moonslav59

Brock on the Big Stage

Seems like we are losing many greats in a short time.

MLB.com reports: 1. Kumar Rocker, RHP, Vanderbilt Rocker was ranked No. 23 on our Draft Top 200 in 2018 as a Georgia prepster with a ton of arm strength. There were command issues and that, along with a strong commitment to Vandy, pushed him to the 38th round. A dominant freshman year and strong start to his sophomore year, with the same high octane fastball-slider combination but with better command, makes him the clear choice atop this list. 2. Jack Leiter, RHP, Vanderbilt No. 33 on the 2019 Draft Top 200 as a New Jersey prepster with an advanced feel to pitch, Al’s kid was taken in the 20th round by the Yankees last year, but everyone knew he was headed to Vandy. He pitched in just four games before the shutdown, but quickly vaulted to the top of the 2021 list as a Draft-eligible sophomore with a fastball that averaged around 92 mph and touched 96, to go along with good feel for a curve, slider and changeup. 3. Brady House, 3B/RHP, Winder-Barrow HS (Ga.) Depending on who you talk to, House is either a power-hitting future third baseman or a right-handed pitching prospect with a ton of arm strength. At the plate, he has 60-grade raw power with good feel to hit. House plays shortstop now but will likely need to slide over at the next level. On the mound, the Tennessee recruit has a 92-95 mph fastball with a good changeup and decent breaking ball. 4. Jud Fabian, OF, Florida Fabian had a very strong Cape Cod League last summer as an 18-year-old (he enrolled at Florida a year early) and it carried over into a strong start to his 2020 campaign. He makes a ton of hard contact and the power started showing up on the Cape; that continued this spring, with more to come. He has good speed and should be able to play center long-term. 5. Christian Little, RHP, Christian Brothers HS (Mo.) Little, who is one of many top high school players at this week’s Perfect Game National Showcase, is a super-athletic and projectable right-hander committed to Vanderbilt. He has an exciting three-pitch mix with a lively fastball up to 94 mph, a solid breaking ball with good depth and a very good feel for a changeup. 6. Braylon Bishop, OF, Arkansas HS (Ark.) The Arkansas commit might be the most athletic and toolsy player in the class and will show off those tools at PG National. The center fielder has incredible speed that will work on both sides of the ball. Bishop has outstanding bat speed from the left side of the plate with the ability to impact the ball and the potential to grow into excellent power. 7. Matt McLain, SS/OF, UCLA In 2018, McLain was ranked No. 54 on our Draft Top 200 and was taken at the end of the first round by the D-backs, but he opted to head to UCLA. After an All-Star turn in the Cape Cod League, his bat seemed to take a big step forward this spring. He’s always had a knack for making contact, but it was louder this year, with more extra-base thump, to go along with his plus speed and the potential for him to play up the middle somewhere defensively. 8. Luke Leto, SS/RHP, Portage Central HS (Mich.) The LSU recruit will get the chance to show off at the plate and on the mound at PG National and might be the best high schooler from Michigan since Drew Henson created buzz back in the 1990s. He’s a left-handed hitter with the ability to drive the ball to all fields. His speed and athleticism make him a threat on the basepaths and he has the actions to stick at shortstop. He also has a low-90s fastball with a good hard breaking ball on the mound. 9. Adrian Del Castillo, C, Miami Del Castillo snuck into the back end of our Top 200 in 2018, at No. 198, as a Miami area prepster with a strong commitment to attend his hometown school. Since he joined the Hurricanes, he’s done nothing but hit from the left side -- for average and power and with more walks than strikeouts. Whether he can stick behind the plate remains to be seen, but he’s also shown he can capably handle an outfield corner. 10. Tyree Reed, OF, American Canyon HS (Calif.) This Northern California standout is committed to attend Oregon State should the 2021 Draft not work out. The left-handed hitter has long limbs and a projectable frame, one that should continue to add strength and allow him to grow into even more power with excellent bat speed. Reed runs well and is a threat on the basepaths while also showing the ability to play center field long-term. 11. Izaac Pacheco, SS/3B, Friendswood HS (Tex.) Another PG National participant, Pacheco has long stood out because of the damage he can do from the left side of the plate. There’s a ton of present, and even more future, power with excellent bat speed. He has smooth and athletic actions defensively, with plenty of arm, giving him the chance to play short. If the Texas A&M recruit outgrows shortstop, he could be an outstanding fit at third base with the offensive profile to match. 12. Alex Binelas, 3B, Louisville The Wisconsin high school ranks produced first-rounder Jarred Kelenic in 2018, but it also included Binelas, who was a 35th-round pick of the Nationals before heading to Louisville. He put up excellent power numbers as a freshman, though he played in just two games this spring because of a hand injury. The pop from the left side is legit; whether he shows it off as a third baseman, where he’s played almost exclusively at Louisville, remains to be seen. 13. Marcelo Mayer, SS, Eastlake HS (Calif.) This Southern Cal commit is the best player in the San Diego area for 2021 and the top prep prospect in all of Southern California. He has a pretty left-handed swing and makes a ton of hard contact, with power to come. The 6-foot-3 infielder has all the tools to play shortstop long-term, with good actions and hands to go along with a strong arm. 14. Gunnar Hoglund, RHP, Ole Miss Ranked No. 66 on our 2018 Draft Top 200, Hoglund was selected in Competitive Balance Round A by the Pirates that June as a bit of a pop-up guy from the Florida high school ranks. He scuffled as a freshman, but was dominant out of the gate as a sophomore, with a fastball that touches the mid-90s with very good breaking stuff and a changeup that has improved. 15. Jaden Hill, RHP, LSU Tall and athletic, Hill was No. 78 on our Draft Top 200 in 2018 as a high schooler who was a two-sport star and was drafted by the Cardinals in the 38th round before heading to LSU. Based on pure stuff and upside, he belongs higher on this list, with a low-90s fastball, an outstanding changeup and an improving slider. But he was shut down with an elbow strain in his freshman year and while he was dominant this spring, it was in a relief role and he’ll have to show he’s healthy to move up boards in 2021. 16. Ian Moller, C, Wahlert HS (Iowa) The history of high schoolers from Iowa doing well in the Draft is sparse, but Moller is hoping to buck that trend. The LSU recruit who will be at PG National is a strong and powerful backstop who has shown the ability to barrel up the baseball against good competition, with pop to all fields. He also had good catch and throw skills, showing athleticism behind the plate and a quick release. 17. Colton Cowser, OF, Sam Houston State Cowser hails from a slightly smaller program and conference than many other college players on this list, but jumped on the map with a big freshman season at Sam Houston State, then performed well for the U.S. Collegiate National Team last summer. He has a knack for barreling up the baseball; how much power he shows next year could impact his Draft stock. 18. Sal Frelick, OF, Boston College Frelick played multiple sports as a high schooler in Massachusetts and went undrafted in high school. He had a huge freshman season at Boston College, showing the ability to make consistent contact with an advanced approach from the left side of the plate that has led to him drawing more walks than strikeouts so far in his career. He has plus speed and has already shown a knack for stealing bases. 19. Jordan Lawlar, SS, Jesuit Prep HS (Texas) Committed to Vanderbilt, Lawlar is also currently at PG National showing off his tools. He’s a premium athlete who has every chance to stay up the middle at shortstop. He has good first-step quickness and enough arm to play the premium position. He can really run and has shown power potential and a solid approach from the right side of the plate. 20. Ethan Wilson, OF, South Alabama Wilson was an under-the-radar high school player who was a multi-sport standout in Alabama and went undrafted before heading to South Alabama. He served notice that he’ll be worth tracking for the 2021 Draft when he hit 17 homers as a freshman. He has legitimate power from the left side of the plate and fits best in an outfield corner.

Promising. Between him and Wong we might actually have a catcher for the future.

It's worst bottom of the roster I've seen since pre-Duquette. There's over 25 players on our 40 man roster I couldn't care less about. Listed by 40 man roster seniority: Pedey Lin Walden (said all along we should tarde him while his stock was high) Brasier Brewer Weber Chatham Hart Wilson Aybar Arauz Peraza Mazza Plawecki Brice Springs Hall Covey Godely Stock Triggs Pivetta Leyer Kickman Grullon 4-7 Marginals: JBJ (due to being a FA after 2020) Barnes (FA after 2021) Eovaldi (Contract and injury drags) Chavis (was never high on him) Taylor, Munoz, Valdez, Dalbec (time will tell) The only 10 I really care about are, and some may bolt after 2021: Devers Verdugo Bogey ERod Perez JD D Hernandez Sale Beni Valdez? Dalbec?

Just look at Judge's deformed head! I rest my case. LOL!

The worst part about that, is that the deal could probably have been made without adding him. All in all, though, not many of these deals look bad. The Thornburg deal sucked due to injury, and Espinoza has been hurt, so that deal does not look bad. I wish we had Allen, Buttrey and Dubon, but none of them would have made us a winner, this year. The Peacre & Eovaldi trades were a big part of the 2018 championship season. The Nunez and Ziegler trades worked well for us but did not really contribute to a ring. (One could argue the Sale & Kimbrel deals were not essential to the 2018 ring, either.)

It is a sad state of affairs. Usually, when teams are in this boat, they have a few arms on the farm that illicit some sort of excitement upon opening up an opportunity for one or two to shine. We've had 6-9 openings, at any given time this year, for anyone and everyone to show they can shine. Nobody has, except maybe Valdez for a while. We've gone through 26 pitchers in 40 games. Here they are: IP Pitcher ERA 42 Perez 4.07 (the only one of two with respectable numbers on the team) 34 Eovaldi 4.98 33 Weber 5.45 29 Godley 8.16 26 Brewer 5.61 23 Valdez 3.18 (the other one) 18 Brice 6.38 17 Brasier 4.32 16 Barnes 4.50 16 Osich 5.74 (traded) 15 Springs 7.36 12 Mazza 6.00 11 Hart 15.55 11 Walden 10.13 10 Hembree 5.59 (traded) 8 Stock 5.87 7 Taylor 9.82 7 Workman 4.05 (traded) 6 Hall 19.89 6 Covey 7.11 6 Triggs 6.00 5 Kickham 4.50 4 Hernandez 0.00 3 Leyer 13.50 0.2 Plawecki 0.00 0.1 Peraza 27.00 Of the 22 pitchers with 5 or more IP, only one pitcher is under 4.05 (Valdez). Workman, at 4.05 is gone. Perez is at 4.07 and 19 have an ERA over 4.32 (Brasier). 18 are over 4.50 (Barnes) 17 are over 4.98 (Eovaldi) 14 of the top IP 19 pitcher still on the team have an ERA above 5.40! Throw out Plawecki, and of the 22 pitchers who have pitched for the Sox, this year, and are still on the team, 16 have an ERA over 5.40. 15 are over 5.45 (Weber) and 14 are over 5.61 (Barsier). On a 12 man staff, that means we have 7 open slots for a try-out. Too bad, we have nobody to give try-outs to.

Well, my first sentence did not say anything about me expecting Sale, ERod and Eovaldi to come up large. I just said "if they do" I expect us to be over .500. I realize that's a big if. I think we may trade Eovaldi and JD next summer.

I think most would take $30M x 10, unless they were young and had faith in their health.

I have listed the major transactions by DD in the past, but I don't save that sort of stuff. In theory, if Bloom does everything he did in TB, but is able to keep a few stars and sign some others, one would think we could do more than just compete like TB does almost every year. Here's a list of all the prospects DD traded and their highest ranking on soxprospects.com top 20 list: 1 Yoan Moncada (Sale) 1 Blake Swihart (bonus pool money) 3 Manuel Margot (Kimbrel) 3 Anderson Espinoza (Pomeranz) 5 Michael Kopech (Sale) 5 Jalen Beeks (Eovaldi) 5 Devon Marrero (Josh Taylor) 6 Javier Guerra (Kimbrel) 7 Luis Basabe (Sale) 9 Mauricio Dubon (w T Shaw & Pennington for Thorburg) 11 Shaun Anderson (w Santos for Nunez) 13 Logan Allen (Kimbrel) 15 Santiago Espinol (Pearce) 17 Ty Buttrey (w 17 Jerez for Kinsler) 18 Luis Basabe (w Almonte for Ziegler) 18 Callahan ( w 20 Gerson Bautista & 20 Nogosek Addison Reed) 20 Carlos Asuaje (Kimbrel) The sheer number of once top prospects is staggering, despite many deals being good or very good ones.

Maybe all the years of secret PED usage is taking its toll.

I loved the Sale deal, as everyone knows. I liked the Thornburg and Smith deals. I thought we gave too much for Kimbrel, but he was the best available, as was Price as a FA. (I wish DD did not "throw in" Allen.) I did not like the Pom trade and a few other more minor deals, but when you want to make sure you win a ring, overkill is usually needed.

if it was a one for one deal with no money going either way, I'd have done it. (I might have even thrown in $2-3M a year or Chatham.) Odor's lux tax hit is $8.25M x 2, but his actual pay is $12.33M x 2, so the money works well for us, in terms of taxes, and Texas only pays $5M more to get Eovaldi.

How many times can a team blame injuries for all their continued woes? Building a team of almost all injury-prone players is on the GM. If it happens every few years, that's one thing, but this has become as predictable as the sunrise and sunset.

Yes, they do. I think part of it is the merciless Boston media that demands reasons for every action taken. The Tito parting was hurtful, and fans demanded answers. Tito had lost control of the team. As great as he was, it can happen, and it did. The team could have kept everything quiet, and in many ways, that would have been the classy thing to do. We have not always placed being classy as a top priority. I agree. In baseball, it seems like everybody seems to try to save face, even if it means tearing down decent people. It's sad, but it seems like the nature of the business.

Ben left a better foundation than anyone else, and Duquette left Theo a very nice foundation. Theo left Ben with enough to cobble together a ring while rebuilding the farm for DD. DD left Bloom with bare cupboards and bloated contracts of aging stars. Yes, Bloom was handed Betts, JD, Bogey, Devers and a couple promising prospects, but that was about it.

Dan Duquette left Theo a good foundation. Theo, not so good, but not really bad, either- certainly better than DD left Bloom. Ben left DD a fantastic base to work with. To me, what DD left Bloom is way worse than any GM has left his replacement since before Duquette.

That's a big "if," and you are also counting 2019 as not being "destroyed." Sure, we had a good team, on paper, and injuries doomed us, but we sucked, and that's on DD a lot more than this year's team should be "on Bloom." I doubt we are a top contender in 2021. If Bloom works some magic, we can be, but it looks, to me, like 3 bad year in a row. (2019-2021). Being the worst or second worst team in MLB is the "cliff"many of us saw coming, and many others denied could or would happen. To me, it is most certainly "on DD." Like I said, I'm not bashing DD for what he did. I was onboard for most of his moves, and he was only making sure we ended up being good enough to win a ring. Kimmie and others think he went overboard, and I don't necessarily disagree, but in baseball, nothing is a sure bet, so overkill wins rings. The price of that "overkill"is being paid for now. I'm okay with that. That 2018 season was very special. What a great team! Yes, it sucks going through a cliff, but to me, it's worth it. I have faith in Bloom to rebuild us, quickly. Maybe he will meet the same fate as Ben and be dumped before his plan is completed, and we'll hire another DD type to get us over the hump, once the farm is strong, again. (I hope not, but rings are rings.)

I said "not likely a top contender." I'm not writing off 2021, but I'm also not going to set my expectations on us being top contenders a year after being one of baseball's worst teams. If Bloom gets $70-90M to spend this winter, and that is not a given, yes, we could be a top 4-8 team, but virtually every signing would have to work, and Sale, ERod and Eovaldi (or at least 2 of them) would have to shine in 2021. I'm thinking 2022 is more realistic and by going for broke in 2021, we may actually do harm to our chances in 2022 and beyond. My plan would be to try really hard to get 2-4 players, this winter, that will carry us from 2022 and beyond. The rest of the money can be spent on 1-2 year deals to fill gaps and make us respectable in 2021. If everything works out, we could compete in 2021, if not, we have fresh spending space after 2021, with the 1 year deals expiring and Pedey & others' deals coming off the books. Trying to load up on 4-8 of the best FAs, this winter, which normally means longer term deals may put our longer term chances at risk, if too many are busts.

I thought the state of this team being more DD's fault than Bloom's needed to be stated. I had my issues with DD, but we won a ring, and I'm glad he was our GM for that reason, despite the fallout. I don't see it as political. I support every Sox GM, until they earn my criticism. Also, being critical does not mean I hate the guy or want him removed. I hated seeing Theo go but it seemed like it just "had to be." I hated seeing Ben go before his "plan" had a chance to come to fruition. I thought DD had to go, due to the situation we were in and the type of GM needed to rebuild. I'm a "Bloom supporter," but really, I don't know much about him, except his rep as GM that can find cheap gems in the rough and build winners with low budgets. He seemed like the type of guy we needed. As for giving him "a pass," I'm not sure that's what many of us have done. We expected a down year, due to where DD left us and the reset priority given to Bloom. I will say, I had hoped we'd have already seen some Bloom "gems" discovered already, and maybe he has found some in Valdez, Munoz & Perez, but the vast majority of his acquisitions have not worked out. Given the budget he had to work with, I'm not ready to pounce all over him for not working a miracle overnight. If that's giving him a pass, I'm guilty as charged. Assuming he's given a higher budget to work with this winter and next year, I expect a vast improvement in 2021. I'm not expecting a top 6 or 8 team, but maybe a top 8-12 and then top 4-8 in 2022. I'll be right there with criticism, if his moves fail, but I just don't see all that much to criticize, this year. He took a few shots in the dark and failed (Peraza, paying JBJ that much, all the pitching moves except Perez...), but expecting miracles with very little spending room is not realistic. I'm glad we got DD. I'm not sure Ben would have gotten us a ring, but I'm also not going to sugar coat what he did to get us that ring. I knew the cliff was coming, and I was okay with it, because of 2018. We are paying the price of 2018, now. I don't blame Bloom for that at all.

I expect us to be over .500 next year, and if things go well with Sale, ERod and Eovaldi we could be in the playoffs. I expect a highly competitive team by 2022. I'd also like to add that the DD supporters were quick to deny the coming of "the cliff." It's here, and it ain't Bloom's fault.

Good but not likely a top contender. That's why every signing beyond one year should be geared towards being highly competitive by 2022 or 2023. A few one year deals may help us be good for 2021, but we should look to make 2-3 key acquisitions geared towards the long term. The fate of ERod, Sale and Eovaldi will be a big factor in 2021.

If we have $70M to spend (keeping us under the limit) or $90M (keeping us under the 2nd tax line), we could spend the money this way: $22-28M SP $12-14M SP $10-12M Closer $6-8M RP'er $6-8M SP $6-8M CF $6-8M 2B $6-8M 1B $6M bench This assuming we don't trade away any salary (like Eovaldi), but there is room to spend and build a good team by 2021.

To me, our top priorities are as such (in order of importance): 1. SP (Solid #1 or 2 type, but we may wait a year on getting an ace) 2. SP (Solid #2 or 3 type- a must if #1 is put off a year) 3. Closer 4. Solid set up RP'er 5. CF (defensive) 6. 2B 7. 1B 8. RP 9. SP depth (#3, if #1 is put off a year) 10. OF depth