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Post by Jim Crowell on May 29, 2021 7:00:20 GMT -5
German's total ERA of 8.47 broken down by inning:
1st: 1.93 2nd: 0.00 3rd: 9.00 4th: 18.00 5th: 33.75
When I saw him he was consistently hitting 96 in the first and touching 97, but by the fourth he was sitting 94 and getting shelled. His fastball is very hittable in the lower range. I don't think anyone is bullish on him sticking as a starter right now, but I am interested to see how he performs if he can sit 96-97 and touch 98 out of the bullpen. It doesn't make any sense to move him there now, but that's where his best chance is to succeed.
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Post by Jim Crowell on Jul 27, 2019 8:38:22 GMT -5
His home run last night almost left the stadium. 440 feet.
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Post by Jim Crowell on May 31, 2016 19:24:03 GMT -5
You really think Ball to Portland in a couple of weeks? Why not? He spent all of last season in Salem too and is over 160 innings at the level. Not predicting it, but it's a possibility. They've got 7 SP on the roster, so something's gotta give, and that seems like the most likely. It's worth noting that Kohl Stewart, who was drafted three spots ahead of Ball in 2013, was just promoted to Double-A. Stewart's numbers are better across the board, but it's interesting to see that Ball is still developmentally on track despite his struggles.
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Post by Jim Crowell on Jul 21, 2015 19:40:25 GMT -5
Looks like Christopher Acosta pitched in his first game since June 17 today, striking out two and allowing an unearned run in one inning. MILB.com threw me for a loop as it has him listed as a 27-year-old since they have his birthday as 1/15/88 instead of 1/15/98, but it is good to see him back on the mound.
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Post by Jim Crowell on Jun 9, 2015 16:57:11 GMT -5
Yeah I meant 300k (overage) + 175k (8th round slot) = 475k and I rounded up to 500k Very good point I forgot about that as well.
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Post by Jim Crowell on Jun 9, 2015 16:05:28 GMT -5
The Allen pick leads me to believe that there will be a little more savings on the Benintendi pick than I thought. Don't see how they would be able to sign him otherwise.
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Post by Jim Crowell on Jun 9, 2015 8:57:04 GMT -5
With Josh Naylor going top 12, it will be interesting to see where Kep Brown lands. He has a similar profile, with massive power, a questionable hit tool, and a limited defensive profile. If he had not torn his Achilles in the middle of the season, it would not have surprised me to see him go top 15 as well.
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Post by Jim Crowell on Jun 8, 2015 18:52:03 GMT -5
Binentendi is a fantastic pick. He was the guy I was realistically hoping for there. He won't immediately slot into the top 10 in the system, but he will be there by the end of the year.
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Post by Jim Crowell on May 21, 2015 17:10:19 GMT -5
Reading through the last few pages, I think I may be the only person on the forum who prefers Daz to Fulmer. I see Fulmer as a reliever, and Cameron as at least an average MLB center fielder down the road. There are 7 players I like more than Cameron, but I'd rather take a shot on him than take a future reliever.
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Post by Jim Crowell on Mar 26, 2015 19:09:52 GMT -5
Arizona - Rodgers Houston - Swanson Colorado - Tate Texas - Matuella Houston - Buehler Minnesota - Kirby Boston - Aiken
No idea what order these seven go in, but I think this news drops Aiken to Boston. We will see if Rikard pulls the trigger on a guy coming off TJ surgery in his first pick as Scouting Director, but I think Aiken's upside is too good to pass up. Following this draft has been equal parts amazing and frustrating.
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Post by Jim Crowell on Mar 7, 2015 8:24:45 GMT -5
Dansby Swanson is looking more and more like a top 5 pick as the reports on his defense at shortstop continue to be positive. I think Kirby, Swanson, Rodgers, and Aiken are all gone before the Sox pick, with Funkhouser, Allard, and Tate being the most likely picks at 7. Obviously still very early, but that is my initial feel for how the top of the draft shakes out. Matuella is obviously the huge wildcard.
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Post by Jim Crowell on Aug 13, 2014 21:01:27 GMT -5
He is jinxed. They may need another ambulance for the Twins G.M. I'm probably more sensitive to this since I've met Terry Ryan and know he is a great guy, but the fact that he was diagnosed with carcinoma six months ago makes this joke to be in extremely bad taste.
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Post by Jim Crowell on Jun 6, 2014 6:12:16 GMT -5
I wrote that back on May 19, so I'm pretty ecstatic with how the draft turned out. Kopech could really blow up in Greenville next year, and Travis should hit his way through the low minors really quickly. Very good start for the Sox. Here are Travis's splits courtesy of CollegeSplits.com. On Friday's, which is when college teams throw their ace, Travis hit .389/.443/.722 with six walks, six strikeouts, and five home runs. Very impressive.
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Post by Jim Crowell on Jun 4, 2014 14:11:15 GMT -5
It wouldn't be a huge overdraft, but there should be better arms available with that pick. I'm higher on fellow UNC commits Cam Varga, JB Bukauskas, Joey Gatto, and Mitch Keller, but there isn’t a whole lot separating them. There are so many interesting pitchers in play for #26 and #33, including Medeiros, Adams, Kopech, Griffin and Ortiz. I like all of them better than the UNC kids. I agree with you there. I would also throw Sheffield in there as well. His signability is a question, but he is a top-40 talent.
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Post by Jim Crowell on Jun 4, 2014 13:01:56 GMT -5
I heard the Sox like and could take Jack Flaherty at #33 and let him play both ways before he ultimately ends up on the mound. Is the consensus that it's too high to take him there? It wouldn't be a huge overdraft, but there should be better arms available with that pick. I'm higher on fellow UNC commits Cam Varga, JB Bukauskas, Joey Gatto, and Mitch Keller, but there isn’t a whole lot separating them.
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Post by Jim Crowell on May 27, 2014 11:37:46 GMT -5
I know we probably did not have a shot to sign either, but seeing Fulmer and Bregman looking like top-10 picks still stings a bit. It makes the 2015 draft a little more frustrating to follow.
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Post by Jim Crowell on May 19, 2014 10:51:48 GMT -5
With Grant Holmes looking like a top-15 pick, Michael Chavis is my new realistic preference for pick 26. If Hoffman or Fedde fall I would be ok with passing on him, but I think Chavis is the best pure prep hitter outside of Jackson.
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Post by Jim Crowell on May 15, 2014 12:44:59 GMT -5
For those wondering how Mookie is doing this it pretty much comes down to 2 things. He has a great approach at the plate, and he barrels up everything. He is a freak. I've seen him 3 times and he has barreled up mid 90s fastballs, sliders low and away, and everything in between.
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Post by Jim Crowell on May 15, 2014 8:54:51 GMT -5
After 6 full weeks of games, Swihart has the superior offensive numbers.
Swihart: 117 PA, .301/.325/.487 14/4 K/BB 3HR, 3SB, .323 BABIP Vazquez: 116 PA, .279/.339/.365 20/10 K/BB 0HR, 0SB, .341 BABIP
I have seen both players a handful of times now and to me Swihart is easily the better prospect. Last night on a ground out, I clocked Swihart at 4.22 running to first, and this was when he was batting right-handed. This kid can FLY for a catcher. Also Swihart has plus bat speed while Vazquez’s is only average at best. Batting right-handed, Swihart is able to produce better loft and backspin than when he is batting left-handed. He gets a little pull-happy from the left side, causing him to roll over some balls on the outer half of the plate.
Some people are scared by Swihart’s lack of walks but I don’t see that as an issue. He is not like Pierzynski swinging at anything in the ballpark. He lays off pitches that are out of the zone, but he can be more selective on pitches in the zone. Last night he was in a 3-1 count and the pitcher threw him a good fastball on the outside corner and he ended up grounding out. The pitch was a strike, but it was not a pitch he could do much with.
He needs all of this season and next to refine his skills, but Swihart is the catcher of the future. I think he is the 2nd best prospect in the system behind Betts.
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Post by Jim Crowell on May 1, 2014 19:10:50 GMT -5
Carlos Asuaje is fun to follow. Coming into today he was .356/.484/.603 with 15/11 BB/K in 93 plate appearances. Today he hit his first home run, but he already has eight doubles and five triples on the season. He's doing all this while splitting his time between 3 positions (2B, 3B, LF). When I saw Lowell last year he was my favorite player to watch (Margot was on the DL), and he showed a good swing and plus speed. Definitely a prospect to keep an eye on.
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Post by Jim Crowell on Apr 14, 2014 15:20:02 GMT -5
Kraus is the starter at Salem. Ranaudo shown as the starter for PawSox at the Affiliate Box Scores page. Interesting on Kraus. Cuevas was still listed as the starter in Salem's game notes this morning. Late scratch? And Workman was listed as Pawtucket's starter in yesterday's game notes, but it does appear that he and Ranaudo have been flipped. I believe I read this morning that they are holding Workman back a day just in case Koji needs to go on the DL, so they can call Workman up and use him right away if they need to. Ranaudo is still on regular rest today so it's nothing to worry about.
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Post by Jim Crowell on Feb 20, 2014 20:47:54 GMT -5
Yea and I wouldn't even call Mike Trout a 5-tool player. His arm strength is below average. That doesn't take away from the fact that he is the best player in baseball, but if you watch him play consistently, you will hesitate to call him a "5-tool player".
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Post by Jim Crowell on Aug 25, 2013 7:13:54 GMT -5
So the starting pitching was extremely good last night. I broke it down in this morning's Cup of Coffee. Can anyone remember a night with better performances across the board than this?
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Post by Jim Crowell on Jul 26, 2013 22:44:55 GMT -5
Curious as to what's accounting for McGrath's K rate. Has his stuff improved? Deceptive delivery? Left-handedness? McGrath is very interesting. He threw a few changeups that were really really good, and the hitters had no shot. He also snapped off a few really good curves that froze the batters. However, he was inconsistent with both pitches, leaving a couple changeups elevated for hard contact, and he also hung a few curves. The changeup flashed plus, and the curve showed promise but still needs a good deal of work. He started the game with poor command of his fastball, consistently missing arm-side and high. He was able to get it over the plate more later in the game, but he was still living up in the zone. A better hitting team will take advantage of that as he does not have overpowering velocity. There is hope that McGrath can add more velocity but he looked pretty filled out despite just turning 19. I couldn't see it, but there must be some deception to his delivery, as the hitters were frequently late on his fastball. Could just be because of the poor opponent though.
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Post by Jim Crowell on Jul 26, 2013 20:14:10 GMT -5
Yea I got him, Mike Adams, McGrath, Allday, Lin, and Asuaje. I like Asuaje. He showed some serious speed on that triple in game one, went first to third on a single to shallow center, and as I was typing this just pulled a ball deep down the right field line that was foul by about 10 feet. It easily cleared the fence, and he ended up drawing a walk anyways.
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