Lillian

Yes, except Bonds, with that juiced, super human body, had the ability to wave that bat around, like a tooth pick. And he was choked up, on the bat, as well. That hitch would not be recommended for little guys. Regarding the competition; One would have to think that the disparity of the various conferences would significantly affect the relative performances of players. A guy from one of the best conferences, who could put up great numbers, would have to be more highly regarded than a player, who put up similar numbers, agains lesser competition. That is why I so highly regard India's performance, this year. The SEC is probably the toughest conference in college ball.

If he plays today, he should be the DH and Rondon should be at SS. He can't throw with that thumb taped up and hurting.

Those two errors, yesterday, are likely the result of his playing with the thumb, on his injured throwing hand, taped up, . He should have been removed, for the bottom of the 9TH, but with both Davidson and Leury unavailable, and Rondon already in the game, I don't know who might have taken his place. In any case, when you watch Anderson play, you can't help but muse about his potential for stardom. He has some elite tools, well suited for SS. His range, speed and athleticism, combined with a strong arm and power at the plate, make him a guy who could become great. Regarding Machado; I would guess that his wanting to play SS, has been a ploy aimed at making him more valuable, as he approaches his mega contract. As many of you have suggested, it now appears that teams will view his "insistence" on playing SS as a negative. He will almost certainly be a third baseman, for which ever team ponies up the $300K to $400K, for the next 10 years. His skill set will become more and more suitable for 3RD, than SS, as he approaches the middle, to later, years of that new contract.

Beer is very unlikely to last through the first round. He finished with terrific stats and plays in a tough conference. But then, I said that the other day.

Jenista looks like an intriguing prospect, but comparing his hitting prowess with Beer, he doesn't have the same track record. I'm wondering how Wichita's competition compares with Clemson's.

Seth Beer has been on fire, to close out the season with very good stats. I doubt that he makes it to our second round pick, but if he does, there is potentially that left handed power bat, which I covet.

I wasn't aware of the fact that something already exists. I agree that it should be up to the player, however I can't understand how a pitcher would not want protection. Would a catcher be willing to sit behind the plate, without protection? Hitters are using all kinds of protective equipment. The pitcher is arguably at more risk than a hitter. The batter is completely ready for and focused upon the incoming pitch. The pitcher is in his follow through motion, and not as focused on the ball coming back at him. As hard as hurlers throw, they still cannot quite reach the velocity, at which balls are traveling, when they leave the bat.

With the maple bats, juiced ball and velocity of batted balls, it may be time to innovate a protective head piece for pitchers. Sixty feet, six inches is just too close to the plate, in today's game. Someone is going to get killed.

And, of course, Moncada.

How would you gentlemen assess the relative opposing pitching, of the collegiate conferences, in which Bohm, Madrigal and India respectively play? To what degree do you think that factor should be considered?

Between Robert, Rutherford, Basabe, Booker and Gonzales I'm confident that CF will not be a problem, when this team is ready to contend. If the Sox draft Madrigal, either he, or Anderson, might also be added to the list of candidates. Patience, Sox fans!! Oh, and I left off Tilson, though I'm not very hopeful that he will be the answer. it would be interesting to know who most of you think will be the center fielder, in 2020. Ultimately, it is likely to be Robert, but 2020 might be a year too early.

Thank you for entertaining this notion, and helping to begin a discussion, on the subject. Yes, short arms and a shorter bat, should be able to reach the hitting zone, more rapidly, given the same bat speed, simply because the distance traversed is less. Of course, the bigger man is able to compensate by generating more bat speed and thus more power. I'd love to see an article, on the subject, but a discussion, here on this forum could be just as informative, with some of our astute posters. I hope that this discussion won't hijack the thread, but since we have been discussing Madrigal, a thorough examination of the size factor seems appropriate.

I agree completely with those who assert that Madrigal's small stature should not be viewed as a negative, much less a disqualifier. In fact, I have long suspected that there are a couple of distinct advantages to being a very small hitter. The obvious plus is that the strike zone is smaller, thus posing a bigger challenge to pitchers. The other factor is something that I have never read, but am inclined to think is valid, that is that the swing plane is shorter for a little guy. That in turn can result in a similar consequence to the oft cited bat speed. While it doesn't produce the same power, it does allow the hitter to catch up to high velocity pitches. If anyone knows more about this hypothesis, I'd love to hear about it.

You misunderstand me. I am not down on him. I merely think that he is not suited for the role, which some here perceive. He is very likely not going to be a power hitter, or a great SS or third baseman. If he stays at second, and bats leadoff, I think that he has a chance to be one of the best, in that role.

Wouldn't you love to be a fly on the wall, in the room, where the scouts and Hostetler are discussing this stuff? Thank you all for an interesting and spirited discussion. It will be fun to see what happens, on Draft Night, and then going forward with the various players' development.

Don't we need to also factor in the metal, vs. wooden bat?

Yes, he can hit. The question is, to what degree would his contact skills be diminished, if he tried to hit for power?

Some players are very versatile, owing to their wide range of plus tools. A guy like Moncada, could play anywhere. He has speed, power, a good arm and the ability to hit. Madrigal is not the kind of player, whom I view as having that flexibility. He is a prototypical, high a on base percentage, lead off hitter with plus speed and remarkable contact skills. He supposedly lacks the arm strength to excel on the left side of the infield. He lacks the power to play any outfield positions, except CF. I just don't accept his notion that the Sox will be able to find a position for him, because he is such a great player and has a baseball acumen, that is off the charts, or that he is magically going to be transformed into a Jose Altuve, amazing little home run hitter. I have stated it, a couple of times, and in different contexts; He is a potential Gold Glove second baseman and terrific leadoff hitter. If you draft him, you better use him in that role. If you have an idea that you are going to try to turn him into something else, I think that would a mistake. If he is clearly the best player available, which is debatable, and you select him, don't try to convert him into something, for which he is not suitable. If he is ultimately blocked at 2ND, trade him, when the time is right.

That's funny. touché

Asserting that Madrigal should not be selected, with the idea of moving him to another position, is not inconsistent with the valid principle of taking the best player available. If they want to select him fine, leave him at the position, for which he is best suited. If it turns out that the Sox have no place for another second baseman, when he is ready to contribute, trade him. If you don't want to trade a young player, whom you drafted at #4, then don't select him. Many have talked about moving Moncada to third, or Anderson to CF, to accommodate Madrigal, when he's ready. Drafting for need may not be a good practice, but "needing" to mess with the core of a young team, in order to accommodate a draft choice, may not be such a good practice either. Moreover, and to reiterate, there are no clear "best players available" in this draft, with the exception of Mize, and now that seems in question.

Caulfield, that is precisely my point. We shouldn't be looking for another position for our #4 pick. Madrigal is a second baseman. I don't want him moved to a position, for which he is ill-suited. Now, if you think that Moncada should be moved, that's another thing all together. I'll just say, good luck with that.

Moncada and Jimenez are viewed as part of the "core" for the approaching window of contention. Not thinking ahead 2, or 3 years, seems like folly, to me. If we were considering a high school player, and picking in a later round, that logic would be fine, as he would not be expected to arrive, for at least 5 years. However, one of Madrigal's positive attributes is that he is a near ready, college player, who could be fast tracked to the Big Leagues.

I'm still convinced that picking Madrigal, with the #4 pick, is only justified if the Sox are confident that they can keep him at second base. That is where he is a potential Gold Glover. At SS, he no longer represents an elite defender, and that is one position where I prioritize defense, over offense. For those who talk of moving him to the hot corner, he simply does not profile as a third baseman. Therefore, unless the Sox think that Moncada can successfully be moved off the keystone spot, I prefer that they select someone else. Unfortunately, Yoan seems to be determined to play second, where he fancies himself as the second coming of his idol, Robinson Cano.

With Avi out for another month and Delmonico now gone for 4 to 6 weeks, I hope Palka gets extended playing time in RF. You know me, a left handed power bat is always worth giving every chance to succeed. He has acquitted himself very well, so far. If they play Leury in LF and either Engel or Thompson, in CF, they should be able to cover enough ground, to hide Palka in RF. He does have a pretty good arm, and runs surprisingly well, for a big guy.

Yes, and that was playing in Fenway Park.