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Post by threeifbaerga on Apr 22, 2013 19:39:44 GMT -5
Oh my god I feel like I must be speaking a different language.
Honestly I don't think you even read what I wrote.
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Post by fenwaythehardway on Apr 22, 2013 19:55:54 GMT -5
No, you're not getting it. I'm not judging him as a player, as a hitter, as a prospect, as a human being, as a man, as a son, as an Aruban, as a shortstop, as anything. So... what exactly is the point of your observation, then?
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Post by threeifbaerga on Apr 22, 2013 20:01:22 GMT -5
So... what exactly is the point of your observation, then? That he has not hit well. What are you looking for in a gameday thread? Not to make a broad, sweeping judgement about this board/community (which I absolutely adore, I've been a member/lurker for ~6 years under various pseudonyms) but honestly you guys are BRUTAL to new members. All I said was that Xander has been striking out a lot and not really hitting all that well and this is what I've gotten. Really, provide me ONE fact that says he's hitting well outside of a hollow, BA inflated OPS. ONE. I have not once made a judgement on him going forward (I think he'll have all the success in the world, he's got the ability to hit for average and power, patience, etc) yet that is something that has been thrown in my face a handful of times now. I said he's striking out a lot and not hitting all that well. DO NOT READ ANYTHING MORE INTO IT THAN THAT.
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Post by Chris Hatfield on Apr 22, 2013 20:12:02 GMT -5
I got what he was saying and was just looking for a silver lining. I don't get why you guys are jumping ask over him. Xander is striking out a lot and not hitting for much power yet. You can observe this without saying you think he's a bust. TIB is pretty clearly doing the former without the latter. Chill the hell out people.
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Post by chavopepe2 on Apr 22, 2013 20:12:19 GMT -5
I think we can let this die now. Lets move on.
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wcp3
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Posts: 3,827
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Post by wcp3 on Apr 22, 2013 20:15:51 GMT -5
Fascinating debate, guys.
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Post by Guidas on Apr 22, 2013 20:34:17 GMT -5
Almanzar knocking the tar out of the ball in this short sample spring. At 22 he's not even old for AA. I love when guys re-establish - or at least threaten to re-establish, given the sample size - their prospect status.
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Post by brianthetaoist on Apr 22, 2013 20:39:46 GMT -5
JBJ 3 for 4 with a double today. Think he's due for a promotion?
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Post by threeifbaerga on Apr 22, 2013 20:42:14 GMT -5
Almanzar knocking the tar out of the ball in this short sample spring. At 22 he's not even old for AA. I love when guys re-establish - or at least threaten to re-establish, given the sample size - their prospect status. He has been the most exciting guy to follow for me thus far. Power, contact, patience, pedigree. If only he hadn't been shifted to first base I'd consider him an elite prospect.
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Post by wskeleton76 on Apr 22, 2013 21:01:06 GMT -5
Christian Vazquez's OPS is up to .801 with 9/4 BB-K ratio.
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Post by fenwaythehardway on Apr 22, 2013 21:02:44 GMT -5
Almanzar knocking the tar out of the ball in this short sample spring. At 22 he's not even old for AA. I love when guys re-establish - or at least threaten to re-establish, given the sample size - their prospect status. He has been the most exciting guy to follow for me thus far. Power, contact, patience, pedigree. If only he hadn't been shifted to first base I'd consider him an elite prospect. You make it sound like that's something that was done to him.
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Post by threeifbaerga on Apr 22, 2013 21:12:51 GMT -5
You make it sound like that's something that was done to him. Which nit do you prefer?
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Post by fenwaythehardway on Apr 22, 2013 21:21:51 GMT -5
Being confined to first base isn't really a nit. It means he's got to hit a TON to make it, and while his bat is clearly showing some signs of progress, I need to see a lot more production and hear some positive things about his work ethic before I get anywhere near that bandwagon.
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Post by threeifbaerga on Apr 22, 2013 21:32:09 GMT -5
Being confined to first base isn't really a nit. It means he's got to hit a TON to make it, and while his bat is clearly showing some signs of progress, I need to see a lot more production and hear some positive things about his work ethic before I get anywhere near that bandwagon. That's the long way of saying what I said, yet you found a way to find a problem with how I said it. This is exactly what I was talking about earlier.
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Post by Chris Hatfield on Apr 22, 2013 21:34:36 GMT -5
Also, Almanzar has been playing mostly 3B this year, soooooooooooooo... yeah.
(10 starts at 3B, 3 each at 1B and DH)
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Post by fenwaythehardway on Apr 22, 2013 22:36:26 GMT -5
That's the long way of saying what I said, yet you found a way to find a problem with how I said it. This is exactly what I was talking about earlier. What? You said he was exciting, had power and patience, and was close to being an elite prospect. I said I don't trust the sample size and I want to hear about how makeup issues and if there's been any improvement there. How is that the same comment? Seriously, I'm not trying to be jerky here, I literally have no idea what you're talking about or why you're so offended. And since apparently neither one of us even knows what freaking position he plays, maybe don't take the conversation quite so seriously.
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Post by sdiaz1 on Apr 22, 2013 23:33:30 GMT -5
Also, Almanzar has been playing mostly 3B this year, soooooooooooooo... yeah. (10 starts at 3B, 3 each at 1B and DH) I have been wondering about this, as it seems like a reversal of what we saw last season. Has he been playing predominately third base because a more established prospect (Shaw) is at first, are does it seem like the organization is serious about him developing as a third basemen? If it is the latter or there any early reports as to how he has looked? -Baegra, I'm sorry again if I contributed to you feeling jumped on, I read too much into your second post. I get a little defensive of my binkies.
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Post by Chris Hatfield on Apr 23, 2013 0:55:19 GMT -5
I think the idea at the beginning of the year was to have he, Shaw, and Vitek rotate between the corners and DH (Shaw at 1B, Vitek at 3B, Almanzar rotating). However, Vitek is either hurt or not playing because of ineffectiveness (I'm guessing the former given that Tony Thomas continues to receive playing time...). He has only played on consecutive days once (he played 3 games in a row broken up by a rain postponement), and he missed four games from the 15th through the 18th. He wasn't lighting the world on fire, but he was certainly doing better than Thomas, who is apparently around because he's a good clubhouse guy at this point.
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Post by sammo420 on Apr 23, 2013 2:19:33 GMT -5
I got what he was saying and was just looking for a silver lining. I don't get why you guys are jumping ask over him. Xander is striking out a lot and not hitting for much power yet. You can observe this without saying you think he's a bust. TIB is pretty clearly doing the former without the latter. Chill the hell out people. I do want to point out that my comments at least were not "attack" comments and more stating a possibility. If there's one thing I hate the most about the internet its that you can't tell peoples tone.
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jimoh
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Posts: 3,986
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Post by jimoh on Apr 23, 2013 7:08:09 GMT -5
Also, Almanzar has been playing mostly 3B this year, soooooooooooooo... yeah. (10 starts at 3B, 3 each at 1B and DH) Almanzar has the physical skills to make it at 3b. Whether he will take the 8 jillion ground balls at 3b that it takes to make a major league 3b is another question.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Apr 23, 2013 12:13:05 GMT -5
Christian Vazquez's OPS is up to .801 with 9/4 BB-K ratio. The other piece of this is that, out of his nine hits, 4 are for extra bases - a home run and three doubles. That patience and power give him a real leg up on a job with the parent club in the not-too-distant future. If he could make his way to .250-.260, while maintaining say a .340-350 OPS, that would probably put him somewhere in the vicinity of .750-.800 at AA. Anything like that would, I think, make him a serious option going forward because of his catching skills, given that he's only 22 and just about MLB ready behind the plate. He's a very good defensive catcher. Opponents who wandered too far off base when he was behind the plate during spring training found that out. I watched video of one of those over and over, watching the footwork. Amazing that a guy that chunky can look like a ballet dancer out there, at least for the 1.8 seconds it took to throw out the runner. But I'd like to hear from Mellen and the rest of the staff about his blocking at this point. That seems to have been the one area of defensive improvement he needed, and one he made strides in last year. That was about the only identified weakness. One thing that did impress me in the spring was his ability to get around on those inside pitches, another perceived weakness that he seems to be in the process of addressing. I'd also like a take on that from staff. It wouldn't surprise me to see him with the Sox before the year is out. I'm trying to contain my enthusiasm here.
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