Look at Ray Ray Run

I get why people make this comp since they're both soft tossing righties with change ups as their best pitch, but I don't think Thorpe and Hendricks are all that similar. Hendricks wasn't striking people out in the minors, his entire game had always been inducing weak contact and getting the edges of the plate extended. I'm not sure Kyle Hendricks would succeed today the same way he did a decade ago even with the new strike zone changes. He was a heavy ground ball pitcher who never ever walked anyone. 2.1 BB/9 for his entire MLB career with some years under 1.6! Thorpe isn't running walk rates anywhere near that in the minors even. There's been one version of a righty throwing 90 MPH who has succeeded in the last 20+ years. Forecasting and projecting this guy to be another one seems like a reach. Especially with Thorpe generating a lot more fly balls, giving more free passes and relying so much on missing bats in the minors.

Not to be a downer, I just dont know that this matters at all. Thorpe has always been dominant in the minors. His problem is big leaguers dont respect the fastball and it destroys the value of the change.

He's only a 150 wRC+ player In AA at 20 years old. No big deal. Yes, that would rank him first in the southern league as one of the younger players in the league.

Here's what I can tell you, through our interactions you are a clear definition of a follower. You defer to authority constantly. Give benefit of the doubt to people because of their titles or positions. You rarely have an original thought that wasn't derived through your deferral to someone else. If I want to be lectured and ridiculed about how to lead or design successful leadership structures, you would be one of the last people I would come to. Edit: When Getz didn't develop anyone as director of PD, you said it was the fault of the GM for not setting him up for success. When Getz doesn't develop any pitchers as the GM, you said it is the fault of the Director of Pitching for not doing his job. The hypocrisy is hilarious.

Correct.... but blaming Bannister for pitching failures and not the final decision maker is also what's wrong with the corporate world. All the credit constantly goes to the top, all the blame gets off boarded down below. It's nonsense. The pitching failures rest on Getz, and let's not forget GETZ was the one who wanted Hagen, not the phantom pitching guy behind the curtain.

My worry with Robbie is all those fly balls in our park vs San fran.

Getz isn't scouting players? He isn't the final decision maker on the roster? Interesting takes. If all Getz does is delegate, what exactly is he adding in his role?

Huh? The director of pitching job is supposed to develop pitchers. You love the term market inefficiency. Not everything you do is about market inefficiency. Most things you do are playing to your strengths, not everyone else's weaknesses.

Robbie stuff has definitely taken a step back and he's benefiting big time from that ballpark, but he's still better than Sandlin imo.

I've said this before, but Bannisters job is to develop arms. Getz job is to identify talent that aligns with Bannister's strengths, not to have Bannister tell him who to acquire. Bannister isn't in the talent identification game, he's in the talent development game. Those two things are different skills IMO. Let's properly distribute credit and blame where it aligns.

Why do you claim that Bannister is acquiring pitchers? Getz is acquiring pitchers. Thats his job.

Lauer was literally released this year. He's old and washed. This wouldnt even be an improvement. It would be like adding another Fedde.

Bump

Said Sanchez, typed Frazier. It's late.

If sox win, they can thank Frazier

Your dislike of Detmers almost feels personal lol. He was rushed to the bigs as a 21 year old, and has had to learn everything at this level. His slider and fastball are both ++ imo and his other 3 pitches are league average at worse. I think he has a great second half of his career. Not quite a wheeler like resurgence post 28, but still think it'll be a top 15ish starter over a 3-5 year period type run.

This is all fair, but i disagree on the talent part. I've never really liked any of the Sox guys but Schultz. The Sox have given Bannister a bunch of guys who can't consistently find the zone and told him to help them find the zone. That's a really tall task and a recipe for disaster.

IDK. This goes back to what I said originally which was that Bannister shouldn't be identifying guys to bring in. That's not his skill. His skill is getting the most out of what he has. He's also been a guy who develops big league talent in his career, not a guy who makes immense changes to minor leaguers. If you look at the MLB pitching staff, it's full of guys who are getting way better production than the sum of the skillsets. So I think he's been able to maximize what they do have, but they really just don't have much. Those prospects, beyond Schultz, were never blue chip guys.

Another broken wrist though. Zaps your power. A terrible injury for a hitter and you never know if it'll come all the way back.

Turn on the game and Stone comparing Aaron Judge as a leader and positive force with Dumbledore. Unreal.

If 2 of the 6 guys you listed become actual long-term reliable MLB starters I would be very excited. Hagen is a reliever, McDougal has had like 60 good innings in his professional life, and they weren't even great; he's as likely to have an Oppor style meltdown as he is to become a + mid rotation starter. I think he's also probably a reliever. Sandlin is a reliever - he can't get lefties out, and doesn't have a pitch to do it. Adams and Thorpe would be miracles at this point, although I think Thorpe is the more likely of the two if I had to pick one. Mason Adams is already going to be 27. The BEST outcome for the guy is Davis Martin, who I'm obviously still skeptical of his sustainability. I'll edit this to say I think I like Adams a little more than McDougal as a starter (McDougal WHIP is just rough, even when he was good). Adams doesn't really have the pen viability to McDougal might have though so Tanner the better piece. Burke has one plus pitch only, but if you're going to have one at least it's the fastball. I think his arm is talented enough to establish some secondary stuff and be a solid mid rotation guy. I liked Burke two years ago, didn't like him after last year, and still worry about the crazy Velo fluctuations, but I think he's an MLB starter.

I agree with this, but I'd take a rental for a rental price. Rentals haven't been going for top prospects for a while, especially not ones in the Sox range, so I think a rental would be OK. That said, they should be trying to trade for controllable pitching all year, at the deadline, at the end of this year.

The red sox traded from a strength (young controllable pitching) for a weakness. If you believe in the Mead changes, I think it makes more sense than people are making it out to be. Sox should be doing the same thing but in reverse; trading controllable hitting (a strength) for controllable pitching.

They have zero reliable pitching in the minor leagues, and beyond Burke i dont see much sustainable success in the future in the big leagues (and burke could get hurt any day). The best pitcher of the bunch is struggling mightily this year (i still believe Schultz will be a star eventually if the sox dont screw him up too bad), so I just don't see this sustainable juggernaut that others see. I see a team that has some position player talent that they need to turn into good controllable pitching, otherwise theyre going to be relying on good batted ball luck and sequencing luck to maintain a survivable pitching staff for years to come. Which im of course very skeptical of.

Agreed. The idea that this is just the beginning is not something any Sox fan should believe. If this team won 75 games next year, i dont think anyone would be shocked. Make the most of your opportunities while also trying to improve the roster wholes this team has on the pitching side. Make the most of the limited opportunities you have. Most of the Sox current prospects will turn into nothing.