jacksonianmarch

Beckett: Culteral Learnings of Boston for Make No Benefit Glorious Nation of Redsoxistan

That's the funny thing, though. These are the exact same dimensions as the old Yankee Stadium

One guy who has really been buried in this system has re-emerged at the right time. Zoilo Almonte, the 23 yr old switch hitter out of the Dominican has quietly been very, very good. Slash line of .284/.326/.517 with 20HR and 15SBs. He's a solid corner OFer with a good arm and plus speed in RF who is starting to really put the power into his game. His regression in the walk department is a little concerning, and likely caps his ceiling in NY as a platoon OFer (he mashes as a lefty, he sucks as a righty...900OPS lefty, .600OPS righty). But if he can grow his pitch selection as he grows, he might be something more. He should be in AAA when the yr ends and will likely be an option next yr, especially if Andruw moves on after the season

We all know someone is taking Hughes deep tonight. My only hope is that it is a solo shot

He hit it out to left field. LOL. A 360 foot shot down the left field line is a homer everywhere

positively Swishalishious

Hughes has had two consecutive rough outings after dominating for 2 months. Time to get back on track in the Bronx!

The 38 year old virgin written by Ben Cherington

Hang me, bang me; The Josh Beckett story

Popped Cherries: A GM's guide to f***ing up your first season

From a guy just jettisoned off the island

Bobby V on WEEI tried not to fan the flames, but he definitely didnt toe the company line. He agreed that he was brought in to change the culture and he agreed that he was being neutered in doing so (which was pretty funny that he agreed to that when the question was 'Do you think you are being neutered in your capacity to change the culture in Boston'). He acknowledged that the meeting took place, but the owners talked to him first then had him leave, then talked to the players. He also said something about some of the players not liking the media attention in Boston, not like that is changing. And when asked if he liked the way his relationship with the owners and management group, he said it could use some "fine tuning." Ordway was trying to goat him into saying more by playing the good cop, but he wouldnt go any further. They did have a good point. Why is V going through this? He's going down, the writing is on the wall, this isnt working. He's on his last baseball gig, he might as well speak his mind and protect his legacy

I've told you why. You sell high on a guy who will not continue to pitch at this insane level and also has durability issues.

Really? It is stupid to think that you could get a bona fide ace if you move Buchholz this offseason? Would it be stupid for the sox to get a guy like Felix Hernandez or Josh Johnson for Buchholz? You think I am saying for the sox to deal him for nothing. You trade guys when they are at their peak, and Buch is reaching it.

Yes, it's the NY media. None of the Boston media have any dirt that they are airing at all /sarcasm. OPEN YOUR EYES!

It is good to see nobody actually wants to dispute what I said. Because actual intellectual arguments are wasteful, let's just proclaim unilateral hatred for all things Yankees and move on. Good job.

And the point is, you cannot deal garbage and get gold in return. It seems the sox dont move players when their value is high, they only deal players when their value is at rock bottom. This would be one of those bold moves. I am not saying to move him for prospects. I am saying you can move him for a bona fide ace

You guys really cannot actually think past my allegiance, now can you. Oh well. The point is, you could potentially deal Buchholz while his value is high for a player who is more durable and more likely to sustain their success. Buchholz is a guy who has performed about where his metrics say he should this yr, while the prior two seasons, he has significantly outperformed them. They eventually catch up. Right now, he is pitching like an ace, but he also has durabilty concerns. You could move him plus some other pieces for a guy who pitches to his metrics and is durable.

And I think he could be your centerpiece to do it. I wonder if Philadelphia would move Lee for him

I am putting this out here as more of an interesting thing to look at vs an actual outright recommendation. But let's take a close look at the man they call Clay. In 2010, Clay put up a 3.8WAR and a 3.61FIP en route to winning 17 games. But, he threw only 173IP after missing 4-5 starts with a hamstring issue. In 2011, Clay had a 1.1WAR in 82.2IP with a 4.28FIP. He missed 20 starts with a spinal fracture In 2012, Clay has a 1.4WAR and a 4.44FIP in 131.2IP after missing 3 starts with esophagitis. Now, nobody can say that Clay hasnt been awesome since his return from his esophageal issue. But nobody would claim that Clay is an iron man either and you really cannot be certain that Clay wont post similar numbers to this season on the whole. His 2010 was pretty lucky, in that his ERA was 1.71 runs lower than his xFIP. Last yr, his ERA was .75 runs lower than his xFIP and this yr, he is only 0.2 lower. Even with his amazingly bad start and his amazingly good run of late, the low 4ERA pitcher he is on the whole seems to be who he really is. But, if he finishes the yr on this tear and sees his ERA drop into the mid 3's, might they get more value in return for him than they are getting out of his production. I was wrong in an earlier post on Clay's contract. He's signed through 2015 with 2 option yrs. But he gets pricey in 2015 when his contract jumps from 7.7 mil to 12 mil. Then in 2016, his AAV jumps from 6 mil to 13 mil as they would have to pick up his option. So, he wont exactly be a bargain after 2014. But, he would be a steal for 2013 and 2014. The sox could use those extra years and his recent performance to get an actual durable innings eater in a deal.

yeah, me too. I get enough of them to move on and do something else. The server move sounds like a good idea

Buchholz has ace stuff, nobody would really dispute that this second. He didnt have ace stuff in April, nobody would dispute that either. He's also missed a ton of time over the last 3 seasons with various ailments, 2 of which could rear their heads in the future (esophagitis and spinal fracture). An ace is not just the best pitcher on your staff. It is a pitcher who you'd feel comfortable throwing up against any other team's best pitcher for 32 starts a year. The sox had that in Lester, but starting around September last yr, you lost that. Buchholz can hold that title now, but he cannot stay healthy and is on pace once again to not crack the 200IP mark, which shows his major lack of durability. I think the sox might be at a crossroads with him. If Buch finishes the yr on a tear, might they be better off selling high before another malady takes a big part of his season? Remember, he's been in the bigs for awhile, so it's not like he's under team control for another 5 yrs here. I think he's under control for another 2

The funny thing is, the sox have a team who wants Aviles in Oakland, but apparently the sox asking price is sky high. For what?

And I know a few anal surgeons and they are kinda into it. In med school I scrubbed in on a rectal surgery and immediately knew that that was not what I wanted to do.