Zenny

The Sox have come out and said that Dustin will be spending the year at 2B, not SS, in the Sox system. It's uncertain whether he'll be in Portland or Wilmington yet, but the way he's playing in ST and the position he'll be playing, it'll probably be Portland. His .336/.417/.523 and 13/4 BB/K in 30 games at Sarasota suggest that he's ready for the move to AA.

Right now, he's Russ Branyan. If he pitch recognition comes along, he could be very good. He showed very good power as a 19 YO in the FSL last season, but we all need to see more. He isn't garbage by any stretch, but he's a weak #1 prospect in a very weak system.

If Bung-Hole Kimberly sucks it up or Matt "DL" Mantei gets hurt, Blaine is the first one up from Pawtucket. I think he's a younger version of Mike Timlin waiting to happen. I like this trade a lot.

Good stuff.

Supposedly, Manny, Papi and Edgar have been inseperable this spring like the Three Musketeers. They're also saying that Hanley has been like the fourth Musketeer, you know, the young one. I can't remember anything that happened in that goddamned book for the life of me.

My deal with Hendrickson is that he's too hittable. His K rate in AAA last season was 6.70 and from a right-hander, that's not acceptable. So, subtract a lot of points for a major league translation and he's not going to fool anyone. His control is very good and I think he'll be an effective #4 at his peak, but nothing more than that. His AAA ERA was so good purely because of how advanced he was versus that playing field.

Nope, he ain't ready. He needs another year.

Aside from Sheets, their rotation is just really bad. Yes, I know all about Doug Davis and what he accomplished last season; I just don't see him repeating that performance based on prior track record and last year's peripherals. Aside from that, they're going to be trotting out guys like Victor Santos, Wes Obermueller and more garbage like that. Jorge de la Rosa (former Sox prospect and hard-throwing lefty) and Jose Capellan (former Braves prospect and hard-throwing righty) aren't ready yet. They need refined control and improved offspeed pitches. I'm not sold on Ben Hendrickson or Chris Capuano as ever being effective (for different reasons) and Manny Parra is still a couple years away from producing while Mark Rogers needs a solid 4-5. Their offense will be servicable enough, with Lee as a huge improvement over Podsednik. If Prince Fielder keeps hitting like he's hitting this spring, Lyle Overbay (who I wouldn't mind seeing as Millar's replacement, should it come to that) will be gone sooner rather than later. Junior Spivey won't be blocking Rickie Weeks for long either. J.J. Hardy is one hell of a defensive shortstop and the bat may come as well. He reminds me of Khalil Greene, maybe a little better. I think their biggest glaring hole is the bullpen. Yes, Mike Adams could prove to be a nice closer due to that good fastball/slider combo, but they really have no set-up crew. Jeff Bennett, Matt Wise, Derrick Turnbow, Ricky Bottalico... they're all just bad. Just plain awful. With the pitching staff they have, I don't see them finishing over .500. They may be close and they're going to be a team that no one wants to face with Big Ben going every 5 days. The biggest difference between the '04 Guardians and the '05 Brewers is that the Guardians best young talent was on the field starting in the form of Victor Martinez, Travis Hafner, C.C. Sabathia, Jake Westbrook, Cliff Lee, etc. The Brewers best young talent (Weeks, Fielder, Capellan, Jorge DLR, Brad Nelson, the list goes on and on) still need a few more years, duration of time depending on player.

They have a lot of stud talent on the way up and they're probably going to compete in three or four years. Yes, that's still a long time away, but they'll be interesting to watch. I look at them like the '02 Guardians. They stockpiled young talent and it began to manifest itself at the end of last season. Same could be said for the BrewCrew in 2-3 years.

He's asking for a similar contract to Santana, who wasn't a free agent after this year either, he was in the same class as Sheets ('06) or one after ('07), I can't remember which. Look at his service time. It only adds up to 4 full seasons so far. This will be his 5th, next will be his 6th.

More of the same what? What am I wrong about? The situation is far from resolved yet for either of us to be correct. I'm also not saying that people who disagree with me are ignorant, I'm say you're ignorant because you having nothing to back up what you say. I enjoy a good challenge from someone with facts, data, stories, etc., but it's funny how I never seem to get that from you. You don't know me at all, but hey, whatever. Funny how I've used the words "potential" and "could be capable of" as definitive words in your view. What language do you speak? Good.

At the same point in their careers, they were very similar players. That's all we've said. No one said he's definitely going to be the best shortstop in the game (like Tejada is), but he has the potential. Why overpay for someone on the wrong side of 30? I still think the Varitek contract, while good in the short term, is going to become an albatross by 2008. I was hoping to see Shoppach brought along. Even so, Shoppach is not as good as Hanley is. Oh, and what is the risk of youth? Getting the same production for a fraction of the price. This is also why I've said in this thread, "If Damon hits like 2004, they're going to bring him back." If he reverts to his pre-2004 career average, he's not worth the money he's asking for and likely won't be brought back. You know, you bring up a lot of hypotheticals with no real evidence behind them. You talk about all these imaginary players that never made it in Boston because of the pressure and lack of patience. You talk about all these amazing stud prospects we've had in the system that have been traded away. The fact of the matter is that the system has been stocked with bench players and mop-up bullpen guys for a lot of years. The system is finally coming around and Hanley can be the first real manifestation of that. Remember the $100 million dollar player development machine that Theo was talking about when he was first handed the reigns? You probably don't, but I digress. It wasn't for nothing. This team is committed to restocking the farm to develop younger players, some to help the team directly, others as trade fodder. I'm all for trading prospects if you can get something you need in return, but when a guy with the potential to be a superstar comes around, you don't waste it on bullpen help or a short-term centerfielder. Your ignorance isn't fully allowing your opinion to come out, which can be a very valid one if there was more evidence to back it up. Until I see you some up with something tangible, you really have little basis.

That was an interesting little conversation you put together there, but I'd trust Jim Callis and John Sickels, who have spoken with both Hanley himself and the Sox front office and both parties agree that all maturity issues are gone. Check out Sickels' website (http://www.minorleagueball.com) and look it up or check out the chat Callis did on BA. I think you can tell by now that I don't make things up, but rather quote what others say. We're comparing them at points in their respective careers and I fail to see where I misquoted you. So you don't have a cow, I'll quote every word you say directly. There certainly is more patience elsewhere, which is why I've said on a dozen occasions that, "If Hanley's ready, he'll start". How many have been as good as Hanley since Nomar? None. I'm not fawning. As a matter of fact, I think BA's ranking of Hanley is a bit high at 10 (I was thinking more 20). I am merely stating that if a kid is ready to produce, why not get him into the starting lineup? I'm not saying that we have a team full of 21 year olds.

The kids were better than the stars last night. Marcus, Tony and Al were all very impressive running that quick offense while Paul, Toine and the Glove weren't anywhere near as good.

The maturity issues are behind him. He was a kid trying to adjust to a new country and language at age 18 and 19. I know all of us were idiots at that age, nevermind going to a new country where no one spoke a language you understood. All of that is behind him. Name the last big prospect anyone had that fizzled out because he couldn't handle pressure. If you can do that for me, I'll give you a million dollars. There are always underlying things (plate discipline, physical tools, injury) that cause a player to fizzle out and pressure is none of them. Please, I'd love to agree with you, but you don't have any real examples or prior experience to judge this on. I eagerly await your response.

What do you care to base the anti-Tejada comparison sentiment on? They are similar in lots of ways, from scouting reports to physical size to age relative to level to plate discipline to overall ability they possessed at the same career stage. It's almost uncanny at how similar the two are. Guys that are good in the minors but suck in the majors are one of two things: physical guys who can't control the plate or poor athletes who get exposed when their inferior physical tools (or stuff in the case of a pitcher) is placed up against the best of the best. Hanley knows how to control the plate and he's a superior athlete. He doesn't fit into either of these categories. There's always the potential for him to get hurt, but that's a different issue that can affect anyone. There has never been a player that has sucked in the minors and been good in the majors. Don't even try using Jeff Bagwell because he was incredible at controlling the plate and hit an assload of doubles, showing lots of power potential that manifested itself soon after. As far as that Maroth/Bonderman comparison, it's only valid to a certain extent. Bonderman was jumped all the way from high-A to the majors. He missed the two most pivotal developmental steps and should have reached the majors at the middle of last season, not at the beginning of '03. Big mistake by Detroit. Maroth was just an inferior pitcher on a team that had one of the worst offenses of all-time, compounding the fact that he sucked with zero run support. Yes, that wouldn't been tolerated in a market like Boston, but competent managment would never have allowed it to get to that point. If Hanley plays in Boston, it'll be because he's ready. Nomar was ready; he started. If Hanley hits like he can in AAA this season and Damon does not return, Theo will in all likelihood put the kid in CF.

By the way, sarasox fan, Remy was falling all over himself today to talk about the kind of athlete Hanley is in the field and on the bases. He was a bit late on those fastballs, but they were in the 96 MPH range and most guys would've been late on them. He fought them all off and managed an opposite field double on one of them.

RSR, you really are overplaying the whole young player thing. Nomar was God until the contract stuff came out and he faded at the age of 30. I really don't see where any of this is coming from.

Then we're in a good situation to have. That means that we have a lot of depth with quality players. I don't see Mueller coming back for another year. His knees are shot. Should Pedroia continue to produce, that makes the 2B situation difficult. You have the incumbent Bellhorn, Hanley and Pedroia all battling for the spot. If Damon is brought back, I don't see Hanley returning, unless we unload Renteria on someone else looking to make a splash.

The team around him had more to do with the team's success than Nomar did. Also, his personality just didn't fit. He was never meant to be "The Guy". By all accounts, Hanley flourishes under pressure, like the pressure he faced in the Dominican World Series in which he hit 5 homers in limited at bats for Licey.

You honestly believe that Nomar didn't pan out? If Hanley turns into Nomar, I'd be more than happy. We haven't had any real prospects since Nomar and Trot. The rest, like Sele, Suppan and Rose, were fringe guys. We've had an awful farm system for a long time. I'm not saying we should get rid of veterans for the sake of having younger guys in the lineup. I'm saying that it can prove to be a waste of money to sign these older guys to albatross contracts when there's younger talent that can produce the same type of season for a fraction of the cost. If Damon goes out and hits like 2004, I say keep him. If he reverts to pre-2004 form, it's not worth the money he's going to be asking for.

Roar with laughter? Why, from ignorance? Why don't you look up the stats. As a matter of fact, Hanley holds the advantage over Tejada in the minors. At age 20, Tejada hit .279/.356/.459 with a ~.5 BB/k in high-A. At age 20, Hanley hit .310/.360/.389 in high-A due to injury, recovered and hit .310/.364/.512 in AA with a ~.4 BB/K. What, do you not like the fact that he put up 6 homers last year? If you extrapolate Hanley's healthy AA season over 400 at bats instead of 129, he would've hit 16+. Advantage: Hanley. I'm not saying your thinking, you ego-maniac. I'm saying your type of thinking in other people. My projections are based on stats, scouting reports and prior experience. I'm still trying to figure out the arbitrary measures you judge by. There is nothing definitive in baseball. What is definitive is that all the stats, peripheral or major, point to Hanley having one hell of a season next year. You know what makes him damn good? The fact that he isn't eligible to buy beer yet. He was excellent against guys 3 years his elder. That's an excellent judge of a player with star potential. Look, I am not the only person who thinks this way about Hanley. Both Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus are very high on him and they are much more reputable than you are. As far as him not making the show yet, they have to start somewhere. At age 20, Nomar was in college. At age 20, Tejada was a step behind Hanley. If you actually came back with something tangible instead of laughing like a retard with no evidence to support your statement, I'd have some respect for what you say. Instead, I'll just listen to the thousands of more reputable others who like Hanley.

Sheets isn't a free agent after this season. He's under contract through '06 and he and the Brewers are nearing a multi-year deal similar to what Santana got. I think they'll finalize it after this season, in which he dominates yet again.

Mueller's only played three full seasons in his nine season career and only one (2003) since 2000. His knees are awful. He's just had another surgery on them. There's no way he's a batting champion any longer; he showed it last season and he'll show it again this season. I'll be shocked if he plays more than 120 games on the knees. He's been injury-prone his entire career and he's going to be 34 in 4 days. Youkilis is certainly capable of .280/.360/.440 seasons that Mueller would produce. I see no drop off. Mueller isn't exactly greased lightning on the basepaths either. Don't expect another .304/.380/.477 season out of Johnny. It was clearly his best yet and an outstanding season behind only Ichiro as a leadoff man, but his career average is .287/.351/.431, which is skewed a bit too high due to the season he just had. He's going to be 31 this season and he's going to ask for a huge contract. His speed is on the decline also and he only stole 19 bags last year, after having at least 30 in the last two seasons with us. I'm glad you know so much about Hanley after seeing him in three at bats. That makes me so confident in you. You know why he hit 1 homer in high-A? He had a dislocated shoulder. He hit 5 in AA in 129 AB's when he got healthy. I love how you cherry-pick stats that you'd like to fit your argument. Look, if Hanley sucked, I'd be the first one to say it. He doesn't. He has tremendous athletic ability, he's Baseball America's #10 overall prospect and he was crushing the ball in AA as a 20 year-old in a league full of 22 and 23 year-olds. He's going to split the year between Portland and Pawtucket and continue to hit the tar out of the ball against players who are much older than he is. I don't know why you have such a hatred for young players. It's that kind of backwards attitude that runs a franchise into the ground while attempting to maintain the status quo for too long of an extended period of time. Look at the Seattle Mariners. They steadily got worse from 2001 and everything fell apart in 2004 because they desperately tried to hang on to what wasn't there anymore. Then look at the Atlanta Braves. They got rid of Neagle. They got rid of Avery. They got rid of Glavine. They got rid of Maddux. They're still one of the premier teams in the game by recognizing the young talent they possess, getting it on the field and using veterans to fill in the holes.

I still think Hanley is our 2006 CF. Pedroia will end up at 2B, Youkilis will be Mueller's replacement. We'll go outside the organization for a 1B (Lance Berkman?). Moss isn't a CF now, he's an RF. I've been advocating a position switch, but now that Hanley could be our CF, I see Moss as Trot's replacement. They're very similar players, but with a little more power in Trot's favor and a little more average and OBP out of Moss. Granted, there's still a lot of room for power development out of Moss, who's no slouch in the department at his age, but he's also a prime burnout candidate given his history prior to this season. He's still a damned good prospect (#72 in baseball), but there's always that one-year wonder potential. I see him hitting for a lower average, but with better plate discipline and power between Wilmington and Portland next season. I don't see him being ready for another 2-3 years, despite what I had been saying earlier this offseason. A player to watch out for is Mickey Hall, who was Augusta's RF last season. He has retarded power potential (IsoP of .201) and takes a lot of walks (IsoOBP of .096), but his average was awful last season (.246) and he struck out way too much (134 K's in 403 AB's). If he puts it all together, he could be extrememly good, but he's wicked raw and needs at least 3 more seasons under his belt.