Two-Gun Pete

Fair question. But NPB > NCAA in terms of caliber of play. And, NPB players tend to be fairly well-trained at the basics of defending.

And how old was Fukudome when he came over? And was he healthy?

Yes, ~30 points on BA is a huge difference between the two. [As an aside, why are you citing BA? It seems "so 1985."] Suzuki is also 27, healthy, and a 5 time Gold Glover.

Suzuki vs Matsui Age 26 for Suzuki: .317/.433/.639/1.072 Age 26 for Matsui: .316/.438/.654/1.092

Bull. Suzuki is putting up Matsui numbers, at 27 years old. He also comes with 5 gold gloves. Comparing him to Fukudome is a stretch.

Fair on the median v mean, but calling my post "misleading" is kinda BS. It is factual that Pollock has only averaged 107 games played over the past 5 years. And sure, he "possibly" could get healthier as he ages, but I doubt it. And yes, while Suzuki is a gamble, so too is Pollock. For a mere $2MM more, I'll gamble on the guy whose bat profiles like Matsui [look it up], and who's won 5 Gold Gloves in Japan. If healthy, I think we can agree that defense would translate pretty easily from NPB to here. That alone would make him worth ~1.5 fWAR. If he approximates his ZIPs projections, he's a star. And comparing the best position player to come over since Ichiro to Fukudome is silly. Suzuki is an absolute star, and 27; Fukudome was "good, but not a star," 30 years old, and pre-injured. The two are nothing alike.

And this is why I'm "Meh" about the whole thing. Yes, Pollock is better at RF than Kimbrel. And yes, Pollock is better at RF than Sheets/Vaughn. But none of these things should have been an option, IMO. I, like many others here, hated the Kimbrel idea BEFORE he was acquired, while he was here, and when they stupidly picked up the option. Spending time, money, and assets on things you don't need tends to fuck up your team, and your ability to improve it. For $2MM more than what Pollock would get if he performs well, they could have secured a proper RFer who is in his prime, rather than a grandpa who we HOPE will continue to kick Father Time's Ass. We'll see. And, if Pollock does well, I'll gladly eat crow. If he sucks/gets injured, I'll continue beating the drum for everyone in the FO to get fired.

I'd rather have 27 year old Suzuki at an AAV of $17MM than Pollock at $15MM.

Disagreed. "Taking away" his injury-scarred 2019, when he was younger than he is now is moving the goalposts. I included the entirety of the past 5 seasons, except for the shortened 2020 season. On the RF market, I would take 27 year old Seiya Suzuki at an AAV of $17MM over 5, than Pollock at his age and injury history. Im willing to be wrong here, but Father Time is invincible. Or Bryant.

According to Spotrac, its a player option. So, if Pollock does reasonably well, why wouldn't he opt out after 2022?

Everyone is happy that Kimbrel is gone. And, sure, Pollock is "as good as it could get" for Kimbrel. But I think you'll agree that it could have been far better than this, and Pollock comes with significant downside risks. Father Time can come get him, or injuries, or as I'd mentioned, BABIP regression. And I'll agree that it was worth the gamble. But there really weren't a lot of options, were there? Pollock's only averaged 107 games/season over the past 5 seasons, excepting the shortened 2020 season. Eloy and Robert also have significant injury histories. But for the pending DFA of Grandpa Josh at 2B, I would expect Leury to start a few games in the OF.

We'll see if he can continue at this rate, at his age, and with his injury history. I'm relieved that the Kimbrelectomy procedure has occurred, but Pollock is just "meh" to me at this point. I still would rather have Suzuki in the team instead. I'll be glad to be wrong, if Pollock can continue to kick the Invincible Father Time's ass.

Meh. We'll see how his 34-going-on-35 year old body responds, and whether or not he can keep his BABIP > .320. If Pollock can do this, sure, I'll eat crow. As of this moment, I'd still rather have 27 year old Suzuki in the team.

Pollock hasn't played in > 120 games since 2015. Taking out the short 2020 season, he's only averaged 107 games played/season over the past 5 seasons.

Here are his BABIPS over the past 5 years, starting with 2021: .326 (the highest he had since 2015, when he was 27 years old) .277 .300 .284 .291 Forget the BABIPS that he might have accumulated when he was in his early/mid 20s, and perhaps more athletic/able to beat out the odd hit here and there. Pollock's 2021 did have a bit of BABIP luck.

Meh, I guess this is better than having kept Kimbrel. I'm not too stoked about yet another geezing geezer being acquired; 34+ year olds tend to suck when they come to the south side. Also, his BABIP for 2021 suggests that he was a bit lucky; between his age and a decrease in BaBIp luck, we should see his offense decline a bit. That said, "Yay, they got an OFer for RF," I guess.

We don't know that unless they tried it, right? I mean, Burr and Bummer spent time in the SOX MiLB system, but they don't seem to want to go "max effort" all the time. And that would have been fine, IMO. They could have been further along their ramp up to SP level innings, while preserving contractual control.

In 2021, they could have started with both Kopech and Crochet in MiLB, and recalled them later. They are/were both assets for whom their next 4-6 years mattered as much as just 2021. As much as I hate the RP signings this offseason, I wanted the SOX to sign RPs last offseason, so that Kopech and Crochet had the time and space to maximize their potentials. In any case, I thought that the difference between our SOX and the rest of the ALC was so great in 2021, that these two weren't desperately needed in Chicago. Even if Kopech and Crochet didn't pitch much in 2021, I thought we could still make the post season without them; I thought we could then see them really blossom in 22 and beyond.

Talent alone isn't the sole determinant of success, IMO. Yes, its a great deal in terms of success, but so too are some of the other things as well. And there are piles of talented guys who don't make it, or don't endure in the bigs. Did he learn how to protect his body, or was he eager to see the triple digits on the scoreboard? Did he learn how to prepare for a game/series/season property? At the same time, did the org maximize his potential? I dunno.

Agreed. If in fact there was an issue with a pitcher's mechanics, I'd doubt that a single year would have been enough to make whatever changes, and for the changes to stick. WRT Rodon, we all heard about his work ethic, and saw how he tool care of his body, and the injuries that occurred, even before the shoulder. WRT Crochet, I don't think there is any way he should NOT have been tried as a SP. I thought it necessary as part of his development, as well as maximizing asset development for the org.

WRT young talented pitchers, just "getting guys out" isn't the entirety of development. There's also the need to acquire work ethic, in terms of taking care of one's body and preparation. There is also learning how to avoid injury, WRT his mechanics. Theres also the maturity that comes with having to progress by earning it, rather than by being rushed to the bigs. With other pitchers, (i.e. Crochet and Kopech) I remember Coop saying that Kopech had to learn that he "doesn't need to throw it 200 mph every time." I think that learning WHEN to throw with max effort matters as well. Did Crochet learn this in his 4 IP in 2020? I dunno. When a youngster is learning some of these things in, say, Winston-Salem, there isn't as much pressure to "just get guys out," as there is when you've been rushed to the bigs.

I didn't like the way that Rodon was rushed to the bigs, either. I felt like a talented, but reportedly lazy guy like him needed to "earn it" a bit, WRT his fitness and preparation. He later had to go through a cavalcade of injuries, being let go by his draft team, before he apparently had his "come to Jesus" moment, and finally took care of his body. I'll grant that "learning how to get MLB hitters out" is a great deal of the development process. But there are other things to learn as well, IMO.

Ok, did you have a link to show this? WRT IP management, there must be a reason why SPs don't throw for 200-300 IP/year any more. WRT pitch management, I'm assuming you mean "pitch count." If so, why does Dusty Baker no longer let his SP throw a metric fuckton of pitches/start, as he did with prior and wood when he was in Chicago? And why do pretty much all teams in MLB have pitch counts as well? If you're referring to something else WRT "pitch management," could you clarify? I'm not disbelieving your position. If just like to see what you've seen as well. Thanks.

1. ST means Jack and shit. 2. Isn't Crick RH?

But he's "ready to get MLB batters out." There's "nothing for him to learn," not even the mental part of the game. And, most importantly: It worked for CHRIS SALE. CHRIS SALE! Look how smart they are. If it's good enough for Chris Sale, then EVERY pitching prospect should be handled the same way.