2018 Prospect Mega Thread

[moonslav59]

At least developed an excess of everyday talent we could trade for pitching (Pedro, Schilling, Peavy, Sale and others).

 

I'm not sure we have that either.

[OH FOY]

https://www.milb.com/milb/news/milwaukee-brewers-no-10-prospect-mauricio-dubon-out-for-season-with-torn-acl/c-275827100

[Spudboy]

https://www.milb.com/milb/news/milwaukee-brewers-no-10-prospect-mauricio-dubon-out-for-season-with-torn-acl/c-275827100

 

That is sad.

 

But it's he way she goes.

[Carpin]

Bad news for you guys, Groome to have Tommy John surgery out between 12-14 months, if everything goes according to plan he will be back towards the end of next season tough break for the kid

[Larry Cook]

Sturgeon with another tater tonight.

 

Shawaryn threw a nice game tonight. As his secondary stuff improves, he is taking big steps forward.

[OH FOY]

Pawsox got 2 hit, Man that team looks pathetic.

[mvp 78]

https://www.pressherald.com/2018/05/10/sturgeons-stuck-in-double-a-portland-for-now/

 

Good article on why Sturgeon is still in AA.

[Larry Cook]

Dalbec with another tater tonight. When the next meet of homers you hit almost equals the number of singles you have had on the year, then you know your batting average is not going to be great.

[Larry Cook]

Rusconi with his second tater today.

[Larry Cook]

Lin with a tater today.

[Larry Cook]

Witte, de la Guerra, rei and canpana all going yard tonight.

 

Kutter Crawford threw a nice game tonight!

[jacksonianmarch]

Houck is really sucking wind this year in A+ level. 1.73WHIP, 1.8HR/9IP and 6.6BB/9IP is terrible.

Scherff is sucking donkey balls as well in A ball. 1.50WHIP, 5.9K/9IP, 4.9BB/9IP

Cole Brannen is well under the Mendoza line. .157/.246/.205

 

Netzer isn't doing terribly but not great and Thompson has sucked in Salem. While development is a marathon and not a race, I doubt anyone from last year's draft is a good bet to be dealt for anything of value this year

[Larry Cook]

Houck is really sucking wind this year in A+ level. 1.73WHIP, 1.8HR/9IP and 6.6BB/9IP is terrible.

Scherff is sucking donkey balls as well in A ball. 1.50WHIP, 5.9K/9IP, 4.9BB/9IP

Cole Brannen is well under the Mendoza line. .157/.246/.205

 

Netzer isn't doing terribly but not great and Thompson has sucked in Salem. While development is a marathon and not a race, I doubt anyone from last year's draft is a good bet to be dealt for anything of value this year

 

Desperate dave should probably draft by throwing darts at a dart board. Because what he is doing now is beyond putrid!

 

Ps: if houck ever learns to throw strikes, he could be our future closer. But the more realistic scenario is we cut him in a few years and Tampa claims him and he because an all star closer for them!

[Larry Cook]

Witte, rei and de la geurra all go yard again.

 

At Pawtucket, Travis with a tater as well,

[Larry Cook]

Tendler with his 4th tater today!

[jacksonianmarch]

Desperate dave should probably draft by throwing darts at a dart board. Because what he is doing now is beyond putrid!

 

Ps: if houck ever learns to throw strikes, he could be our future closer. But the more realistic scenario is we cut him in a few years and Tampa claims him and he because an all star closer for them!

 

Here is what I have noted about DD. His drafts seem to follow the BA handbook and while that can be a good thing, that can also be a disaster. The major publications are grading players on all around tools and their rankings seem to entail players' ceilings, they very rarely seem to implicate a player's floor. I get that drafting a Greg Bird type player didn't really sit well with BA since he was too big for his position, slow of foot and effectively limited to C or 1b. But the kid was able to mash and had a good eye from day 1. Then they go ga-ga over guys like CJ Henry who can run circles around everyone and when they connect, they can hit it a country mile, but their approach is garbage, pitch selection sucks and they have no discipline. There are times to grab guys with potential but a wide gap between the now and the ceiling, see a guy like Cole Brannen. You draft those guys when your organization is flush with talent in the upper minors and you can wait on the development and can afford the bust potential. The sox don't have that right now. A better approach is a draft that brings in guys who aren't far from their ceiling. Maybe they aren't likely to be an all star, but the likelihood they are a solid starter in the bigs either on offense or on the mound is very high. That isn't DD's MO, though. He drafts guys on ceiling and doesn't seem to care about their bust potential. This has blown up in his face as the 2016 and 2017 drafts have looked pretty miserable to this point

[Larry Cook]

Makes me wonder what would could have been if desperate Dave had not run off all th kids from the baseball operations department. Now we are left with a guy that does not listen to his scouts and does not have a plan for the short, intermediate or long term.

 

I wonder what ownership thinks?

[moonslav59]

 

I wonder what ownership thinks?

 

Probably an extension.

[Bellhorn04]

Makes me wonder what would could have been if desperate Dave had not run off all th kids from the baseball operations department. Now we are left with a guy that does not listen to his scouts and does not have a plan for the short, intermediate or long term.

 

I wonder what ownership thinks?

 

I guess JH didn't think much of the last place finishes under Ben.

 

Say what you want but under DD we have 2 first place finishes and a great start this year.

 

I get all the cliff talk, but saying he hasn't done well in the short term is kind of stupid, Larry.

[moonslav59]

I guess JH didn't think much of the last place finishes under Ben.

 

Say what you want but under DD we have 2 first place finishes and a great start this year.

 

I get all the cliff talk, but saying he hasn't done well in the short term is kind of stupid, Larry.

 

He actually created a 4-5 year window, which also qualifies as an "intermediate" plan

[Kimmi]

I guess JH didn't think much of the last place finishes under Ben.

 

Say what you want but under DD we have 2 first place finishes and a great start this year.

 

I get all the cliff talk, but saying he hasn't done well in the short term is kind of stupid, Larry.

 

Dombrowski has done an excellent job for the short term. But honestly, I think that had Ben not been let go, the team would still have finished in first place both seasons, or at least made the playoffs.

 

The team was primed. Dombrowski added the finishing touches, which I am sure Ben would have done as well. They might not have been the same finishing touches, but he would have done enough to get the team to the playoffs. Any other GM coming in could have gotten the team to the playoffs with a couple of finishing touches.

[Bellhorn04]

Dombrowski has done an excellent job for the short term. But honestly, I think that had Ben not been let go, the team would still have finished in first place both seasons, or at least made the playoffs.

 

The team was primed. Dombrowski added the finishing touches, which I am sure Ben would have done as well. They might not have been the same finishing touches, but he would have done enough to get the team to the playoffs. Any other GM coming in could have gotten the team to the playoffs with a couple of finishing touches.

 

Your position is reasonable. Larry's is not.

[jacksonianmarch]

DD and Ben are on the opposing ends of the spectrum from builder to finisher. The sox would have been better off long term with someone in the middle, but Henry wanted to win now and he got it

[Bellhorn04]

DD and Ben are on the opposing ends of the spectrum from builder to finisher. The sox would have been better off long term with someone in the middle, but Henry wanted to win now and he got it

 

We could go on and on about Ben, and we probably will. He did some very good things but the team also made some terrible blunders in his tenure. Whether they were all his blunders or not we'll never know. Until Larry Lucchino's deathbed confessions, perhaps.

[Larry Cook]

Dalbec with his 8th tater today. Chatham with his first today as well.

[Larry Cook]

I guess JH didn't think much of the last place finishes under Ben.

 

Say what you want but under DD we have 2 first place finishes and a great start this year.

 

I get all the cliff talk, but saying he hasn't done well in the short term is kind of stupid, Larry.

 

I’m sorry I thought we were talking about desperate dave’s Drafting plans, or lack thereof.

[Larry Cook]

Houck went six innings tonight. Gave up one run and got the win.

[jacksonianmarch]

Houck went six innings tonight. Gave up one run and got the win.

 

3 walks and 0K's? I am wondering about the stuff from Houck. I know he was billed as this horse with high velocity and a wipeout breaking ball, but I am wondering if they are working on something or if hitters are seeing the ball better than they should. A big hoss who cannot locate still K's a ton of hitters at that level. He's got 29 in 36IP, so it isn't like he doesn't K anyone, but half of his starts have been 3 or less K's and he's had 3 starts of 1 or less K's. That is concerning for a guy who is billed as a potential front line guy with 2 strikeout pitches. I notice his GB% is solid, maybe they are trying to turn him into a sinkerballer with early contact. Either way, he doesn't have the command to be a sinkerballer. Those guys give up a lot of singles and if you walk a ton of hitters, those singles become RBI's

[mvp 78]

3 walks and 0K's? I am wondering about the stuff from Houck. I know he was billed as this horse with high velocity and a wipeout breaking ball, but I am wondering if they are working on something or if hitters are seeing the ball better than they should. A big hoss who cannot locate still K's a ton of hitters at that level. He's got 29 in 36IP, so it isn't like he doesn't K anyone, but half of his starts have been 3 or less K's and he's had 3 starts of 1 or less K's. That is concerning for a guy who is billed as a potential front line guy with 2 strikeout pitches. I notice his GB% is solid, maybe they are trying to turn him into a sinkerballer with early contact. Either way, he doesn't have the command to be a sinkerballer. Those guys give up a lot of singles and if you walk a ton of hitters, those singles become RBI's

 

From Sox Prospects: the organization is reportedly making significant changes to Houck's mechanics and pitch arsenal; could look like a completely different pitcher from the one drafted within a year or two.

[mvp 78]

@redsoxstats

 

After another big spring training, Travis seems all discombobulated in AAA. Only 43% of balls hit in the air so far and over the past month has struck out in 22 of his 44 at bats. .231/.297/.341