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Post by hammerhead on Feb 26, 2013 8:22:12 GMT -5
I don't think anyone should be worried about Webster and RDLR's velocity readings. From what I gather having a pitcher intentionally hold back would be just as likely to cause injury as throwing at their normal speed would. They probably have some extra adrenaline from throwing for the first time. I also wonder how accurate the gun's are in ST.
Either way it's a great sign that both of these guys are coming as or even better than advertised.
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Post by hughlangin on Feb 26, 2013 9:59:56 GMT -5
One way I look at it is here are two young professional atheletes that have obviously come into camp in excellent shape. So they've likely been working very hard over the offseason, which I would think speaks volumes to there work ethics.
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Post by remember04 on Feb 26, 2013 10:08:29 GMT -5
One way I look at it is here are two young professional atheletes that have obviously come into camp in excellent shape. So they've likely been working very hard over the offseason, which I would think speaks volumes to there work ethics. So....we should let Doubront watch them pitch but for the love of god not let them sit next to each other?
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Post by iakovos11 on Feb 26, 2013 10:31:07 GMT -5
An interesting note from yesterday's game (especially for those CVaz fans): espn.go.com/blog/boston/red-sox * Catcher Christian Vazquez, who is in his first big-league camp after splitting last season between Class A Salem and Class AA Portland, made the day’s best defensive play, with an absolutely killer throw to catch Mike Fontenot attempting to steal second in the eighth inning. The throw easily beat Fontenot, and was right on the bag. “That’s where it gets fun for us to get familiar with some of the younger players," Lovullo said, “and see something special like that happen. It’s as good as you see in baseball. To see him walk off with a smile on his face, those are great moments that hopefully lead to more great performance." Vazquez had a chance to tie the score in the ninth after a fielding error put two on with no out, but took a called third strike on a full count from Tampa Bay lefty Adam Liberatore. “He didn’t say much about it -- I think the guy just hit his spot," Lovullo said. “If a guy doesn’t complain or drop their shoulders, it generally means it’s a good pitch."
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Post by hughlangin on Feb 26, 2013 10:41:56 GMT -5
Or at least don't let them spend the offseason together? Maybe every other.
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Post by Chris Hatfield on Feb 26, 2013 11:06:29 GMT -5
RE: Webster
a) There's something to be said for adrenaline in his first start in big league camp.
b) This was the stadium gun. I also read he was mid-80s on a changeup that usually is 82-84, so the gun was probably adding a couple mph.
c) Not that we shouldn't be excited about this, but I don't think we learned anything about Webster yesterday we didn't already know. His velo was up a tick in his first start, which should probably be expected.
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Post by hammerhead on Feb 26, 2013 11:20:56 GMT -5
When was that last time that the Sox had two starting pitching prospects that threw this hard?
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Post by James Dunne on Feb 26, 2013 11:29:00 GMT -5
When was that last time that the Sox had two starting pitching prospects that threw this hard? At least among pitching prospects in thie high minors at the same time, it would be Lester and Papelbon. Buchholz might have hit 99 on a fast gun at some point, and Bard and Hagadone were starters in the low minors, but their situation wasn't really comparable.
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Post by JackieWilsonsaid on Feb 26, 2013 11:44:57 GMT -5
Also, to temper just a squint,
++Fastball guys ought to be way ahead early; its the only pitch allowed pretty much.
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Post by alfmendolson on Feb 26, 2013 13:31:42 GMT -5
Seeing all of these scouting reports on Webster and can't help but notice he is a near Bucholz clone at the same age. Tall, somewhat lanky righty, athletic as hell, plus fastball, plus curve, bugs bunny change. While Webster's fastball definitely seems to be plu-plus with it's 93+ velocity and off the charts movement, Bucholz fastball was no slouch and he also had the edge in control (however we now see it was much more control than command). The comparison isn't really positive or negative while I still expect great things from Bucholz but it does help me to temper my immediate expectations out of Webster and at the very least puts Cherington in a great light for getting the return he did on a huge salary dump.
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Post by jmei on Feb 26, 2013 13:54:51 GMT -5
Buchholz had far better command of his fastball than Webster at a similar stage of their careers, but Webster's fastball has far better movement, especially since Buchholz never really developed a two-seamer (which is Webster's bread-and-butter fastball). I don't think Webster's slider currently compares to how great Buchholz's curveball was in the minor leagues, though.
Command and control are the big hurdle for Webster now. He has great movement on his stuff and will get swings-and-misses on his changeup, but he really struggles to consistently hit his spots, especially with his fastball.
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Post by marrcus on Feb 26, 2013 15:33:16 GMT -5
Cafardo reported in his Sun. Column that Ortiz is weighing in at 260 lbs. If that's accurate --and I hope it isn't-- it's pretty scary. I would have hoped for better than that --how about 235?-- coming off his ending to '12.
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Post by James Dunne on Feb 26, 2013 15:41:35 GMT -5
Cafardo reported in his Sun. Column that Ortiz is weighing in at 260 lbs. If that's accurate --and I hope it isn't-- it's pretty scary. I would have hoped for better than that --how about 235?-- coming off his ending to '12. What has he weighed in other seasons? He was clearly thinner last year than he was in 2010, but I couldn't even guess what the number might be. I believe he's been listed at 250 in the media guide throughout his time in Boston, but I don't have them handy right now. If he was actually 250 in '03 (and there'd be little reason to overreport his weight) then 260 is probably fine.
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Post by mredsox89 on Feb 26, 2013 15:41:44 GMT -5
I wouldn't be too concerned with Ortiz. It's hard to cut weight while recovering from a foot injury with limits just about all of your mobility. Once he's able to run etc, i'm sure it comes off relatively easily
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Post by stevedillard on Feb 26, 2013 15:49:33 GMT -5
I wouldn't be too concerned with Ortiz. It's hard to cut weight while recovering from a foot injury with limits just about all of your mobility. Once he's able to run etc, i'm sure it comes off relatively easily You're under 35, aren't you? I'm Overbay.
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Post by hammerhead on Feb 26, 2013 16:37:16 GMT -5
Ferrell was saying that Bradley may start the year in Pawtucket as opposed to Portland.... I'll try and find the quote.
"Farrell said the staff came into the camp feeling Bradley would go to Triple-A after getting a taste of camp. But he keeps opening their minds. He had three hits in Dunedin on Monday. He was scheduled to start in center field today."
That wasn't the one that I was thinking of, but it's pretty close
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Post by ibsmith85 on Feb 26, 2013 16:42:40 GMT -5
Ferrell was saying that Bradley may start the year in Pawtucket as opposed to Portland.... I'll try and find the quote. Not exactly the same thing, but here is an article from CSNNE.com, Bradley is making quite the impression on his future boss. "Every time he steps on the field," said Farrell, "he's done something positive. For a young player, he's sound fundamentally. Defensively, he takes outstanding routes to difficult plays in the outfield and he's hit both lefthanded and righthanded pitching. www.csnne.com/baseball-boston-red-sox/farrell-wont-rule-out-bradley-jr-making-opening-day-roster
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Post by Chris Hatfield on Feb 26, 2013 16:49:18 GMT -5
I can't see them having room to put Bradley in Pawtucket to start the year. The sentiment is fine - it really wouldn't be SUPER aggressive in a vacuum. However, unless Brentz and Hassan are both going to be out long-term, which I don't understand to be the case, it'd be hard to find at-bats for all the outfielders in Pawtucket if Nava, Hazelbaker, and Linares are there as well.
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Post by bluechip on Feb 26, 2013 16:49:21 GMT -5
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Post by mainesox on Feb 26, 2013 19:29:28 GMT -5
I can't see them having room to put Bradley in Pawtucket to start the year. The sentiment is fine - it really wouldn't be SUPER aggressive in a vacuum. However, unless Brentz and Hassan are both going to be out long-term, which I don't understand to be the case, it'd be hard to find at-bats for all the outfielders in Pawtucket if Nava, Hazelbaker, and Linares are there as well. If they feel that Bradley is ready for Pawtucket, are Hassan, Hazelbaker, and Linares really going to stop them from putting him there though?
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Post by Kevin Pereira on Feb 26, 2013 19:53:32 GMT -5
I can't see them having room to put Bradley in Pawtucket to start the year. The sentiment is fine - it really wouldn't be SUPER aggressive in a vacuum. However, unless Brentz and Hassan are both going to be out long-term, which I don't understand to be the case, it'd be hard to find at-bats for all the outfielders in Pawtucket if Nava, Hazelbaker, and Linares are there as well. If they feel that Bradley is ready for Pawtucket, are Hassan, Hazelbaker, and Linares really going to stop them from putting him there though? Hazelbaker might stop Bradley, given that he can actually play center unlike Hassan and Linares, but that's contingent on how they construct the roster (obviously) and it probably won't happen. If Nava breaks camp on Pawtucket, he'll most likely be in LF, then Hazelbaker might play center and Linares/Maier would play right, while Bradley will be sent to Portland. Ryan Sweeney can have an impact, too. If he decides to not opt out of the contract and is okay with going to Pawtucket, then he can play center or right. I highly doubt he'll be okay with going to Triple-A since he had other offers during the offseason from major league clubs, but who knows? I, for one, think Bradley will be sent to Pawtucket, after I was so adamant that he'll start the season in Portland. The OF will look like this: LF - Hazelbaker CF - Bradley RF - Linares/Maier After Hassan and Brentz come back, they take over left and right, respectively, and Maier either gets released or Hazelbaker gets sent to Portland. They protected Hassan, so he'll be starting in Pawtucket as long as he's healthy.
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Post by rjp313jr on Feb 26, 2013 19:53:39 GMT -5
It shouldn't that's for sure. Nava shouldn't even block him. They could use a foursome of Hassan, nava, Brentz and Bradley. Hazelbaker can't impede Bradley. Lets save this disunion or later in the spring depending how everyone is doing or feeling.
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Post by pedroelgrande on Feb 26, 2013 20:09:09 GMT -5
Lets be honest here if JBJ is ready for AAA he's going to AAA the other guys will have to make way.
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Post by chavopepe2 on Feb 26, 2013 20:14:40 GMT -5
I know what you're saying and that sentiment is generally true as a top prospect moves up the latter, but I think it is different when you talk about starting in AA vs. AAA. Many prospects only have a short stop in AAA (and in some cases none at all). For years AAA was a staging ground for AAAA players. I don't think being sent to AA rather than AAA says anything about how MLB ready Bradley is. He could very easily go to AA for a while and then only have a short stay in AAA before making the bigs.
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Post by jioh on Feb 26, 2013 20:49:43 GMT -5
Cafardo reported in his Sun. Column that Ortiz is weighing in at 260 lbs. If that's accurate --and I hope it isn't-- it's pretty scary. I would have hoped for better than that --how about 235?-- coming off his ending to '12. What has he weighed in other seasons? He was clearly thinner last year than he was in 2010, but I couldn't even guess what the number might be. I believe he's been listed at 250 in the media guide throughout his time in Boston, but I don't have them handy right now. If he was actually 250 in '03 (and there'd be little reason to overreport his weight) then 260 is probably fine. Anyone else feel like Ortiz' slimness last year made him too fast for his aging Achilles? Better to have him trudging around the bases and staying in the lineup.
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