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Post by brendan98 on Nov 5, 2012 15:33:47 GMT -5
Why do so many posters talk about Middlebrooks as if he is a finished product. WMB has improved in each of his professional seasons, he flew through the AA level playing only 96 games in Portland, and then topped that by needing only 40 games in AAA before making the jump to Boston. With less than a full season of games played above the A ball level, one would think Middlebrooks would have struggled facing MLB pitching, but an .835 OPS is hardly a struggle, and while some argue that his plate discipline will catch up with him, I'd argue back, that pitchers made some adjustments on Will last year, and he figured out what they were doing and made the adjustments he had to in order to overcome. WMB has very little experience at upper levels, and I believe he can continue to get better as he plays and continues to learn, I see no reason he can't maintain or improve upon his rookie OPS.
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Post by brendan98 on Nov 5, 2012 8:54:15 GMT -5
The pen is not the biggest area of need right now but any chance the Sox pursure Joakim Soria? Coming off injuries he might come cheap and be a good buy low candidate. Soria has long been mentioned as an ideal candidate to be a starter, as he has 4 quality pitches. Coming off surgery might not be the ideal time for a conversion, but Soria will not sign with the Sox to be a setup man, so it would have to be as the closer or offer him a chance to start.
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Post by brendan98 on Nov 1, 2012 14:42:18 GMT -5
I would not trade Middlebrooks for Wright straight up, let alone throw in a top pitching prospect.
Middlebrooks just turned 24, and has less than a year of service time, Wright is a soon to be 30 year old, 1 year away from free agency. Thanks, but no thanks.
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Post by brendan98 on Oct 31, 2012 18:56:23 GMT -5
That makes little sense. WMB has all the makings of an all-around above average 3B, and Xander at SS would be Tulowitskian. You wanna mess all that up so we can get a FIRST BASEMAN, which is the easiest position to fill while we have Iglesias OPSing .000? Agreed. IF WMB gets moved it would be to make room for either Bogaerts or Cechini (who I really like - high OBP, etc) and to fetch some badly needed pitching. Of course that's down the road. The Sox need WBM now and he needs to establish his value. The Sox need more quality players, and trading Middlebrooks make little sense, unless they are able to fill the holes they have all over the field first. Trading Middlebrooks so that Xander can play 3B makes no sense if we are still looking for long term options at the corner OF spots, and 1B. Now if we can fill those holes adequately, and acquire a good arm or two, them that is a different story, but that is a lot to speculate at this point. I think it makes sense to at least consider a future with Middlebrooks, Bogaerts, and Iglesias all in the lineup, because it may give the Sox the best chance to win going forward.
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Post by brendan98 on Oct 31, 2012 12:18:45 GMT -5
Surely we'll have a better idea where things stand in a year -- Best case, Middlebrooks and Iglesias have strong years and one becomes a heck of a trade chip depending on how Bogaerts' fielding looks at SS. While I understand the thought process with this thinking, I have a hard time agreeing with it. "The Trade" did a pretty nice job of purging the roster of overpaid, underperforming veterans who were on the wrong side of 30, though some still remain. Despite that, the roster has more questions, than solid answers at this point. To me Middlebrooks and Iglesias are part of the building process, not trade chips. It does appear that Xander can be an impact player, one that the Sox could sorely use, but it does not make sense to me that we should view Iglesias or Middlebrooks as spare parts just because we have to have a position for Xander. Xander's value is primarily in his offensive ability, Iglesias value is primarily in his defensive ability, and Middlebrooks is a little of both, based upon that I do not think it is viable to move Iglesias or Middlebrooks for Xander, especially since the Sox have short and long term needs at 1B and the corner OF positions, which could conceivably be positions where Xander could project to be above average defensively in the future, unlike SS or 3B.
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Post by brendan98 on Oct 22, 2012 8:07:59 GMT -5
It's a crazy thought and certainly would be unprecedented but does anybody think that the Sox could make a trade with the Yankees for A Rod getting them to pay half ( or more ) of his remaining contract and have A Rod play 1B? Crazy huh? It wouldn't be crazy. It would be downright stupid. The Yanks would love for somebody to take A-Rod off their hands and pay any if not half the freight. Think about it. He's 38, declining, and has red-flags beyond the game to put it mildly. His contract runs thru 2017. Do you really want to pay a portion (half?) of his contract when he's ages 38 - 42? And have him hit as a 1b, a position he's never played, and which is supposed to have great production, which you won't get out of a 38 year old A-Rod, let alone a 42 year old A-Rod. Why in the world would the Sox EVER do this? Do you feel that Lucchino thinks the Sox need A-Rod's "marketability"? C'mon. The Sox don't need a washed up name. They need good young players to develop, some smart free agent signings and some astute deals. A-Rod would be neither of the three. Agreed 100%. Hopefully nobody lets the Yankees off the hook for this albatross of a contract, and the Yanks have to live with it for years to come.
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Brentz
Oct 22, 2012 8:04:18 GMT -5
Post by brendan98 on Oct 22, 2012 8:04:18 GMT -5
Just curious, does anyone know why Brentz hasn't played since Oct 15?
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Post by brendan98 on Oct 17, 2012 15:42:15 GMT -5
To build my 2013 Red Sox, I first have to define what my goal for 2013 is. Having won 2 World Championships in the last 10 years, I do not think that having a goal of a +.500 ballclub, or even a playoff ballclub, is a goal that the Sox should set. The goal should either be, Option A - put together a championship caliber ballclub for 2013, or Option B - begin building a club in 2013, that can win a championship in 2014 and moving forward. Looking realistically at this team, a championship in 2013 could be a possibility, however to accomplish it, the club would likely have to resort to overpaying for players, either in terms of contracts (free agency) or prospects (trades), that will not lend itself to long term success, and which will hardly guarantee a playoff team let alone a championship. Lets be for real, it would be extremely difficult, and even more costly, for the Sox to build a team this offseason, that would look anywhere near as competitive as the 2012 Red Sox looked last spring, and we all know how that club ended up. For that reason, I hope that the Red Sox management takes an Option B approach to 2013.
I think most decisions should be made with an eye towards the future, though some can be made with the now in mind, or the heart (for example, I would not be against giving Ortiz a 2 year deal, providing he were willing to compromise a little and settle on an annual salary in the same range as the last couple of years).
To me the first thing that must be set in place is the manager, I am fine with Farrell as long as any compensation is a B prospect or less (maybe someone like a Linares or a Vitek). Wallach, Ausmus, and Pena all seem like solid candidates as well and I'd be fine with any of those 3 if Toronto is going to demand more for Farrell.
The next big decision in my mind is Ellsbury, JBJ is the centerfielder and likely leadoff hitter of the future for the Red Sox, perhaps as soon as 2013 at some point, what that means as far as Ellsbury is concerned is that if the Sox can resign him they are resigning a LF. The Sox should approach Ellsbury this offseason about an extension, and should make an offer commensurate with how they would pay a 29 year old LF with elite skills but an extensive injury history. My guess is that Boras will advise Ellsbury to play the year out and test free agancy, and if so I think the Sox should trade Ellsbury as soon as they can get the maximum return for him (probably just after the big name Free Agents sign). Now I realize, that could leave the Red Sox with some mix of Sweeney, Kalish, Lin in CF, just keep in mind that Bradley is on the horizon.
Sticking with the outfield, the candidates for LF and RF, I am in favor of resigning Ross if the Sox can get him on a fair deal, which for me is south of 4 years, and south of $8M per. Nava should be given a chance to compete for a spot, as should Podsednik, and Lin/Kalish/Sweeney could be possibilities in those spots if not being utilized in CF. As for FA's the 2 big names to me are BJ Upton and Josh Hamilton, Upton's OBP dipped below .300 last year and though his power took a good jump, I am guessing he will have to be vastly overpaid. Hamilton is intriguing for 1 reason, all of the red flags might mean that he does not get the mega contract in terms of years or salary that he desires. If the Red Sox could get Hamilton at 4-5 years at $15M per, he could be a gamble that could pay off. I'd be a fool to say that his dependency problems don't concern me, but I think any huge deal Hamilton signs will come with contract language protecting the signing team.
Movig to the infield, Middlebrooks is the 3B, Pedroia is the 2B, that leaves SS and 1B to fill. My opinion is that the SS job should be given to Iglesias in 2013. A full season would give Iglesias a good sample size to show the Red Sox his value, and give the Sox the opportunity to evaluate whether they want to move forward with a defensive whiz with a limited bat at SS, while also being able to watch Xander's progress (and growth) for another year. 1B is possibly the most challenging position to predict for 2013 and moving forward, as far as a long term prospect is concerned, the only one in the system that comes to mind is Travis Shaw, and there seems to be serious doubt as to his ability to hit advanced pitching, looking at our 1B prospects, it is painful to think about having traded Rizzo (hell, I'd like to have Lars right now). Free agent options for this year are less than thrilling, LaRoche will be in demand, and will get too much IMO, I like the Napoli idea, but could even see him getting silly $$$. A Gomez/Sands platoon could be the solution, but certainly isn't going to excite anyone, which means a trade may be a real option. Very tough to predict who is really available, and how much they might cost, speculating who it might be could be an exhausting exercise. Napoli might be the best option, if the Sox have to overpay for him, I'd prefer that it be in dollars vs years (2 or 3 years would be preferable). Long term, I think the Sox 1B could end up being Shaw, or another prospect who changes position (Xander/Cecchini/Jacobs).
Running out of time for now, be back to finish up with C and P later.
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Brentz
Oct 16, 2012 8:48:43 GMT -5
Post by brendan98 on Oct 16, 2012 8:48:43 GMT -5
6 - 17, 1 HR, 1 3B, 1 BB for Brentz so far in the Arizona Fall league. Best Complete OF/Hitting Prospect in our system. Looking forward to his arrival in Boston. I like Brentz, and tend to look at prospects through rose colored glasses, but if you want to look at him objectively, he is a flip of the coin on whether he ends up a solid MLB outfielder or career AAAA type player. His BB/K ratio is very concerning, and could derail him if he is not able to improve his plate discipline. The fact that his OBP trended up from Salem in 2011 to Portland in 2012 is a positive sign. If Brentz can keep making improvement with his plate discipline, I think he has a bright future, but as we have seen with so many prospects, often having to make an adjustment to his approach is much more difficult than making a mechanical adjustment. I like Brentz, but if I had to choose between he and Bradley, I'd likely choose Bradley because he is a safer bet to be a productive MLB outfielder. Now, if I were going to go boom or bust, Brentz would likely be my choice.
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Post by brendan98 on Oct 11, 2012 9:10:52 GMT -5
The Sox need a young defensive minded catcher who can handle the bat a little, too bad we don't have a guy in the system like Tim Federowicz.
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Post by brendan98 on Oct 11, 2012 7:49:55 GMT -5
It would only take money to get him. He is finishing his one year obligation to the Athletics. He signed a minor league deal, and does not have the service time to be a free agent, doesn't that mean he is under Oakland's control? COT's does not list him as a free agent, but that does not mean he isn't, is he a minor league free agent after all the years spent in the minor leagues?
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Post by brendan98 on Oct 10, 2012 13:27:34 GMT -5
It seems as if Moss is a little redundant in Oakland, the A's tried to give the 1B job to Carter during the season, and will likely try to do the same next year. What would it cost the Red Sox to re-acquire Moss? I would not want to give up any prospect in our top 10 to trade for him, but he COULD help fill a need at 1B or a corner OF spot. Could Aviles or Salty get us Moss? Conceivably Salty would have more value, but the more I think about it, the more and more overrated he becomes in my mind. I think at the very least Moss could be the LH half of a strong platoon at 1B or LF/RF.
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Post by brendan98 on Oct 6, 2012 14:42:27 GMT -5
In the Speier article, Rubby's changeup is said to be an 80 (on the 20-80 scouting scale), but on his Sox Prospects profile it is said to be a fringe pitch. Anybody have any info to clarify this?
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Post by brendan98 on Oct 1, 2012 15:05:58 GMT -5
EDIT: Also, Normally I'd find Ozzie Smith comparisons far-fetched, but I was at the game Wednesday where he made the play on the Longoria grounder, and oh my lord. Watching Iglesias play defense actually makes me like baseball more. I honestly did not make the Ozzie comparison lightly. I look at Ozzie as the greatest ever, like I said earlier, I really saw more highlights of Ozzie, than actual game after game looks, but what I remember about Ozzie now, is that he was the best of the best in his ability to make any play defensively (as good as it gets on the routine play, as good as it gets up the middle, as good as it gets backhanding in the hole, etc ...). I see that in Iglesias, he has the complete skill set, routine plays, diving plays, in the hole, on the move, up the middle, off balance throws, you name it, he appears to be the best in the game right now.
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Post by brendan98 on Oct 1, 2012 14:32:48 GMT -5
Time to give him a full major league shot imo. He's a weak hitter so when he slumps he'll be nonexistent, but that's to be expected. He was struggling in Pawtucket until he turned it on one day. Worst case he plays himself back to AAA and Ciriaco or Aviles take over SS. I also think it is time to give him an extended MLB shot, and see what he can turn into offensively. I liked this quote because, it backs up my point, when Iglesias slumps, what is he? The answer is, that he is pretty much the same player. Offense goes into slumps, defense doesn't. Iglesias would be the most valuable automatic out in the game, his value is not tied to his offense, if there has ever been anyone who you can make a case of "everything you get from him offensively, is gravy", it is Iglesias.
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Post by brendan98 on Oct 1, 2012 9:30:25 GMT -5
With the possible exception of Ozzie Smith, Jose Iglesias is the best defensive player I have ever seen. I was pretty young when Ozzie played, and I did not get to see him live very often, most of what I saw was a highlight, but I can't imagine from what I have seen from Iglesias that Ozzie could have been much better if at all.
It seems that one line of thinking, is that the Red Sox should just pencil Iglesias into the lineup next year, and that his defense will more than make up for any offensive weakness he has. On the opposite end of the spectrum, it seems some believe that no team can afford to carry such an offensive black hole in their lineup, regardless of their defense.
So which is it? Or does reality lie somewhere in the middle?
I think the Sox should rebuild this team, with an emphasis on pitching. I was thrilled to see them acquire 2 very good arms in the Punto trade. I am hoping they use their top 10 draft choice on the best pitcher available in next year's draft. And finally, I hope the Sox let Iglesias run with the shortstop job, and see how much better that alone, makes the pitching staff.
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Post by brendan98 on Sept 20, 2012 8:49:29 GMT -5
Not sure why Xander needs a nickname, he has one of those great first names that kind of stands by itself. Pedro, Nomar, Ichiro, Mariano, they didn't need a nickname, hopefully in 5 years everyone will know exactly who you are talking about when someone says Xander. Also, any thoughts why Xander isn't headed to the AFL this offseason? Thank you!!! And for the second part there are only so many per level per position and there are other guys they need to get a look at. I understand, just seems like the AFL has accelerated the path to the big leagues for some of these top prospects, but with Xander's age, I am guessing the AFL is more likely for him next year.
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Post by brendan98 on Sept 20, 2012 8:25:55 GMT -5
Not sure why Xander needs a nickname, he has one of those great first names that kind of stands by itself. Pedro, Nomar, Ichiro, Mariano, they didn't need a nickname, hopefully in 5 years everyone will know exactly who you are talking about when someone says Xander.
Also, any thoughts why Xander isn't headed to the AFL this offseason?
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Brentz
Sept 12, 2012 14:59:57 GMT -5
Post by brendan98 on Sept 12, 2012 14:59:57 GMT -5
Beyeler calls Brentz "a guy that can impact the middle of his lineup with his bat", and says that he reminds him of Middlebrooks last year. With Brentz being on, what seems to be, a very similiar path to that of Middlebrooks last year (impressive AA numbers, small period of adjustment after promotion to AAA, followed by AFL), does he have the potential to move as quickly as Will did this year, or should we expect more of a full season of AAA for Brentz in 2013?
I am really excited to see the Sox get younger, and see more homegrown players get a chance to impact the MLB level with the Red Sox. I hope Brentz can move into the Sox OF at some point next year, and then Bradley and Bogaerts (maybe Shaw) in the lineup a year or two after that.
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