moonslav59

It would take a chunk of money to get ATL to listen. Getting Murphy back would be great, but that seems like a pipe dream. The worry would happen, if Mayer gets hurt, but I suppose we could call up Anthony and then play Rafaela at SS, again. Mayer replacing Bregman at 3B, after 2025 looks like the best shot for Mayer, barring an injury

I could go tiny sample size, like some do: 6Ks in 4IP, today. All is fine! 🤪

We might see Perales, some.

How quickly the moods can shift.

Gotta hold on, here.

ROY?

I agree with this. Last spring, based on Houcks numbers after 50-75 pitches, I was arguing he should be in the pen. Now, I agree, he should be a starter. I hope he finds the groove and is better conditioned to go 180 IP. I think he can do better than 4.23. I'd project closer to 4.00 than 4.25, and might bet on closer to 3.75 than 4.25.

No excuse is needed for such a tiny sample size.

Yes, his previous IP high was 119 IP back in 2018 in the minors. He never reached the conditioning of 170-180 IP, before, and maybe was not ready in 2024 for that much. I'm not disagreeing with you. I'm just saying, we cannot be certain his late season decline was due to not being conditioned to pitch that much. It looks like it was a factor, to me, but he has dealt with injuries and back issues, so maybe it was that, as well.

I can see why you left off the first 16 starts of his career ('20-'21,) since it does not fit your narrative, but you make a good point. I would argue some of those years he was being jerked back and forth and or was recovering from some minor or major injury. While the 4.23 ERA is higher than all but the 2023 sample size, it is pretty close to who he has been as a starter since 2022. That is significant. I would not be surprised if he ends up at 4.25-4.50 in 2025, but I think he pitches better than those numbers, when healthy. Just my opinion. His career numbers matter, too.

I do think he started wearing down, but I'm not sure that was the whole issue. Houck has been around a long time. He's been moved from pen to rotation and has had several different injuries, including major back issues. The guy has some nasty stuff, when healthy. He joined professional ball in 2017 and pitched 119 innings in 2018 at age 22. He never reached that amount again, until 2024. From 23-24, he was only used as a SP'er. He was 26-27 for those years. He missed some time in '23 and had some pretty bad numbers, but he still managed a 3.83 ERA over those two years, combined, thanks mostly to his half season start to 2024. I get that. If you combine 2023 with the second half od 2024, he is certainly a mid-rotation guy, by the numbers. Even if you throw out 2023, his second half 2024 is mid-rotation material. I agree. I think he can be and is better than that, but that assume good health. I think he should be 3.50 to 3.90 for the next 2-3 years of his peak prime years. To me, that is #2 material and maybe #1 for 10-15 teams.

But, it didn't "dip back" to his previous level, which was when he was pre-prime and being moved all over the place while dealing with several injuries, over the years. It dipped below his previous and career numbers as a SP'er. Career: 3.72 ERA with a .657 OPS Against shows some pretty good stuff- maybe better than mid rotation. Plus, he had awful defense behind him for many years, and now, he is in peak prime years.

I'm not sure we can use Houck's previous numbers as a SP'er as a major factor in projecting what he can and will do going forward. He seems to have much better stuff than some of his numbers showed. He was jerked between the pen and rotation, dealt with multiple injuries and was rather inconsistent as a starter. In his first 41 GS (up to 2022) he pitched just under 200 IP- not really a telling sample size. 93 ERA-, 4.17 ERA, 3.70 FIP, 3.76 xFIP, 3.99 SIERA, 1.25 WHIP 23-24: 51 GS and 285 IP 87 ERA-, 3.83 ERA, 3.73 FIP, 3.76 xFIP, 3.96 SIERA, 1.23 WHIP What makes you think 4.23 is more like who he is?

If Story has the season you projected, he'll probably still not opt out.

Keep the mojo rising!

Just like that: Crochet & Campbell locked up. Devers was smiling on the field. Storytime is not a snoozer. Mayer is pushing against the door. Abreu is saying, "trade me, why????" I'm not sure I ever felt so good watching a 2 and 4 team. Has the Sox upper brass really set the bar this low? (LOL)

Jap Stock looked pretty good, too- and for longer. Hard to sit Story or Bregman to give Mayer a shot. Could Campbell to LF, Duran to CF and Abreu/Ref in RF make room for Mayer at 2B? Rafaela could be that uberutility man Cora has always wanted. DHam and Narvaez would complete a very nice bench.

I really do believe that. I know people say they don't listen, but the grumbling was ground-shaking. They had to feel the vibes. I also truly believe they saw the rising prospect crop and tried their hardest to con fans into thinking they were trying to "win now," but it was always about the long term. They could not make it a 100% tear-down rebuild, so they had to walk a tight rope for a while (not to well, i might add,) but here we are. The cycle of going for the now has arrived. It was the longest interval under JH & Co., but I think this is how they plan. Cycles. 2013 may not have been the plan, and maybe it convinced them they could keep winning, even during the "off cycles" with the right GM and coaching, but it's not easy. (2021 bought more time.) Bloom's #1 job was to rebuild the farm, while trying to give the appearances we were not totally giving up. Had we not done well in 2021. the jig would have been up, earlier than now, IMO. As much as Bloom gets roasted alive, as did Ben, both provided some strong building blocks for those who followed. DD used them to trade, while Brez seems to have found a healthy mix. We'll see.

Even your guy, Story hit well, tonight.

I mentioned it a few times over the winter, but yes. D is often overlooked, unless it sucks.

Does anybody wish we kept Bogey and not got that comp pick?

That was very nice. Overall, our D is way better.

Nice game, even saw a bit of offense.

KC is an athlete, so there is hope he can get better at whatever position(s) he ends up playing.

Or, if the ones he did invest in did well. While a few like Wacha did okay, the highest paid SP'er all sucked. Richards, Kluber, Paxton & Perez.