southpaw777

I doubt he lost 3mph over the winter. It doesnt happen like that unless mechanics are different or there an injury. Price has denied the injury and ill take him at his word for now...i think the mchanics that pedey noticed while looking at film for himself might be the key to his loss in velocity....well, at least im really hoping thats it:cool:

Right now Steven Wright for Lars Anderson seems like a steal...

I have one question... Why isnt my avitar that i selected visible? Do I have to reach a certain status or posts? Maybe its just my ipad...no biggie.

He played mostly OF from what I understand. Some SS and only started catching pt as a jr and sr. The Sox saw the value with him as a catch with the bat, but lacked defensivey. No surprise there since catching is the toughest job on the field IMHO.

Wasnt he drafted out of HS in New Mexico?

I like what we have and where were going. We need pitching, not trout. We have a solid OF and with Benintendi rising quickly. Swihart is also taking reps in the OF. If i give up a ton of kids and maybe young roster guys, i only do that kind of deal for a young pitcher like Syndergaard, Sale or someone like that.

Although he has made some nice highlight reel catches, hes also played a few balls off the wall very poorly. I wonder if thats affecting his war on D.

Thanks for the kind words. I like it over here. Good people, good baseball coversation and debates. All respectfully done. Think ill stick around a while

Vasquez is light years ahead of Swihart defensively. Just listen to the pitchers talk about him. Offensively Vaz will be there. Hes got a solid approach at the plate. Hes not going to be a stud with the bat ( not that swihart has been either) but he will not be the automatic out that some here think. Obviously they haveent seen Vaz play enough. Swihart played mostly OF in HS. His value is at its highest as a catcher, but to break the 25 man roster in Boston, Swi will have to look to OF for that chance. We could also realistically see him traded.

Hey Slash!!! Good to see you and a few of the other BDC folks here. I like these for the purpose of seeing if choosing our youth over paying certain vets was worth it. Keeping JBJ is starting to pay off as we can see Ellsbury getting older everyday with his injuries, lack of speed compared to past years, and his punch and judy hitting... I agreed with letting him walk when he left. All he cared about was the $$$...sorry, but when were talking over 100m your decision should be based on where you think will be the best fit, not who has the deepest pockets. As weve seen so many players be unhappy with the team they chose because of $$$...

Timmy jims delivery looks different. Not as wonky as before.

Actually yes, Swiharts main position in HS was OF. He didnt turn catcher full time until he was drafted. He played limited middel infield and pt catcher his junior and senior years. By all reports after about 4-5 games in the OF he looks real good this quickly. Id like to see his offensive numbers come up a bit first before putting him in LF in Boston. Hanny is doing exactly what we need from him. Agree. And i also agree that catching Swi with wright will not help his confidence on D at this point in his young career. Keep him in AAA to get reps in the OF and behind the plate. Use him in a trade if a front line starter comes available.

Hey Kimmi No, no hard feelings at all from me. I just wish things didnt have to go down like it did at BDC. Im just happy to be back as just a Sox/baseball fan posing about the game and team i love

Honestly, besides needing a little pitching depth, right now I think were doing ok. They are seeing how Swihart does in LF. From all reports hes very natural out there. Probably because OF was his main position in HS. They have Benintendi, who should be in Portland any day now. Making a trade involving JBJ now that his bat has woken up some could be a reality. Come to think of it, involving Swihart could be as well seeing that BOTH have someone to step right in, swihart more than JBJ for the time being until Benni is ready... Come the trade deadline or by the end of June im sure we will have a very clear idea of what we need to make a playoff run.

Iggy isnt as good as some here think IMHO. I factor in everything. Attitude is big, and Iggys attidude has been questioned since he came to Boston and since hes left here. His defense is great, albeit too showboaty for me. Dumb errors showing off. He has had leg issues while in Boston as well. Maybe that was a factor in him being traded as well. Xander is a Derek Jeter type IMHO. This kid is a perrenial all star. A leader..His defense is GG calibur, and like Drew was, Xander is sure handed. Something I choose over a show boat. Hes a 300 hitter who should develop 15-20 hr potential. Even if its less, hes one of the best SS in the game right now. The move to trade Iggy showed the team that ownership was in it to win it. They had lots of depth on the left side at the time. No, it didnt "force" anyone to pick up Pablo. It was a choice. Thats just a ridiculous thought. To think that this trade has done any harm to the Sox future is just sour apples that Iggy was even traded. It was a smart baseball move by ownership/FO.

Im just glad that I dont have to moderate anymore. Just moved back to NH. Good to be back home

Hey King!!! and all other BDC alumni howve ya been? I, as well as a few others, got locked out of BDC forums. They contacted us with a long letter stating that they were closing the forums down may 31st, so I stopped posting there over a month ago I think.. I started coming here about a week or so ago and so far have nothing but great things to say about those Ive interacted with. Im headed back to NH for a while so Ill be here on and off for the next couple weeks. looking forward to talking to everyone again.

I have seen nothing but great plays from Shaw...hes going to make a couple errors, but i really dont know what your watching Moon. theres really nothing i can think of that most other 3b would get to that he hasnt. with that said, Im not sure hes the long term solution there. Moncada hasnt played one inning at 3b so lets not pencil him in just yet. I agree that I would give him reps at another position, but lets wait til the kid can get a full pro year under his belt at one position and also get through A Ball first. Benintendi may have the faster track because of his college time. I could see him in Boston in 2017 and moncada maybe in 2018. Panda needs to go one way or another. at this point he has to play some to get any value, so until he goes back to andrews and we can shift him to the 60 day DL hes going to have to take up a valuable roster spot. Ive never been one to complain about the Manager too much, but Farrell has got to go...this guy has made so many questionable in game moves and has mismanaged his roster so badly you would swear hes trying to lose. he was a great pitching Coach, but IMHO is a terrible game Manager. I bet (hope) after DD's "vote of confidence" Farrell is gone sometime soon..

Its normal for a pitchers velocity to go down starting around age 26...theres a good article on it on Fangraphs.com..

Looks like since the "soft one" (softlaw) got banned from the BDC red sox forum for the hundredth time hes going to spew his garbage here. For those of you that dont know, this guy got banned recently for personal attacks, racial and homophobic statements. Hes had a dozen screen names in the last year or 2 over there. Its quite entertaining if you dont take him seriously, but if your able to get under his thin skin you can easily get him to say something that will surely get him banned. Last year it was the same exact routine but instead of Upton it was with Matt Kemp before he signed the extension. As far as J. Upton, Im glad that BC wasnt at all interested in him. Hes been nothing more than erratic and inconsistent since coming to MLB. Besides that, I believe Ben was looking for more character guys, which Upton isnt. Martin Prado is a better character person and besides power numbers, has very comparable numbers to Upton. Delgato is a legit pitching prospect. And dont bother responding to me oh soft one, cause I wont dignify your comments with a reply...silly clown :harhar: