Grounders are murder on hitters who aren’t fast, but that’s not a concern here. This isn’t automatically a bad thing for hitters Brandon Nimmo was essentially tied with Estrada, and he had a fine, money-making offensive season. Last season, Estrada ranked sixth in the National League in percentage of balls hit on the ground. What’s he doing right? What should continue? What is less likely to continue? Fewer ground balls So let’s dig into this fast start and see what’s going on with Estrada. Nobody has been more of an unambiguous champion of Estrada’s talents and expected contributions than the people in charge of San Francisco Baseball Associates LLC. They liked him enough to get him into the lineup every day last season, and they liked him enough to park him in the starting lineup of their projected roster from the offseason. They liked him enough to pursue him when the Yankees decided they’d rather have Rougned Odor (?!), and they liked Estrada enough to keep him over Mauricio Dubón when the roster crunch became impossible to avoid. The progression from afterthought to cornerstone might seem unexpected to us, but there’s a consistency with how the Giants have perceived him. During the offseason, when there were rumors about every position on the field, there weren’t any about second base, which prompted a “ Sure seems like the Giants are comfortable projecting Estrada for a major role” article. In the middle of last season, he was unexpectedly leading the Giants in games played and plate appearances, which prompted a “ Did you notice this?” article. The restricted free agent may find a new home this summer, as well.The first mention of Estrada as a Giant came here, when he was paired with Skye Bolt in a “Who are these guys?” article. In six games, he averaged 6.2 points, 1.3 assists, and 0.8 steals across 12.8 minutes per game, while shooting 46.9 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3.īutler is an NBA player, but he will face an uphill battle to make Oklahoma City’s deep roster. In limited action, he did play very well. Mann was a 2021 first-round pick, while Butler was on a two-way contract. That leaves Mann and Butler as the odd men out. SGA, Giddey, and Williams are core pieces. So, adding another point guard is not out of the question. In addition, they have three picks in the 2023 NBA Draft. That is a difficult limitation for the franchise, which is armed with a deep collection of young players with potential.Īt the moment, the roster includes five players capable of playing point guard (Gilgeous-Alexader, Josh Giddey, Tre Mann, Jalen Williams, and Jared Butler). Jared ButlerĪn NBA team has only 15 roster spots. Thunder who won’t be back next season: 3. With a plethora of draft picks and cap space, the front office could make big moves this summer, but with only 15 roster spots available, some players will not be back. Now, the Thunder are set up to become playoff contenders. ![]() Behind SGA, the Thunder finished with a 40-42 record and made the play-in. ![]() In addition, he finished fifth in the NBA in VORP (5.6). He averaged 31.4 points, 5.5 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 1.0 blocks. However, point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put the team on his back. The Oklahoma City Thunder entered the 2022-23 season with low expectations. ![]() Here are three players who likely will not be back, as the Thunder look to improve this offseason. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sportsīehind an All-Star campaign by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Oklahoma City Thunder were surprisingly competitive this season. Salt Lake City, Utah, USA Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jared Butler (14) warms up before a game against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Arena.
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