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There is a chapter in The Sports Gene by David Epstein about baseball and players' vision and ever since reading that I would have every prospect I scouted see an optometrist and every player in my organization get whatever glasses or contacts they need. The stats showed that basically every hitter in MLB had at least 20/20 vision with most testing beyond the standard chart.

Also I think he got contacts after the summer and he got a lot better at hitting for contact after that but it wasn't against the same level of competition as during the summer.

Did you mean 2009 because all the stars were in the top 10 in 2008.

Some part of me feels like that comment was said for motivation for other players and to show other teams considering trading him that he is still competitive and wants to win. As for selling the rebuild, I really don't see it happening this off season. I just feel like the big guys are going to go to the big teams that are already competitive. I think what is more likely to happen is that we trade for a better player that becomes the big addition that shows other guys we are serious for next off season and not this current one.

There are 4 minutes for each pick, so probably right around when you are getting home if you factor in a few minutes for show introductions.

FTFY

I get that, but whatever evaluation they are using on high schoolers may need to change because if we don't draft any high school middle infielders then that will likely remain a weak point of the system because you generally don't find those guys in college.

Something interesting to note is that of the limited high school guys we picked they all project as corner guys, even Curbelo who most think is a third baseman long term. I bring this up because there was the article from fangraphs about where players from each position come from and by and large middle infielders are either drafted out of high school or are international signings. Considering we have pretty limited success at signing and developing international players, I find it odd that we don't try to target more high school middle infielders, especially with how barren our farm is of them. Hopefully that is something that can be corrected this year.

He said he took the plea deal because he didn't want to have his niece have to go on the stand and be badgered by his lawyer and that his lawyer gave him bad advice saying that it was basically no big deal if he pleaded guilty because everything would be back to normal in five years (which it would have been if not for the mistake by the Oregon police). There is no evidence that he isn't guilty, but there also isn't any evidence that he is guilty and he has maintained at all times, except in the court mandated letter, that he was innocent. When the news about it came out, reporters were even able to get the notes from his therapist which were included in the file and the therapist's notes state how he always said he was innocent and that was in a setting where he didn't really have reason to lie. Personally I don't know how I feel about the whole situation. There is enough doubt in my mind that he did it and he already served the time which the court thought was a good enough punishment. Statistics also show that there is very little chance he ever does anything like that again and it seems like his brother (the father of the niece) has come to the point of talking to him again, so it seems like even he has forgiven him. I feel like with all of that he shouldn't be outcast for the rest of his life and probably should get a shot with a team. On the other hand, I would rather not it be with the Sox because even if he is completely innocent it could still cause trouble in the locker rooms or with free agents if he were ever to make the big leagues. Plus, with how much bad press the Sox get I would rather not make us an easy target.

Looks like Thome is at Alek Thomas' potential last game before the draft. #ScoopCity

Maybe, but considering the only indication that Schnell was in play at 4 was Mayo saying we had guys at his games while all the other analysts say he isn't in play at 4, it seems likely he isn't in play at 4 and that we just had guys checking out someone they really like in the second round.

I forgot who said it, but one of the analysts said Schnell has actually been sliding lately. There are concerns about him being able to catch up to speed because he takes everything opposite way right now and scouts aren't sure he does it on purpose but that he is actually just late on everything.

Yeah, I think that is my favorite of the plausible outcomes right now.

This. Give me a high upside HS bat in the second (Schnell?) and then take a guy like Spillane or Luken Baker in rounds 3-5. They both probably have as much power potential as Beer but better defensive value (Baker is safer at first and Spillane may be able to play RF).

But also a pitcher touches the ball every pitch when he does play. A good pitcher can be responsible for 21 outs every 5 days. Meanwhile a position player, especially in the three true outcome era, will only field the ball a handful of times and bat maybe 4 times per game. Considering most of the value of position players is when they are hitting and then in that same 5 day window of the pitcher the hitter will only have a chance to impact a game ~25 times. So really when you think about that relation and not just how many days they play, it is basically a wash.

I think he lost his source though. On one of the podcasts he said people in the organization were kind of mad he kept getting info so he had to stop. I figure he'll still throw out some hints come trading season, but I doubt he will have the full run down of all the organization's happenings like he did last year.

Yeah, thats what he said, nobody. I'll see myself out

Last part of the Schnell answer

So maybe the Schnell heat the pipeline guys were talking about was us checking out a high upside guy who might fall to our second pick.

It would be an interesting strategy. The Yankees may be doing something similar because it sounds like they are on Grant Lavigne in the first and that would be a big reach for a HS guy too. I wonder if there is some sort of us trying to zig while everyone else zags going on. It seems like so many teams want safe college guys in the first that maybe they are overvalued and good HS guys are getting pushed down, so we'll take that opportunity to go HS heavy with the draft.

Maybe, but I believe Law also mentioned him and Hostetler mentioned the name himself when he was talking about guys on the podcast and every other name he mentioned was a first round possibility.

That is nuts that he could be the pick at 4. It would have to be a huge discount and it would make the rest of the draft really interesting.

Considering I was just stalking Schnell's high school team to see how big they were because Hostetler said the teammates of the guy they looked at were big.....yes, please let this be over soon.

I feel like trying to force a guy down is so risky unless we know that Detroit, KC and Tampa don't want him because they will all have bigger bonus pools and more picks in front of us.

Do you remember what part that was? I'm going to have to go back to listen to it again because I kind of didn't pay attention I guess when I thought we weren't going to get him.