danr
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Post by danr on Apr 23, 2015 10:22:57 GMT -5
Things do have a habit of evening out. The Sox have enough talent in their system to fill out a couple of major league lineup cards in two or three years. However, injuries will occur. Pitchers will discover weaknesses that some hitters won't be able to correct. And some will fall short of their development arc. But with as many terrific prospects as the Sox have now, some are going to make it.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 22, 2015 16:48:19 GMT -5
Chavis flies under the radar. Tons of XBH. I think ones the Ks come down, he's going to start putting up a monster slash line. I think he'll be a consensus top 100 guy by year's end. That Greenville team is loaded. I can't recall the last time that this much very young talent was assembled on one team in the Sox system. Most of them are 20 or under. It is going to fun to watch them develop.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 22, 2015 13:18:51 GMT -5
I wonder how they managed to overlook Las Vegas as a potential location. There was a lot of talk a few years ago about MLB being very interested in putting a team there. That was before the housing meltdown, which hit Las Vegas very hard. But they are rebuilding their downtown and growth continues. Like Phoenix, they would have to have an enclosed stadium. The heat there is just incredible in the summer.
Now that I live in the Portland area I am very partial to the idea of a team being located here. We get blacked out for the Seattle games, which I think is outrageous. People here do not identify with Seattle other than both cities are in the Pacific Northwest. Portland is about the same size as Baltimore (with 1/10th the crime) and it is growing. Housing is very tight. There is a local guy who has been active in promoting the idea. The PCL stadium was converted to major league soccer and that team has done extremely well. A new stadium would be needed for MLB and it probably would have to have a cover, maybe like Seattle's. It sometimes doesn't stop raining here until July.
I think there would be some strenuous objections from a number of quarters to locating a team in Indiana, at least during its present political environment.
Buffalo also would be a good city for a team and would give it solid support. It would be a good location for an AL East team considering that Toronto is not far away. There is great interest in baseball there. The triple A Bisons team always has drawn well.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 21, 2015 14:23:37 GMT -5
Well, Hanigan isn't going to hit .160. More likely around .220-.240, but I would not be surprised to see his OBP remain high. He is a great addition to the team.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 21, 2015 14:19:38 GMT -5
A question to those of you who are knowledgeable about scouting. If the Sox are to pick the best player available - which is what many - including me - think they should do, isn't it difficult to compare high school and college players?
People undergo considerable changes between the mid to late teens and the early 20s, physically, mentally and psychologically. It seems to me that in evaluating a high school player those changes have to be taken into consideration to do a fair comparison with a more fully developed college player. How is that done?
I am asking about factors other than the obvious ones such as the basic tools. A kid may be a great hitter in high school but that doesn't mean he will adjust to more advanced pitching. What if a kid continues to grow, and many do? How will that impact various tools?
It seems to me that drafting any high school kid, other than the once in a generation type, carries with it far more risk, and, of course, more development time. A college kid who has excelled at a much higher level seems like a better bet.
I know things such as floors and ceilings are used but they seem to me to be highly subjective, and from reading many evaluations by different writers of many players, there often are huge variances of opinion of these. So, I can't see them being taken very seriously when there is a divergence of opinion.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 21, 2015 10:35:09 GMT -5
Some players respond better to rapid promotions than others. Betts did well but JBJ did not. As a result there are greater risks with rapid promotions. I have no idea how Margot will respond, but there isn't a compelling reason to accelerate him. More time in the minors probably would not do any damage.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 17, 2015 12:23:18 GMT -5
I figure that Victorino has until around the end of the month to start hitting. I can't see the Sox going much longer than that, especially if JBJ continues to mash at Pawtucket, or if Castillo recovers quickly from his injury and resumes hitting well.
There would be no loss of fielding in RF with JBJ and the team would be stronger and better balanced with him in the lineup hitting decently.
It is going to be interesting to see if Margot is this year's Mookie Betts. He certainly has started that way.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 17, 2015 12:14:28 GMT -5
I don't agree with that negative analysis of Showalter. First, he isn't the same kind of manager he was years ago. He had a tough guy reputation that didn't go over well with a lot of people. He isn't like that now.
Second, he has had an enormously positive effect on the Orioles. You have to keep in mind how long the Orioles went being bad, really bad sometimes. From the time he arrived, there was a different atmosphere, a much more positive attitude. It took a while for them to become consistent winners but they are now.
Sure, he can be criticized for some moves, but all managers can. The fact is, the Orioles have been a much better team under him, even with the various changes in the front office. He has been able to handle the players they've given him, both youngsters out of the farm system, and veteran acquisitions, and generally get good performance - sometimes surprising performance.
He seems to be highly respected by the people around him, the people who have the most contact with him. Even though I like Farrell, I think Showalter has been a better manager, but the difference is not huge.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 16, 2015 11:56:25 GMT -5
Congratulations and best wishes for a great marriage. There is nothing better. And thank you for the great work you have done here, and will do in the future.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 16, 2015 11:34:06 GMT -5
I think this is the same treatment that Takashi Saito received prior to pitching very well for the Red Sox in 2009. He went on to have two more good years before his career ended after a poor season in 2012. But he was 42 years old by then.
At the time it was an experimental treatment. I think it has been used several times since then, but not always successfully.
If it doesn't work, TJ surgery is the next step.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 16, 2015 11:26:17 GMT -5
Very interesting analysis of the Red Sox on fivethirtyeight.com, with the conclusion that this year's team is going to do well. tinyurl.com/ml8tss6
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 15, 2015 15:58:31 GMT -5
The most perplexing player is Victorino. He is a fabulous fielder, as demonstrated once again today, but he isn't hitting. He's not even hitting the ball hard.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 13, 2015 19:43:26 GMT -5
Is Castillo hurt? If he is, there is the possibility that Bradley might be the replacement for either Craig or Victorino when one of them is traded. Bradley hasn't slowed down since he was sent to Pawtucket. His arm in RF would be awesome.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 13, 2015 10:54:44 GMT -5
In his interview on ESPN, Farrell said Buchholz should have tried to establish his fastball in the first inning instead of throwing changeups, etc. Buchholz simply wasn't the same pitcher he was on opening day. Next time out he might be back to that again, and then the time after that he could be bad again.
If he were still at the beginning of his career, we could chalk this off to learning. But at this point, I don't know what it is, but it is getting very old.
Owens, Johnson and Rodriguez are saying hello in Pawtucket.
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Post by danr on Apr 12, 2015 18:40:31 GMT -5
Winning is a habit and it is something that should be instilled in the minors. Pawtucket was ahead and they conceded the game. I think it was wrong and I don't buy it that someone could not have pitched an inning. I can't believe these pitchers are that fragile.
Oh, and if these games don't count, why do they have playoffs?
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 12, 2015 17:52:27 GMT -5
I don't understand why Berry went in. They had three RPs who had pitched the day before. Certainly one would think that one of them could have gone one inning. RPs are supposed to be able to do things like that.
Giving the game away like that doesn't seem right.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 12, 2015 17:06:54 GMT -5
Bianchi has pitched three innings, given up one run, much better than Hinojosa.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 11, 2015 19:12:18 GMT -5
This may be the worst Yankee team in any living person's memory. I don't see how they can correct things in the near term. I think they and Tampa will compete vigorously for last place in the East.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 11, 2015 15:34:56 GMT -5
The Red Sox scored eight runs without their starting outfield and without either Ortiz or Napoli getting a hit. And Kelly pitched like an ace.
To say this is a good team might prove to be an understatement.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 9, 2015 21:21:54 GMT -5
The highest BA on the Sox so far (other than Masterson): The X man.
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Post by danr on Apr 9, 2015 15:30:24 GMT -5
I could have chosen a better word, but these kinds of stories are irritating. And if it is an accurate reflection of team management anxiety - and I am not saying it isn't - then some anti-anxiety medication is called for. They already have screwed with this kid and should know better.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 9, 2015 15:24:45 GMT -5
Two games the Bogaerts is trash. Extreme in the least, especially for Speier. Is the Globe disease infectious?
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 8, 2015 9:36:54 GMT -5
Oregon Norm, are the Sox blacked out here in Portland again today? I just signed up for NESN only to discover that the Mariners apparently have territorial rights in Portland.
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Post by danr on Apr 7, 2015 13:08:07 GMT -5
It is interesting that Kopech has been assigned to Greenville at the age of 18. If he does well, he could approach the majors when he is not much older than Porcello was when he hit the Show. I like the deal. I think Porcello is going to be a very solid pitcher for the Sox and will win some big games in the future. Very smart of the Sox to lock him up now.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 7, 2015 13:01:40 GMT -5
I just don't see any value in starting your rotation from best pitcher to worst pitcher just because that's the way you do it. I mean if every pitcher made their turn, there weren't days off, injuries, and the all star break, and you wanted your top 2 pitchers to get 33 starts instead of 32 I'd get it, but that's not how it works. Most teams don't have five good starters. Many don't have four. In those situations the best strategy is to maximize the appearances by the best pitchers. That means not going with a five man rotation continuously, but dropping the 5th, and sometimes even the 4th, pitcher from the rotation when the opportunity presents itself with days off, or rain-outs, and you keep the better pitchers in the every five day rotation. This way your top starters will get more than 33 starts and your worst will get less, maybe only 24 or 25, depending on the schedule and the weather.
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