporters of the team for a disappointing trade deadline.

Look, the truth of the matter is the Guardians are a very young baseball team. Statistically, they are the youngest team in the majors, a half year younger than Pittsburgh among everyday players, and they have the youngest pitching staff in the big leagues, almost a year younger than the Tigers.

We are sure that president Chris Antonetti and GM Mike Chernoff will not and should not break up the Guardians’ young core, players like Jose Ramirez, Andres Gimenez, Josh Naylor, Triston McKenzie, and Emmanuel Clase. Those guys seem like the foundation for the next few seasons.

On the other hand, the fact is the Guards are sitting just a game out of first place and we are in late July. Future contention isn’t a given either. You don’t know about injuries, poor seasons, and like it or not, the way the ball bounces in a given year.

We are sure the Cleveland brass is looking at ways to help this year’s team. The organization still has a glut of middle infielders both at the big league and high minor league levels, and the last we checked, you can still only play one shortstop and one second baseman per game.

So eventually, the team has to make a decision about Amed Rosario, Gimenez, Gabriel Arias, Tyler Freeman, and Brayan Rocchio. We have been on record in feeling Arias would be the first one of this group moved.

With Aaron Civale out until August, the Guardians could use another starting pitcher and another bullpen arm wouldn’t hurt, with Eli Morgan and Bryan Shaw leaking oil.

Right now, Cleveland might have Kirk McCarty starting Tuesday night at Fenway Park, which is a scary proposition, considering he’s allowed six homers in 12 innings at the Major League level this season.

Of course, that’s due to the rainouts, but the replacement for Civale is rookie Konnor Pilkington. The southpaw has been okay, but he’s hasn’t produced like the other starters.

There have been rumors about dealing DH Franmil Reyes, citing lack of conditioning or perhaps the willingness to get in better shape. More likely, the Guardians figure Josh Naylor can play more often if he’s not on his feet defensively, and Reyes’ increased strikeout rate this season has made it easier to put him on the bench.

Even though the Guardians are ahead of schedule, that doesn’t make it okay for the front office not to improve the club. Maybe they have benefited from being in a division without a great team, but here they are, right in the thick of it with less than 70 games to go.

And you can’t underestimate the boost it can give a team when they know the front office believes in it enough to add to the roster.

In 1995, Cleveland didn’t need to do anything at the deadline, they are ahead by 20 plus games, but GM John Hart traded for Ken Hill anyway. The players said it signaled the organization wasn’t satisfied with making the playoffs, they wanted the ring.

So, whether they are on schedule or not, the front office should be willing to give this 2022 edition of the Guardians a chance to compete for the post-season. You go for it when you have a shot.

Dreaming Of Soto In Cleveland (It Won’t Happen, But We Can Dream)

By now, everyone is aware that Washington Nationals’ slugger Juan Soto will likely be traded before the August 2nd trade deadline. His agent, who quite enjoys seeing his name in lights, turned down a 15-year, $440 million offer from the Nats.

Washington will be looking for a boatload of prospects in exchange for the 23-year-old (he won’t turn 24 until after this season) slugger, and so the Cleveland Guardians, who may have the deepest farm system in the game were linked to Soto in some articles.

Now, let’s start by saying we understand the likelihood of Cleveland dealing for Soto is extremely slim. That’s not how this organization has done business over the years. Heck, Jose Ramirez left a lot of cash on the table to remain in town for hopefully, the rest of his career.

However, should the Guardians be interested, especially with the supposed influx of cash coming into the team from new minority owner David Blitzer?

If ever any team would make a gigantic financial commitment to a young player, it would seem to be Juan Soto, who again will start next season at age 24.

Soto led the National League last season in on base percentage at .465, and has already belted 118 home runs in his five years in the big leagues.

And he’s 23-years-old. The prime seasons for a typical major league baseball player are age 27 to 29, meaning Soto should still be getting better over the next few seasons. He was a seven win player last season.

If there is anyone a team like the Guardians would be willing to deal top prospects from a loaded farm system, it would be someone like Soto, and it’s not like Cleveland would have to deal every one of their current top ten either.

We talk ourselves into thinking that every minor player who puts up big numbers is going to wind up playing their way into Cooperstown. That’s simply not the case.

Here were Cleveland’s top prospects five years ago (2017):

Francisco Mejia
Bradley Zimmer
Triston McKenzie
Brady Aiken
Bobby Bradley
Yu Chang
Will Benson
Nolan Jones
Erik Gonzalez
Greg Allen

Granted, in 2017, the Cleveland farm system was not nearly as good and deep as it is now. Certainly, McKenzie has paid off, and hopefully Jones will too. And Mejia was used to get Brad Hand.

You have to figure Washington would want George Valera in a deal for Soto, so if you packaged him with say, Gabriel Arias and Logan Allen in the trade, you still have a very good prospect pool to work with.

Everybody loves Valera, and with good reason. At 21, he’s hitting .272 with 13 homers (857 OPS) at AA Akron, in a pitchers’ league. But will he ever be as good as Soto?

The equalizer is you would get six years of service from Valera, while Soto has only 2-1/2 years before he is eligible for free agency and with his agent being who he is, he’s going to take that route.

We have two points here. First, not all prospects, no matter how highly we think of them turn out to be superstars.

Second, if you can move prospects, even highly regarded ones, for a young, proven superstar, it should be considered. Let’s say Soto winds up being as good as Mike Trout. What would you give up for the last five or six years Trout put together. (Don’t consider the Angels’ record, that’s not Trout’s fault).

Guardians’ Biggest Surprise? Division Is Up For Grabs

Baseball’s unofficial half way point of the season has arrived, and the Cleveland Guardians are just two games out of first place in the American League Central Division.

Is that a surprise? That really depends on how you view it.

We felt the Guardians would finish slightly below the .500 mark this season, projecting them with 79 victories. Since they are 46-44 right now, a mere two games above the break even point, they really cannot be considered shocking.

However, we are surprised they sit just two games out of first place.

What is eye opening is that the favorites coming into the season, the Chicago White Sox, have battled injuries and bad defense and sit at 46-46, a game behind Cleveland and three games behind the division leading Minnesota Twins.

So really, the surprise is the mediocrity of the division, not the Guardians’ record.

Still, the Guards have battled through a number of rainouts and therefore, doubleheaders, and a shift in the organizational philosophy, starting to depend more and more on a healthy farm system to replace non-productive players.

Steven Kwan, who did not have a big league at bat coming into the season, has played in 78 of the team’s 90 games, and has hit .279 with a .361 on base percentage.

Oscar Gonzalez played in 32 games before being injured and another player without MLB experience coming into the season, Richie Palacios, has been in 39 games.

And no doubt, Nolan Jones should be the next rookie to hit the 20 game plateau.

You would think unless some of the younger guys hit a wall, playing an extra 20 games in a season, the Guardians should be better in the second half because of the experience they have gained thus far.

The health of the pitching staff has been good (knock on wood). Only Aaron Civale has been on the injured list to date and he is currently on the shelf. Cleveland has only used eight starters this year, mostly because another rookie, Konnor Pilkington has been slotted in as the doubleheader starter.

He earned that role by being solid when Civale was injured earlier in the season.

However, with Civale out again, and more twin bills coming, the depth of the organization will be tested. We would guess another rook, right-hander Peyton Battenfield might get the next look, unless a trade is made.

Whatever the organizations’ plan was for this season should be adjusted because the division hasn’t played out how most people thought and is very much up for grabs. Even though the Guardians are in some ways conducting tryouts for young players, they are in the mix for a post-season spot.

We aren’t suggested going all in on a rental player, but we are sure the front office will be looking for players who can help now and over the next few seasons.

And remember, Cleveland still has a glut of middle infielders on their 40 man roster, and will need to clear more spots to protect more players coming through what now maybe the best farm system in the sport.

The big surprise is that no one has taken the AL Central Division and ran with it. Cleveland is right there. And maybe it wasn’t in the plans in March or April, but the Guardians are a contender.

Let’s hope the brass thinks they are too.

Being Creative With Guardians’ Catchers

For many years, the Cleveland Guardians organization treats the catching position differently. They value defense and handling the pitching staff above everything else, and offense simply doesn’t matter for them.

And that’s fine. That’s their philosophy and the usual results of the pitching staff shows it has been successful by and large.

They had some years where the catchers have contributed with the bat, and as we know from the past few seasons, that’s the best-case scenario. In 2013 and 2014, Yan Gomes had very good offensive seasons, putting up OPS of 825 and 785 in those seasons, provided Terry Francona with great hitting and defense at catcher.

In 2019, Roberto Perez had a career year at the plate, belting 24 homers.

Still in reviewing those early years in Francona’s tenure, even if Gomes or Perez weren’t having very good offensive seasons, they still hit somewhere between .220-.230 meaning they were mediocre at the plate.

However, since 2020, the offense at catcher has really dropped off. That season, Perez hit .165 (480 OPS), Sandy Leon hit .136 (539 OPS) and Austin Hedges went 1 for 12.

Last season, Hedges hit .178 (527) and Perez .149 (564). This year, it’s more of the same, Hedges at .172 (497) and Luke Maile is at .174 (537).

So, the question is, why not treat hitting for this group the same as National League teams viewed a pitcher batting? If the #7 hole hitter (Cleveland’s catchers usually hit 8th) leads off and gets on base, have the catcher bunt him over, at least it would be a productive out.

We would also carry a third player who can catch, and the Guardians have a player who fits that bill in Columbus in David Fry, who has played 34 games at 3B, 26 games at 1B, and four games behind the plate.

In total, he has started 127 games in his minor league career behind the dish, including 29 last season with the Brewers’ organization.

Having a third catcher on the roster would enable Francona to pinch hit for the catcher a second time in a game, an option he doesn’t have right now, although he would be hampered in this regard by carrying 13 pitchers.

It would bring to mind the way the Oakland A’s handled second base at times in their glory days of the early 1970’s. The starter was Dick Green, who was a poor hitter, but they would carry two other infielders on the roster, so when that position came up in a clutch situation, they would pinch hit, and Oakland always had some veteran pinch-hitters on the roster just for this circumstance.

Too many times recently, the Guardians have had rallies short circuited because either Hedges or Maile comes up in a key situation.

And this isn’t a knock on either catcher, as we said at the top, this is the philosophy of the organization, and they aren’t on the roster for their hitting.

However, maybe there can be a better plan than letting players who are not good hitters go up there and hope for the best. And because they are catchers, if they hit the ball on the ground hard, it’s likely a double play.

We understand there is a designated hitter in both leagues now, so the use of the bunt is a thing of the past. Francona has always used this tool more than most, so why not use it with the catchers?

As we said, at least it would be a productive out.

Watching Summer League Through A Real Lens

The NBA decided this year to award championship rings for the winner of their Summer League, which is akin to giving out a trophy for winning the Cactus League for Major League Baseball.

On one hand, for some of these players, this is the closest they will get to playing in the NBA. And if they win the title, we guess there is a sense of accomplishment and as we always say, winning is better than losing.

But is it really a competition when several teams aren’t even trying to win? The Orlando Magic had the top player taken in this past draft, Paolo Banchero, play two games in Las Vegas, and then decided they had seen enough of the player they hope will be the backbone of their squad the next time they advance to the post-season.

In terms of the Cavaliers, it is great that Ochai Agbaji has played well in the three games the wine and gold’s entry in the league has played. The first-round pick from Kansas scored 24 points last night, hitting 4 of 8 three-point shots.

However, he is likely the only player on this team that will make a meaningful contribution to the 2022-23 edition of the Cavs.

Cleveland’s highest second round pick, Khalifa Diop isn’t playing in the league and supposedly will not be reporting to training camp in the fall. Isaiah Mobley was signed as a two-way player, so he will likely be toiling a lot for the Cleveland Charge, and the last pick, Luke Travers, will be playing in Australia.

We have read some ardent Cavs’ fans touting another two-way player, R.J. Nembhard Jr., who is playing in Vegas, as someone who may be able to contribute to the club this season.

A few weeks ago, we wrote about how the Cavs needed to upgrade the bottom of their roster so they weren’t reliant on guys like Lamar Stevens, Dylan Windler, and Dean Wade to succeed. If we feel that way about those three players, you can understand why we are skeptical about Nembhard Jr.’s prospects of making an impact.

The best players in the league are the first round picks this year coming into the league and the second-year guys who were in the NBA last season, and most of the top rookies from last season aren’t playing in summer.

So, if a player like Agbaji isn’t playing well against this competition, it’s more of a red flag than a great feeling if he plays well. He should be doing good things. He was heralded as someone who could shoot the ball, particularly from distance, and he’s done that.

We haven’t seen anything that wasn’t expected. And that’s a good thing.

In watching the games, we haven’t seen anyone else who can make an impact for a team who should be in a position to make the playoffs next season. In fact, the next best player we’ve seen is Travers, and he’s a developmental player.

While it’s fun to watch and gives hoops junkies actual games to see, the NBA Summer League is a bunch of glorified exhibition games with most of the players being guys you will never hear from again.

Look at it that way, and you won’t fool yourself into overhyping someone.