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Sox spring training Catch All thread


southsider2k5

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QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Mar 2, 2012 -> 02:16 PM)
Does it help me if I add that I have zero problem if either Castro or Axelrod wind up in the bullpen this year?

 

It's not just saying that all pitchers who are starters should stay starters, I'd say it's also paying attention to what has happened to people in their careers, where they are, how they've been developed, etc.

 

Stewart and Molina...these guys need innings. They haven't had them before. You put them in the bullpen then you might as well keep them there.

 

Sale in the bullpen last year...I thought it was a mistake, but I at least get the reasoning...that's an "All in" kinda move...maybe sacrificing his career as a starter to try to win the division. We'll see what the cost was in a year or two with him.

 

Castro and Axelrod, those are guys who if they can start getting guys out in the pen, you might think that they would then be better able to translate back to getting guys out in the rotation if you need to move them there. Castro, for example, has had over 500 innings in the minors at this point and hasn't even finished a full year of AAA, and was probably signed as a pticher out of the dominican. Axelrod has had 475 innings in the minors and was probably a college pitcher before that. Those are guys whose arms are at least built up. If you move around them, then you don't necessarily worry as much about whether their arms can take it, because they've been conditioned to take it a lot longer than the recent converts.

 

 

How do you know Molina's arm isnt built up? You are doing a tremendous amount of projecting in regards to Molina here. Santos succeeded because he had a god-given great arm. When he was a SS, he was throwing 95+ to the first baseman all the time. These guys throw their entire lives. I understand a starters workload is different than what a SS does on a normal basis, but at the same time you act as if Molina never picked up a ball in his life and we all expect him to throw 200 innings this season. This is not the case, I would love to see Molina get some work in a regular starters routine, but if the Sox feel building up his arm gradually by putting him in the bullpen first is a good course of action, i am not going to complain about it because it didnt work out for McCarthy. If Molina gets quality time in the bigs this season, then goes and pitches winterball as a starter in anticipation of being in the rotation 2013, I dont view this as a bad thing. He needs to know how to succeed at the highest level eventually, maybe he is more ready than any of us know.

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QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Mar 2, 2012 -> 02:32 PM)
How do you know Molina's arm isnt built up? You are doing a tremendous amount of projecting in regards to Molina here. Santos succeeded because he had a god-given great arm. When he was a SS, he was throwing 95+ to the first baseman all the time. These guys throw their entire lives. I understand a starters workload is different than what a SS does on a normal basis, but at the same time you act as if Molina never picked up a ball in his life and we all expect him to throw 200 innings this season. This is not the case, I would love to see Molina get some work in a regular starters routine, but if the Sox feel building up his arm gradually by putting him in the bullpen first is a good course of action, i am not going to complain about it because it didnt work out for McCarthy. If Molina gets quality time in the bigs this season, then goes and pitches winterball as a starter in anticipation of being in the rotation 2013, I dont view this as a bad thing. He needs to know how to succeed at the highest level eventually, maybe he is more ready than any of us know.

 

It was also interesting to see the story about how much they had Sergio throw on the side. I am going to guess the Jays did the same with Molina. Did Molina pitch winter or fall ball anywhere?

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QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Mar 2, 2012 -> 03:32 PM)
How do you know Molina's arm isnt built up? You are doing a tremendous amount of projecting in regards to Molina here.

Yes I am, but this is not unreasonable projecting. This guy has thrown 292 innings in his life. Period. Yes, he's thrown across a diamond before, but whether or not it's exactly right, the Verducci effect doesn't lie. We've seen over and over that guys who get a big jump in innings year to year get hurt more often. This guy is jumping from 0 innings to trying to be a pitcher. The Jays went 40 innings with him, then 80, then 130, all of them in low A ball. That puts him right at needing 160-ish this year to be on a normal arm growth path, and that's a full season in AA, or maybe part AA and part AAA.

 

He has started 27 games in his minor league career. 27. That's no where near enough to develop a routine as a starter and really turn into one. They were just making him into a starter last year, because they didn't want to push his innings prior to that as a converted starter. And now we're going to put him in the bullpen for several months and destroy any routine hes' developed?

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QUOTE (sunofgold @ Mar 2, 2012 -> 01:59 PM)
And Danks is better than McCarthy.

I'm not so sure about that.

 

edit: yes, of course Danks has given us many many innings the last year and has been far and away the better value since the trade so don't bother

Edited by Steve9347
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QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 2, 2012 -> 02:37 PM)
It was also interesting to see the story about how much they had Sergio throw on the side. I am going to guess the Jays did the same with Molina. Did Molina pitch winter or fall ball anywhere?

 

Don't ask KW that question, lol.

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Intrasquad lineups today:

 

Team Konerko lineup: De Aza cf, Beckham 2b, Rios rf, PK dh, Ramirez ss, Flowers c, Gallagher 1b, McPherson 3b, Mitchell lf, Floyd p.

 

Team Dunn lineup: Lillibridge ss, AJ c, Fukudome rf, Dunn dh, Morel 3b, Viciedo lf, Johnson 1b, Danks cf, Escobar 2b, Sale p

 

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QUOTE (flavum @ Mar 3, 2012 -> 11:26 AM)
Intrasquad lineups today:

 

Team Konerko lineup: De Aza cf, Beckham 2b, Rios rf, PK dh, Ramirez ss, Flowers c, Gallagher 1b, McPherson 3b, Mitchell lf, Floyd p.

 

Team Dunn lineup: Lillibridge ss, AJ c, Fukudome rf, Dunn dh, Morel 3b, Viciedo lf, Johnson 1b, Danks cf, Escobar 2b, Sale p

 

lol good luck mitchell vs sale

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QUOTE (flavum @ Mar 3, 2012 -> 04:41 PM)
Ventura is leaning toward AJ 2nd, and Paulie 4th. Could be Rios batting 3rd. Hmmm.

 

De Aza

Pierzynski

Rios

Konerko

Dunn

Viciedo

Ramirez

Morel

Beckham

 

What do you think?

AJ's still a crappy option as the 2nd hitter, but the people need to earn it otherwise and prove that there's a better option. The lineup gets very right handed from 3-9, especially if Dunn struggles at all. Viciedo, Ramirez, Morel, and Beckham might never see a left handed reliever.

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QUOTE (flavum @ Mar 3, 2012 -> 11:26 AM)
Intrasquad lineups today:

 

Team Konerko lineup: De Aza cf, Beckham 2b, Rios rf, PK dh, Ramirez ss, Flowers c, Gallagher 1b, McPherson 3b, Mitchell lf, Floyd p.

 

Team Dunn lineup: Lillibridge ss, AJ c, Fukudome rf, Dunn dh, Morel 3b, Viciedo lf, Johnson 1b, Danks cf, Escobar 2b, Sale p

 

They should throw everyone for a loop and have Konerko on Team Dunn, and vice versa.

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Veal pitched 2 innings, struggled with his control. Afterwards Cooper said to him, "The positive we get from this today is you were more aggressive in your second inning."

 

Reporting live from spring training, this is BigEd.

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QUOTE (BigEdWalsh @ Mar 3, 2012 -> 05:31 PM)
Veal pitched 2 innings, struggled with his control. Afterwards Cooper said to him, "The positive we get from this today is you were more aggressive in your second inning."

 

Reporting live from spring training, this is BigEd.

Who is Veal?

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Reifert

This Dayan Viciedo switch to left-field sure is paying dividends, isn’t it?

“He’s hot playing left field,” laughed manager Robin Ventura.

 

Viciedo’s first-inning grand slam to left field led Team Dunn to an 8-4 victory over Team Konerko In the first intrasquad game of the Robin Ventura era (although Ventura was quick to point out he did not manage either team, so his career record is not 1-1).

As part of its pregame preparation, Team Dunn circled new acquisition Kosuke Fokudome in short left field as he led a rousing pregame pep talk Japanese baseball style.

 

“That’s the stuff you look for,” Ventura said, “besides the on field stuff, the comraderie. It’s good to see already.”

 

Viciedo was one of the last players off the field after the game, and we all explained he could pick up his MVP Award inside the clubhouse. Catcher A.J. Pierzynski added to the 4-0 Dunn lead with a RBI single in the second inning before Team Konerko rallied for four runs in the fifth inning, highlighted by consecutive RBI hits from Jared Mitchell and Brandon Short (a bases loaded double). But Team Dunn added four more runs in the fifth to seal the 8-4 victory and bragging rights.

 

Postgame, captain Konerko could just shake his head at the defeat (Don’t worry, he won’t hear much about it over the next day or so). Prior to the game, Konerko was one of the final players to arrive in the dugout, and he was greeted with a smart-aleck: “All rise!” The captain immediately kicked a trash can in his dugout in jest to inspire his troops (didn’t work so well).

 

Chris Sale and Brian Omogrosso each worked 2.0 scoreless IP for Team Dunn. Team Konerko starter Gavin Floyd surrendered five runs over 2.0 IP.

 

“Sale looked great,” Ventura said.

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Interesting that it was Team Dunn vs. Team Konerko. Guess this means that the players are showing support for Dunn. Right?

 

I am hearing that Beckham looking good at the plate. That is encouraging. But didn't he start last year the same way? Hopefully this year is different.

Edited by sunofgold
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