YourWhatHurts

^but DSL --> zoom calls in your underwear for a year --> A- is just way too big

With the draft being pushed into July I think these guys will go to the AZL and the AZL will develop into this kind replacement league. Maybe 2 levels, 2 teams per org like essentially an AZL- and AZL+. I think a big issue for MLB (the owners) is controlling everything including costs and they all own their AZL teams. But AZL to A- is probably going to be a massive jump anyway. I mean A- gets MLB guys on rehab assignments sometimes, they get guys returned to them who murdered the level before but struggled in A+ etc. lots of experienced pros go there. Just maybe the AZL will develop so the jump is not nearly as significant as it is now. It's also just possible that the long layoffs have made the jump for this season look a lot worse than it will normally be in the future.

Kanny might be the worst team in the minors but they're also the most interesting team to me in our minors outside of Charlotte which is only interesting because it has some depth pieces and trade pieces. If there's a difference maker to be found he will probably rise from that team. I just hope Benny Bailey can get his average up above .200 by the end of the year. That's probably a success if he does. Man our system is barren. We definitely need to kill it in these next couple drafts.

If Eloy returns we will see an Eloy LF Vaughn RF Yermin DH Abreu 1B alignment probably several times. Eaton will be the RF but I think I know what OP is trying to get at here. I guess we will see if that setup is tolerable, at least for 6 or 7 innings on defense.

TLR doesn't understand that in today's game, the players have much more of a voice, they don't need a media guy in front of them to reach the fanbase, they are often more available and better connected to the fanbase than the FO and managers are, who would typically speak to the media, and the owners don't have the same levels of control over them as in the past. TLR can die off with hopefully a bunch of other dumb bullshit in the next CBA. Hopefully Manfred, JR, TLR, Chris Woodward, etc. all these clowns are strapped to a rocket and shot at the sun. I get the point and purpose of some of these "unwritten rules" when they are legitimately about respect and keeping players safe, but HRing off of any one in any count is just dumb and any fan of any team should only be happy and fine if their player homered, and only mad at their own team and pitcher if the opposition homered. Regardless of player, situation, count, etc. HRs are legal last I checked.

There should be a baseball version of this movie with Abreu in the Christina Applegate role.

I see around here TLR getting a lot of credit for doing things like bringing in defensive replacements for very limited players and managing the back of his bullpen well (at times). Reminds me of the Chris Rock bit about getting credit for doing things you're supposed to do. "I take care of my kids!" You're supposed to take care of your kids. TLR has been much more of an obstacle and a hinderance than any kind of help. He's got one of the most talented teams in baseball also playing in what has been a pretty bad division so fan. He's riding the coattails of his players, not leading them anywhere. There are some things -- don't get me wrong -- like playing Jake Lamb today who hit a HR, then took him out after being a shitty defender, calling off TA and almost dropping the ball. Yeah he hit him 2nd, which looked stupid but then it worked. Of course, when you look at that Ober guy, this is a AAA guy serving up meat everywhere. The Sox should have put 8 across the plate on that guy. TA just missed, Grandal just missed before the HR, Yermin just missed, Leury crushed it against him IIRC, etc. So you can credit TLR but you could have also hit Hamilton there and we'd still have the lead simply because this Oberg guy is garbage. You could have put Collins in and he could have HRed off him. There's nothing "genius" I've seen from TLR, nothing exceptional, and overall he's been bad in a lot of areas.

If the Sox fired TLR and rehired Ozzie, it would be the closest thing to a baseball version of a "face turn" in pro wrestling. And that would be like the greatest thing ever, and would pop the fanbase, and pop the clubhouse. And I'm not even that much of an Ozzie fan, but let's face it, when he's focused on the game of baseball, he's the best Sox manager we have had in a long time. And definitely the best Sox manager I have seen in my life.

These are two very different segments of the same fanbase. The average viewer isn't some twitter fiend. People following him on twitter are looking for a different product than the people just tuning into the game on TV.

Stone's criticism has always been pretty sharp, going back to his TV days with Cubs. Eventually there was an issue with a shitty pitcher who couldn't take it and the Tribune Co. didn't have his back. I don't think he's really changed at all, except that with twitter he is much more visible now.

Yoan gets in his own head a lot, especially at the plate. He's definitely not a "short memory" kind of player. I think he probably works as hard as others in the weight room and on drills and so on, but he isn't always "mentally on" the way some others are. I think Yoan is probably going to be an every-other-year or sporadic kind of All-Star instead of a perennial All-Star, and in most years maybe the 3rd or 4th best player on the team, and 3rd or 4th best hitter on the team in most years, rather than a top-2 player with Robert and a top-2 hitter with Eloy. If Yoan takes another step mentally he can get to that next level. Also, re: Stone, he sees things none of the fans see. He also sees it with a pair of eyes that reporters, etc. who are around a lot cannot see.

It means we have 4 innings to play 4 runs better. It's not a given that the Sox will stop the Royals from scoring.

Why did you ever come back? You being gone was the best thing to ever happen to soxtalk. Go away again.

Damn shitty ump with a horrible call ended that inning with runners on. Helen Keller is has everything going right for her today.

Game is already over, thanks I large part to captain cocksucker manfred and his absolute hatred for the game of baseball. We don't have the time to do it in 7. They can bring their closer in as early as the 6th and setup guys in as early as the 5th. Fuck Manfred, fuck Dozier, fuck Gio.

The Sox need a guy who can 1) throw strikes and 2) do so without leaving everything in the middle of the plate. It seems Burdi is still not that guy. They also really need someone who can go 2+IP. That's why I think McClure is probably the next guy if Lambert isn't ready. Marshall as I said in another thread probably has a leash of about 1-2 bad outings over his next 3 or 4 because he is a straight DFA candidate. And also because even while I believe he has been overachieving, he still should be capable of being an effective garbage time pitcher at the very worst and a quality MR at best.

I don't like how Tony has to remove the Yerminator and also play Garcia and Hamilton (last night notwithstanding) on the same day he decides to play Lamb. Even if he wants to play all his guys I have no idea why he can't still keep a strong lineup every day of the week.

Lamb can be buried anywhere for as long as you like with Mendick and Leury here. This lineup is terrible. That said, they'll probably score 7+ anyway. Lineup still sucks tho.

Yesterday TLR did nothing wrong. Billy Hamilton actually had a great game also. His overall record on moves still blows but credit where it is due.

Uh no. There's nothing wrong with any of that.

LOL at him twerking on the mound. He should do that every time after he gives up a bomb.

I also on a personal level would like it if Hendriks coming in during a high leverage non save situation would result in him toning down his antics a bit. Maybe he wouldn't be screaming do much profanity if it's the 7th or 8th. Maybe that's some people's cup of tea but to me it just looks stupid. Shut up and get the out. Judging by the contract you just signed, you have nothing to be upset about.

Right. 97 in on the hands to a rookie shouldn't be an easy double off of the wall.

Today for me it's Rodon Kopech Lynn Giolito with Cease in the pen and Keuchel is off the roster entirely. This is also why I want to rest these guys a bit. We may not necessarily want to start all of the guys who helped get us there with workload. Maybe we will want to start our secret weapon.

I would normally agree but look at his stat line. He is throwing strikes. OTOH Charlotte is a giant dumpster fire. It's so bad down there that ReyLo can pitch 5 innings giving up 3 walks and a HR and looks like Scherzer by comparison. Remember Q was basically the same thing. Also IIRC Brandon McCarthy only had a bit of time in AA before ST in 2005 and Ozzie even said that if they didn't have a full staff he would have made the team. Also Boone Logan IIRC was in Great Falls or something the year before and IIRC hadn't pitched above A ball and made the team. Also Heuer was a A+ guy IIRC. I don't think McClure is as good as these other guys especially not BMac or Q but still, when you have a MLB arm and you are going to throw strikes with it you have a chance. He's one guy I wouldn't be shocked to see the Sox be aggressive with, especially since again Charlotte is a dumpster fire.