CaliSoxFanViaSWside

You are right .I am wrong. It was the 1at game he was 1/2 with a walk and the second game he got lifted after the HBP.

Relax . He still has little experience . It's a long season .Another month in A+ won't hurt. The best prospect on the planet has over 1000 minor league AB's ( Vlad Guerrero Jr.). Robert has 329. Moving him means moving other pieces to accommodate him. He still has a lot to learn. Baseball isn't as easy as he is making it look right now. No sense grinding him down . He's on fire now but long seasons do wear a guy down who is not used to it yet no matter how good a physical specimen he is. Let's see if he can stay healthy for 6 months while playing nearly every day. If he does there's a decent chance he can start next year with the Sox but I would imagine with so little experience that he will struggle at some point in AA or AAA and he will need to adjust and we will need to stay patience just like with Moncada.

1 for 2 with a walk and stolen base in game 2 so appears OK.

Ha I want to say something here but nooo.

Fry looking good.

How hard did Fry throw last year is 93 94 normal for him ?

Me likey 5 run innings

Go ALonso !

Yay Ho Say !

Way to go Leury !

Exactly right field out and pitchers hand out for those uninformed meant we had no 1st baseman so a groundball fielded would be thrown to the pitcher for the out if he caught it before the runner reached 1st. Batter catches was always tough . I actually forget how we handled the catching most of the time. Usually a little brother who was too young to play with us.

Well we were both on the South Side but I was at 72nd and Wood street and the blacktop baseball was either played at St. Justin and when we out grew that the local public school blacktop was much bigger, Raster Elementary. I worked for a few years in Mt Greenwood at 103rd and Western, 2 jobs sometimes right in a buildings close together, The White Hen Pantry and The Chicago Tribune Telephone Soliciting office. That was around when I was 18.19 and 20. Running bases was called "pickle" in a lot of places because it was basically trying to get out of being in a rundown . Early in HS family moved to Oak Lawn and although a bit older would still play fast pitch when the opportunity arose. I would often hitchhike from Quigley South (79th and Western) to 103rd street then up 103rd street past Cicero Ave into Oak Lawn . You Alma Mater Brother Rice could be seen from 103rd Street and I played basketball too once in a while at St Xavier College.

When I was a kid in the inner city in Chicago and baseball was popular we didn't play on baseball fields . We would use a rubber ball and play on the blacktop in school yards. If we played on grass at all in was in a nearby park . Yes parks back then had baseball diamonds but they were also used for football and the parks also had basketball courts. Really in baseball all you need is a bat and ball Don't even really need a mitt if you use a rubber ball though we did all have mitts. Ever play what we use to call "fast pitch" ? Just use a piece of chalk or even a piece or rock to draw a strike zone on a wall and play one on one baseball that way with a rubber ball. Throw a pitch and if the hitter swings and misses or takes the pitch it bounces right back to the pitcher. If the hitter makes contact we had designated boundaries for fair or foul balls and areas that hits became extra base hits by how far you hit it on the fly. We also would play wiffle ball on street corners using manhole covers as bases. You could also play catch any time any where. or the version of playing catch with a runner which we called "running bases" . Hell Field of Dreams emphasized how baseball passed from one generation to the next just by playing catch with your Dad. And yes I did play catch with my Dad too. To get really good of course you played Little League and then onto high school and college ball. But seems to reason that a lot of fields where you can play football could also be used for baseball. We also played in vacant lots . With kids, if there's a will there's a way. but with it's decline in popularity there was no longer the will to play baseball.

I don't wonder why .Football and basketball are more popular . Back in the 1960's MLB had great African American players, then football and basketball took all the great athletes away from baseball.

So did Crash Davis

Saltines ? Ritz ? Oyster ?

On one hand the MLB twitter was very supportive of Tim being entertaining then this ? He shouldn't have even been ejected now a suspension ? It's bad enough they kicked our hottest hitter out of the game then Moncada left because of getting hit in the head so we lost without our 2 best players MLB better do what hockey did and suspend anyone who comes off the benches and out of the bullpens. I know the twitter feed has nothing to do with the disciplinary branch but they need to stop sending mixed messages. This has to be on the umpire crew chief and if that was West he's a damn dinosaur and should retire.

For anyone interested how he's been doing in AAA since the Yankees signed him I'll give you some details although they have to be consider like spring training for him . 3 games started, 15 innings, 6.00 ERA, 19 K, 6 BB, 1.67 WHIP, 1 HR At the end of last year with the Brewers in 5 starts he had a 2.13 ERA and 0.95 WHIP but didn't last long in the playoffs with the Brewers pulling him very early in 2 games . Only 3 Innings pitched, 2 runs given up.

This fangraphs artticle thinks otherwise, Although he's in decline most projection systems think he will be a 2.0 WAR pitcher and the fangraphs article also thinks he is not finished citing various Statcast data..

I think I did a thread on him last year. (Mercedes) 26 and finally in AA ball . I hope he sniffs the majors at some point just because a cup of coffee always tastes good. Crash Davis had his cup of coffee for 21 days.

I wasn't aware of the specifics but I knew Law had never had seen him at his best. But still bring him on. Laws opinion or what he see's of Robert will have no bearing on his career path. I know you were only joking about Law .Law is like everyone else. He has an informed opinion with a forum to spout it. I put no stock in his opinions.

Um you do realize that Robert is only in A+ ball now. Eloy was in AAA . He hasn't faced anywhere near the pitching that Eloy had. Progressing to just AAA this year would mean he has done well in AA which is the hardest leap to make especially with so few AB's because of health issues. Most of us just wanted him to stay healthy and the tools he has would shine. But he still has a long way to go. Talking about making the jump to the majors this year ,while possible ,is still a long shot and definitely would be considered rushing him. The offices of the world are filled with guys who could hit in A+ only to flame out when the competition became more difficult. Let him stay healthy and do his thing. Even the best hitter in the minors , Vlad Guerrero Jr. , who some have called the best prospect in years has over 1000 minor league at bats.

I just read the box score. I waste enough time sitting here staring at the computer when the Sox play. Bring Law on I think he'd just be likely to say there's no challenge left for Robert at A+ but i think there is . He can't sustain the torrid pace he's on so unless he gets promoted soon I think we are likely to see him for another month in A+. This opinion may not age well.

Nice to see DHing didn't phase Robert at all today. Single double HR yawn , another day at the office.

Yea walks at that level just mean you don't swing the bat. Pitchers in A+ need to develop and you pitch to the hitters. To be the best you have to beat the best. Pitching around a guy like Robert just means you place a higher emphasis on winning then you do at development and that should never be the case in the lower levels.