Boopa1219

Runs Scored/Runs Allowed (full season) 721/681 Record at the All-Star Break (88 games) 49-39 All-Stars Sale, Abreu, Eaton, Roberston Games started at 1B by Adam LaRoche 54 Games started total by Gordon Beckham 20 Total Team Homers 171 Carlos Rodon Debut Date and Role 5/23/15 vs Twins (Starter) Will Matt Davidson play for the Sox this season? Yes or No Yes Samardzija contract- Signed in season, traded in season, unresolved on October 4 Signed in season Will Micah Johnson play a minor league game this season? (rehab assignments don't count) Yes or No. No Will John Danks be on the Sox on August 1? Yes or No. No Name a player the Sox will trade for in-season. Christian Yelich

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Mar 29, 2015 -> 09:10 AM) This is right on, Josh. Good point. Thank you,. I must apologize for the typos though. I was a bit enraged and on a tablet, a combination not conducive to good typing.

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ Mar 28, 2015 -> 02:19 PM) I have a difficult time believing an 18 year old coming off his first TJ surgery is the best player available. He could have the highest ceiling available but is not the best player available. IMO, the best player available is a guy who has the high ceiling AND is healthy, ready to start their minor league career. Just because other teams have drafted injured pitchers does not mean its the right or wrong thing to do. Its a double edged sword, I see the point in these kids can get drafted and get their minor league careers going after TJ surgery but the other side of it is that these kids are still in the minors and have yet to prove a thing as far as long term durability or that they will actually be the MLB pitchers they are or were once projected to be. Giolito and Hoffman are great prospects but until they become successful major league pitchers, there's no point in bringing their names up since nothing has been proven yet one way or another. Hoffman is an even bigger risk than Aiken now that I think about it. Aiken being only 18 gives him time to recover, get 3-4 years of minor league experience and possibly be ready to make his mlb debute around 22/23 years old whereas Hoffman was already 21 when he went down for TJ. Now add a year of recovery plus how ever long it takes for his development. That said, I would still draft another player if Aiken will not take under slot money. Tommy John isn't the death sentence that people made it out to be (My mother actually had it done in late February.), unfortunately it's a common procedure now and some pitchers get better after having it. It sounds like you forgot that Aiken was the consensus top player in last year's draft, even when news broke out about him having a naturally smaller UCL, teams came out and said that they still would have taken him number one without hesitation. There was even a possibility that Aiken would have become a free agent and I'm sure that 29 GMs would be chomping at the bit to get him into their system. I also disagree with what you said about the best player available being a guy with the highest ceiling and healthy. With what we know about TJ now in regards to pitching prospects that is a completely arcane way of looking at things. If you had to pick between Clayton Kershaw (Who's going to sit out a year to recover from TJ) or Sonny Gray to build your team around, you're picking Clayton Kershaw even with the TJ and 1 year recovery time. And since we're talking about another prospect in Aiken, lets bring up guys like Giolito and Hoffman. In terms of accomplishments (They're all prospects after all), Giolito is universally thought of as the best pitching prospect in all of baseball. And just look at all the pitchers that have had TJ and came back stronger than before. You also forgot that Jeff Hoffman was a highly successful college pitcher. College being the key word there, you know that college players are automatically more seasoned then their high school counterparts, right? Jeff Hoffman was already polished as a pitcher, so any time he spent in the minors would just be fine tuning and more seasoning. He is still exexpected to make his mlb debut next year as a 23 year old, even after missing a full year to TJ. If you're the Sox and draft Aiken but you're unwilling to sign him just because he won't sign under slot then you’re insane. Keep in mind the sox do not have picks in the second and third round this year. Yes, you do get the #9 pick in next year's draft automatically but a draft without a first, second and third round picks would be a huge blow to the farm. Thats my two cents.

QUOTE (LDF @ Mar 28, 2015 -> 01:39 PM) i don't know, i still feel that there has to be something other than the BPS philosophy. i know i am flopping around like a fish out of water, or maybe it is b/c i am still a little drunk. i don't know. but it goes back to what the sox needs are and how they want to address them. if Aiken and pitcher B is there. pitcher B may not have the ceiling of Aiken, player B is healthy, i will take player B. there is no guarantees the Aiken's will fully develop to the pitcher hes projected to be, and with the likely hood of player B make the roster in a shorter time is even more important in the near future. With the time that it takes players for to develop, you can't draft for need. And if you draft for need, you're team won't get better.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Mar 28, 2015 -> 12:41 PM) That's entirely short sighted. Not to sound like a broken record but you take the best player available. If that's Aiken then take him. Obviously you'd prefer him under slot but it's not as if you take someone with less of a chance to contribute in the MLB because of that. I don't think the Nationals are upset that they had to wait a while for Lucas Giolito. Thank you. You always take the best player on the board, no matter what. If Sox brass and scouts feel that Aiken ceiling is higher than what's left on the board at 8 then they have to take him. Lucas Giolito is a prime example, another is Jeff Hoffman. While I didn't want the Sox to draft him (I thought Aiken, Kolek and Jackson are all better), the Jays saw an opportunity at #9 and drafted him. Hoffman definitely possesed on of the higher ceilings in the entire draft class. Now the Jays have arguably the best collection of pitching prospects in all of bsseball and Hoffman looks to be a big part of their future.

Why do you guys like Guerra?

Watching the game now on DVR and holy s***, how good is Jorge Soler. Extremely patient at the plate and excellent pitch recognition. Prior to the game he had not swung at a pitch outside of the strike zone. His at bat against Duke was phenomenal.

QUOTE (Mike F. @ Mar 27, 2015 -> 11:44 AM) I sure as hell know that I would not want Aiken at #8. He's already gone through so many injury issues. It's not worth taking the risk with him IMO. He hasn't gone through 'so many injury issues' this is his first injury relating to baseball, he just has a small UCL, it was never injured before this.

I would take him at 8 easily, could you imagine a farm that includes Danish, Martinez, Adams, Montas and Aiken? That would be insane. This is really reminiscent of what happened to Lucas Giolito, and now he's one of the best prospects in all of baseball.

Trey M, my favorite prospect in the system

Gutierrez isn't eleigible till 2016

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Mar 25, 2015 -> 09:49 PM) And Beck DID have a good slider in college, which seemed to disappear. So as I said, if he's got a good SL-CT of some kind (or separated) that he can really miss bats with, that dramatically changes my outlook on him. A lot of people loved that pick for the Sox in 2012, he was getting first round hype before the draft but his stock took a hit. With the exception Duane Underwood, the Beck Pick was the best in the second round that year.

Nice bomb by Garcia.

i'd go with Yadier Alvares, he could be a mainstay in the rotation for years to come. I read somwhere that MLB might allow him to sign before July 2nd, if thats the case I hope the Sox jump on him.

QUOTE (fathom @ Mar 25, 2015 -> 08:57 PM) Are we sure it's a cutter and not his slider? Dan Hayes was calling it a cutter on the Twitter

QUOTE (Mike F. @ Mar 25, 2015 -> 09:24 PM) I was pretty sure that was the case. But with the way Rodon is pitching today, it seems like he's really comfortable with Austin behind the plate. He did call a good game. Maybe down the line Rodon & Austin can become our Jon Lester & David Ross.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Mar 25, 2015 -> 09:21 PM) Noooo. Austin will be in A ball. He's a ways off and is nowhere near a lock to make it to the bigs. Totally agree, he's a way off. I do expect that the backup catcher spot will be in a state of flux, no way Soto holds the job down all year.

QUOTE (LDF @ Mar 25, 2015 -> 07:31 PM) just b/c of the pedigree, i still would take a chance, actually next int'l signing, i want the sox to break the bank and sign alot. the farm while doing very good, is still in a fragile state. the sox can't even find a decent prospect to use as a backup, they still need develop time. I wouldn't break the bank for one player, I like what the Sox did last year and spread the bonus pool around on a group of players. I would like to see the Sox trade for more international cash. If they're going to over spend, then I would like to see the Sox go all in on this guy in 2016 Kiley McDaniel: "One more name has been brought up as a high end guy in the 2016 class: Venezuelan C Abraham Gutierrez, who trains with former big leaguer Carlos Guillen. Gutierrez is average to plus across the board with precocious all fields power and the tools to stick behind the plate. He’s obviously also very young, so it’s very early to throw lofty comparisons around like with Maitan, but scouts have said Gutierrez’s overall game is along the lines of Mike Piazza." I say this because I would like to see the Sox start investing heavily into the Catching position. You have to build your team up the middle and thats starts with the battery, I know that there is a dearth of elite catching prospects currently, but if you want to buck that trend then you have to start investing heavily into the position, whether thats in the draft or the July 2nd market.

Its my first time watching Rodon live and the dude can pitch. I was thinking about his pitch repertoire, I knew that he threw a fastball, slider and a changeup but I didn't know that he threw a cutter, which is good for him and his development. I'd still send him down to Charlotte to work on his command and call him up in May, get that extra year of control

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Mar 24, 2015 -> 11:56 PM) After coming across and reading some articles on Guerrero Jr, I also want him signed by us. (Was also a big fan of his dad too) I have concerns about his bat speed and is going to be fun to see his body develop

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Mar 25, 2015 -> 10:48 AM) A Sale-Jose Fernandez-Q-Shark-anybody rotation would be the best in baseball I don't think Fernandez should count, he came from an American High School

Q definitely deserves it, he's having a better spring and HE'S BEEN ON THE TEAM LONGER. He's also going to be on the team for years to come, can't say that about Shark.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Mar 23, 2015 -> 06:26 PM) This is an exceptionally light catching class. Chris Betts is a HS catcher and he's the only catcher I have heard of in this class. Garrett Wolforth and Wyatt Cross are both wants. Wolforth's dad is pitching guru, Ron Wolforth who runs the Texas Baseball Ranch. He is by far the youngest kid in the draft, add be was original slated to be draft eligible in 2016 (Where he was related add one of the top players), but he reclassified to 2015. Kiley McDaniel has his arm rated at 70 and says that he has an advanced feel at the plate (He's an switch hitter). He's 6'3 185lbs. Wyatt Cross is a 6'3, 190lbs catcher or of Colorado, his contact skills might be lagging a bit but he has well above average bat speed, and huge power potential. Some scouts say that he is elite begone the plate.

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ Mar 4, 2015 -> 03:25 PM) Great work Joshua, much appreciated!!! Rodon, nuff said. I can see why Anderson is moving so quickly, his bat speed really is something. Danish has got some sick movement on his FB and slider, wow! I would not want to stand in the batters box against him. Adams looks to have some decent sink on his FB, the slider is really nice and I like the curve ball he threw for the K. Montas, love his easy delivery and boy does the catchers mitt pop when he throws the FB. I like J. Mitchell's bat speed a lot, not like TA but still good. Love the curve ball and tailing FB from Andrew Mitchell. Definitely another one to keep an eye on. Micah, just cannot wait to see what he can do with healthy legs. Again, great work and I really enjoyed the vids. Thanks, im going to keep on adding as more video becomes available and more prospects are added to the system.

QUOTE (LDF @ Mar 20, 2015 -> 09:07 AM) you and many poster who have stated this, is correct. pls don not get me wrong, but if the system is fully stacked with prospects, then yes. but this system is not, so the best options, getting players who can make the majors quicker and who can help the parent team quickly, esp if that player is being drafted b/c of, let say, a position that is needed. if you draft by need your system isn't getting better, and your window isn't opening any wider. But if your system is lacking talent (The Sox are still behind the curve when it comes to position players), you HAVE to draft the best player available. If you draft by need, your team actually being worst and your window closes even faster. How different would the conversation around the Cubs be if they drafted Jon Gray over Kris Bryant? How different would the Sox be if they drafted Mike Trout over Jared Mitchell?