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Post by m1keyboots on Jun 22, 2018 16:10:45 GMT -5
It'll be great to see the Mitch Hanigers (slumping a bit) and the Dee Gordons of the world. The Mariners have an exciting team, and Paxton looked almost human yesterday!
Here's to Steve baffling the sea-goers and never having to see Sugar Diaz!
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Post by m1keyboots on Jun 22, 2018 16:02:00 GMT -5
Maybe Machado isn’t that guy, maybe there’s another player who fits that model like Harper. Yes, these guys are going to get hefty pay days but does anyone think Betts, Bogaerts, and Sale are not? and/or are going to sign deep discounts? I doubt any of them will take a discount... if Sale is really happy in Boston, maybe he wouldn't be looking to break the bank. As mentioned elsewhere, Bogaerts being a Boras client will probably chase the highest $$ possible. And while I'd like to see Betts play his whole career in Boston, I'm starting to get the impression he's really not of that mind. Kind of like Ellsbury was - lukewarm to the fan base here, and while it might be a nice gig,, he'd rather be elsewhere.... A couple small things...one being that Ellsbury was outwardly unhappy and at some points treated quite poorly by the fan base/media whether it be deserved or not. Ellsbury had an incredible season and the year after was just "very good" and we won a WS. It just seemed like in addition to chasing money he wanted out. Although I can't blame him, being at Fenway and hearing some of those chants. Yikes. Mookie while not looking interested at all in signing up until now has been treated better IMO. There just seems less issues with Mookie. Also a difference being Betts was drafted out of HS. Small differences, but then again we weren't that far away from signing Jacoby before he left. After last year Betts may have banked he could increase his value to 2016 levels and better, and wasn't going to take a Trout team friendly type extension, however as someone said before if he's shown the real money (200+ mil)...maybe living near DC, and listening to the Daily talks about Bryce Harper's value has changed my opinion on what type of player chases money, idk.
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Post by m1keyboots on Jun 22, 2018 15:44:03 GMT -5
Not for nothing, but a lot of the core guys grew up in the farm system together and although the allure of free agency and big money can mute those feelings pretty quickly, the Red Sox have deep pockets and a penchant for always being in the mix.
I'm not the biggest fan of looking 3 years into the future and past a possible World Series run or two. However, it must be incredibly difficult to play in a place where eating Cheetos with the wrong hand after 9 p.m. can be blown up into a story the likes of which these players may never have thought possible.
A lot can happen, and around 15 years ago I stopped believing it was all bad. Hopefully I'm not just being naive.
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Post by m1keyboots on Jun 19, 2018 9:50:06 GMT -5
I see multiple posters labeling guys like Matt Barnes, Joe Kelly, and Heath Hembree as mediocre. While I agree that Heath Hembree is really nothing more than a sixth inning guy, I think all of these guys are being used out of their ideal places. This is just my lowly opinion but I think Joe Kelly has been fine, and Matt Barnes shouldn't be the 8th inning guy, but hes surely a perfectly fine 7th inning reliever. Guys are saying that they are no Zach Britton, they're no Kelvin Herrera etc etc. Of course not, those are Elite established closers and not every team can line Up 3 or 4 elite established closers in the bullpen. It's confusinng because I'd like someone to explain to me what exactly Joe Kelly has done wrong this year? Every team around the league blows leads, but it doesn't seem like that has been a problem with this team despite the fact that Tyler Thornburg and Carson Smith aren't with the team anyway.
I hate to be the guy that says look at our record, but look at our record. We are above the middle of the pack in blown saves and blown leads, ahead of some teams with "Elite bullpens". We are at the top of the Heat and Bullpen era + batting average allowed. Of course, ideally it would be great to have jeurys Familia followed by Zach Britton, and having Kimbrel close it out but it's wrong to suggest those guys at the expense of what our guys are doing at the moment. Which from all the numbers, and the record looks to be like they're doing just fine as it is. Maybe add a quality lefty.
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Post by m1keyboots on Jun 18, 2018 11:59:09 GMT -5
Alex Cora and this coaching staff has completely changed the way everyone looks at Xander this year, in a good way. What a great turn around in his career. To be fair, Xander is an insanely talented player that had some struggles both on the field and with injuries. I'm a huge Cora fan from basically day one, but the praise on this one should really go to Bogaerts for just being crazy gritty and resilient. Credit to all the coaching he's received over the years. However, Bogaerts has reinvented himself multiple times at the plate, and on the defensive side of the ball. All the while never hearing him say anything out of line on social media or create any problems in the clubhouse despite having the most pressure on a Red Sox prospect that I can remember ever. On other forums I see people arguing that he's not a GREAT defender. He's not "great" at the plate." "Correa, Lindor, Didi, Segura, Seager blah blah blah", Sure I'd love to have Lindor, or even Seager, but it didn't happen like that. As it stands I'll take our guy and his ability to be at minimum good at everything and improve things year to year, willing to change his game and work on his shortcomings, and at least average if not occasional great at SS. Also I believe he's been knighted, "Sir Bogey" Edit: I realize this isn't the best thread for this comment. I apologize. Man that was a good toss by Vasqy to nail Dee Gordon the other day. There's my contribution.
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Post by m1keyboots on Jun 17, 2018 6:39:01 GMT -5
Although his receiving and throwing aren't what they were in DC, he's always been able to hit. Not the poor plate dicipline style of hitting either. He crushes mistakes. (At least he did in DC) imo he would fit well with us. Fluent in both English and Spanish, has always called a good game, and man he might end up with an extra 25 doubles at Fenway with the way he hits the ball. Just going off watching the Nats and now having him on one of my fantasy teams . Something tells me the rays will want a pitching prospect as well as leon and/or Swihart. Apart from CJ Cron, Ramos is the only good healthy position Player they have now. Edit for accidentally pressing enter too soon.
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Post by m1keyboots on Jun 14, 2018 10:16:55 GMT -5
Have you been to Safeco? I was a big fan. And of Seattle of course. It is kind of crazy that Felix Hernandez is finally on a playoff-quality team edited for super-obvious jinx factor. Even when he had outstanding stuff, he had such good control and feel for pitching that I thought it would sustain him as a decent pitcher even when that stuff started to erode. He is (was?) probably like two good seasons away from having a good Hall of Fame case, but it's hard to see him getting there at this point. I hope I'm wrong and he's got a comeback in him, but I wouldn't mind if he could wait his start after this one. No hitter alert! No hitter alert! No hitter alert! (I do hope you go back and edit your original post. Truly. Superstitious that way.) I think the combination of guys being low ball hitters, trying to lift the ball, and also trying to get that bat angle to match his breaking balls, Sinker and change up. Also he's been around so long I feel like everybody is somewhat familiar with his pitching style and tricks. Just goes to show you the difference between 92 to 95 miles per hour, and 90 to 92 is for some guys
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Post by m1keyboots on Jun 11, 2018 10:02:20 GMT -5
I was checking Ockimey's stat page on Fangraphs and found this interesting: Since he started playing full season ball, his strikeout rate remained the same while advancing levels * 25.9% in Greenville * 25.9% in Salem * 26.7% in Portland (2 seasons combined) Usually prospects see their K% creep up as they move to the upper levels which is logical considering that they face pitchers with better stuff and more seasoned game plans, but it's not been the case for JO and when you consider the fact that he's slashing .312/.431/.578 vs RHP with a very solid 25/35 BB/K, you wonder if he has a future as a strong platoon 1st Baseman for the Sox. We know he has a good eye at the plate (His 15.2% BB rate is 4th in the Eastern League), the game power is starting to show up (.210 IsoP is his highest career mark) and as I mentioned earlier, he seems to keep his contact issues under control. Thoughts? I would only counter with...as opposed to the between levels, It feels like the jump from AAA and especially from AA to the majors is where the k rate kicks the most. I liked your find though, that is interesting, and it bodes well showing the kind of improvement/kraftwerk we all love to see. Wouldn't it be something if he could get to the club and still strike out 25% of the time?
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Post by m1keyboots on Jun 8, 2018 8:57:05 GMT -5
One thing I'll say about Benintendi's future is that after a full year in the majors, I think the rumors of him being a power hitter were greatly exaggerated. Despite the anecdotes of long home runs he hit in the minors, we now have a full year of statcast data showing that Beni's exit velocities are close to the MLB average. Maybe that can increase somewhat as he matures but I think it's probably something fairly innate to a hitter; most of your big time power hitters had massive raw power going back to their teens. His batted ball profile isn't that of a power hitter either; he's oriented more towards spraying line drives than pulling fly balls. That's the right approach for him, but it's unlikely to ever yield huge home run totals. If you want to forecast him into stardom, it's going to have to look at lot more like recent-vintage Daniel Murphy, where he hits a ton of high-liners/low-flies that don't turn into home runs as much much as they drive high BABIPs and doubles totals. I don't know that his bat control is quite as elite as Murphy's, though. Realistically, I see him as something like a .285/.375/.465 hitter with solid base running and defense. Christian Yelich is an interesting comp, although Beni isn't afflicted with Yelich's grounder problem. That should get him into more than a few All Star Games I'd say. Well, just last night they mentioned he had been pulling the ball in the air more often. He went yahtzee to lead off the game :/. Felt like those massive home run distances we heard about are a product of SEC weather and constantly barreling pitches. He'd have a hard time getting to 40, but approaching 30 yearly with his type of batted ball profile seem's like a good consolation.
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Post by m1keyboots on Jun 6, 2018 10:50:29 GMT -5
Martinez is a fascinating hitter. He's very focused, almost to the point of obsession, with his mechanics and the results are profound. His 45 HRs last year were at the rate of 1 every 9.6 at bats which is outrageous. A few weeks back he was saying he wasn't quite comfortable with his swing yet. He may be getting there. He's at 11.2 for the season which is a great number. The last 20 games? Ten HRs at the rate of 1 every 7.3 at bats. That's just silly. Devers should be on JD's hip every day and absorbing all he can. Best way he can supplement his lack of minor league at bats and experience, other that taking BP and playing in games. Well I'd disagree a little. I think this season is proving a lot for him right now, and being as young as he is things are likely building up. It's impressive he has held the defense together, and still puts together tough at bats every now and then. The way his swing is, I don't think it would be the best idea to start taking from the JDM experience every day. Taping all his swings. FORCING himself almost to one side of the field. Just a little extreme for a guy who just this time last year was the best hitter for us at any level besides Mookie. You mentioned nuni in another post. I smiled. The difference with him and Lugo, is that Eduardo will get base hits and hustle into doubles, where has Julio Lugo would step up to the plate, promptly foul off a 90 mph fastball, and then chase the sliders
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Post by m1keyboots on Jun 5, 2018 13:21:43 GMT -5
It's so far away that it's pointless to talk about. He'll play 3rd until he has to move if ever. Yeah, and worst case scenario he learns how to handle himself a little better at third than if he just stayed at 1st right off the bat. If he's comfortable at both positions it doesn't look like a situation where the positional switches affect the offensive development.
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Post by m1keyboots on Jun 5, 2018 12:46:56 GMT -5
Knock wood. Man they're drafting well. This is exciting
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Post by m1keyboots on Jun 4, 2018 12:33:37 GMT -5
For a guy getting paid only* 13 mil, him going 7 and giving up a run or two while holding the other team to a baserunner an inning with the strikeouts? I'm not sure anyone thinks the Chris sale of 4/6 months last year is the forever version. He seems to be perfectly awesome the way he is, just one person's opinion Yeap. Believe in Sale. I know I will be in the postseason. I won't be making predictions or nothing this year in the Sox playoffs, just hoping and wishing on the heels of *Chris Sales shoulders.* Agreed. Hopefully Sale can avoid some of those august games chuck in 99 in the 7th inning.
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Post by m1keyboots on May 28, 2018 1:19:48 GMT -5
Sale needs to cowboy up for the 2nd half. I mean he's been good overall, but not Chris Sale good. For a guy getting paid only* 13 mil, him going 7 and giving up a run or two while holding the other team to a baserunner an inning with the strikeouts? I'm not sure anyone thinks the Chris sale of 4/6 months last year is the forever version. He seems to be perfectly awesome the way he is, just one person's opinion
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Post by m1keyboots on May 25, 2018 12:29:31 GMT -5
I think it's wishful thinking to believe this is Hanley and Hanley will only be the hitter he's been the last two weeks. It's also wishful to think Blake can do anything at the plate like Hanram has done the last couple years. (especially bc he's never done it in MLB) I understand some people are very high on Swihart, I like him too. Can he play third? Can he even play the OF? He'll barely catch. If you think he can provide the offense at the plate Hanley has, certainly with risp then we're going to have to agree to disagree :/ Edit: I say this being the guy that wants Mitchie two-bags to get more time at first. Hes the only that will cover some of that value with his defense and bat. Sticking Blake at third every couple weeks, maybe at dh (what a criminal underuse of the DH btw) doesn't sound like the most exciting thing. To me at least. Hanley's numbers going back to last year: .241/.310/.419 (.730 OPS), 50 XBH in 139 games. That's bad for a 1B/DH who will run into outs and hit an astounding number of GIDP. It's not just about the last 2 weeks. I'm not saying Hanley was a world beater. The man used to be a liability in the clubhouse and even at first. Not as much anymore. Totally agree with the money too. If it weren't for that cash this move isn't made a couple weeks ago is what I'm saying. Go back a year and the move is made. Go back 130 games and this move is surely not mad, and etc etc.
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Post by m1keyboots on May 25, 2018 12:21:10 GMT -5
This isn't the most popular opinion I've found on the site, but I'm not sure this was the best move. It surely was a smart move in some ways...heres to hoping Blake can play some positions and actually hit at this level, and Mitch stays being himself :/
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Post by m1keyboots on May 25, 2018 12:08:03 GMT -5
I think it's wishful thinking to expect Blake to provide the value especially considering he won't even be playing catcher. As hot as Moreland is, will he sustain this over 162? 10 days ago Hanley was sitting at 288/355/505. The money saved is cool though... It's wishful thinking that Swihart is a replacement level player? I think it's wishful thinking to believe this is Hanley and Hanley will only be the hitter he's been the last two weeks. It's also wishful to think Blake can do anything at the plate like Hanram has done the last couple years. (especially bc he's never done it in MLB) I understand some people are very high on Swihart, I like him too. Can he play third? Can he even play the OF? He'll barely catch. If you think he can provide the offense at the plate Hanley has, certainly with risp then we're going to have to agree to disagree :/ Edit: I say this being the guy that wants Mitchie two-bags to get more time at first. Hes the only that will cover some of that value with his defense and bat. Sticking Blake at third every couple weeks, maybe at dh (what a criminal underuse of the DH btw) doesn't sound like the most exciting thing. To me at least.
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Post by m1keyboots on May 25, 2018 11:29:20 GMT -5
I think it's wishful thinking to expect Blake to provide the value especially considering he won't even be playing catcher. As hot as Moreland is, will he sustain this over 162? 10 days ago Hanley was sitting at 288/355/505. The money saved is cool though...
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Thornburg
May 24, 2018 14:33:27 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by m1keyboots on May 24, 2018 14:33:27 GMT -5
No. He might start out rusty, but if he's completely healthy, he's arguably the best 8th inning option they have. The guy who pitched for the Brewers was an excellent setup man. The trade is already bad, but historically? It's not worse than Andersen for Bagwell, but it could approach it. It depends on how long Travis Shaw can sustain his productivity. That said, it's not like he's a young Bagwell. Dubon and Coca could be useful players. Maybe Dubon starts at 2b/ss but I think he profiles more as a good utility man? Coca is kind of a lottery ticket at this point. I liked the trade when it was made, so I was totally wrong about it. I thought the Shaw we saw at the end of 2016 was more or less the Shaw he'd be going forward, but there was a lot of pushback, I read, within the organization - guys that really liked Shaw and didn't want him moved because they believed in his power. They were right. I focused on the fact that he lost his job to Moncada and then Holt by Sept and Oct. I was wrong, wrong, wrong! You've got to be kidding. Have you seen or looked at the way he has pitched during his rehab assignment? He was referring to "the guy that pitched for the Brewers". That guy was one of the most lights out non-closers in the modern era that year and even the two previous to an extent.
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Post by m1keyboots on May 24, 2018 12:43:28 GMT -5
The fact this discussion is taking place and he hasn’t been given an opportunity here when our catchers have been bad is baffling to me. It’s a joke. I realize the record is where it is and that the offense overall has been really good but they should be giving him a good 3-4 week run behind the plate. I'm unable to watch games in their entirety and I miss most of the games, so I'm relying on what I read from Peter Abraham. Did Vazquez, the next batter, not signal Nunez to slide when he was trying to score? If that's right, that's another mental mistake by Vazquez, like when he used his mask to try to gather the ball. Between his soft hitting - or contact, lack of walks, and less than stellar defense, I agree that it's unimaginable that the Sox didn't at least give Swihart a real chance to see what he can do. Leon is at least starting to hit the ball and the pitchers seem to really like his game calling. So I can see why he'd play more often, but for Swihart not to get an extended look is kind of mind boggling. It feels like I'm replying to you a lot. Nothing personal, I suppose you just bring up good talking-points consistently . From the game it looked like Eduardo about 20 feet away was "preparing" to slide/dive and changed his pace. Multiple guys were waving at Eddy, but I can't say for sure CV was. There was a decent amount of indecision coming to the plate and he glanced at the fielder going around third so I'm not sure what to say about that. We should probably remember he's coming off surgery too. It honestly look's like Christians armstrength isn't what it was a couple years ago from the surgery. He's still quick and the pop time is better than Leon's (according to statcast). Both sit somewhere in the 77-79 mpH range. If he doesn't start hitting at least a little like last year Leon should get more of the time with that switch bat. CV still frames well, and runs better than Leon but I'd agree with you it's quite frustrating. Our pitchers at times look really easy to run on. Not to sound clichéd but watching the NL and seeing all the nuanced ways pitchers keep guys from going, then seeing our relievers basically ask guys to go is frustrating. Even thinking about hoping someone in the league would trade a solid reliever or possible bench back for swihart is a little depressing.
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Post by m1keyboots on May 24, 2018 12:20:07 GMT -5
After seeing Beeks last night I think he is better than Pomeranz right now. Maybe Pomeranz should be moved, temporarily to the bullpen, and Beeks given a chance in his place. Wright will be in the rotation before Beeks. Wright is out of options and is pitching well at the MLB level since coming back (so far). Wright looked super effective the other night. Whether that was because no one sees knuckle balls for a year and struggle or he just had it moving that much idk. If he's throwing strikes like that, he'd be worth a spot no? Especially to break up the hard throwing lefty monotony we have going.
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Post by m1keyboots on May 21, 2018 12:39:21 GMT -5
I agree but I think this is a little harsh. These dudes aren't robots. He gave up a bomb and slammed his glove in a frustrated moment. He didn't destroy water coolers or yell at Cora. He blew an inning in a competitive season,then he slammed his glove. I'm sure you've played baseball and seen "real" temper tantrums or at least know the feeling. It's 100% guaranteed he regretted the waaaay out of control moment insinuating blame over when he slammed his glove on the bench. If an apology and convo doesn't clear that up then ok the former elite setup man/closer from Seattle can go7. It's also quite obvious he was tired. That was easily the most pitches he'd thrown in a 4 game stretch since the surgery. Not AC fault when it's 2 years coming off the procedure, either. Does that mean he acted like a jackass and shouldn't be brought back? I disagree. I'll take a fired up Carson even when he comes back, over 25 robots. Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but you're missing the part where Smith threw his manager under the bus saying that he got overworked by Cora, which is silly considering that Cora used him in short stint low leverage situations and that Cora regularly conferred with him to make sure he was ok to pitch. If Smith said he couldn't go Cora would stay away from him. So if he really felt that he was overworked then who's fault was it really? It was the fault of the idiot who threw a temper tantrum and torpedoed his chance of reclaiming his career and pitching himself into trusted high leverage situations on a team that is post-season bound. I've lost total respect for Carson Smith. Don't think they should release him, but they shouldn't pay big bucks to rehab him. If it isn't big bucks, sure rehab and hope that he can stay healthy for a minute or two. But as far as ever relying or trusting the guy, forget it. He lost that trust. Fortunately the Sox only lost Wade Miley to secure Carson Smith's services. In actuality Carson Smith is all that's left from that Nick Punto deal. I guess when it was all said and done it wasn't who the Sox got for stapling Beckett, Crawford, and Punto to AGon, but it was totally the financial flexibility that the Sox got from the deal - they ultimately didn't get any useful players in the deal. I mentioned he had insinuated blame (guess you didn't see it), even at that he didn't directly accuse Cora and as usual the Boston media took that ball and ran it all the way into he endzone. I'm surprised we haven't seen an article blaming Carson for the type of pillow he uses. Even so, if he was tired and felt tired while he was pitching should he lie to reporters about it in an obviously frustrating moment? Being tired and still able to throw pitches is different, and if every player told their manager "do not use me today I am tired and cannot come in" when they felt any fatigue baseball would look very different and rosters would be much larger. That said I guess suppose this can cause people to "lose trust" or respect or whatever but not with me and ill stand by that. Pitchers are a breed unto themselves and the effective ones shouldnt be jettisoned for a small issue (this is not to say anything about what happens with his health). Like i said if they were able to talk it out and he improves physically I think it would be a huge waste of resources to toss aside an elite reliever because some people dont like him. Baseball again, would be very different if all players and coaches got along all the time, and the roster was approved by us the fans as to whether or not we respected him. Especially if he is forced to another team for peanuts and is back next year throwing worm burners killing our rallies in the latter innings. Just my two cents. Viva la Carson Smith.
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Post by m1keyboots on May 19, 2018 13:05:51 GMT -5
If they non-tender him, it won't be because of his comments. That's broadly true when it's a clear decision, but if you're on the fence about a guy then "he hurt himself throwing a temper tantrum then acted like a jackass and tried to blame the manager" is probably not a point in his favor. As someone who is already a candidate to be non-tendered it's the kind of thing you don't want to put up with. I agree but I think this is a little harsh. These dudes aren't robots. He gave up a bomb and slammed his glove in a frustrated moment. He didn't destroy water coolers or yell at Cora. He blew an inning in a competitive season,then he slammed his glove. I'm sure you've played baseball and seen "real" temper tantrums or at least know the feeling. It's 100% guaranteed he regretted the waaaay out of control moment insinuating blame over when he slammed his glove on the bench. If an apology and convo doesn't clear that up then ok the former elite setup man/closer from Seattle can go7. It's also quite obvious he was tired. That was easily the most pitches he'd thrown in a 4 game stretch since the surgery. Not AC fault when it's 2 years coming off the procedure, either. Does that mean he acted like a jackass and shouldn't be brought back? I disagree. I'll take a fired up Carson even when he comes back, over 25 robots.
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Post by m1keyboots on May 19, 2018 12:55:51 GMT -5
Mookie is the man. I think with Trout actually playing good defense in center this year is what keepa him above Mooks with it being a more premium position overall. The things he does well MB is doing better however, except for the walks of course. Hopefully Mookie keeps it up when Trout starts mashing again. Either way what's important is hopefully mooks signs a trout-like extension. Won't happen at that price tho :/ Mookie doesn't get his due. This is year 4 of really good or elite play, and they barely discuss him in favor of Lindor or Albies. God forbid Aaron Judge hit a homerun.
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Post by m1keyboots on May 19, 2018 12:47:24 GMT -5
I single stupidest idea in the history of the world. I don't care if it's good for MLB. I want to go. I'm working on my wife! Good luck pal. Toss in some "international significance/relations" comments. Maybe something about representation. You could pull it off.
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