SoxFanForsyth

I did read that Farrell said he would need about 2 weeks to get ramped up for the season. So if he's not taking at bats by the 17th (a week from tomorrow), then I would be concerned about him missing Opening Day. Though I will say that since the Yanks are without Granderson & Tex, I think the Sox, sans Ortiz, can still take 2/3 from them. So I hope they don't rush him back just to get to Opening Day. If he's taking AB's by the 20th or 23rd, and he's back for the Toronto series, it's not going to make much of a difference.

You gotta read the reports after the game. In his previous outing before Tuesday, he threw too many off speed pitches and they told him to throw more fastballs. Well then he went out and threw almost exclusively fastballs on Tuesday. Im not making excuses for him, I'm just giving you the stats of his performance so you can make a better judgement on him.

One thing you have to kind of consider is that Dempster threw all FB or cutters. Farrell said he threw about 15-16 cutters and the rest fastballs, which would mean about 50 fastballs. Said he is trying to really build good arm strength. Dempster is a guy who lives off of his split, so not having that in his arsenal tonight gives a bit of a flawed perspective. Not saying he's going to be a Cy contender but he probably doesn't let up 2 runs if he's using off speed stuff tonight.

And by the way, 1-trick pony? Wtf is that even supposed to mean?

Dude get your panties out of a wad. I'm not sure you've seen him pitch more than me considering I went back and watched old games of him pitching with the Dodgers. And every scout and essentially person who has been at his games, other than a700, has said that this kid is special, his stuff is filthy and electric. He doesn't throw 95, he throws ~97 and touches 100. There's a big difference there. His fastball has averaged about 6.45 inches of run to it over his MLB career, according to Brooks Baseball. David Prices fastball has 7.14 inches of run. His fastball has plenty of movement. He also threw 56% 1st pitch strikes in 2011, when the league average was 59.8%. So, that's what, 4% less than League Average? Which translates to, in a 7 inning start facing 30 hitters, 1 fewer 1st pitch strike per game? It's certainly something that he can improve on, but hell, it's certainly not something I would use to say he won't be successful as a starter. Did you notice his 3.71 ERA, or his 3.85 FIP, or his 3.55 xFIP? As a 22 year old?? It's mind boggling that, with his stuff, you want to put him in the pen.

Gotta use something to time Buch's time between pitches. Thank God he's addressing the tempo of these pitchers. At worst we have a horrible team, but we only have to sit through 3 hour games instead of 3.5-4 hour.

Hanrahan posted a 6.75 ERA in 2011 Spring Training. Then he posted a 1.83 ERA during the season. He may be one of those guys who has to have that adrenaline to be effective. Kind of like Pap, who has allowed 7 earnies on 8 hits in 1.2 IP.

One of the most encouraging things I've heard this spring: Bard strikes out the side in order. Hitting 97 mph.

Napoli (you know, the $5mm player) just went deep again. I believe that's his 3rd HR in 3 games. Meanwhile, Adrian Gonzalez is slugging .235 with 0 HR in Arizona. Not saying Napoli is a better hitter, I'm just sayin....Napoli could destroy Fenway Park and LHP.

Based on what? He's one of the few guys who can sustain upper 90's and even triple digits deep into starts.

Here we go! I'm just pumped that we're close enough to the season to roll this thread out. AL East: Blue Jays: 91-71 Red Sox: 89-73 (WC #1) Rays: 86-76 Yankees: 84-78 - Just because Grandy and Tex are coming back in May doesn't mean they'll perform to their norms in May. Wrists and forearms zap power. Orioles: 79-83 AL Central: Tigers: 94-68 Royals: 88-74 (WC Slot #2) ChiSox: 84-78 Guardians: 81-81 Twins: 70-92 AL West: Angels: 96-66 A's: 86-76 Rangers: 85-77 Mariners: 77-85 Astros: 58-104 NL East: Nationals: 97-65 Braves: 94-68 (WC Slot 1) Phillies: 89-73 Mets: 78-84 Marlins: 72-90 NL Central: Reds: 95-67 Cardinals: 89-73 Brewers: 86-76 Pirates: 82-80 Cubs: 76-86 NL West: Dodgers: 97-65 Giants: 91-71 (WC Slot #2) DBacks: 83-79 Padres: 76-86 Rockies: 73-89 My bold pick of the year is obviously the Royals. I am very intrigued by them this year.

WTF. This is the worst thread ever. Period. JHC. Enough of the damn history talk.

And Hughes (bulging discs), and Pettitte, who hasn't thrown more than 130 innings since 2009, and Youk, who hasn't exactly been a grinder recently. And going with a rookie catching crew that isn't exactly inspiring. Point being: if the Yankees had the Astros roster, a lot of people would pick them to win the division because they're "The Yankees" and that's all the reasoning people need. If the Blue Jays had the current Yankees roster and injury situation, people would be pegging them for a 78-82 win season.

a700 - I think if you would have seen Rubby in either of his other two appearances, you would have come away much more impressed. The fact that every one of the beat writers were blown away by him, including Alex Speier, who is a very knowledgeable guy, makes me think there's something to this kid. Either way, jury is still out on him. I really hope you get to see Allen Webster. I saw him pitch last Saturday against the Twins when I was down there, and the kid has absolutely filthy stuff. He was just dominating. Fastball touching 99, sitting 94-97, change sitting 86-87. Sitting behind the plate, it looked like I was watching him throw a damn whiffle ball, it was moving that much. Same with Buch. His pitches were crazy.

8-10 weeks = 12-14 weeks of little or no production when you consider how slow of a starter Tex is when he's healthy.

Can't wait for a700 to assess today's game haha. The only game where RDLR threw like garbage, and Lester wasn't crazy sharp. Oye.

Can we please start a "Former Presidents and Civil War ********" thread? That way it won't clog up the Spring Training thread.

Please, do tell me how Bernie Williams .971 OPS in 1999 assists in our projections for 2013.

MVP said that if he changes arm angles with the same pitch, it's not a big deal. And if he does, he can throw multiple pitches out of multiple arm slots so long as there isn't one arm slot where he throws one exclusive pitch. Otherwise the hitters will not get an edge.

The fact that the Yankees made the PS in 1998 has zero bearing on 2013. The fact that the Yankees made the PS in 2012 has no bearing on 2013. Especially with the amount of turnover, injuries, and upgrades in the AL East.

This argument is just statistical noise. Just because they had previous success, that has no bearing on 2013 at all whatsoever.

With Tex, Granderson, and ARod out for varying times, not to mention questions on performance once they return (wrists zap power), Youk with a history of a balky hip, Jeter coming off a broken ankle and Mo coming off a torn knee, going with a rookie catcher, and Hughes having a bulging disc, not to mention Nova isn't exactly coming off a stellar year, I can't see this being the Yankees division to lose. Certainly not with the additions and, at least for now, health of the Jays and Sox. And the SP of the Rays, though I peg them as a bottom half team this year, but they always surprise.

Uh oh. @DanBarbarisi: Cashman says hes worried about Teixeira - shut down for minimum two weeks - but Cash says Tex felt "pop", and that hes very concerned Tex had a wrist/forearm injury. I thought it was just a strain until I heard that he felt a pop. That's very bad.

I would think that Lavarnway would DH if Ortiz was out. But Ortiz ran the bases today, so that's a good sign in the right direction. He said that his achilles is actually fine, just some calcification that is giving him some issues, which should wear down as he gets into his routine, and shouldn't be an issue. We'll see. If Ortiz is back in games by the end of this week, he'll be all set for OD.

Cherrington has his little minions behind him and they look like the biggest douchebags ever. All wearing the exact same thing. They look like they're trying to be FBI agents.