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Post by Oregon Norm on Jun 5, 2021 0:47:07 GMT -5
Johan Mieses just hit the train tracks (and kept it fair). Great stuff. There's an epic song in there, somewhere, as the ball travels off into the sunset...
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Post by Oregon Norm on Jun 1, 2021 18:25:49 GMT -5
...or he could be a major league player all by himself. Teams can never, ever, have enough pitching and at the top of the list of wants are starters.
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Post by Oregon Norm on May 30, 2021 17:02:13 GMT -5
They're getting hammered for not re-signing Tanaka. They chose to go with Kluber and it cost them. I watched his first start and he was very tentative. He really picked it up with that deadly slider, but that may be at the root of his current shoulder injury. He's out for at least two months, maybe longer. The starters behind Cole are questionable at best, and the cratered hitting hasn't helped at all. The three losses to the Tigers will set the fanbase on fire, that's guaranteed. Tough times in the Bronx. Doesn’t help when your team has 3 errors in a game. All true. Torres is a bit of a butcher and probably shouldn't be playing SS. Uncharacteristically, Urshela made one also. Judge and Stanton, to a lesser extent, are hitting. The rest of the lineup ranges from mediocre to bad right now. They'll pick it up I'll bet, but they'll have to do something about the pitching. It doesn't get any easier. They've got the Rays and the Red Sox coming up.
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Post by Oregon Norm on May 30, 2021 16:12:11 GMT -5
They're getting hammered for not re-signing Tanaka. They chose to go with Kluber and it cost them. I watched his first start and he was very tentative. He really picked it up with that deadly slider, but that may be at the root of his current shoulder injury. He's out for at least two months, maybe longer.
The starters behind Cole are questionable at best, and the cratered hitting hasn't helped at all. The three losses to the Tigers will set the fanbase on fire, that's guaranteed. Tough times in the Bronx.
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Post by Oregon Norm on May 30, 2021 11:33:57 GMT -5
I'm going to wait and see on that one. They've hewed so closely to the cap that I'm a bit skeptical the team won't use that as a ceiling, artificial or not. Going over likely means bringing in talent that's signed for a few years into the future, so planning around that becomes the norm and it can mean ditching other players you'd like to keep.
When ownership spoke to the idea that other teams seem to be able to compete while keeping their salaries in some range, I took it seriously. They're not going to Oakland's or Tampa's level, but I don't think they'll be regularly blowing through the cap. The caveat, as always, is that they haven't spoken to me about this guesswork!
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Post by Oregon Norm on May 29, 2021 12:01:54 GMT -5
I'd add that Verdugo and possibly Downs will be what you refer to as high-value players, if by that you mean those who can generate, say, 3+ wins a year. Those players are worth the extra money you pay to keep them around. There may be other acquisitions that eventually fall into that category as well. Pivetta, who should easily surpass his career 2+ WAR this season (barring injury), also falls into that category. He's arb-eligible in 2022 and I expect he'll be one of those on his way $10 million given his start this year.
The FO has already re-filled the cupboard to some extent - my opinion. That's before taking Seabold into consideration. If he's healthy, he may be another player whose worth rises above that mark. It's conjecture, but I'd guess extensions through mid-career high-water marks is where this iteration of the Sox will try to build overall value.
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Post by Oregon Norm on May 29, 2021 9:12:11 GMT -5
The one cautionary note given the high-fives about trading players who have peaked has to do with the CBA. Betts was worth seventy times what he was paid during that great year. The owners understand where the value is and that they can extract that at little cost to the team. Some way has to be found to reduce that gross imbalance. I believe the players understand that now. That will make the negotiations very difficult.
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Post by Oregon Norm on May 28, 2021 22:57:09 GMT -5
...and Scioscia gushing about him. That's like pulling water from a dry river bed. It's usually deep underground, so to have all those compliments surface is a big deal.
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Post by Oregon Norm on May 28, 2021 10:00:45 GMT -5
Who the hell is Trevor Rogers and how is he on track to get the NL Cy Young? Edit: looks like he’s got a pretty good prospect pedigree, checks out A new kid on the block. He's come along quickly. Just a short time in the minors, and he's only 23. He's got his mojo working right now. On the upside, he's not likely to finish with an ERA+ of 226, so there will likely be regression. Maybe now's the time.
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Post by Oregon Norm on May 27, 2021 14:25:12 GMT -5
Very hard for me to detect any difference in his arm motion with each of the three pitch types. Looks like fastball/changeup/breaking ball. I see different movement on that last type so they may be different pitches. Hard to tell at this resolution. I did notice one elbow crank at the very end of what looked to be a hard slider with break to the glove side, but that was about it to my untrained eyes. The stuff looks devastating to the class of hitters he's facing. Baseball America has a feature on 28 prospects - what scouts saw from each in spring training. Bello is one of them:
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Post by Oregon Norm on May 27, 2021 13:03:52 GMT -5
Ok, ok. We could go back decades and pick out targets. I'm still upset Conigliaro got hit in the face. Let's stick to the thread head, please.
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Post by Oregon Norm on May 24, 2021 20:19:01 GMT -5
The interesting thing about the Casas HR is that the catcher called the pitch, set up, and the pitcher threw it exactly where the catcher wanted it. That ball was headed precisely into the mitt until its path was rudely interrupted. A learning experience for the catcher, then, and for the pitcher!
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Post by Oregon Norm on May 23, 2021 17:47:35 GMT -5
Holy crap what a bomb. If he could only make contact consistently. Easy to see why he entices teams. Harness that stuff and you'd have a monster (right now he's more like the cookie monster!). Hammering a pitch at an EV of 118+ mph stage right is nothing to sneeze at. There's some talent locked in there.
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Post by Oregon Norm on May 23, 2021 17:13:39 GMT -5
Casas with the three-run homer, #4 of the year. He’s gonna be a star. Better version of Hosmer He's certainly bigger than Hosmer! He already looks like a professional hitter at the plate, just so focused and all business. And the power will certainly put the fear into pitchers - he absolutely lost that one. What is he, 21? He may push into MLB in less than a year and a half with any kind of season in AA. Looks as if that's what he's aiming for.
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Post by Oregon Norm on May 21, 2021 17:02:39 GMT -5
I understand the concerns about the swing plane and his MO, but the contact rate is absurd. He simply hasn't been challenged yet despite skipping a level. I'm sure they'll want to work on getting him to elevate more, but I think the profile will be useful no matter where he is if he can continue hitting a high percentage of the pitches he sees. I mean that is what the game is about. With his speed, the sort of pressure he can put on the opposition will always have a place.
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Post by Oregon Norm on May 20, 2021 9:58:23 GMT -5
This is the kind of hitter he was expected to be. It's one more example of why putting much value on the A- results for players was always dubious.
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Post by Oregon Norm on May 19, 2021 11:50:44 GMT -5
De Jesus gets the start for Portland in place of Thaddeus Ward who’s going to the IL. Rough start to the year for top pitching prospects in terms of injuries. On the plus side, De Jesus is getting his first AA start. Nobody F's with De Jesus You're officially an honorary member.
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Post by Oregon Norm on May 19, 2021 11:29:12 GMT -5
...and the opposition knows it! He's adequate as a backup, but if Vazquez got hurt it would be a free for all on the bases. There are possibilities in the minors but are any near ready?
Add: That's undoubtedly why Herrmann was brought on. Plawecki has taken a liking to Fenway and his bat has been useful. But the team might just keep him as the backup if Vazquez were unavailable.
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Post by Oregon Norm on May 18, 2021 11:18:28 GMT -5
Did you watch the video? If not, the thing that has me optimistic is how many times he's barreling up on the ball, he's in the 94th percentile (16.4% of the time, vs. 5% average). For him to be batting so poorly with those barrel numbers screams unlucky. So unfortunately I would say the message is still "give him more time". On the flip side, it is disappointing to see his low contact rates. That also came out strongly in the video, both in the zone and out of the zone. And flipping one more time... his K% is at 32% and dropping. That leads me to believe that there may be a difference over the last few games in his approach, and how he swings. I'm going to try to ferret some of that out.
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Post by Oregon Norm on May 18, 2021 10:54:46 GMT -5
...apparently. The division has been flexing muscle a bit. Outside of the Orioles - the whipping boys for now - every team is floating at least three games above .500. Should make for some good, tense, baseball!
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Post by Oregon Norm on May 16, 2021 14:20:07 GMT -5
Cora did not get to watch him first hand last year when Valdez was just as effective as he is this season. So he's been getting the eyeball test. The manager may like what he sees.
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Post by Oregon Norm on May 15, 2021 23:22:25 GMT -5
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Post by Oregon Norm on May 15, 2021 23:13:25 GMT -5
You tell me Valdez, Hernandez, and Brice pitched... I might not think the Sox win by shutout. You should check out Valdez' numbers. He generates just about the weakest contact of any MLB pitcher, and very poor exit velocities as a result. He's sneaky good, a real find. I don't think the team is reluctant to use him in middle relief no matter what the score is. He's also seen the world, or what passes for it in the realm of the minor and winter leagues. Have rubber arm will travel!
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Post by Oregon Norm on May 15, 2021 16:51:35 GMT -5
Team is trying to make it up to Perez all in in one game. Admirable!
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Post by Oregon Norm on May 14, 2021 22:00:24 GMT -5
On winning teams that happens a bit. Nothing weird about it. It happened a few games ago and it will happen again before the season is over.
Once Dalbec starts to scare pitchers I expect he'll exercise the BB part of the TTO profile. That should set the table for a few runs at the top of the order. And I hope Renfroe keeps working the outside part of the plate to right field. That's not easy for a dead pull hitter, but he's gotten a few hits that way. That should draw a few pitches into his wheelhouse.
So there's hope.
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