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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 29, 2021 21:51:56 GMT -5
That's likely a false positive, though there may be a reluctance to call it that. Not necessarily. Without knowing the details, that's presumptuous. Glad that he seems to be doing better. Lots of spikes in Covid. Let's stay safe. Can't wait for Thursday!! Yeah, agreed. It could easily have been called a false positive. Whatever, it's a "positive" for the Sox. Let's hope that recent Covid spikes related to more pernicious variants don't impact a second consecutive season. We are all more than ready to get past this issue. I am looking forward to having my second shot tomorrow and hope to attend some games this summer.
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 29, 2021 21:07:42 GMT -5
Fournier shooting 0-9 lol this franchise might be cursed. Didn't look good doing it either. I think he finished 0-10 or 11. Why can't we sign someone good like Jeff Teague?
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 28, 2021 21:55:07 GMT -5
They give a 99.9% probability that the Red Sox will win fewer than 81 games. That is clearly very dumb. Based off our 15-10 spring to date, that projection would seem off. But, we have a large group of sluggers from elsewhere all with high k rates that have fiested on mostly lesser pitching to date. In the unforgiving cold months of April and May perhaps a true view will emerge.
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 26, 2021 17:23:44 GMT -5
Is there any rational justification for Brewer to make the roster? His phenomenal spin rate has never translated into the ability to be a reliable pitcher. Time to end the experiment. Great spin rate...too frequently poor location. Tempting, tantalizing..but in the end, disappointing.
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 23, 2021 11:37:42 GMT -5
Of course that was all long ago and it's hard to find data. As I recall, Tiant hurt his arm/shoulder and may have been released by the Twins (following his Cleveland days). That's when we picked him up. He probably wasn't throwing near 98 with us...but he still had a stiff fb then. My memory is so strong regarding reading about his 98 mph in the 9th inning when pitching for Cleveland because it was so amazing to me. I even recall where in the house I was while doing so. Now maybe someone writing that was exaggerating or maybe there was an inaccurate recording, but the report definitely was 98. If my bro gets to play with Luis again, perhaps Luis can offer his 'slant'. I think the Braves released Tiant before the Sox picked him up and fortunately the Sox let him struggle with them in 1971 and didn't give up on him as you recall he really reinvented himself in 1972 with a great season that set the tone for the ones that would follow that one. I think Manfred made some good points as to why things are the way they are with pitchers. I keep wondering where it's going on the evolutionary path - are we headed for 3 three inning pitchers per game? 9 one inning pitchers? Or will it eventually swing back the other way? How does what happens in college pitching against those aluminum bats impact those sorts of things, the usage by college coaches? Following injury Tiant pitched for the Twins a bit in 1970....then was released. Milwaukee picked him up but released him almost immediately w/o his pitching for them. In 1967 and 1968 Luis was unhittable. In that so different era, he struck out more than a batter/inning, a real rarity then AND threw 9 shutouts. As to the draft, each video we see whets the appetite until we see the next. Thanks to those with access posting them. The rankings seemingly have settled in barring injury. I read scouting reports that described Lawlar and Mayer as good in all categories but not great at any phase particularly. Most seem to think Lawlar gets picked in top 3 with Mayer in the top 7-8. Both are rangy and fluid and we'll be in need of a SS by the time either arrives.
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 23, 2021 9:01:28 GMT -5
I don't think Tiant ever threw 98, certainly not in his second life with the Red Sox. Maybe when he was young with the Indians, but I find no mention of that. He had a good 1970s fastball, low 90s maybe touching 95, his favorite pitch, that he moved all around and threw from three different angles, and he had five other pitches of varying quality. A fb of 93 or 95 suddenly appearing from overhand or 3/4 or the side, after a few other off-speed pitches, after he twirled to face the bleachers or maybe tracked with his eyes a passing plane overhead, and then suddenly exploded and spun towards the plate, would have seem faster than its actual mph. Tremendous leg strength, tremendous stamina and toughness. Of course that was all long ago and it's hard to find data. As I recall, Tiant hurt his arm/shoulder and may have been released by the Twins (following his Cleveland days). That's when we picked him up. He probably wasn't throwing near 98 with us...but he still had a stiff fb then. My memory is so strong regarding reading about his 98 mph in the 9th inning when pitching for Cleveland because it was so amazing to me. I even recall where in the house I was while doing so. Now maybe someone writing that was exaggerating or maybe there was an inaccurate recording, but the report definitely was 98. If my bro gets to play with Luis again, perhaps Luis can offer his 'slant'.
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 23, 2021 8:36:49 GMT -5
The cool stuff is how he uses that to easily lifts balls on the outside corner over the rightfield wall. Both Chavis and Dalbec went waaay deep to right. When did we ever have guys do that? I don't remember that mesomorphs Rice, Evans, Stuart or the like ever CRUSHED balls oppo. I am a bit surprised that Chavis, having lost so much weight, has retained his immense power. It's easy (and fun) to get on the hype train tho. Pitching in the first part of spring training is not what it will be in April, May. I haven't seen Chavis pitched high/hard...so I don't know whether he has been able to make an adjustment to his major weakness.
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 22, 2021 16:23:45 GMT -5
El Tiante thinks that they are wimps. Every pitcher from every preceding generation thinks the newest generation of pitchers are whimps as they watch 400 inning pitching workloads become 300 inning loads become 250 inning loads become 200 inning loads become 175 inning pitching loads, which of course is the evolution of starting pitchers' workloads. I do wonder why a number of those pitchers from the 1960s pitched well into the 1980s despite having those 250 inning workloads. Seemed like there were a number of greybeards who hung around forever while today pitching less innings these guys seem to flame out at a higher rate, or basically the near extinction of 300 game winners. My brother in Maine has played golf with Luis, (who has a summer home there) on a number of occasions and they talk a lot of baseball. Luis remains adamant that pitchers today are terribly babied. A thought re shorter outings now is that there is greater emphasis on velo and pitchers are asked to 'throw as hard as you can as long as you can'...so they exhaust themselves earlier. And that max effort can lead to injury. Still, I remember an article in the Boston Herald so many years ago when Luis was then pitching for Cleveland and threw a shutout. The paper reported that he was still at 98 mph in the 9th inning. That stood out to me as it was almost unheard of then, certainly for the perennially pitching poor Sox. In a game I listened to on radio when Luis was later with us he pitched 14 innings and threw something in the range of 160 pitches. He was the consummate matador of a bygone era.
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 22, 2021 11:27:59 GMT -5
El Tiante thinks that they are wimps.
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 22, 2021 8:58:34 GMT -5
Gee, and I thought I was worried. I put the over under for this year at 85 with a potential variation of +/- of 5. I'll split the difference and offer 83-79. I think that Sale and perhaps some reinforcements like Seabold will bolster an iffy group later in the season giving renewed hope for 2022. I wish that Devers would throttle back on his swing effort. I've said this before but dang, he tries to hit every pitch 500 feet. He started that way last year and then seemed to tone it down. To me he has an awkward swing anyway and the max effort he exerts seems to pull him off balance. That can't be conducive to consistently high bat to ball.
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 19, 2021 14:33:24 GMT -5
Almost all Ray hits vs his fb. Like they know it’s coming. Anybody hear a trash can Bang bang bang Maxwell's silver hammer....
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 17, 2021 18:28:02 GMT -5
Listening to games on radio, as I did today, so reminds me of my youth when neighborhood buddies, after playing ball all morning, would gather 'round for dogs/cokes, listen to Curt G's dulcet tones and familiar refrains..."3 and 2, the big one's due".
But to the present:
E-Rod, in admittedly limited Spring innings, has displayed much better command and control....In prior times it seemed that he nibbled or was wild resulting in high pitch counts and exits after 5 innings...When his velo was up...94-96, there was less issue, perhaps related to increased confidence.
But now, even with lower FB velos at 90-93, he has exhibited much greater efficiency. In nearly 12 innings, he has not walked a single batter!...and has still been very effective. Is this a short term aberration or a transformation of trust in his stuff?
And, what do we have if the velo jacks back up?
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 15, 2021 7:21:06 GMT -5
I feel like that was as good a time as any for the Cardinals to invoke the 20-pitch end-of-inning rule. The 20 pitch mercy rule ended March 13th for spring training. A pity....
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 14, 2021 11:07:55 GMT -5
My feeling watching the game today was that Groome overthrew initially and lost control as a result. His command overall was, IMO, substandard to expectation. I'm guessing that, as a starter, he would be in the 91-93 FB range. He looked to have a good curve but not a devastating one. Today he appeared a good, not great, 2 pitch pitcher with suspect command. I was not encouraged for him to be a future solid mlb starter off this outing. It was his first ever spring training game. Sorry to have sounded overly pessimistic. I remember in Groome's draft year there was some speculation that he could go #1. He was described by one scout as having the best combination of fastball and hammer curve of any high school pitcher he'd ever seen...with velocity up to 98. When he slipped a bit for, by recollection reasons outside of baseball, we thought that we got an incredible draft steal. But the high octane FB hadn't really materialized (until a few pitches yesterday) and he was, at times, described as "sitting" 89-92 in various outings. True, he has been beset with injuries, downtime, surgery and perhaps conditioning issues..so it's not fair to make definitive statement. I could understand him overthrowing yesterday for all of the above. And yep, 96-97 even for a few pitches, is quite an achievement. He may progress and be able to carry that in time. To me, to gain better command, he needed to throttle back to what I'm guessing was lower 90's in the short outing. His curve (sometimes described as his best pitch) looked good but not particularly knee buckling as I had been envisioning. I missed picking up his changeup so bad on me. Back healthy with a rebuilt arm, better conditioning and finally an opportunity to develop, I hope that the stuff once attributed to him comes to the fore.
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 13, 2021 21:41:17 GMT -5
My feeling watching the game today was that Groome overthrew initially and lost control as a result. His command overall was, IMO, substandard to expectation.
I'm guessing that, as a starter, he would be in the 91-93 FB range. He looked to have a good curve but not a devastating one. Today he appeared a good, not great, 2 pitch pitcher with suspect command.
I was not encouraged for him to be a future solid mlb starter off this outing.
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 3, 2021 21:15:40 GMT -5
He would need to significantly outplay Arroyo, I think, because I think even with injuries, in the first month they'll try and stick with Chavis and Arauz if they need someone - it's not like they'd be losing AAA at-bats to come up and ride the bench. The only way they go with Munoz is if they're out on Arroyo and plan on DFA'ing him. It's the same reason having both Chavis and Arroyo on the same bench doesn't make sense - same handedness, basically same positions given that Kiké Hernandez and Marwin Gonzalez provide such versatility as well. Because of options and 40-man situation, I can't see them going with either Chavis or Munoz over Arroyo for that last bench spot, at least to start. Remember, Munoz cleared waivers this offseason. Any team could've had him (albeit at $800k in MLB rather than the minimum), and nobody took a flyer. EDIT: The more I think about it, maybe with two OF injuries he'd be the next guy up, fighting with Puello and/or Gettys for the honors. Wonder how much pressure Cora put on Bloom to sign his ex astros team mate Gonzalez? I see nothing he cannot do with the glove that Munoz cannot and Munoz was starting to last year before getting hurt. Having a super utility guy, to me that might hit from the "wrong" side of the plate isn't so important. He fights for every pitch, has energy and while he may be a free swinger.. Makes contact and fouls off bad pitches he may swing at. Keeping a defensive 2b replacement in Arroyo over someone who can play a decent 2b, fair SS,3b and OF positions makes no sense. As for why he passed through waivers earlier? Could be pertaining to some attitude going back to his not reporting to the Cardinals in 2019 think it was.. Whatever, he's not a wife beater (that i know of), drug user, nor shot down anyone in gang violence (other sports). What he is is a better overall player than is Arroyo. Cora is not, was not in a position to put pressure on anyone re possible acquisitions....input maybe. He is fortunate to have a job notwithstanding prior triumphs.
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 2, 2021 23:07:31 GMT -5
Dalbach is suseptable to that low and away slider. The same pitch that used give Bogaerts trouble when he first came up. And seemingly every other right hand hitter...including the current Bogey.
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Post by sarasoxer on Mar 2, 2021 22:33:03 GMT -5
Here's a project for an extremely bored person (or eric): how have the Red Sox done in all trades that were primarily built around a reliever in the last 35 years? From Andersen through Slocumb to Melancon, Kimbrel, and Workman/Hembree. I feel like Workman/Hembree has a chance to put us into the black on balance. Someone else can have the project, but can tell u go to like 1990 and back and relievers were a dime a dozen unless some marquee guy. i remembered some boston had from way back, looked them up and cost was laughable. Johnny Wyatt, who was best reliever Boston had in '67 cost them pretty much nothing and was tremendous for 2 seasons, before being given away for cash. Greg Harris, some may remember as a guy who would eventually throw from both sides during a game (not with Boston), tho he did wear a 6 fingered glove while playing for them was a waiver claim. Mark Clear and Carney Lansford came in the Rick Burleson +Hobson deal. Not free, but Clear had the most wicked curve ever saw. He called it "the cleaver". I don't mind doing the 1990 back, but forget about newer ones.. Not sure why you are not "longjohnsilver" given your astounding memory of decades past. Yup I too remember Mark Clear. Wow! What a curve (cleaver)!!....Physics defying... other worldly. He did have some command issues but jeez was he fun to watch! Greg Harris was another guy with a 12-6....different era I guess. Thanks for the trip down memory lane and affirmation that I do not yet have dementia.
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Post by sarasoxer on Feb 27, 2021 21:46:36 GMT -5
If that's the case, why are we playing him 35+ minutes/game? He's been a shadow...
An arthritis hampered Walker doesn't play back to backs and Timelord's minutes are constrained perhaps in part due to his hip edema issues...last year and this. If Tatum is truly compromised, he should be shut down or limited...in deference to his health..team record be damned.
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Post by sarasoxer on Feb 27, 2021 11:41:49 GMT -5
I sleep well at night, knowing that Bloom is at the helm ... Funny stuff. Epstein and Dombrowski were popular as well, only Duquette wasn't and reason he didn't have the "love" of the faithful was didn't smile a lot and wasn't with the articulate answers the media expected. In short.. He was Lou Gorman, without the smiles, a GM whom everyone liked, yet made brutal trades, FA signs etc.. Something Duquette wasn't known for. Half of the job of being the GM is smiling for the camera. Bloom learns to do that in Boston and which end to kiss and he'll be fine. Yeah, but in his case the smile is backed by presenting as genuine. It exudes the sagacity and confidence behind it. He looks and speaks the part.
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Post by sarasoxer on Feb 26, 2021 8:54:19 GMT -5
Ok, so I’m realizing the video is not from ST but is a tweet from September at the ATS. Maybe he is actually less heavy right now. Hopefully...I must say tho that his lower body looked pretty "thick" in Sept. Maybe even with lost weight, that is his body structure.
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Post by sarasoxer on Feb 25, 2021 23:15:16 GMT -5
No matter how it's sliced....poor choice of FAs, poor recent drafts, poor execution of trades, poor judge of talent traded away...injuries...it is a perfect storm. Realistically we have 2 very good, young players. They are not all world or all NBA..They are second string all-stars. With Smart, Theis and a reduced Walker...we have some other solid players. Timelord is a fun, athletic freak but limited offensively. Sadly, the rest are flotsam.... In sum, I believe that the roster is under-talented with no near term fix. Maybe we are bad enough to fall back into the lottery and can get lucky, and if we wisely execute the PTE b/t seasons....? But the roster needs to change. Walker won't be part of it going forward...almost an Isaiah deja vu...but will likely generate low return. Who else has value? Theis, Smart...? Regardless, right now we are descending quietly into the night. I don’t want to be rude but I basically disagree with this entire post, other than the poor choice of free agents (assuming you are talking about this year). No worries. You aren't being rude in disagreeing with me....wrong maybe, but not rude.😊 The Celtics, as constituted, are under talented by anyone's measure. Even at full strength, this year they are an early playoff casualty. Danny knows this. The once victimized, panned, maligned and way off the grid Nets will beat us to the finals. So what happened to the best laid master plans? Granted hindsight is better than 20:20. But our recent FA acquisitions have not replaced similar losses. Losing Hayward for nothing (yet) when apparently a favorable trade was on the table hurt. Our recently drafted guards Edwards, Waters, Pritchard, plus Walker would be standouts in the land of Lilliputia. Unfortunately in the NBA they are defensive liabilities and their respective offensive capabilities do not, will not adequately compensate. Walker may be permanently damaged goods. Could his injury have been forseen? Losing Rosier was hurtful. Did we misjudge his talent? True, 19 yr old self proclaimed "sniper" Nesmith and 'wherefore art thou Romeo' may someday emerge as capable backups....just not today or early tomorrow. Smart is valuable for his selflessness and defensive tenacity. Theis is a good second string, space the floor small ball 6' 8" 'center'. Thompson has some bulk, tries hard and can rebound. Stop there. Grant W. and Ojele...ok yeah, those guys. We are really left with Jalen and Jayson as core standouts...At 24 and 22 they will get better but presently as our anchors, they are second team all-stars and need to produce nightly at high level. Opposing teams are keying on them knowing that the rest of the team can't make them pay consistently. Ball movement is woefully stagnant as J & J try to shoulder a too heavy load with un-celtic like one on three plays. Our TPE is limited to a 23M player...upper middle guy...not a star. Looking ahead Jalen has an opt out in 2022 (?). Trades WILL happen. I think that Theis, Smart, Timelord, Walker have some value in trade. Nesmith and Romeo....perhaps for a second tier team a few years away. Pritchard, not really. He is what he is...a small, scrappy guy who has maxed his inherent talent. Not Chicken Little, but we need substantial changes to be good in the next couple of years.
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Post by sarasoxer on Feb 25, 2021 9:36:37 GMT -5
All I’ll say if you think ainge picks are good..... results !! We are where right now??? Oh that’s right. Below .500, down at half to a team not in playoffs who scored 72 on us in a half, WITH 2 all stars. Yeah that depth is looking just great. Plenty of reasons to bitch, yet you're barking up the wrong tree with Danny in regards to him actually making draft picks. Biggest draft blunder this year is him not making another pick. His botched Hayward trade, his two free agent signings. Heck bitch about trading Rozier for Walker, you could have had Rozier and Marcus Morris, the guy we traded Bradley for. Yet in reality that only works because Kemba knee only lasted 40 games. Then to make matters worse Rozier just keeps getting better. No matter how it's sliced....poor choice of FAs, poor recent drafts, poor execution of trades, poor judge of talent traded away...injuries...it is a perfect storm. Realistically we have 2 very good, young players. They are not all world or all NBA..They are second string all-stars. With Smart, Theis and a reduced Walker...we have some other solid players. Timelord is a fun, athletic freak but limited offensively. Sadly, the rest are flotsam.... In sum, I believe that the roster is under-talented with no near term fix. Maybe we are bad enough to fall back into the lottery and can get lucky, and if we wisely execute the PTE b/t seasons....? But the roster needs to change. Walker won't be part of it going forward...almost an Isaiah deja vu...but will likely generate low return. Who else has value? Theis, Smart...? Regardless, right now we are descending quietly into the night.
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Post by sarasoxer on Feb 22, 2021 21:42:14 GMT -5
Kumar seems today's prototype power pitcher that generates fantasy tingles up the leg. But, he doesn't look like a guy who will ever drink from the golden chalice granting control. Plus the strain of his throwing so many hard pitches seems to almost beg for TJ. On that basis and a greater, more refined pitcher's repertoire, I'd pick Leiter were I compelled to get a starter's arm.
But, like many, I'd rather pick a college bat...greater likelihood of success and less likelihood of debilitating injury. There seem to be a good number of those guys and trust that we will "choose wisely".
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Post by sarasoxer on Feb 22, 2021 17:57:10 GMT -5
Kemba goes in a trade package...
Is the bloom off the Pritchard rose?
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