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Post by sarasoxer on May 2, 2021 10:54:56 GMT -5
What's the deal with Sawamura's split?.....It's apparently just a few ticks off his FB so it doesn't have the deception offered by a speed change. And, how much does it move?...hard to tell via tv. It does not appear to me, on admittedly little viewing, to be regularly missing bats. It's the first split that I am aware of with such great velocity. With most pitchers, the grip itself deprives the pitch of power. Maybe Sawamura's grip is different.
A lot of current Sox pitchers throw an effective change and it seems that baseball as a whole is putting more emphasis in disrupting batter timing. I wonder if dropping velo from Sawamura's split would give it more movement as well as deception.
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Post by sarasoxer on May 1, 2021 12:24:22 GMT -5
Darwinzon looks like a demon again Maybe it was just that he was throwing strikes, but to me his delivery looked smoother and with less effort. It didn't look like he was trying to throw the ball thru a wall. As I recall he was 94-95 with his FB. I believe that is down a tick or two.
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Post by sarasoxer on Apr 28, 2021 10:20:21 GMT -5
Definitely liked the uniform style for a once in a while thing....Maybe they could put some red on it and not have a clash. I wonder whether a darker blue would 'play' better as well. Robin's egg blue seems a bit wimpy.
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Post by sarasoxer on Apr 25, 2021 14:00:25 GMT -5
Disgusting backdoor cutter from E-Rod He's averaging the lowest fastball velocity of his career today, but his command continues to be sharp. Not that others aren't, but E-Rod particularly seems a different pitcher when he doesn't have good velo. Let's hope that he can get back to 95-96 when he is dominant. It does seem that every year he has quite a bit of fluctuation in the FB velo.
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Post by sarasoxer on Apr 24, 2021 20:52:39 GMT -5
I was all for the groome pick at 12 but to say that ppl didnt think there was concerns for him to drop from top 5 to 12 is an interesting take. There is always a bigger risk with HS arms compared to college arms then you add questionable character issues he was a high risk high reward pick for sure. Read my lips and those of Ian Cundall...On a talent basis, Groome was a top pick who slid to us. Of course high school vs college is a factor and should be. But Groome, on talent alone, was deemed a possible 1-1 who dropped for unrelated reasons. Let's leave it at that.
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Post by sarasoxer on Apr 24, 2021 20:15:49 GMT -5
“No boom or bust on Groome as drafted”? When a pitcher with his stuff falls from 1 to 12 based on character concerns, their is always a giant element of risk in that selection. Not only does he have to overcome the usual uncertainty associated with any HS pitcher, but he had to overcome the character concerns. The Sox and we all hoped that he would overcome the latter, and it seems that he has. But, the usual young pitcher concerns have been there in spades. Groome was clearly a risky pick, more than normal, or he would not have dropped. Let me say again, on then assessed/projected talent there were no reported boom or bust concerns raised beyond that attendant any high or high school pick. Yeah, he wanted huge dollars. Yeah his dad had legal problems. Yeah he screwed up out of IMG. But listen to Ian Cundall (sp) on the podcast posted. Per, we had a coup.
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Post by sarasoxer on Apr 24, 2021 19:57:30 GMT -5
The guy was then viewed as a top of the rotation pitcher but due to various outlined factors, fell. There was no boom or bust then ascribed as there may now be.He fell in large part because of personal concerns, which would seem to imply a higher level of risk, so I would argue he was boom or bust from the beginning. As it turns out, it's been mostly injury stuff, not character stuff, that's help him back, but I don't think it's accurate to say that there was no concern about his risk level Boom or bust was not mentioned in scouting reports vs. that of outstanding ability. His dad had legal problems but there was no ascribed "guilt by association" as far as I know. Where was an overriding health/ability risk mentioned above any other HS pick?
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Post by sarasoxer on Apr 24, 2021 18:44:03 GMT -5
How high up on the SP list was he when drafted? 5th or 6th. The discussion was whether he or Kopech should rank higher. Keeping in mind that Kopech had just missed half the season due to getting into a fight with a teammate, following a year in which he missed the final seven weeks due to a positive PED test. He had come into that season ranked 89th by BA and unranked by MLB. Please show the original SP post draft report on Groome.
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Post by sarasoxer on Apr 24, 2021 18:39:04 GMT -5
How high up on the SP list was he when drafted? 5th or 6th. The discussion was whether he or Kopech should rank higher. Keeping in mind that Kopech had just missed half the season due to getting into a fight with a teammate, following a year in which he missed the final seven weeks due to a positive PED test. He had come into that season ranked 89th by BA and unranked by MLB.
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Post by sarasoxer on Apr 24, 2021 17:36:07 GMT -5
The guy was then viewed as a top of the rotation pitcher but due to various outlined factors, fell. There was no boom or bust then ascribed as there may now be. This spring I saw him hit 97 with max, not easy as described, effort as if he were trying to impress but he was very wild in process. Reading SP, his velocity has lessened following surgery. I hope not, but I fear that he will tumble further down our prospect list following the upcoming draft. No sure shot regardless, but my overall view is to draft a position player given the vagaries. As someone above said, sign the established pitcher in free agency.
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Post by sarasoxer on Apr 24, 2021 17:16:21 GMT -5
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Post by sarasoxer on Apr 24, 2021 16:40:58 GMT -5
Counterpoint: he was a high school pitcher, and high school pitchers have been systematically overrated by teams in the draft. Like sarasoxer I'd prefer a position player (Lawlar, Mayer, or Davis) but I wouldn't complain about Leiter or Rocker at #4; college pitchers are still better bets than HS pitchers.
Groome is 22 and has been hurt. Is it a bit early to write his obituary? It is...but look how SP now views him...'backend starter with possible #3 as a ceiling'. Since surgery the velocity on the FB and curve are represented as being down.
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Post by sarasoxer on Apr 24, 2021 16:24:29 GMT -5
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Post by sarasoxer on Apr 24, 2021 14:21:01 GMT -5
I remember when big framed Groome was can't miss and a possible 1-1...(think we got him at 6 as a "steal"). He's currently our 12th rated prospect. I'll take a top position player thank you....every day player, less chance of debilitating or career altering injury. He was a HS arm that played against HS bats. Rocker and Leiter are dealing to actually hitters and we didn't draft him at 6. Comparing Rocker to groome is like comparing bryce harper to benny bcs they both went in the first rd. Well, I think that you are operating a bit out of a stretch. Yes, Groome was a high school pitcher and yes we drafted him 12th. But, like Rocker he was viewed as a possible 1-1. Anyone considered that high is more the Bryce than the Benny. I recall a longtime scout opining that Groome had the best combo of FB (98) and hammer curve of any HS pitcher he had seen in the prior 10 years. Rocker may slide because of FB velo variance but Groome apparently slid, not on assessment of ability, but on character concerns, real or imagined. Sox Nation reveled in sky high exultation when we were deemed lucky enough to land him. Unfortunately, thru no fault of his own, injuries and a major surgery have detoured him. Now certainly over time the baseball mindset has drifted away from drafting high school players at the top due to assessment and projection difficulties particularly with pitchers. The Groome saga may partly have influenced that. But back then Groome was viewed as a cherry.
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Post by sarasoxer on Apr 24, 2021 8:03:26 GMT -5
Kumar Rocker dealing once again tonight. 8 innings 2 hits 1 run 8 ks. 93-96 and spotting his fastball. It’s going to be very hard to pass on him at 4 if he is there. Hopefully teams are crazy enough to pass on him. To get him at 4th would be a steal. I remember when big framed Groome was can't miss and a possible 1-1...(think we got him at 6 as a "steal"). He's currently our 12th rated prospect. I'll take a top position player thank you....every day player, less chance of debilitating or career altering injury.
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Post by sarasoxer on Apr 22, 2021 8:47:04 GMT -5
In important news, NYY lost 4-1 5 singles. They did get 6 BB, but gave up 8 BB They're looking happless. Their pitching has usually been good but the team is batting .205...atrocious. It's nice to see Sanchez making a concerted effort to again drop below Mendoza and Stanton needing a snorkel to sustain life. Voit's return will give them better balance tho. I'm enjoying it while I can.
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Post by sarasoxer on Apr 21, 2021 19:34:43 GMT -5
Time to get someone in the pen!! Save the bullpen and let Richards continue on an unlikely unwinnable game. Maybe he can find something or otherwise write his epitaph. Houck is waiting come May...or Seabold in June/July. We've made early unexpected progress but hey, we are not there for a year or more.
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Post by sarasoxer on Apr 18, 2021 14:37:44 GMT -5
The baseball gods are currently smiling down on us granting dinks and dunks but damn they are so fickle. Sox lead baseball team averages at .281. And somehow, in this early going, we are holding our own pitching wise ranking in the top third overall in ERA. (Yeah I know, not a tell all stat). Yanks are hitting .217. I actually loved the uniforms yesterday. Put a little red on them and take them on the road.😏 The ERA is low because they have given up such a low number of home runs!!! The RS have only allowed 7 HRs, whereas the league average is around 17. Will this change when the weather warms? Yes it will, but it will change for both pitching and offense!! I was saying that the Sox ERA is low...9th best in the league...which is surprising even this early given that we finished so poorly last year...Great that we haven't given up home runs...which supports my surprise. Prior to today we'd hit 17 and our opponents 7 under the same weather conditions. Certainly run scoring will climb in warmer weather. No one is disputing that
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Post by sarasoxer on Apr 18, 2021 10:25:07 GMT -5
The baseball gods are currently smiling down on us granting dinks and dunks but damn they are so fickle. Sox lead baseball team averages at .281. And somehow, in this early going, we are holding our own pitching wise ranking in the top third overall in ERA. (Yeah I know, not a tell all stat). Yanks are hitting .217. I actually loved the uniforms yesterday. Put a little red on them and take them on the road.😏 This isn't really true. For example Devers crushed two balls which were caught. It tends to even out. Yup it does even out particularly over time...but recently we've had our share of "it's a line drive in the box score" hits and it seems that some opposition barreled at 'em balls have nestled nicely into our gloves. Devers is on right now for sure tho and had some bullets....also a swinging bunt hit.
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Post by sarasoxer on Apr 18, 2021 9:53:20 GMT -5
The baseball gods are currently smiling down on us granting dinks and dunks but damn they are so fickle.
Sox lead baseball team averages at .281. And somehow, in this early going, we are holding our own pitching wise ranking in the top third overall in ERA. (Yeah I know, not a tell all stat). Yanks are hitting .217.
I actually loved the uniforms yesterday. Put a little red on them and take them on the road.😏
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Post by sarasoxer on Apr 15, 2021 8:14:35 GMT -5
I'm all for baseball experimenting with different rules changes to preserve the game's more historical performance parameters including moving the mound back to that end.
As someone above pointed out, the mound distance of 60'6" is the result a mistake. That standard is not etched on the mount. Yes it's ingrained but in a sport that is sometimes hamstrung to it's detriment by adherence to tradition.
Influx and development of many more high velocity power and specialty pitchers, rapid increase in strikeout volumes, all or nothing batter mentality, shifts, failure of hitters to adjust to shifts, and overall lowered averages have changed the parameters of the game. The "traditional" balances have become skewed.
In 1968 the league wide batting average was a then considered abomination at .237. The mound height was lowered. (Twice) The American League adopted the DH. As of today, early season yes, there are 14 teams batting .229 or less! The Cubs are at .163 and Cleveland at .197. Only 2 teams are above .268.
In the interest of accuracy and fairness we've seen replay adopted and will likely some day witness 'robot' umps calling balls and strikes. What is more traditional to the game than "Blue" making calls?
Other changes have been made around the edges, extra inning play, double header innings, the ball being slightly 'dumbed down' (likely will again...easier than moving back fences). The pitch clock is coming.
So I'm for modifying rules that bring back the action and balance that were in the game we all loved. That's the "tradition" that I want to preserve! Tho kicking and screaming, baseball has done it before and it will again.
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Post by sarasoxer on Apr 15, 2021 7:22:55 GMT -5
Keith Law released his updated top 50. Here's the top 15 - I'll add in a couple of nuggets from the article when I've got a moment. 1. Jack Leiter, RHP, Vanderbilt 2. Jordan Lawlar, SS, Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas 3. Kumar Rocker, RHP, Vanderbilt 4. Henry Davis, C, Louisville 5. Sal Frelick, OF, Boston College 6. Gunnar Hoglund, RHP, Ole Miss 7. Marcelo Mayer, SS, Eastlake (CA) HS 8. Brady House, SS, Winder-Barrow (GA) HS 9. Ryan Cusick, RHP, Wake Forest 10. Kahlil Watson, SS, Wake Forest (NC) HS 11. Harry Ford, C, North Cobb (GA) HS 12. Sam Bachman, RHP, Miami (OH) 13. Jordan Wicks, LHP, Kansas State 14. Adrian del Castillo, C, Miami 15. Bubba Chandler, RHP/SS, North Oconee HS, Bogart, GA theathletic.com/2518200/2021/04/15/2021-mlb-draft-prospect-rankings-vanderbilts-jack-leiter-stays-on-top-jordan-lawlar-moves-up-keith-laws-top-50/A bit sobering.....It doesn't sound like a great draft year....not many can't miss studs according to Law. Frelick is #5 as a 5'9" CF. Even Mayer doesn't come off that glowingly. I sure hope someone grabs Kumar in top 3.
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Post by sarasoxer on Apr 14, 2021 21:15:38 GMT -5
Meh, it’s hard to get excited about all this wins when you realize that the Twins will loose 100 games and end up behind the Royals in the division. I guess if you’re Bloom, it’s better to be lucky than good... Ok I understand the desire to temper enthusiasm for the Sox...but don't diminish the Twins who won 101 games in 2019 and were 36-24 last year...the direct opposite of the Sox 24-36 record. So where do these performances auger a Twins 100 loss season? C'mon man Maeda and Berrios are top starters (who we'd love to have) that we beat today. Yup, the Sox are on an unsustainable roll, but still...some credit please.
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Post by sarasoxer on Apr 12, 2021 15:00:48 GMT -5
How is tomorrow going to be any different than today? It's going to be colder with possible snow...
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Post by sarasoxer on Apr 12, 2021 10:05:03 GMT -5
Piggybacking on Devers discussion at the end of the Orioles game day thread, i think he just suffers from a lack of concentration, really, on both sides of the ball. Uber talented as he is, it may be something he struggles with as long as he plays. Great run for these guys. Let's hope they can continue the good work. I'm going to piggyback on what ericvan posted yesterday. As someone who lost his ability to throw out of fear, I don't think it's concentration but rather thinking too much. After some bad throws, aka Knoblouch, Sax and others, I started thinking about throwing which should just be natural. Once I started thinking about when to let the ball go I was done. So as was said yesterday, Cora can help him stay out of his head and just be an athlete. This is why confidence is so important in all of sports and defines what people mean when they say the game has slowed down for them. It is true in all sports, you can tell when a player is hesitant as they are thinking about what they are trying to do rather than just doing it. In a game situation there is not really the time to think, everything is more reactionary. When your'e playing with a high level of confidence there are moments when you even surprise yourself with what you can pull off. Sure concentration is important as you need to be laser focused but Devers making great plays leads me to believe it isn't that so much as maybe over thinking, especially with the throws. Yes thinking coupled with angst for what negative might happen. I don't think it's all ingraining proper footwork. That line drive double play on throw to first was instinctive...no time for the brain to sabotage the body...
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