A700's Spring Training Thoughts and Observations

[a700hitter]

For those of you who care, I'll be posting here my observations from the games I attend this week. Rubby and Lester today. It should be interesting. Our lineup looks like a collection of garabage, but I am interested in watching Bradley. I'l be watching those 3 guys really closely. The rest of the lineup is bathroom break time.

[Bellhorn04]

I care.

[a700hitter]

Wright and Tazawa are also scheduled.

[Bellhorn04]

Fire away, man. Good to have the perspective of someone who's there.

[VA Sox Fan]

:thumbsup:

:thumbsup:

 

....meanwhile, it's snowing like crazy here today! :thumbdown

[VA Sox Fan]

Just heard that Yaz arrived to camp today. Please tell him I said "hi"! :thumbsup:

[BSN07]

I can sum this thread up in about 30 secs:

 

Thoughts: They suck, Cherries is a baboon testicle, Stevie Wonder could scout better talent,

 

Observations: Everyone is slow and fat, Cherries wardrobe is questionable, I'm not sure he's a real GM or a monkey in a suit. Pretty sure I saw some of his goons bag and tag someone who asked "where did all the money go from the LAD trade?" Hot dog prices are outrageous...

 

/thread

[VA Sox Fan]

I can sum this thread up in about 30 secs:

 

Thoughts: They suck, Cherries is a baboon testicle, Stevie Wonder could scout better talent,

 

Observations: Everyone is slow and fat, Cherries wardrobe is questionable, I'm not sure he's a real GM or a monkey in a suit. Pretty sure I saw some of his goons bag and tag someone who asked "where did all the money go from the LAD trade?" Hot dog prices are outrageous...

 

/thread

 

[mvp 78]

Just heard that Yaz arrived to camp today. Please tell him I said "hi"! :thumbsup:

 

Hope you let him travel all that way with a little catnip and Friskies Party Mix. Otherwise, ST would be way less fun for him!

[VA Sox Fan]

Hope you let him travel all that way with a little catnip and Friskies Party Mix. Otherwise, ST would be way less fun for him!

 

[SoxFanForsyth]

Can't wait for a700 to assess today's game haha.

 

The only game where RDLR threw like garbage, and Lester wasn't crazy sharp. Oye.

[jung]

SFF, did Ruby and Jon throw again today or are you referring to the Sunday game? If today, how did they do?

[BSN07]

SFF, did Ruby and Jon throw again today or are you referring to the Sunday game? If today, how did they do?

 

He threw today. Gave up a run. Wasn't as sharp as last time out.

 

Wright got tuned up, Lester wasn't terrible.

[BSN07]

a700 is going to bag on Wright for sure(which I don't disagree with). Wright did bad enough to surely have gotten the a700 scowl from wherever he was seated

[jung]

Darn.....probably means Ruby and Jon won't pitch Friday's TV game. Maybe Saturday. I think that game is also on TV.

[jung]

07 were you actually able to watch this spring game? Are there special packages available that will give you something like the whole season plus ST? I think that is pretty neat if that is the case.

[Station 13]

Spring training is fun the first 5 inning. I can't imagine watching/staying after.

[jung]

I think the spring games do give you a good opportunity to see the younger players play mixed in with ML ballplayers. I am fortunate to live near really good AAA and AA baseball. So I can see these guys play but not along with the ML players.

 

In some cases it gives you a chance to see why some of these guys are just not ready yet. I suspect some will choose to be blind to it. To each his own.

[BSN07]

07 were you actually able to watch this spring game? Are there special packages available that will give you something like the whole season plus ST? I think that is pretty neat if that is the case.

 

No, I saw a 5 min recap on one of our sports stations here. They cover the Red Sox a little more at the moment because of Bogaerts. I took what I saw there and what I read from the box scores and took into account what time of year it is and then added that all up for my earlier response to your question

[BSN07]

I think the spring games do give you a good opportunity to see the younger players play mixed in with ML ballplayers. I am fortunate to live near really good AAA and AA baseball. So I can see these guys play but not along with the ML players.

 

In some cases it gives you a chance to see why some of these guys are just not ready yet. I suspect some will choose to be blind to it. To each his own.

 

That's what I like about it too. As far as the main players I want them in, get there work in and get out.

[jung]

700, I was wondering if you had any thoughts regarding Ruby and Jon today. Did you see anything worth discussing?

 

For one thing, It seems to me that the media concentrates too much on a young pitcher's ERA in these Spring games. It is ST for crying out loud.

 

I have read a couple of pieces written about today's game and the basic theme is that Ruby pitched far worse today than in his last outing. Concentrating on Ruby's ERA in these Spring games is just wrong headed IMO.

 

I saw Ruby pitch in the Sunday game. He was up and down IMO with very little in between. When he was on, he could make your mouth water. When he was off, he looked like what he is, a young developing pitcher. Reading the press reports, I get the impression that he was up and down again today, impressive at times and not very impressive at other times with little in between. But in today's outing the Pirates clipped Ruby for some runs and suddenly its a bad outing today and Sunday was a terrific outing.

 

The way Ruby is pitching on these Spring games is far more important than whether the opponent plates some runs or not and claiming that this outing is much worse than his last cause the Pirates plated a couple of runs is laughable. I think its ******** and it is just one of about a zillion reasons why I don't want to see Ruby up this year. IMO he is not ready. Yet if he is in a Sox uniform this season I would be willing to bet he will be treated by the fan base and the media much like he is being treated now. I am not at all sure that the Sox brass, Manager and Coaches can isolate Ruby from what can happen to him because of unrealistic expectation.

 

Great....lets screw up another pitcher. Why not....they are just growing on trees down there at Fenway anyway aren't they?

[seabeachfred]

For those of you who care, I'll be posting here my observations from the games I attend this week. Rubby and Lester today. It should be interesting. Our lineup looks like a collection of garabage, but I am interested in watching Bradley. I'l be watching those 3 guys really closely. The rest of the lineup is bathroom break time.

 

I certainly care Ted and hope you will fill us in on what's going on down there in Florida. I just will keep my fingers tightly crossed and hope that we suffer no major injuries while you're down there. Hearing about the Yankees is bizarre; they are going down like flies in their camp. Today it was Teixeira and it might be Hughes tomorrow.

 

BSN made a parody of what he thinks you'll say and I thought it was funny as hell because I was LMFAO when I read it. You take a tough stand; I certainly know that but I'll let you in on the worst secret around. I don't want anything sugar coated. Let me have plain and to the point. If we look unimpressive tell me; if, OTOH, you see soe things that make for some upbeat feeling on our part be sure to let us know that too. I love to hear good news.

[seabeachfred]

I can sum this thread up in about 30 secs:

 

Thoughts: They suck, Cherries is a baboon testicle, Stevie Wonder could scout better talent,

 

Observations: Everyone is slow and fat, Cherries wardrobe is questionable, I'm not sure he's a real GM or a monkey in a suit. Pretty sure I saw some of his goons bag and tag someone who asked "where did all the money go from the LAD trade?" Hot dog prices are outrageous...

 

/thread

 

I have to admit that I was laughing MFAO when I read your post BSN, but I certainly hope the reports by my friend Ted are not that dismal. I do have to remember the baboon testicle. Mind if I use it sometime if things so South later in the season?

[a700hitter]

Okay, I have been out drinking since the game ended, so I"ll probably have some more meaningful detail tomorrow. Lester looked good today. He had one rough inning where he lost the plate and loaded the bases, but he worked at a god fast rhythym which i think is the key to his success. When he works slowly, he gets into big trouble. My brother raised a point with me today that I think has validity. He said that last year Lester had the Beckett influence of working super slowly. It works for Beckett, but it has been Lester's downfall. Today he had good pace. His command was good except for 1 inning. He didn't get many swings and misses. He was sitting at 90-91 during his outing until his final few pitches where he touched 93 and 94 once. I liked what I saw from him. He didn't dominate, but it was a quality outing. The first batter, Marte torched him for a triple to the left of the home run line in Left Center. It would have been out of any other ball park.

 

As for Rubby, he is not going to be the next Pedro, not this year, not ever. They brought him in after the weak Pirate lineup had been replaced with no name scrubs. The first guy hit a frozen rope over the head of the center fielder. Another guy jolted one off the LF wall and another guy hit a frozen rope to CF that handcuffed Bradley. He fooled no one. He was not overpowering. He was throwing 92-93 with his fastball, reaching 95 once, maybe twice. He does have a varied arsenal, a changeup and curve, but his command was not great. He's kind of stocky. He doesn't have a classic starting pitcher's build. I could see him as a reliever, but I would be surprised if he could take the ball as a starter for an entire season. There was no 99 on the gun today that we have been reading about.

 

Jackie Bradley Jr was tough to get a read on today. He had a no contact day for the 3 ABs that I saw. He k'd looking and walked twice. He showed good plate discipline. He takes a pretty good rip at pitches.

 

Iglesias took very aggressive rips today. He got nothing to show for it, but he took good rips and made slid contact. His plate appearances were encouraging.

[a700hitter]

Steve Wright looked terrible. He had terrible command. His pitches were up consistently and the hitters looked like they wanted to run to home plate to hit against him. Bums were ripping him. Just awful against an awful lineup. I am not encouraged that he is a viable depth option if one of our starters goes down.

[jung]

IMO, whatever Ruby is, he is more of a gonna' be ......somewhere off in the future. I know there are folks that want to be encouraged by what they are seeing from Ruby cause our starting pitching is pretty IFFY, with a capitol I. So suddenly Ruby has gone from a decent pick up in the salary dump to the savior of this year's rotation. Nice leap of faith but it is all leap. Let me know if there was any water in the pool when you guys finally stop free falling.

 

He is very very inconsistent. If you want to convince yourselves that at his very young age, he is inconsistent by design ( Oh that cagy Ruby) go right ahead but I think you are kidding yourselves. I said it at the time and will repeat it here. As whacky as taking on all that salary was, the idea that along with doing so, LA gave up starting pitching that could actually produce in 2013 is in a word, preposterous. I refuse to believe that anybody with a ML FO job is that stupid and incompetent.

 

Its neat that the kid can throw with some gas....sometimes.....but he has a looooooong way to go.

 

I am glad we got pitching back in the salary dump but it is pitching that we might see in red stockings sometime after 2013 if at all.

[BSN07]

I have to admit that I was laughing MFAO when I read your post BSN, but I certainly hope the reports by my friend Ted are not that dismal. I do have to remember the baboon testicle. Mind if I use it sometime if things so South later in the season?

 

Go right ahead fred

[SoxFanForsyth]

a700 - I think if you would have seen Rubby in either of his other two appearances, you would have come away much more impressed.

 

The fact that every one of the beat writers were blown away by him, including Alex Speier, who is a very knowledgeable guy, makes me think there's something to this kid. Either way, jury is still out on him.

 

I really hope you get to see Allen Webster. I saw him pitch last Saturday against the Twins when I was down there, and the kid has absolutely filthy stuff. He was just dominating. Fastball touching 99, sitting 94-97, change sitting 86-87. Sitting behind the plate, it looked like I was watching him throw a damn whiffle ball, it was moving that much. Same with Buch. His pitches were crazy.

[Station 13]

The gun reading is too unreliable at spring training facilities. The jetBlue Park gun is a little slow as well, off as much as 2MPH.

 

It's also a little too early in spring training to make a huge deal out of radar reading.

[BSN07]

The gun reading is too unreliable at spring training facilities. The jetBlue Park gun is a little slow as well, off as much as 2MPH.

 

It's also a little too early in spring training to make a huge deal out of radar reading.

 

Yes it's too early. Usually the last couple starts is a better indication on velocity. Pitchers are starting to amp it up then. But still ST radar guns seem to be pretty inconsistent across the board.