Baltimore and Atlanta scouting the ChiSox last night?

[chisoxfan09]

Good theories. My first thought was Huff and then Sherill from BAL. ATL would be in the market for the Sox to move a reliever to take on another possible salary for a guy like a Rios. Could a Fields for Pie trade be in the works? I love this time of year when the Sox are possible buyers. KW is the most exciting GM in baseball.

 

Why would we possibly want Jerry Owens (THE BUST) the 2nd? I just can't picture this.

[Balta1701]

Why would we possibly want Jerry Owens (THE BUST) the 2nd? I just can't picture this.

1. To get Fields off the roster.

2. To get a good defensive backup CF

3. To do 2, but have it be one that Ozzie will actually play.

[iamshack]

Clayton Richard's average fastball this season is about 92 MPH. According to PitchFX he's topped out at about 95.

 

There you go again, ruining things with your actual data.

[caulfield12]

And if he has ranged from 92-95 MPH with his fastball AS A STARTER, why wouldn't he consistently be able to throw it at 93-96 MPH coming out of the bullpen for JUST 10-15 pitches?

 

Can someone explain why that's not possible?

[Kyyle23]

What other team has two lefties that both can throw 94-98 MPH consistently out of the bullpen?

 

 

How is Thornton/Richard JUST like any lefty/lefty? What does that even mean? Which teams have a tandem or trio of three lefties coming out of the pen like we do (or could have)? Why do you underestimate Richard so much, because he has been pitching so poorly as a starter recently?

 

I'll narrow the range, 95-98, if that appeases you.

 

 

And if he has ranged from 92-95 MPH with his fastball AS A STARTER, why wouldn't he consistently be able to throw it at 93-96 MPH coming out of the bullpen for JUST 10-15 pitches?

 

Can someone explain why that's not possible?

 

Is the fastball range of your next post going to lower again

[ThunderBolt]

KW is the most exciting GM in baseball.

No doubt, he’s not only unpredictable, but he usually makes the right moves too. We’re so damn lucky to have him as our GM, and this is from a guy who wanted him fired after 2007.

[Vote4Pedro]

Well, back to the original point, I have a hard time fathoming we'll move anyone from our pen.

totally agree we cant afford to give away a reliever when on any given night our bullpen can implode and it's been happening more and more often recently

[NorthSideSox72]

Clayton Richard's average fastball this season is about 92 MPH. According to PitchFX he's topped out at about 95.

I believe that is pretty much what I said earlier.

 

[ThunderBolt]

Jim Fregosi, a special assistant to the Braves GM, is at the game tonight.

[southsider2k5]

Jim Fregosi, a special assistant to the Braves GM, is at the game tonight.

 

Let the speculation begin.

[Jimmywins1]

Still looking for answer to question, what other team possesses what we have, not to mention Poreda as well?

 

Second, Richard had numerous starts when he was 93-95 MPH this season, on various guns. Why WOULDN'T we be able to extrapolate that he could easily/comfortably throw 93-94-95-96 coming out of the bullpen?

 

Did anyone predict Richard would be throwing 2-3 MPH harder than Poreda this season? I don't think so. Or that he could possibly be one of the two center pieces in a trade for Jake Peavy?

Aaron Poreda's average fastball has been 92.5 mph, Clayton Richard's has been 91.6.

[Balta1701]

Aaron Poreda's average fastball has been 92.5 mph, Clayton Richard's has been 91.6.

Bet that changes after tonight.

[Dick Allen]

Aaron Poreda's average fastball has been 92.5 mph, Clayton Richard's has been 91.6.

One never goes more than 2 innings. Richard seems to be throwing harder than Poreda. There is no way Poreda would have had an outing like Richard tonight. 92.5 with no command and weak secondary pitches get you what Poreda got, a plane ticket to AAA.

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

One never goes more than 2 innings. Richard seems to be throwing harder than Poreda. There is no way Poreda would have had an outing like Richard tonight. 92.5 with no command and weak secondary pitches get you what Poreda got, a plane ticket to AAA.

Sure. That explains why Poreda was doing well in the pen until Ozzie's brainfart, and also why we held on to Jimmy Gobble so long.

 

Poreda hasn't been throwing as hard as he was in the minors and none of us know the reasons behind that. His slider isn't enough to survive as a starter in the big leagues but to make it out like he wouldn't have been successful in relief is another matter entirely.

[Dick Allen]

Sure. That explains why Poreda was doing well in the pen until Ozzie's brainfart, and also why we held on to Jimmy Gobble so long.

 

Poreda hasn't been throwing as hard as he was in the minors and none of us know the reasons behind that. His slider isn't enough to survive as a starter in the big leagues but to make it out like he wouldn't have been successful in relief is another matter entirely.

He was doing well because he was used in non pressure situations with match ups that were very favorable towards him. Ozzie handled him with kid gloves. I rip Ozzie as much as anyone, but he used Poreda correctly. He is not ready to get major league hitters out when they need to be out. Maybe in time he will be, but he's going to have to get the gas back and/or improve the secondary pitches and get some command.

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

He was doing well because he was used in non pressure situations with match ups that were very favorable towards him. Ozzie handled him with kid gloves. I rip Ozzie as much as anyone, but he used Poreda correctly. He is not ready to get major league hitters out when they need to be out. Maybe in time he will be, but he's going to have to get the gas back and/or improve the secondary pitches and get some command.

You don't think Poreda could have been a second lefty option in the pen? Or at least a lefty specialist? I do. I think Ozzie had gotten to the point where he could have ramped up his usage of Poreda, but instead he threw him into a tough situation after having not pitched in a while. Usually Ozzie lets his guys fail a ton before demoting them, but Poreda is a different case (see Boone Logan). Also, when Thornton got here he was used in a similar way and like Poreda, he basically only used his fastball.

 

I hope Ozzie is sending Poreda down simply because of a numbers game and the uncertainty at the back of the rotation. There are now 3 guys (Richard, Colon, Torres) in the picture, with Harrell also in Charlotte, Garcia on a rehab assignment, and both Whisler and Egbert having gotten a cup of coffee. So really that's 7 options right there, and I'd actually be surprised if Poreda is down for any other reason.

[Dick Allen]

You don't think Poreda could have been a second lefty option in the pen? Or at least a lefty specialist? I do. I think Ozzie had gotten to the point where he could have ramped up his usage of Poreda, but instead he threw him into a tough situation after having not pitched in a while. Usually Ozzie lets his guys fail a ton before demoting them, but Poreda is a different case (see Boone Logan). Also, when Thornton got here he was used in a similar way and like Poreda, he basically only used his fastball.

 

I hope Ozzie is sending Poreda down simply because of a numbers game and the uncertainty at the back of the rotation. There are now 3 guys (Richard, Colon, Torres) in the picture, with Harrell also in Charlotte, Garcia on a rehab assignment, and both Whisler and Egbert having gotten a cup of coffee. So really that's 7 options right there, and I'd actually be surprised if Poreda is down for any other reason.

He can't throw strikes consistently. If he can't do that, he can't pitch effectively in the major leagues. He seems like a free spirited fun guy. I hope he finds it, because I think he could really be a character, but he's not ready now. He can mop up fine, but using him when you absolutely need an out isn't ideal.

[Balta1701]

He can't throw strikes consistently. If he can't do that, he can't pitch effectively in the major leagues. He seems like a free spirited fun guy. I hope he finds it, because I think he could really be a character, but he's not ready now. He can mop up fine, but using him when you absolutely need an out isn't ideal.

Like a lot of young guys though, his numbers on walks/pitches/strikes were better in the minors than in the big leagues, not just because guys are more patient (they've also gone up quite a bit this year in the minors). Some of that is him working on his stuff to try to become a sucessful starter, some of that is probably just him being a little scared to pitch to people.

[JPN366]

Like a lot of young guys though, his numbers on walks/pitches/strikes were better in the minors than in the big leagues, not just because guys are more patient (they've also gone up quite a bit this year in the minors). Some of that is him working on his stuff to try to become a sucessful starter, some of that is probably just him being a little scared to pitch to people.

 

He started throwing a lot of off speed stuff in May and his fastball lost a little velocity.

[prochisox]

Jim Fregosi, a special assistant to the Braves GM, is at the game tonight.

 

What would we be wanting from the Braves? Is Yunel Escobar a realistic target? Tommy Hanson? probably not. Jordan Schafer? Jason Heyward? The real question would be what would the Braves want from us? Did Clayton's performance help us in any way for a trade?

[BearSox]

The Braves are looking for offense and maybe even relief pitching. The Braves are willing to deal Escobar, but that'd have to be for a blockbuster package, like the rumored Holliday and Cabrera trade with Oakland. Heyward, Hanson, and Freedmon are as untouchable as Beckham.

 

If I had to guess, the Braves were likely looking at Dye or Dotel/Linebrink.

[bighurt4life]

Last season, he struck out 177 times in 127 games (468 AB). THe kids got power, but he's all or nothing.

 

Lets assume he's a future #4 hitter. Projecting out to about 150 games, that's 209 Ks and 31 HRs in roughly 706 plate appearances.

 

That was last year as a 19 year old playing low-a ball with 21/22 year olds. His K rate was 37.8% and BB rate 8.6%, both bad numbers no doubt, this season his K rate is 36.7%, a marginal improvement only, but his BB rate is 15% this year which is a good jump, he's also has a BA that is 10 points higher and has increased his slugging % by almost 70 points. His plate discipline and pitch recognition have obviously improved considerably and given enough time could continue to improve a la Brandon Allen who was a K machine in his earlier days and greatly improved to the point that his plate discipline was an asset when we traded him.

[lostfan]

He was doing well because he was used in non pressure situations with match ups that were very favorable towards him. Ozzie handled him with kid gloves. I rip Ozzie as much as anyone, but he used Poreda correctly. He is not ready to get major league hitters out when they need to be out. Maybe in time he will be, but he's going to have to get the gas back and/or improve the secondary pitches and get some command.

If that is how they planned to use him all along, he never should've been called up. None of this accomplished anything.

[RockRaines]

You don't think Poreda could have been a second lefty option in the pen? Or at least a lefty specialist? I do. I think Ozzie had gotten to the point where he could have ramped up his usage of Poreda, but instead he threw him into a tough situation after having not pitched in a while. Usually Ozzie lets his guys fail a ton before demoting them, but Poreda is a different case (see Boone Logan). Also, when Thornton got here he was used in a similar way and like Poreda, he basically only used his fastball.

 

I hope Ozzie is sending Poreda down simply because of a numbers game and the uncertainty at the back of the rotation. There are now 3 guys (Richard, Colon, Torres) in the picture, with Harrell also in Charlotte, Garcia on a rehab assignment, and both Whisler and Egbert having gotten a cup of coffee. So really that's 7 options right there, and I'd actually be surprised if Poreda is down for any other reason.

Since when is it the managers fault that a player cannot throw strikes? Players need to have the ability to play to stick in the major leagues and Aaron showed he isnt ready yet. Ozzie handled him very gently at first and threw him into what, ONE pressure situation? Its Poreda's responsibility to be able to pitch, and if he cant, he needs to be sent down, end of story. When something goes wrong for a player, its not the manager's fault, its the player's fault.

[knightni]

Since when is it the managers fault that a player cannot throw strikes?

When the manager lets the player rot on the bench and get rusty, then throws him to the wolves the first chance he gets.