moonslav59

One site had Mondesi out until May.

Sounds about right. Probably one or two from Bonaci, Pauilino and Lugo will shine, this summer. Does Drohan have hopes?

One last try as a starter - not as a pitcher, and he may very well get more tries to start. I'm just saying I've been against jerking him around, but think starting him off in the rotation makes sense, now.

Feel Good Story.

A pretty common occurrence with many players and GMs, every winter, right? Next year's Rule 5 List: (with SP's ranking, if top 60) Rivaldo Avila Angel Bastardo #42 Brock Bell Bradley Blalock Royman Blanco Brainer Bonaci #16 Zach Bryant Maceo Campbell Allan Castro #44 Brendan Cellucci Felix Cepeda Juan Chacon #52 Casey Cobb Nathanael Cruz Osvaldo De La Rosa Luis De La Rosa Nick Decker Kelvin Diaz Jordan DiValerio Shane Drohan #22 Juan Daniel Encarnacion #43 Alex Erro Albert Feliz Durbin Feltman Ryan Fernandez #27 Ryan Fitzgerald #54 Grant Gambrell Jhon Garcia Jhostynxon Garcia Wikelman Gonzalez #12 Bryan Gonzalez Devlin Granberg Alexis Hernandez Graham Hoffman Gabriel Jackson Joe Jacques Lyonell James Gilberto Jimenez Christian Koss #33 Robert Kwiatkowski Chih-Jung Liu Eduardo Lopez #50 Blake Loubier Bryan Lucas Matthew Lugo #14 Naysbel Marcano Elih Marrero Yorberto Mejicano Jose Mendez Ryan Miller Henry Morales Henry Nunez Yusniel Padron-Artiles Eddinson Paulino #11 Luis Perales #10 Railin Perez Jose Ramirez Oscar Rangel Jorge Rodriguez Ronald Rosario Cesar Ruiz Johnfrank Salazar #37 Stephen Scott #40 Cody Scroggins Reidis Sena Chase Shugart #57 Karson Simas Nick Sogard Cesar Soto Dylan Spacke Joey Stock Luis Talavera Nate Tellier Freddy Valdez Michael Valera Brian Van Belle Eduardo Vaughan Diego Viloria Jeremy Wu-Yelland Alex Zapete Ryan Zeferjahn #58

Only when full.

I was thinking, maybe his sharp drop in effectiveness was due to some minor injury that was never mentioned or even noticed. He could also have just gotten tired.

I do agree, players with lower K rates in the minors have a better chance at sticking around. I like Casas' chances.

I like this trend.

He really dropped off, last year, after a nice start. Maybe he need to be moved to the pen, soon. Maybe he had a minor injury.

Schreiber and others may go 2 IP, from time to time, as well.

Agreed. Casas has a much better chance of sticking around than Bobby Dee ever had. Again, I'm just saying the sample size is too small to know much. His ST'ing is looking real good. I'm pumped on this kid.

I was pretty excited about the BB rate, too, and he showed the power he is known for, too (35 HRs per 650.) I'm just pointing out the sample size it too low. (Bobby Dee had 92 PAs and a .959 OPS in 2020.)

In today's game, that's not all that rare. Also, with 13 man staffs, and assuming we have 2-3 long RP'ers on the 26 (Crawford, Wink & maybe Mata), maybe it will be okay.

11. Eddison Paulino Physical Description: Undersized and skinny at present. Solid athlete with good hand-eye coordination. Frame has room to support added strength, but will never be overly physical. Hit: Swing mechanics work. Contact-oriented swing with a level bat path. Average bat speed at present and good bat control. Covers the plate well and has a decent approach for his age. Does not miss much in zone, but will expand, especially against secondary pitches. Advanced bat control leads him to make a lot of weak contact on pitches that he struggles to drive. Shows substantial platoon splits already. Potential average hit tool against right-handed pitchers and below-average against left-handers. Power: Average raw power. Has sneaky power for his size and could add more as he matures. Needs to drive the ball in the air more and improve quality of contact. Future power potential is dependent on how he physically develops. Run: Average speed. Will steal a few bases, but not a major part of his game. Field: Footwork and hands are average. Looks most comfortable at second base right now, but has also played shortstop and third base. Not a standout defender, but will not hurt you either. Potential average defender at second base or third base. Could play shortstop in a pinch, but unlikely to stick there long-term. Began to play some outfield in 2022 to add versatility as well as to create more playing opportunities in crowded Salem infield. Arm: Average arm strength. Career Notes: Signed on his 16th birthday at the open of the 2018 international signing period. Received a mid-sized bonus. Participated in the 2021 Fall Performance Program. Summary: Potential up-and-down platoon bat. Ceiling of a solid utility player who adds value at the plate and with his position versatility. Hit tool projects best, but all his tools could end up in the 45-55 range. Well-rounded player with solid makeup and work ethic. Has shown the ability to make consistent, hard contact at a young age. 10. Luis Perales Physical Description: Medium, athletic frame. Has a good amount of projection left and should add strength as he matures. Mechanics: Throws from a high three-quarters arm slot from the middle of the rubber. Steps backwards toward first base before a medium-to-high leg kick prior to delivery. Finishes off-balance towards first base, with a pronounced post-delivery right leg kick up. Quick arm with short arm action. Moderate arm effort. Solid control for his age. Fastball: 95-98 mph. Tops out at 99 mph. Pitch shows good carry. Command and control need work. Potential plus-to-better offering. Curveball: 84-86 mph. Advanced for his age. Good feel for spin. Gets over the pitch and can snap it off. Can locate in the zone or out of the zone looking for swinging strikes. Potential plus offering. Changeup: 87-90. Inconsistent, but will flash bat-missing ability with the ability to pull the string on it with late fading action. Potential above-average offering. Career Notes: Was not a highly-touted amateur prospect out of Venezuela. Began to show much higher promise after signing, particularly in the Tricky League in the summer of 2019. Emerged quickly as a prospect to follow. Was limited to one game due to injuries in 2021. Organization then heavily monitored his workload in 2022, limiting him to three innings per start. Still broke out and rose quickly into the SoxProspects top 20 by the end of the season. Earned a promotion to Salem following the end of the 2022 FCL season. Was set to participate in the 2022 Fall Performance Program that was cancelled due to Hurricane Ian. Summary: Potential major league starter. Ceiling of a number two starter. Wide variance arm with a high-ceiling and low-floor. Has shown among the best raw stuff of any arm in the system and was identified by scouts as the top pitching prospect in the Florida Complex League in 2022. Will flash two plus pitches and three at least above-average pitches. All have shown bat-missing ability. Next step in his development is finding consistency with his delivery and showing he can handle a full season workload.

Single Season IP Leaders since 1973 (last 50 years): 359 Wood '73 344 G Perry '73 343 P Niekro '79 334 P Niekro '78 333 N Ryan '74 330 P Niekro '77 328 F Jenkins '74 328 C Hunter '75 326 N Ryan '73 325 Blyleven '73 323 Palmer '75 322 G Perry '74 322 Messersmith '75 320 Wood '74 The only Sox player on the over 300 list since 1973: Luis Tiant 311.1 in 1974. The only pitcher with 300+ after 1979: Steve Carlton in 1980 with 304. Pitchers pitched 300 or more 29 times since 1973- all from 1973-1980. 290+ IP (55 times)- the latest? Blylebven with 294 in 1985. 280+ IP (81 times)- latest: Clemes with 282 in 1987 & Charlie Hough with 285 in the same year. 270+ IP (124 times)- latest: 1999 Randy Johnson 272 IP 260+ IP (206 times)- 2003 Halladay w 266 IP and Schilling 259 in 2002 250+ IP (319 times)- latest: Verlander w 251 IP in 2011 & Halladay in 2010 with 250.2. 240+ (462 times)- latest: Price w 248 in 2014, Cueto w 244 in '14

Tanner Houck strikes out four in campaign for Red Sox 2023 rotation WWW.MLB.COM NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Tanner Houck has been a lot of things since he came to the Red Sox as a first-round Draft pick in 2017. A starter. A reliever. A starter. A bulk reliever. A closer. He’s proved his worth in versatility and willingness to do whatever the club I've always felt Houck's skill set is better suited for the pen, but maybe giving him one last try for winning and keeping a rotation slot is not a bad idea. It might make him shy away from pushing for a rotation slot, in the future, if he does not do well, this spring. It might work, and having a solid SP is usually more important than having a solid RP'er. I hate the constant jerking around of guys like Houck and Whitlock, so I know this sounds contradictory to my previous posts, but maybe this will work out well. I do hope that if they send him back to the pen, he stays in a very defined pen role, the rest of the season- no matter what.

Can it be as simple as "They are just throwing harder and or 'spinning' the ball more, now?"

I really like Casas and think he's going to have a very nice season, but his most eye-popping stat line for 2022 was the 95 PAs. That number is way too small to know much of anything.

Prospects & Recently Graduated Prospects Who May See Action in 2023: 6 Post Prospects: Duran Crawford Winckowski Bello Wong Ort 8-10 Played in 2023 or Is Likely to Play in 2023 (w SP rankings): 2. Casas 4. Rafaela 6. Mata 8. Walter 13. Murphy 17. EValdez 23. Kelly 26. Hamilton 27. RFernandez 41. Broadway 48. OMosqueda 54. RFitzgerald 1-4 Long Shots/Late Season Call-Ups/2024: 1. Mayer 5. Yorke 14. Lugo 24. Abreu 33. Koss 35. Binelas 38. RHern 40. SScott 57. CShugart 60. VSantos We could see 15-20 or these guys, at some point, this season. Over half the constant number of the 26 man roster and maybe half the 40. (We may see over 35 players at the ML level and 50 on the 40 man roster over the course of the 2023 season.)

Not much surprising.

13. Chris Murphy Mechanics: Throws from a three-quarters arm slot, starting on the third base side of the rubber. Takes two small steps before a medium leg kick. Drives towards the plate with a big stride and gets good extension. Left leg kicks up on follow-through. Can tend to fall off towards third base post-delivery. Quick, compact arm action. Slight arm hook with some effort behind. Does not consistently finish delivery and can lose release point at times. Fastball: 90-93 mph. Tops out at 96 mph. Below-average command and control profile. Potential average Changeup: Potential above-average Curveball: Potential average Slider: Potential below-average Career Notes: Not drafted out of high school, but was recruited by several top Division-I colleges in California. Played for Brewster in the Cape Cod League in 2018, struggling with control issues. Had a fairly impressive junior season at San Diego despite walking more than 6 batters per 9 innings. Pitching crosschecker Chris Mears strongly advocated for the Red Sox to select Murphy in the 2019 Draft. Cut down on walks dramatically after signing, reportedly due to minor mechanical tweaks. Participated in the Fall Instructional League in 2019 and 2020. Posted extreme splits in 2021, dominating left-handed hitters (.401 OPS, 0 HR) but getting hit very hard by right-handers (.914 OPS, 21 HR), but this did not carry forward into 2022. Participated in the Fall Performance Program in 2021. Participated in 2022 Winter Warm-Up. Added to the 40-man roster in November 2022 to protect him from selection in the Rule 5 Draft. Participated in 2023 Rookie Development Program. Summary: Potential multi-inning relief arm. Ceiling of a back-end starter. Lacks a standout pitch, but has three averageish pitches and a fourth that can be effective when used on occasion. Needs to improve consistency with secondary pitches and command to allow him to work deeper into games and develop into a consistent starter. Chances of starting are better now than in the past now that he has shown he can consistently get right-handed hitters out, something he really struggled with coming into 2022. Showed inconsistent ability to miss bats in 2022 and will need to show more consistency there if he is to stick as a starter. 12. Wikelman Gonzalez: Mechanics: Throws from a three-quarters arm slot. Has streamlined delivery over the course of the 2022 season. Does not use a wind-up. Loose, quick arm. Rotational delivery. Medium leg kick. Stiff arm action with a stab behind. Inconsistent release point. Does not stay closed consistently and falls off hard to the first base side. Fastball: 93-96 mph. Tops out at 97 mph. Live arm. Will come out 95-96 mph, then settle in at 93-94 mph, topping out at 95 mph. Potential plus offering with refined command. Changeup: 86-89 mph. Deceptive arm speed. Flashes late, splitter-like drop where it falls off the table. Potential above-average offering. Curveball: 77-80 mph. Long, 11-to-5 break. Potential above-average offering. Slider: Potential average offering. Career Notes: Opening Day starter in the DSL in 2019. Participated in the Fall Instructional League in 2019 and 2020. Had a breakout 2021 season with a strong showing in the FCL and in Low-A, jumping from the back end of the SoxProspects rankings into the top 15 by season's end. Participated in the Fall Performance Program in 2021. Name was misspelled "Wilkelman" from his signing until April 2022 due to its pronunciation. Summary: Potential swingman capable of starting or providing length out of the bullpen. Ceiling of a mid-rotation starter. Wide-range of outcomes due to lack of consistency and where he is in the development process. Potential for three above-average-to-better pitches, but a long way to go to get there and must significantly improve command and control to reach his ceiling. Still learning how to pitch, but is not as raw as some comparable arms age-wise in the system. Has simplified his delivery, which had a lot of moving parts, which should make it easier for him to keep his arm in sync with the rest of his body. If command does not improve, that, along with his size and delivery, could push him to a short relief bullpen role.

Fun looking spring.

Here is an interesting rundown on league leading IP pitchers. 300+, 275+, 250+, 225+, 200+ 1920: 10, 18, 35, 56 1930: 0, 6, 14, 39 1940: 2, 8, 25, 31 1950: 2, 6, 26, 39 1960: 0, 3, 14, 33 1970: 4, 11, 27, 56 1980: 1, 7, 17, 56 1990: 0, 1, 17, 42 2000: 0, 1, 13, 37 2010: 0, 1, 7, 45 2022: 0, 0, 1, 8

Baltimore had 3 over 250. KC and Oak had 2. 17 pitchers went over 250 IP. 20 over 240 IP. 27 over 230 IP. 47 over 210 IP. 56 over 200 IP. BAL had 4 pitchers over 224 IP (top 31 in MLB.)