7/28 Games

[BigHurt3515]

Wilkins just keeps on hitting

[BaseballNick]

Andy Wilkins went 3-5 and now has his average up to .291.

Ravelo was 0-4 with an RBI. Clearly, the experts were right about him being a non-prospect.

[ChiSoxJon]

They've been much appreciated, it was most definitely a sincere comment.

Wow thanks guys really appreciate it

[ChiSoxJon]

Totally serious. It's so cool when some of us get to actually see the minor league teams play. I appreciate the info. Otherwise, I'm only looking at box scores and occasional highlights. I'm hoping myself to see the Voyagers in a couple of weeks.

Tonight's kanny recap coming right up

[ChiSoxJon]

Salgado has been outstanding converting into a pitcher so far. Rooting for the kid.

Throws a lot of nasty offspeed stuff, FB reaches 88-89 as seen tonight but his movement is filthy, most of his pitches were 78-81, pretty normal delivery and arm action, his 1 jersey looks so odd on a pitcher

[ChiSoxJon]

Final Kanny Game Live report:

-Thomore and Engel continue to cover a ton of ground in the OF, make everything look easy

-Michalczewski, a HS SS (and WR in football) looks solid at third defensively but if he develops more at a higher level I'd like to see him move to first, actually no...we need a 3B

- Many questioned Austin's D on draft day, but he looked solid this series, Dowdy has been a mess defensively

- Brennan got lit up and had control issues early but settled down, has a nice slider or curve, couldn't really tell, but has a FB that reaches 91 at most

- Christian Stringer is a very athletic and acrobatic and instintive defender, really impressed me

-Hayes has some big time power, been killing the ball this weekend after a mini slump, when he's not hitting bombs he's always hitting smoked linedrives, good to see, could add some more muscle

-Brennan looked comfortable on the mound which impressed me, got outta a few jams

-Jacob Morris made his second monster throw of the series, has an absolute cannon, relatively accurate as well

-Ryan Leonards has speed and plays quality D, I know he's 23 but if he doesn't make major hitting improvements by Sept., I'd love to see him repeat, has talent

 

Any questions on any players or any reports needed from Kanny, please ask, loaded with information, even Philly prospects I saw too, had a few that impressed

[BaseballNick]

Great info, Jon. Thanks for the insight. What did you think of Thomore at the plate? He was an intriguing prospect before his injury, but it seems like he's just not hitting enough.

[Bruce_Blixton]

Throws a lot of nasty offspeed stuff, FB reaches 88-89 as seen tonight but his movement is filthy, most of his pitches were 78-81, pretty normal delivery and arm action, his 1 jersey looks so odd on a pitcher

 

That's very interesting to hear, following his progression this season I always assumed that he was one of those SS that had a rocket for an arm and was just blowing away hitters with an upper 90s fastball. Hearing that he has nasty movement on his offspeed stuff is very encouraging since I'm sure he'll be able to add some velocity as he irons out his mechanics. I've been rooting for him this year and am really happy to see his continued success.

[NorthSideSox72]

Recap posted.

 

 

[NorthSideSox72]

Braulio "A Better Prospect Than Rangel Ravelo According To MLB.com" Ortiz walked 4 in 2 innings tonight, gave up 3 hits and a run with 2 strikeouts and lowered his Birmingham ERA to 11.25.

 

 

How the heck did he earn a promotion to AA? He wasn't that good with the Dash either.

 

Ortiz has some nasty stuff, just hasn't translated it to results. His fastball is solidly mid-90's with nice movement, and his slider flashes plus (though was, at last report, very inconsistent). His control and repeating delivery need serious work.

 

 

Final Kanny Game Live report:

-Thomore and Engel continue to cover a ton of ground in the OF, make everything look easy

-Michalczewski, a HS SS (and WR in football) looks solid at third defensively but if he develops more at a higher level I'd like to see him move to first, actually no...we need a 3B

- Many questioned Austin's D on draft day, but he looked solid this series, Dowdy has been a mess defensively

- Brennan got lit up and had control issues early but settled down, has a nice slider or curve, couldn't really tell, but has a FB that reaches 91 at most

- Christian Stringer is a very athletic and acrobatic and instintive defender, really impressed me

-Hayes has some big time power, been killing the ball this weekend after a mini slump, when he's not hitting bombs he's always hitting smoked linedrives, good to see, could add some more muscle

-Brennan looked comfortable on the mound which impressed me, got outta a few jams

-Jacob Morris made his second monster throw of the series, has an absolute cannon, relatively accurate as well

-Ryan Leonards has speed and plays quality D, I know he's 23 but if he doesn't make major hitting improvements by Sept., I'd love to see him repeat, has talent

 

Any questions on any players or any reports needed from Kanny, please ask, loaded with information, even Philly prospects I saw too, had a few that impressed

Thanks for all that!

 

Austin looked pretty lost defensively in that national TV game they had, which I watched. Good to hear he's putting that together now. Dowdy is usually regarding as a strong defensive catcher, so his struggles are a little surprising.

 

Brennan is in recovery mode. His fastball was a 92-95 sinker when drafted, but his strength is probably gone and he needs to build it back up. Honestly, if he can just do OK at Kanny this year, then maybe pitch in the fall instructs, that's a win.

 

I've liked Stringer since last year, wrote him into the Next Wave article this past offseason. Seemed like a weird choice when they gave Shryock the job in Kanny and left Stringer in extended, but that's been righted now and Stringer has some interesting tools.

 

[jmsalgado]

That's very interesting to hear, following his progression this season I always assumed that he was one of those SS that had a rocket for an arm and was just blowing away hitters with an upper 90s fastball. Hearing that he has nasty movement on his offspeed stuff is very encouraging since I'm sure he'll be able to add some velocity as he irons out his mechanics. I've been rooting for him this year and am really happy to see his continued success.

Hello everybody. I am Brad's father. I will try to keep the emotion out of the discussion since I am obviously biased. I am only responding to this to provide some additional information. I certainly appreciate all of your positive comments & I hope Brad continues to improve & perform. Regarding the "velocity" concern. I was actually very happy to hear about all the movement of his offspeed pitches. I wonder if the person who wrote that was at the game? Anyway, regardling velocity, Brad typically sits around the 90-91 range, but on a few occasions this year, both at Great Falls & Kannapolis, he has been able to top out at 94. As you stated, more velocity will come as he continues to re-learn how to pitch. He hasn't pitched since his junior year of high school in 2009 & has only been a "pitcher" for about a year now. It was about this time last season at Great Falls that he actually got to pitch in games. Hope that info helps.

[Feeky Magee]

Hello everybody. I am Brad's father. I will try to keep the emotion out of the discussion since I am obviously biased. I am only responding to this to provide some additional information. I certainly appreciate all of your positive comments & I hope Brad continues to improve & perform. Regarding the "velocity" concern. I was actually very happy to hear about all the movement of his offspeed pitches. I wonder if the person who wrote that was at the game? Anyway, regardling velocity, Brad typically sits around the 90-91 range, but on a few occasions this year, both at Great Falls & Kannapolis, he has been able to top out at 94. As you stated, more velocity will come as he continues to re-learn how to pitch. He hasn't pitched since his junior year of high school in 2009 & has only been a "pitcher" for about a year now. It was about this time last season at Great Falls that he actually got to pitch in games. Hope that info helps.

Great to get the inside track. Let's hope for more of the same from Brad!

[NorthSideSox72]

Hello everybody. I am Brad's father. I will try to keep the emotion out of the discussion since I am obviously biased. I am only responding to this to provide some additional information. I certainly appreciate all of your positive comments & I hope Brad continues to improve & perform. Regarding the "velocity" concern. I was actually very happy to hear about all the movement of his offspeed pitches. I wonder if the person who wrote that was at the game? Anyway, regardling velocity, Brad typically sits around the 90-91 range, but on a few occasions this year, both at Great Falls & Kannapolis, he has been able to top out at 94. As you stated, more velocity will come as he continues to re-learn how to pitch. He hasn't pitched since his junior year of high school in 2009 & has only been a "pitcher" for about a year now. It was about this time last season at Great Falls that he actually got to pitch in games. Hope that info helps.

Welcome to the forum! We've had a number of parents/siblings/friends/girlfriends of prospects post back here, and we always welcome it. It is also a nice reminder to look beyond the numbers.

 

I've seen reports in the velocity range you mention, and certainly as a guy new to pitching, it will take some time for Brad to build up the specific strength needed for it. The movement is key, because if he can add some velocity, that could play very well. The Sox organization has a history of these conversions, and in one semi-recent case (Sergio Santos) the player even reached the majors. So we're always curious to hear more about them. I saw he struck out the side in the ninth last night.

 

Best of luck to your son! And in a totally shameless plug, you can check out the FutureSox blog (www.futuresox.com), and/or our twitter (@FutureSox) or Facebook for updates. We do daily recaps and a bunch of other stuff.

 

[MurcieOne]

Hello everybody. I am Brad's father. I will try to keep the emotion out of the discussion since I am obviously biased. I am only responding to this to provide some additional information. I certainly appreciate all of your positive comments & I hope Brad continues to improve & perform. Regarding the "velocity" concern. I was actually very happy to hear about all the movement of his offspeed pitches. I wonder if the person who wrote that was at the game? Anyway, regardling velocity, Brad typically sits around the 90-91 range, but on a few occasions this year, both at Great Falls & Kannapolis, he has been able to top out at 94. As you stated, more velocity will come as he continues to re-learn how to pitch. He hasn't pitched since his junior year of high school in 2009 & has only been a "pitcher" for about a year now. It was about this time last season at Great Falls that he actually got to pitch in games. Hope that info helps.

 

Welcome Brad's father! Any insight as to why he wears #1? Just a carry over from when he was a SS?

[jmsalgado]

Welcome to the forum! We've had a number of parents/siblings/friends/girlfriends of prospects post back here, and we always welcome it. It is also a nice reminder to look beyond the numbers.

 

I've seen reports in the velocity range you mention, and certainly as a guy new to pitching, it will take some time for Brad to build up the specific strength needed for it. The movement is key, because if he can add some velocity, that could play very well. The Sox organization has a history of these conversions, and in one semi-recent case (Sergio Santos) the player even reached the majors. So we're always curious to hear more about them. I saw he struck out the side in the ninth last night.

 

Best of luck to your son! And in a totally shameless plug, you can check out the FutureSox blog (www.futuresox.com), and/or our twitter (@FutureSox) or Facebook for updates. We do daily recaps and a bunch of other stuff.

Thank you. Yes, he did strike out the side for the save. The good news was that after the game, he told me his "stuff" was not even close to where he wanted it to be. He just grinded his way through & got the job done.

 

I have followed this message board for quite a while. (4 years) I had intended to stay out of it altogether, but I know everybody here would not be wasting their time if they weren't diehard Sox fans. I love the passion you all share & although I consider myself a very knowledgeable baseball guy, I have learned a lot from the insights many of you have contributed. Although I do believe velocity certainly has its advantages, I also do believe you can throw TOO hard & as you stated, movement is the key. 97-98 does you no good if it's as straight as an arrow. Ok, gotta go. Kanny plays an early game today & I will be tuned in. Have a great day everyone.

[ChiSoxJon]

Great info, Jon. Thanks for the insight. What did you think of Thomore at the plate? He was an intriguing prospect before his injury, but it seems like he's just not hitting enough.

When I saw him in May he was doing really well and I thought he was back to being a prospect, he still makes solid contact but some of his swings almost look like check swings, he's still young but I think with Instructs in the Fall and some work with Sasser or maybe even Thome one day, he can go back to being a very very solid contact hitter. What was his injury? I don't even remember

[ChiSoxJon]

Ortiz has some nasty stuff, just hasn't translated it to results. His fastball is solidly mid-90's with nice movement, and his slider flashes plus (though was, at last report, very inconsistent). His control and repeating delivery need serious work.

 

 

 

Thanks for all that!

 

Austin looked pretty lost defensively in that national TV game they had, which I watched. Good to hear he's putting that together now. Dowdy is usually regarding as a strong defensive catcher, so his struggles are a little surprising.

 

Brennan is in recovery mode. His fastball was a 92-95 sinker when drafted, but his strength is probably gone and he needs to build it back up. Honestly, if he can just do OK at Kanny this year, then maybe pitch in the fall instructs, that's a win.

 

I've liked Stringer since last year, wrote him into the Next Wave article this past offseason. Seemed like a weird choice when they gave Shryock the job in Kanny and left Stringer in extended, but that's been righted now and Stringer has some interesting tools.

Austin just looked solid, nothing too special although he does have a solid arm, Dowdy scared me a little

 

I agree 100% with you on Brennan

 

If Stringer can bat .260-.270 by September I'd keep an eye on him, great defense, team has a lot of good defenders

[ChiSoxJon]

Hello everybody. I am Brad's father. I will try to keep the emotion out of the discussion since I am obviously biased. I am only responding to this to provide some additional information. I certainly appreciate all of your positive comments & I hope Brad continues to improve & perform. Regarding the "velocity" concern. I was actually very happy to hear about all the movement of his offspeed pitches. I wonder if the person who wrote that was at the game? Anyway, regardling velocity, Brad typically sits around the 90-91 range, but on a few occasions this year, both at Great Falls & Kannapolis, he has been able to top out at 94. As you stated, more velocity will come as he continues to re-learn how to pitch. He hasn't pitched since his junior year of high school in 2009 & has only been a "pitcher" for about a year now. It was about this time last season at Great Falls that he actually got to pitch in games. Hope that info helps.

Welcome! Yes I was at the game, your son made those hitters look silly in the 9th

[ChiSoxJon]

I couldn't make today's game, the final of the series, but I'm listening to it on radio, Brito is not 6 foot, he's 6'7! I knew that was impossible, he's extremely lanky, his dad just passed last week too, wish him all the best

[Chisoxfn]

Micah 3-3, sac fly

Davidson 0-4, now hitting .199

Davidson is toast.

[Bruce_Blixton]

Hello everybody. I am Brad's father. I will try to keep the emotion out of the discussion since I am obviously biased. I am only responding to this to provide some additional information. I certainly appreciate all of your positive comments & I hope Brad continues to improve & perform. Regarding the "velocity" concern. I was actually very happy to hear about all the movement of his offspeed pitches. I wonder if the person who wrote that was at the game? Anyway, regardling velocity, Brad typically sits around the 90-91 range, but on a few occasions this year, both at Great Falls & Kannapolis, he has been able to top out at 94. As you stated, more velocity will come as he continues to re-learn how to pitch. He hasn't pitched since his junior year of high school in 2009 & has only been a "pitcher" for about a year now. It was about this time last season at Great Falls that he actually got to pitch in games. Hope that info helps.

 

Thanks for all the info and welcome to the board, I know the transition from position player to pitcher is a tough one but Brad is in one of if not the best organization to make that switch. Looking forward to following his progression!

[MnSoxFan]

When I saw him in May he was doing really well and I thought he was back to being a prospect, he still makes solid contact but some of his swings almost look like check swings, he's still young but I think with Instructs in the Fall and some work with Sasser or maybe even Thome one day, he can go back to being a very very solid contact hitter. What was his injury? I don't even remember

 

I believe he had a nasty leg break early in his pro career. He was highly touted HS hitter. Great arm in the OF and could run a bit. The team that took him relatively early gave up on him and we took a shot.

[BaseballNick]

When I saw him in May he was doing really well and I thought he was back to being a prospect, he still makes solid contact but some of his swings almost look like check swings, he's still young but I think with Instructs in the Fall and some work with Sasser or maybe even Thome one day, he can go back to being a very very solid contact hitter. What was his injury? I don't even remember

 

It was a dislocated ankle. Sounds like it almost cost him his career.

Thomore Injury

[ChiSoxJon]

I believe he had a nasty leg break early in his pro career. He was highly touted HS hitter. Great arm in the OF and could run a bit. The team that took him relatively early gave up on him and we took a shot.

WOW, never knew that, knew he was drafted very high with COL outta high school, he still has a solid arm and pretty solid speed, still could be something

[MnSoxFan]

WOW, never knew that, knew he was drafted very high with COL outta high school, he still has a solid arm and pretty solid speed, still could be something

 

Yep. Looks like Nick has the real scoop above and an article to go with it. I knew it was bad. Did not know about his mother and it appears he got hurt before being drafted.