GreenSox

1.4444 OPS in July. Somebody will pick him up. Who’s in the backup catcher?

Skubal is worth more than crochet (longer track record; no endurance concerns). That’s going to be true, whether or not the Tigers want to trade him. With Skubal on the market, there were still only two aces on the market and multiple teams in search of one. Having 2 teams squawking about the proper value for an ace might actually help set the market.

Well Lopez’ .627 OPS in July is better than his .581 in June. But he’s just awful.

It was a big mistake to put all 3 of those players together. All had at least another year on the contract. Frazier was having his typical year (which never excited me, but a lot people really liked him). Robertson and Kahnle were absolutely lights out, each with a WHIP < 1. They would have done much better splitting those 3 up. But, it's easier on Hahn to package them up and move on. Just have to be really careful with any of them AAA or not. Always AAAA risk. I want players who are improving.

Kopech is the one pitcher I'd try to get out there as often as is reasonable. Show he can do a back-to-back and pitch well; show he can handle 2 innings. Pedro needs to forget this one inning every-other day stuff for the next few weeks. I think the upside reward is greater than the downside risk. Fedde and Crochet, on the other hand, have shown all that they need to show; use them judiciously, a little extra rest, etc.

They made the majors, which per your post above, equals winning.

Burger and Vaughn need an OPS greater than .850 to be plus players because they can’t play defense. an average regular is a win. A bad regular is not. Burger, Vaughn, Sheets, Madrigal, Burdi, Collins, Fulmer: winning?

Well the problem was that our position players, other than Robert, either never developed (Vaughn) or turned to crap overnight (Eloy, Anderson, Benintendi, Moncada). We just signed our best infielder: Senzel. We didn't have to do it in 2016. But in 2024, we really don't have a choice.

Or Cut.

Burger's not a win. Neither is Vaughn. They aren't even average regulars. And i agree that you won't have a whole lot of wins. But Burger and Vaughn would need OPS > .850 to be wins. Canon's a win. He looks like he'll be an average starter. Cool. Crochet is a blowout win. I know it's obvious and a lot easier for me to say than it is to do. But we just can't have a bunch of DHs again and a well below par D and expect to really win.

in the draft at #10 there are options beyond unathletic corner guys. (Burger still isn't in shape). The key is to find players who they believe that they develop the hit or defense that they currently lack. Find the unranked players who will be ranked tomorrow (and avoid the reverse). You have out scout/project the opposition. And we don't need to rebuild to a team that plays terrible D, like we did last time.

oh for the days of Kenny drafting his son and giving him a 6 figure bonus; and then drafting Ozzie's sons in late rounds and Ozzie getting pissed about it.

I love the scout's evaluation, but neither Greinke nor Mahle (really?) have a "similar profile." He also seems to use the Phil Rogers approach of judging a trade based on quantity received.

But that's not what they did. It's not like they got a first round player with their 2nd or 3rd picks; or a 2nd round player with the 7th round pick like last year. The players they are throwing away picks for were picked near where they were ranked, or earlier.

The Sox only punted 1 round in 2023. And they still paid a big bonus in round 7. i thought they had changed. This year they punt 5 rounds, and really didn't get a player of the talent that should warrant any punting at all. That interview in I think Future Sox really seemed like Shirley was unprepared for the nuances of this draft.

Some command. Right on!

Tell that to Hagen Smith..... A ton of college pitchers have built velocity; just like hitters build power. And there are a lot who have harnessed their control.

Well-earned. There's a time and a place to be an obnoxious homer. 27-71 isn't it.

The Sox like guys who throw 100MPH but can't find the plate, hoping to fix the goofy deliveries and other things that hamper control. The other philosophy is to find a guy who knows how to pitch, and try to build up the velocity.

Burger was early in the rebuild; is it really wise to start with unathletic players? And then they followed it up with another unathletic corner guy, Sheets. Of course, that's where the Sox stand now; I hope we demand athleticism defensive chops in these trades we're about to make.

Exactly. There were other players they could have taken of equal ability who wouldn't have required overslot. OR actually go overslot for a player whose talent warrants it rather than reaching.

Yes, but this is the one year they get an extra pick and you do have to fund it. But like I said, that’s just my cynical side.

College senior in 10th round too. Good gracious.

Probably, but that's just a curious approach considering they could have gotten equal/better talent (based on rankings) with those picks without having to go overslot. They haven't exactly demonstrated talent evaluation abilities above the norm. The cynical side of me says they just aren't going to spend their money; "You can trade for a comp pick, Chris, but I'm not paying for it."

Who exactly have they drafted that was ranked much higher than the draft position, such that they warrant overslot, for which punting is required? Or perhaps that player has yet to be drafted.