jacksonianmarch

Who'd a thunk that after 3 full innings, 11 runs would be scored?

Tex is a better played overall and got less money from the biggest money threat in the game. Who did Philly think they were gonna lose him to?

Beckett looks like Vazquez. No velocity, no breaking ball, no chance

quoted for accuracy

Wow. Beckett has nothing

So, his one hit has vaulted him over a guy who has proven to be at least an average regular and an above average platoon player?

Thames has hit 20+ homers a few times in his MLB career. McDonald has done nothing in the bigs

If Gardner and Grandy were injured, Winn would be in CF and Thames in LF.

wow.

You're gonna find out. He hasnt been a full time catcher, so they are gonna see what they have once they get him into EST.

He isnt any more expendable after the draft than he was before it. Pierre Paul is a development pick, he wont make a meaningful contribution in 2010 barring some crazy breakout. Osi will be a starter in their scheme with Kiwanuka as the hybrid and Tuck taking some of his snaps as an interior lineman

they should dominate this team, especially since it is a lefty on the hill. This might be the most lefty friendly sox team in awhile with Lowell, Beltre et al

Lets break down that run scoring potential here.... Red Sox have scored 82 runs through 19 games. That is an average of 4.32 per game. That average is 21st in all of baseball. Now, the sox faced 2 cupcakes (KC and BAL) and 1 team with no pitching whatsoever. In those games, the sox scored 51 runs in 9 games. That is an average of 5.67 runs per game Against the three teams who should be contending this yr (NYY, MIN, TB ) they scored 27 runs in 10 games. That is an average of 2.7 per game. I am sorry, but the offense is just as much to blame, as they cannot hit any sort of thing close to good pitching. In those 10 games noted above, the sox lost 8 of them. That should tell you something. If they went .500 in those games, they'd be 11-8. Their offense let them down. In terms of their pitching, the sox are 22nd in baseball in ERA. They are tied for 8th in UER at 9. That should improve as their big 3 are being led around by Wake and Buch. But the offense is where it is at. If they continue to totally lie down against the good teams, then you have no chance

I read a few articles on him by some of the cuban writers. He's stocky, 5'9" 200lbs and predominantly plays 3b and OF. But looks like a catcher and can play there well enough to sign a 4.5 mil deal. That seems to be his destination. As a hitter, he seems to be more of a solid contact hitter, as he has hit .340 or higher for 2 straight yrs in the Cuban league. Not much power, but solid contact skills. Should be an intriguing guy to watch.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2010/04/red-sox-sign-cuban-catcher-ibarra.html Dont know much about him, will do some research

Another week has passed, so another update! AAA Jesus Montero cooled off this past week, and his line has dropped to an unimpressive .237/.308/.407. Eduardo Nunez continues to just pound the ball. His .385/.459/.523 line is best on the team, but the most impressive thing continues to be his plate discipline. 8 walks and only 4Ks in 17 games is really good. Colin Curtis rode a hot week to a solid overall line. Now, his line sits at .315/.422/.426. His patience is definitely a plus aspect, but the power has still yet to come (0HRs, 6 doubles). Juan Miranda also cooled off this week. He's now hitting an even .250 with an OPS in the mid .700s. Ivan Nova continues to flat out dominate. His last start, 6.1IP 1ER 7K continues the trend of Nova allowing fewer hits and striking out more batters. The only concern is his location, as he has walked 7 batters in his last 2 starts Zach McAllister had a rough start last time out, allowing 6ER and 10 hits in 6.1IP. Overall, his ERA sits at 4.50 and he still maintains a rather solid 2.5K/BB ratio and a pretty good 1.31WHIP despite the poor outing. Mark Melancon had an uncharacteeristic week in terms of location, but still carries a nice 2.03ERA and 1.28WHIP around with him. He might need a bit more seasoning, though, to drop his runners per inning a bit. AA This team has shown a bit of an awakening on the offensive end this past week. Austin Romine is up to .296/.367/.407, although he is still looking for his first AA homer. But the improvement in approach, with 4 walks in his past 5 games, shows some improvement Brandon Laird has woken up too. He leads the team with 3 homers and 14RBI. His 6 walks are also a pleasant surprise for someone who usually doesnt take many pitches. David Adams continues to dominate. He is now hitting .344 with a team leading .978OPS. He has walked 7 times, hit 2 homers, and has 7 doubles. Damon Sublett has cooled a bit. His BA is coming up, but he had a week with minimal power or OBP. His OPS is down to .810 On the pitching side, Jeremy Bleich had another good start, 5IP, 4H, 2ER, 2BB, 2K. The diminished walks is a good sign for a pitcher who has shown a propensity to allow them this season DJ Mitchell has now strung 2 good starts together, allowing only 10 baserunners in 11IP over the span. His biggest problem continues to be location, as he has now walked 9 in 14IP. Wilkin de la Rosa got touched up this past week. 3.1IP 3ER 7H and 3BB. He might need a bit more seasoning in AA than I initially thought After a 10 day sabbatical due to rain, David Phelps threw 6 innings of shutout ball in his last start. He now has 13Ks in 11.2IP with only 1 walk and 7 hits. His improvement in stuff from 08 to 09 seems to have stayed around A+ This lineup started picking it up a bit. Corban Joseph has started to turn it on. He walked 3 times this past week, homered, and had 3 doubles to bring his OPS over .800 Abraham Almonte has continued to slump. He's still walking, but he is hitting for no power at all. His OPS has now slipped under .700 SS prospect Jose Pirela has picked it up a bit after a dismal start. He has a 5 game hitting streak and has a poor, but improving OPS in the mid .600 range Bradley Suttle had a rough 2 weeks. But he had a strong last one. He had a 7 game hitting streak snapped last night. In that time he had 2 doubles and a homer to bring his OPS to the low .600 range. Not good at all, but much better than low .500s. On the pitching side, much better stuff Adam Warren dominated again last night. He has now allowed only 3ER in 23.1IP, striking out 16 and has a WHIP under 1 Hector Noesi had a doozy of a start last time out. 4IP 9ER 10H is not a good way to start the week. After 3 dominating performances, that one line has completely distorted his line Pat Venditte continues to dominate. He had a great week, 5IP 4H 5K and no walks or runs as he continues to be the sideshow that gets everyone out. It might be time for Trenton for this kid Onto the bad. Nobody has said anything about Brackman's injury, but he is still on the DL Jairo Heredia continues to get abused. His last start, he allowed 10 baserunners and 6 runs in 3IP. His shoulder may be more injured than he let on. Regardless, he might need some extended ST time to recoup whatever value he had. Something isnt right A Very interesting level. The 3 best offensive prospects tools-wise are absolutely sucking it hard. Kyle Higashioka is hitting .200. Jimmy Paredes is also hitting .200. And Garrison Lassiter is hitting under .100. But they do have a few guys who are pounding the ball, starting with 3 college draftees from a yr ago. Robert Lyerly has his BA up to .288 to go along with a near .400OBP Luke Murton leads the team in homers (3) and is second in RBIs at 9. His near .500SLG is the drive for his .800+OPS The best of them all seems to be DeAngelo Mack. He may only have a .263BA, but his .391OBP and .491SLG is good for his team leading OPS. His 12 walks and 10 RBI lead the team Onto the pitchers Graham Stoneburner. Remember this name. He is dominating this level. 25IP 19H 6ER 30K 6BB. He throws a dynamite mid 90s sinker and a power slider. He is just too much for this level Sean Black had his first good start last time out, lasting 7.1IP allowing only 2ER on 4 hits. But the interesting thing with him is his lack of K's. He's big, he has a hard fastball and a great curve. But he has only struck out 10 batter in 21.1IP. Kelvin Perez continues to be lights out nasty. ERA of 1.37, 18K in 19IP and 15 baserunners allowed in 19.2IP. He might be the first to get promoted due to his age, but he certainly deserves it And last but certainly not lease, Jose Ramirez continues to dominate. In his last start, he went 7IP of 1ER ball allowing only 5 hits. He has now struck out 20 in 17.1IP and has allowed only 19 baserunners. He just turned 20, so they will probably take it slow with him, but he looks really good.

how did I miss that, LOLOL

I wanted Middlebrooks when the sox got him. He has worlds of talent and could have been a pretty good pitching prospect as well. Some guys you just have to wait for.

Absolutely, not even a question. And, the sox could have solace in the fact that they can get the first rounder and the supp if they let him walk

Objectivity is understanding that things changed last yr. The Yankees are classically a second half team. A hot start from them spells doom for most anyone around. Plus, they got immensely better by all accounts in 2009 with their acquisitions. It was a matter of time. The sox are classically a first half team and their acquisitions coming into this yr may or may not have improved them, and on paper probably did not on the whole. Sometimes, your team just isnt that good.

It isnt the jerseys that are the problem, but the guys wearing them

The sox would need to give up a lot for Dunn. He'll be a Type A, so they are gonna need to pay more than the equivalent of a 1st rounder and a supp

The whole point is to teach you kid fastball command and the utility of a straight change. By learning how to run the pitch in on a lefty or a righty, you essentially become a complete pitcher. Anyone can learn a curveball or a slider. They arent too hard and IMO are easier to locate as a get me over than most other pitches, including a fastball at times. You also need big hands to throw a knucklecurve.