JUSTgottaBELIEVE

From all reports Madrigal is that good defensively at 2b. 60/50/60 run/arm/field. Not sure if the advanced metrics play this out but his fielding percentage thus far in the minors is pristine and his range factor is also very good. On the bases, he has 20 SB’s in A+ In less than a half season worth of games. Supposed to be a heady player which should reflect well on his fielding and baserunning metrics as well. I see no reason why he can’t perform at a 2018 Kinsler rate in those two areas - defense and baserunning. A 681 OPS on offense isn’t some unreachable number either.

By all accounts, he is elite defensively at 2b. Ian Kinsler posted a 2.3 fWAR last season with a 681 OPS. I’d like to think Madrigal is a better defender and base runner than a 35/36 year old Ian Kinsler.

Mocks had 3 different teams picking in the top 5 overall selecting Madrigal, not just the Sox. That tells me 3 teams rated him very highly and a consensus top 5 pick regardless of how Keith Law rated him.

Google “2018 mlb mock drafts” and take a look. Try to find one that had Kelenic or Gorman ahead of Madrigal. In fact, most mock drafts had the Sox taking Singer with Madrigal either going #3 to the Phillies or #5 to the Reds.

I suppose but still concerning nonetheless.

Then why didn’t any of the final mock drafts place him over Madrigal? Seems there was a consensus Madrigal was the better pick no?

Never considered either of them at #4, who did? I don’t recall seeing a single mock draft that had either of those two ahead of Madrigal in early June finals days leading up to the draft. To me, it was either Madrigal, India, or Singer and I preferred Madrigal.

The other thing that would be concerning about India is his defense. I thought he was supposed to be solid at 3b but his .926 fielding percentage this season is pretty rough.

I’d be more disappointed with India’s season to date if the Sox had drafted him instead. He has more power than Madrigal but a 25.5 K% is not a good sign for a 22.5 yo in A+. For reference, Moncada had a 21.1 K% as a 21 yo in A+. Joey Gallo had a 26.0 K% as a 20 yo in A+. India has nowhere near the same power as Gallo so unless he cuts that strikeout rate significantly, he’s going to have a tough time in AA on up.

I’m thinking the Sox want him in MLB for at least half of next season. With that in mind, I’m thinking a promotion to AA shortly after the June draft aligns with their timeline.

Right but just saying as his floor of 650/675 OPS still results in a 1.5-2 fWAR player. Not a bad floor for sure.

I love that the kid hardly makes errors and seems to have terrific range at 2b. His 989 fielding percentage in the minors is fantastic. Between the glove and baserunning, he could be a very solid contributor even with just a ~675 OPS in the bigs.

Once Madrigal gets that BA up to 290 or so I hope they promote him to Birmingham. Not much left for him to prove in Winston Salem. No he hasn’t hit for power but he has a BA of 290 and OBP of 350 with 20 stolen bases and just 11 strikeouts in 69 games at WS between last year and this year.

They are now bearing the fruits of their top ranked farm system from a few years ago. It’s taken awhile for guys like Buxton, Kepler, Rosario, Polanco to hit their stride but they’ve been gradually improving the last few seasons. This Twins team now is what I expect the Sox to look like come 2021/2022.

Hard to take any of your opinions serious when you figured out just this past weekend that the Twins have a very good young core and will be a formidable division rival for the next several years.

Wait, you and others weren’t worried about the Twins less than a month ago. What changed??

2021. Been saying it for a year now and sticking to it.

Exactly. And that’s how I started this whole discussion. Lack of control/command is what killed him last year. Improving in that one area has made a world of difference in both his mental state and subsequent results. And that’s why the Glasnow comp is relevant because it is the same thing that plagued him. Just look at Glasnow’s numbers the last 3 years in MLB. Each year his walk rate improved so did his ERA. This isn’t rocket science. Even with great stuff it’s tough to be effective when you are walking 5 or 6 every 9 innings.

Well, that’s what the big boys thought before they played the Royals and Indians in the playoffs from 2014-2016 as well. Those teams fared just fine against the “big boys”. Not saying the Twins are World Series bound but to assume they will get slaughtered in the playoffs is a dangerous assumption.

The front half of it is definitely going to be a struggle with the Twins and that’s what I told you a month ago. You dismissed it. Thankfully Sox contention window doesn’t open until 2021 and hopefully lasts until 2025/2026.

Stay hot Yo Yo

Tilson has been a really tough out since his callup

I wish McCann could catch every game. He’s been the real MVP for the Sox this season. It’s a completely different team with him at catcher compared to Castillo.

Robert has 15 SBs in 39 games this year. Seems like he has legitimate 30/30 potential in the big leagues early in his career. I can’t think of many center fielders that have done that over the past couple decades. Looks like Trout has only done it once in his career, back in 2012 his first full season in MLB.

Great to see the Sox offense take advantage of the error. Something they haven’t done well in the past. Error led to 3 unearned runs.