4/28 Gameday Thread: The Wait for Wicker Man is Over

For those wondering, yes, that is 2016 3rd round pick Shaun Anderson who was traded for Eduardo Nunez. He had a rough 2021 both in terms of performance and bouncing around on the waiver wire.

That's also former Sox prospect Jeisson Rosario for Somerset

Couldn’t think of an appropriate thread to put this in, but with Wu-Yelland getting TJ, what are the odds he comes back as a starter? The surgery will take him out all of this season and likely all of next season too if he just recently got it. That would put him coming back in the 2024 season when he will be turning 25. For a pitcher that hasn’t thrown above A-ball, that’s going to put him behind. Wu-Yelland was probably going to be a reliever anyways, but is that more of a “certainty” now? Ward and Mata come to mind for similar situations but Mata has AGW on his side and they both have more experience in the high minors (Mata more than Ward).

Probably time to revisit this idea. It's not that there aren't any pitching prospects, it's just that predicting future value for them is extremely difficult. The tendency to set that too high has led to a re-thinking of prospect lists. Moreover, you have guys like Walter who emerge from seemingly nowhere as they absorb information and use it to tailor their skillset and how they use it.

For me it means that, while both pitching and hitting have some art and some science, pitching is really about the former, while hitting about the latter. Getting to where pitching talent transforms into something useful at the ML level seems to be about understanding the palette of tools, and how and where you can paint with them. That seems to separate those who step forward and those who don't. What's happened to so many young arms with an endless string of TJ surgeries may have set the limits on bio-mechanical stressors also. I wonder if that won't start to change the coaching.

Lynchburg broadcast is the only time Salem has had the normal OF camera angle during at bats this year. Tonight's the night to get a good look at Wicker Man.

Hickey with a lefty on lefty HR. .303/.441/.545 start with 19% K rate

Brainer with his best hit ball of the year, pulled flyball off the wall for a double. He had a triple last night that I would describe as a very poorly played line drive single.

.375/.543/.469 13% k rate, still a teenager

Speier mentions German as an early promo candidate to Worcester.


www.bostonglobe.com/2022/04/28/sports/red-sox-most-improbable-prospect-is-power-hitting-5-8-utilityman-ceddanne-rafaela/?p1=StaffPage

……..


FREE FRANCHY

Same as last night with Bloom in attendance.  Last night it looked like they figured out he couldn't catch up to fastballs up in the zone. Reminded me of Chavis who couldn't catch up to the high fastball.

Fritzy keeps hitting and with power. He is playing RF. Let'd give him a look in Boston. Can't hurt

Fitzgerald positions (and lineup spot - not making a point that's just how I have them) by game:

3B-8 2B-7 SS-1 (missed 3 gms)    3B-7 2B-1 RF-1 2B-1 LF-1 2B-8 3B-5 RF-5 RF-1 CF-1 2B-5 LF-6 DH-7 RF-7 2B-rf-7

FWIW, him playing more OF lately has coincided with Refsnyder going up, although Duran came back roughly the same time. I'll be curious if he keeps playing outfield as often with Davis's arrival.

Red Sox don't have to go back to Toronto until late June.