jacksonianmarch

His WHIP was 1.56 in that game, not to nitpick. But he did what he usually does. He got a ton of strikeouts and avoided the big hit. I expect that he'll eventually allow less and less hits. But this is round #1 of the young season. These pitchers have not found their peak yet. Gotta give em time.

yeah, no

Its 3 games in ladies and gents. When did I become the voice of reason?

Back to the topic at hand. I would never make inferences on the first game of the yr. The only thing I will say about DiceK is what I always say about him. He puts too many runners on base to repeat a sub 3ERA. It just wont happen. Eventually, those flyouts to the track will eek over the fence and his runs allowed will skyrocket. He lives on the edge every single start and today he got burned. But I dont think you should be down on him. Even if he gets burned a few times, his stuff is good enough to turn a 1.4 WHIP into a 4 something ERA and still be useful. One thing the sox should have done awhile ago, though, is change his approach. Take the opportunity of a shakeoff out of DiceK's hands. Force him to throw the 3-1 fastball, make him throw junk when ahead 0-2 and make him be more conventional. With his stuff and his depth of his repertoire, he could be dangerous if his approach were to change

I would say that is your under over for being banned. I would take the under

The offense sure is coming along well without ARod. 21 runs in 3 games aint too bad. This is gonna be a good yr if we can score, cause the pitching will come around. Good to see Burnett throwing smoke and essentially handling the O's all game long. And I bet it was refreshing for him to be pulled in the 6th with a big lead. Toronto's mgr last yr would leave him out there in those situations

Right now its because our pitchers couldnt locate. Sabathia couldnt keep his fastball down and Wang couldnt keep his sinker down. As much as I was concerned about the offense, 10 runs in 2 games isnt all that bad. It will correct itself. Sabathia will eventually go back to his pinpoint control ways and Wang will eventually get the sinker to the lower half. Regardless, Burnett and Pettitte were our two best ST pitchers, so maybe they'll locate tonight and tomorrow.

so if that is the case, how fast was he throwing? I know the YES and ESPN guns can be off significantly at times. Last yr, there was a game where YES had Ian Kennedy sitting 94 and another game where Wang was sitting 86. So I know their guns can and usually are off. Also, we all know ESPN has the same issues. If the pitch fx you are touting truly does take 60 pics per second then that would technically be the most accurate.

last yr the same questions were arising. Command off, velocity down. Its April. He was throwing beebees in Florida. It was a cool, damp day and it was game #1.

Well, the offense was playing well. Good to see Matsui and Posada back. CC didnt have it. And the pen was off too. Nobody seemed to have any type of control today. Baltimore pitchers included. It will improve

until he buzzed you with a 97mph heater

Meh. He is a notoriously slow starter

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090405&content_id=4132810&vkey=news_tor&fext=.jsp&c_id=tor&partnerId=rss_tor

Also... Career WHIPs of some well known sinkerballers Wang- 1.29 Webb- 1.24 Carmona- 1.40 Lowe- 1.27 Westbrook- 1.38 Cook- 1.44 Its a given that pitchers who induce groundballs will invariably give up more hits. This is because popups and flyballs have the least chance of any type of batted ball of falling in for a hit. Liners and grounders have the best chance of leading to a hit. But then again, you probably already knew that huh skippy.

I havent moved one bit ORS. Penny will be a liability on the sox by yrs end. And do you honestly think that you can calculate how good a pitcher would be in the ALE from NL West numbers? I dont think you can. You are touting a standard rate of exchange of ERAs from NL to AL, but that doesnt take into account a lot of variables like the quality of pitching in the AL and learning the batters which would blow your argument to bits. I am surprised he gained his velocity, but the ability to sustain it will be the toughest test.

No, because I dont think Joba will have enough innings to get one vote for CY. Remember, he's ticketed for 150IP or thereabouts. Most CY's have been innings eaters as well as dominant. Also, I think Joba will be solid, but not spectacular this yr. His velocity has been down by design this spring and I think he's gonna be building endurance up to the 95-97 range. But to start the yr, he'll be throwing low 90s. My prediction for Joba this yr is 12-8 4.10ERA and 160IP

Lars Anderson is a good 1b, so I think he'll take 1b and Youkilis will swing over to 3b full time come 2011.

Lets look at that 2007 season. As we know, W/L is not the best way to tell how good a pitcher was and ERA can be misleading. So, yes, Brad Penny had a phenomenal W/L record and ERA in 2007, but here's a breakdown First of all, he was in the NL West. A division that doesnt face the DH and a division that was weaker offensively than the other 2 in the NL. Second, Brad Penny's WHIP was 1.31. Not bad, but not great either. You would expect a WHIP in the 1.31 range if you were talking about a sinkerballer, you know, the groundballs do find holes, but the GIDPs make up for it. Well, Penny was right at 1 for 2007 and sits in the 0.9 GO/AO range for his career. So he isnt a sinkerballer. Third, lets look at what made up that WHIP. His BAA was .260 in 2007, which was the lowest he had in LA and the second lowest in his career to his injury shortened 2004. That makes you think he was pretty lucky. Also, he walked 3.2 batters per 9, which is pretty good. Fourth, lets look at his power. In 2007, he struck out 135 batters in 208IP. That comes out to a K/9IP of 5.8, which was the lowest of his career until 2008 struck. Fifth, lets look at luck. His opponent's BABIP, which people seem to use on hitters should also be applicable to pitchers right? In 2007, his BABIP was .260. While the rest of his time in LA, it was .275. Meaning, he was a bit luckier in 2007 than he had been in LA. So overall, I will agree that Penny had a good 2007. He had some good luck. But I think the NL West poses a different offensive dilemma than does the AL East. And coming off a shoulder injury, who knows if he can even get back to that level of performance. Also, how good or bad would 2007 have been if he were pitching in Fenway vs lineups that included Longoria, ARod, Teixeira, Wells, Markakis, etc 76 times a season (19*4) and then having to face lineups with DHs instead of the easy out pitcher?

I should have titled the last one about Nunez and Pena, cause that other one was just touting how strong they were in ST. Granted, their track records are less than impressive and leave a lot of cause for concern

There is a reason why teams havent banged the door down for Carter. And for the record, I think he's a solid offensive player and would love to have him on my team. In terms of his offensive accomplishments, some try to diminish them based upon the stadium he was playing in prior to coming to the sox. But thats dumb. He's hit for average and power on every level and was arguably the sox best hitter in ST. But the defensive side of the ball is where he detracts significantly. He's a butcher at 1b. He's slow and a pretty bad ball tracker in LF. But the guy can hit. And with Papi being older, injured and potentially on his way out after 2010, Carter might be the perfect replacement.

First off, let me say that I know there is a life after Jeter thread. This was mainly to point out the strides our two SS prospects closest to the bigs were making. This is more of a general, who will take over for Jeter topic. So lets start with the current SS. Derek Jeter is signed through 2010, or for two more seasons. He turns 35 in June, so he'll be 36 when his contract concludes. And his contracts end will signify the end of his hold on the SS position. So, in a place that hasnt known any other SS since 1995, who will step into the shoes of possibly the most revered yankee since Mickey Mantle? As with everything yankee, we should look OUTSIDE the farm when it comes to a marquee position. So, here are a few trade targets/FA targets we may be keeping tabs on who are actually useful to be keeping tabs on. Looking at the ALE, Lugo, Izturis, Bartlett, and Marco Scutaro are all dime a dozen guys at this point, so no future DJ replacements here. And we know that Lowrie isnt going anywhere, especially in a trade to NY In the AL Central, Alexei Ramirez will have finished 3 yrs of service time by 2011 and he'll be 30. So likely wont be a target unless the White Sox are crazy. Jhonny Peralta will be done with his base contract by 2010 and will only be 28 yrs old. But the Guardians hold a 7 mil option for 2011 and it looks like they'd be crazy not to exercise it. Mike Aviles (played against him btw) just finished his rookie campaign, so he's going nowhere. And Adam Everett is useless to us when we already have a no hit all glove rookie. In the AL West, the Angels dont have any prospective SS's worth keeping an eye on. The Rangers just moved Young off SS for good reason and will be introducing a new kid to the block in Andrus. The Mariners have Betancourt, who is another all glove limited bat player that we could replicate internally. And the A's have Cabrera, who will be 36 by the time 2011 rolls around. In the NL East, there are some options. Jimmy Rollins' contract ends after 2010, but he also has an affordable option for 2011. After 2011, he'll be 33, so he might be at the tail end of his defensive effectiveness and might not be a good idea. Then there's the golden child, Hanley Ramirez. He just signed a 6 yr extension meaning he wont be a FA until 2014. Add to that the fact that he'll be 27 and he'll be desireable. But the Marlins are opening a new stadium in 2 yrs and having Hanley as the face of the franchise was the point of the contract, so I dont see him leaving unless there is massive overpayment in trade. Jose Reyes will be with the Mets through 2010 with an option for 2011. I have a hard time thinking he'd leave for the Yankees, especially with Mets money being thrown in his face. In Atlanta, Yunel Escobar will be in his second arb yr, so he might be available for the right price. But he isnt a FA until after 2012. In Washington, Christian Guzman will have finished up his 2 yr deal after 2010, but he'll be 33 and isnt really known as a great defender right now anyway. Also, his lack of walks and his significantly diminished speed game limits his offensive prowess anyway. On to the NL Central. The Cubs have Theriot, who isnt much to write home about aside from his solid OBP, but he's under Cub control through 2012. Tejada will be a FA after this yr, but his defense has gone south significantly and right now he isnt even as good as Jeter offensively, so he isnt worth it at all. Then it brings us to the most likely candidate, JJ Hardy. Hardy will be 28 and will be a FA after the 2010 season. Perfect storm for a SS whose defensive standing is mediocre at best, but whose offensive standing at SS puts him in the top 5 at the position. Plus, with Alcides Escobar in the wings, Hardy may come available sooner rather than later via trade. We'll have to see where he ends up. The rest of the central is garbage right now with Jack Wilson and Khalil Greene rounding out the tons of talent but complete flop department. And finally, the last division the NL West. The DBacks have Drew, who will be a FA after 2012, but the DBacks are in some serious financial dire straits and may be persuaded to deal him off during his arb yrs. The Rox locked up Tulo for a LONG time, so he isnt an option. Furcal will be a FA after 2011, but he'll be 34 and would likely not be long for the SS position. The Padres have slop at SS and the Giants have ERent who I want nowhere near NY. So to sum it up, the only worthwhile avenue for SS after 2010 is JJ Hardy. But he'll likely be dealt. I could say that the realistic possibilities in terms of signing or trading include Steven Drew, JJ Hardy, and Jhonny Peralta. Drew and Peralta mostly because their markets arent strong and both may be budget fire sale casualties and Hardy due to FA and the viable replacement in Escobar. The outside possibilities to keep an eye on are Tulowitzki and Hanley since they are big names, but they would require an insane amount of talent in return. In terms of the on the farm options, the only way I see those working exclusively are if they just absolutely take off and force themselves into a spot or if one is pressed into service due to an IF injury and they perform well. These include only a few prospects IMO. Starting with Nunez. He's the 5 tool guy who has pretty much sucked for 2.5 yrs before finding it again halfway through last yr in A+ ball and then lighting it up in ST. He'll begin in AA this yr and if he reaches his lofty ceiling, he could be a very solid option. But he has a bad track record and he'd need more than just streaky showings in ST to be counted upon to replace DJ at SS. Ramiro Pena is a great glove, no hit SS who scouts are starting to see an improvement on the offensive side. He is another guy with an awful past few seasons in terms of the bat and he'd also need to prove either in the MLB this yr or in AAA the next 1-2 yrs that his bat can maintain the level he set during this ST. Then you reach the lower levels. We just drafted Garrison Lassiter, who is a highly talented HS kid offensively, but he's too tall and slow to be a MLB SS. Carmen Angelini has all the talent in the world, but took a big hit stock wise last yr when he was jumped to long season as a HS kid and just didnt handle it well at all. And then there is Jose Mojica, once considered the biggest prize of the 2007 INTL FA signee class before he was found to be about a yr and a half older than his stated age. He is also coming off ACL surgery, so who knows what he will bring. Regardless, the internal options are far from polished and the external options will be few. We know the yankees wont hesitate to spend the money, but is there a chance that they cannot land a marquee SS and need to replace DJ with subpar SS's? I'd rue the day.

I like what I see out of our biggest FA acquisitions also. Sabathia has not only been pretty solid in the spring, but he has taken a leadership role with Chamberlain and the other young guns. Everyone says he's a fantastic teammate as well. And Tex comes in with a lot of expectations, then gets more heaped on with ARod being out and he finishes with the best AVG, HR, and RBI total in the spring as well as two homers in yankee stadium on the last day. This team is firing without the distraction that is ARod. Lets see how we do when he gets back. If the team is able to avoid the circus, they could be really good. I have a very good feeling about this team. And on AJ, if he is healthy, he is filthy. He is untouchable.

Fenway will have the draw to the people who have never been to Fenway before. Those who watch games on a regular basis would love to have a new stadium.

The yankees pitching has been stellar this spring. Our starting 5 have all been pretty close to on their game right up to the start of the season. Maybe, just maybe, we'll start out winning this yr