jacksonianmarch

Pedroia is still green and Varitek is an easy out these days.

He looks damn good.

the sox 1-6 will grind pitchers. Their 7-9 will be a nice break from hard ABs.

Seabeach, here is the deal. I am a die hard yankee fan and would rue the day Todd Helton was traded for anything more than a paperweight and a six pack of Natty lite. Helton has the roidy rumors floating around. He has seen a significant drop in power while playing in the best hitters park ever created. His health has been declining and the dreaded mid 30s back injury has set in. His average dropped to the lowest level it had been in yrs. Right now the guy is pretty much good for .300 15HR and a .400OBP. Sound familiar? That is Kevin Youkilis territory. And if you want to have a 34 yr old left handed Kevin Youkilis in Fenway for the next 5 yrs at 90 mil then be my guest. IF, and that is a huge IF, he returns to form, you have a steal. But sometimes you have to call a spade a spade. Helton is a left handed 1b who is losing power as he is aging. Right now he is a high average lefty who takes pitches well but no longer hits the long ball with great frequency. He is not worth being locked up to 39 in the ALE, especially when he wont have the DH to fall into as he gets older. You want him, go get him, and while you are at it, deal some solid players for him. But right now, he is a major gamble that could hinder you from making moves in the future.

like I said. He will be starting this weekend. He is just having his start pushed back.

seabeach, if you want to go off spring training numbers, I have a Benny Agbayani and Enrique Wilson for you, if you will only empty your farm system.

Right now, they are content with Monkeybitch as their 1b. So long as he can outperform a .750OPS he would win the spot. He has power potential. Who knows if he will realize it.

ORS, I am not stupid. I dont think this kid will come in gangbusters and rewrite the record book. He has the tools. He has power. Has a nice left handed stroke, which fits well in Yankee stadium. He has a good eye and K's a ton. Sounds like every yankee in our lineup. If he plays well in AAA this yr, we will see him.

Take the bait? Last yr was mostly a lost yr for Duncan as he started it off with an injury. When he returned healthy, he was on pace to have 30 bombs in a typical 600AB season.

he is going to pitch over the weekend

Dunn didnt show extraordinary power until his final season in the minors.

The kid just turned 22, which is about the age that most kids come out of college at. Last yr he started at AAA but was injured and rebounded nicely in AA with 10 HR in 206AB. The kid has power and last yr after returning to AA, was the first time he really equalized his walks and strikeouts. He is taking a long time, absolutely, but he was drafted right out of high school and to this point has 49HR in 1467AB starting at 18 yrs old. He isnt a can't miss prospect and his injury history is scary, but you can bet that a 22 yr old with a lot of power and just starting to control the zone has a future in the majors. If he starts well in AAA this yr, we may see him by midseason.

that is what I was thinking.

Seabeach, these arent your typial yankees. We dont have George running around trying to field the (as crunch would say) 1997 all star team. I dont want Helton. We have too many inflexible contracts to begin with and Cashman's MO has been flexibility in light of our newly "flush with talent" minor league system. First base is actually being kept warm for Duncan, IMO. Who to this point has had injury problems derail part of his career, but is still only 21-22 and has already smacked 60 minor league bombs. So in short, f*** Helton. You want him, you can have him. Our lineup will be the best in the game (barring injury) with or without him.

that sounds like the most prudent thing to do.

The sox offense was historically good. They slipped from historically good down to the pack.

more fuel for the trolls fire.

as for Hansen and Cox, if you want to see Hansen part deux, bring up Cox right now. Hansen needs to be kept in AAA all yr. He may be something in the future, but the system f***ed him when he was completely rushed and lost 2 yrs of development. He may benefit from a move to the NL.

seabeach, Crunchy doesnt panic. He is stating a fact.

well put.

turn a blind eye all you want kilo. The season will bear it out.