mvp 78

We had one in Theo, but they let him leave...

Vlad is going to go for the record with the new TOR dimensions.

You didn't have Hamilton OR Song highlighted! Swing and a miss!

What did Cinderella have to do with Halloween?

Ward's stuff was down in the AFL and there was an injury that forced him to leave the AFL early. WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Thaddeus Ward will remember his Nationals spring training debut for the scoreless inning he posted, for the changeup he misfired to the backstop and for the news he got afterward: He might need to change his delivery, because his current one might qualify as a balk. Ward, the top pick in December’s Rule 5 draft, pitched a scoreless bottom of the fifth against the Cardinals, though it included a walk and a wild pitch that came nowhere close to the plate. But the most notable development of his appearance might have been the news he got after he returned to the dugout about his delivery. When pitching from the stretch, Ward brings his hands together at the waist for a split-second, then does it again before coming to a complete stop. It was no problem for him last year in the minor leagues with the Red Sox, but Major League Baseball is cracking down on those kinds of moves this year. “They came up to me after the inning ended and told me about it, that the umpires were discussing it,” the right-hander said. Ward said he began incorporating that double move when he was recovering from Tommy John surgery. It helped remind him to use his legs more, pushing off the rubber. It’s become a subconscious part of his mechanics. The pertinent question is: Does Ward come to a complete stop, then reset his hands before coming to another stop pre-pitch? That would be a balk. He and the Nationals think he never truly comes to a full stop on the first set, so the club called the league after the game to inquire. “They don’t think, because he never comes to a complete stop when he does it, they don’t think it’s a balk,” manager Davey Martinez said. “But they want to make sure they see it, and then they’ll get back to us. If there’s nothing wrong that he’s doing, we don’t want him to change. But we definitely have to tell him, just in case he has to get rid of it.” Ward insists it’s not a big deal if he has to make the change. “If I don’t ever stop when I go down into that squat, then I’m not coming set twice,” he said. “However, that’s not something I want to deal with. I don’t want there to even be a chance to get called for a balk on it, ’cause that’s just a dumb balk. It’s probably going to be something I have to get rid of. It’s not that big an adjustment. I’m not going to be losing sleep over it.”

Williamson was good that postseason, but he was clearly due to become a pumpkin at some point.

Bloom treads water ok with the media and the knives are out for him. Henry is dead weight.

Xander was making really good contact and it made sense to rocket him through the org. The Braves do it for their top prospects. At the end of 2013, it was really just supposed to be a cup of coffee, but the Sox had a really weak left side of the IF and the issue was forced. Clearly, Xander didn't have a great 2014 and probably could have used a little more seasoning. He only had an 822 OPS in AAA in 60 games. He wasn't banging the door down. MLB wRC+ 2013 85 2014 81 2015 111

https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1630210278238371842 Max Scherzer is now calling his own pitches using PitchCom.

That's fine. You don't have to be. You can let the other psychos here worry about it.

Henry didn't want to lose the $$$ coming into the ballpark or the tv revenue or the long shot at playoff revenue. I think Bloom would have taken the chance at dealing JD and getting under the CBT. Henry doesn't want to spend. Werner does want to spend. We need to see which dynamic plays out. They are trying to keep Henry out of the spotlight and away from the public because he's good at making himself look at little foolish and can be brash. His email interview responses last week were poorly thought out. The looking at the watch gimmick from winter fest was stupid. Henry's personality is the reason that Sam Kennedy has a job. Kennedy is basically the shield between Henry looking like a buffoon and the rest of the media and the public at large. Henry no longer sits in the seats with the public, but now is up in the luxury box. He's insulated/isolated for a reason. Sox are very cognizant of PR and Henry is BAD for PR.

Reading this very thread back in November shows, notin, moon and I all saying that Ward should be added to the 40 man so that he doesn't get picked. Nobody else really contributes to the conversation.

And on 10/27, this is what I wrote:

This is what I wrote the day after the final 40 man was announced for the Rule 5 protections. I did NOT mention Song. That is correct. I don't remember anyone else around here mentioning him either.

Wrong about Ward. Correct about Song.

I think it's all according to plan. Not Bloom's plan though. I think he's Henry's patsy. Bloom will take the fall for now. If the Sox continue to suck, he'll get fired and Henry will bring in another "system" guy. We won't see another DD type.

I think 03 needed a bullpen.

No, because while some people keep banging on the "last place" stuff, they really could have been (or should have been) so much worse. They were merely mediocre. They were boring. Pedestrian! Middle of the pack! The were basically an expensive version of the Twins.

My position was in response to this idea:

This team was so dreadful that they are getting the 14th pick in the draft. They are mediocre, not inept.

He is an extremely unique profile for sure. That's the main reason it's such a big topic of conversation.

It's not head scratching. It's a low risk move. It costs Philly almost nothing. There's no harm in going for the shot in the dark. It worked out for them.

Wikelman and Paulino actually played at HIGHER levels than Song did.

No, I'm saying that he should have at least considered the ramifications of leaving Song open to being drafted. If he just absent mindedly forgot about Song and then was shocked that he was drafted, it makes him look like a dumbass... Sorry that the world isn't black and white?

How many players like him are serving in the military? IDK.