Gene Honda Civic

QUOTE(smalls2598 @ Dec 24, 2007 -> 12:53 PM) Wasn't Cartwright or Tim Floyd also fired on Christmas Eve? Yeah, Floyd.

my key factors: Ceiling, likelihood of reaching that ceiling (I guess you could call that projectibility), age vs. league, ETA... and I like to find similar players in numbers, frame, position, etc; which can heavily influence my rankings --- There aren't a whole lot of comps for guys in the Sox system, but 1. Gio -- Maybe not the pure stuff of DLS, but higher league at essentially the same age. He's closer to contributing. Lack of good comps is a bit of a worry. 2. DLS -- I think he could pitch (well) in the bullpen now, but the Sox owe it to him/themselves to let him develop a 3rd pitch. Carlos Marmol, right now. 3. Sweeney -- stagnated until wrist injury made him look like he regressed (He didn't, but he didn't really improve either He's here because the Sox system is weak) I used to compare him to Alex Rios, but he's looking more and like Alex Romero and venturing into Sean Burroughs territory. I don't project him to hit for any power before 25, but he MUST show improvement at AAA this year or he's a bust. 4. Poreda -- I'll be interested to see what full-season hitters have to think about Poreda's 1-pitch repertoire. Seems like Thornton's replacement rather than a starter to me. He's ranked here because of handedness, radar readings and GB rates. 5. Broadway -- Control was better in the second half... It has to get even better to have a future in the bigs.... Somewhere between a Duchsherer and Josh Towers. 6. Egbert -- Scouts may not like him, but his numbers say he can play. You've gotta do two of three things to pitch in the bigs (keep the ball in the yard, keep the ball on the ground, and throw strikes) Egbert does all three (though I project him to have trouble with the zone in the bigs at first, perhaps killing his only shot) Clay Hensley, Shawn Hill, Kyle Kendrik, Aaron Cook type, maybe with a bit more upside with his HR suppression. Looking at those comps, maybe he should go to the NL. 7. Shelby -- Second most interesting hitter wouldn't crack most teams' top 10. hacktastic second-half has me concerned. Granderson as his ceiling, but I need to see more from him as he climbs the ladder. 8. Alexei Ramirez -- I was digging through a bunch of other cuban hitters who swam to the US. I wouldn't be surprised to see Ramirez being a .750 OPS guy next year... In Charlotte, or worse, Birmingham. 9. Martinez -- projectible frame, faded late. Would be much higher if he finished strong. 10. Francisco Hernandez -- Sox best catching prospect is sox ONLY catching prospect since Olivo. 11. Charlie Haeger -- Still has rookie eligibility, I think. He's only got 1 option year remaining though. I think he'll be an volitile league average innings eater in a few years, but he's only got 1 year plus one spring training to make the Sox. 12. Chris Getz -- I always find a way to keep Getz out of the top 10. He was injured as a league repeater, but performed well. Future as a utility man. 13. Silveiro -- He hasn't picked up a bat, so I have no clue where to put him. The Sox gave Dony Lucy and Wes Whisler a combined $1.2M in signing bonuses, so the $600K doesn't mean anything to me until he plays some real pro ball. Adam Russell -- I've always seen him as a bullpen arm.. Concerned about his velocity, but if it returns, I believe he can find a home pitching at the end of games in the bigs. Nevin Griffin -- Ranked on draft position alone. Sergio Miranda -- I'm still unsure about his defense. But right now, he appears to be a steal. If he can play defense, Jason Bartlett seems like his ceiling. Kent Gerst -- On your recommendation only. Crisp as a ceiling seems more apt than Ellsbury, but that's still 4+ years of development off. Tons of time for setbacks/attrition/stagnation. Oneli Perez -- Uninspiring fastball, arm angle and slurve should get the job done in back end of bullpen this year. Kyle McCulloch -- Meh. Then it's a bunch of interchangables..... Lucas Harrell -- Injured, and needs to control the zone, but good stuff and GB rates. Brian Omogrosso -- became more effective as a starter, but future is in the pen Thomas Collaro -- For EasyW and that other guy! Jon Link Jack Cassell (how injured was he?) Lujan Edwards Marrerro Estill basically the entire Great Falls team.

QUOTE(3E8 @ Dec 23, 2007 -> 09:43 PM) I'm glad to hear that. I think I unlocked every galaxy in the fountain (?) in one sitting of about an hour, getting several stars in just a couple minutes. The boss battles so far are cake, I was a bit worried. The increased challenges you're talking about in the 2nd half of the game should make it so much more rewarding. Tomb Raider 2 for PS remains one of my all-time favorite games just because it was so f***ing difficult. none of the bosses are that difficult, even at the end. But the overall gameplay gets more challenging. And when you're trying to collect 120 stars, repeating levels in new ways, you're challenged consistently.

QUOTE(3E8 @ Dec 23, 2007 -> 04:19 PM) B>W what do you think of Galaxy? I got it last weekend. It's already the second-highest rated game ever on gamerankings.com. I'm really impressed by the gameplay and creativity/originality, but I'm finding it way too easy so far (I have about 20 stars to give you an idea of where I am). Hopefully it gets more challenging. If you've only got 20 stars, you're only 1/3 of the way to being able to rescue the princess, and really only 1/6th of the way to collecting all of the starts.... from there you unlock Luigi and can play the game over as him. So you've got 1/12th of the game finished. I'm up to 110, though I can't take full credit (or blame)some of them were obtained while I sat and watched over thanksgiving weekend. It gets more challenging... Lately, I've been picking it up for about 30 minutes a day, trying to get just 1 star... It takes a number of tries (10-20 sometimes) on some of these stars. I've seen every level now. The last ten are gonna take even more trial and error, I've tried all of them at least once, and come away from some of them wondering how I'm ever going to get it. But I've thought that about many of the last 20 I've picked up.

QUOTE(Markbilliards @ Dec 23, 2007 -> 05:36 PM) Your list is Gerst-less. Yeah.... where is the lowest league repeater who OPSed below .700?

QUOTE(BureauEmployee171 @ Dec 22, 2007 -> 04:10 PM) Range is taken into account in fielding - but in the report it states he throws too flat-footed and will have trouble being a true 2B defender on double plays & has an erratic arm - which takes his pure arm strength from a 60 down to a 50 current. He has tough hands which limit his overall fielding ability despite his athleticism. That sounds like the report on his defense, but that's not what we saw... He may have been throwning flat footed, but he wasn't erratic at all. (That could definitely show up in the future though). His hands also weren't bad, though it looked like you could see him really concentrating (not that that is a bad thing). He just wasn't natural, wasn't fluid. Just effectively average, playable, if not forgettable. His range was a disappointment (to me) though. He was average, I suppose. But you would think a guy with his speed would be able to get to more balls.

QUOTE(jenks45monster @ Dec 22, 2007 -> 12:56 AM) Kei Igawa is a bust. A bust I called after watching 90 seconds of youtube video... In Japan, he was getting outs up in the zone with a terrible changeup. That doesn't cut it in the bigs, which the Yanks quickly found out.

QUOTE(JDsDirtySox @ Dec 21, 2007 -> 05:58 PM) Lets hope he is the best player out of Cuba ever. He better be at least the second or third best hitter... Otherwise the Sox just wasted money (no matter how much they spent) There hasn't been a really successful non-steriod aided (Canseco + Palmiero) Cuban born hitter in the big leagues since Tony Oliva. (Escobar in ATL appears like he might be on his way to being the next best)

QUOTE(southsideirish @ Dec 20, 2007 -> 06:22 PM) Fielding statistics are completely meaningless. Everyone knows this. Watch the games.

Just so we can be sure... This is what we're arguing with... You don't believe in minor league rankings. You don't believe in FA rankings. You don't believe in statistics used to refute your ridiculous claims. AND you don't believe in "meaningles defensive statistics." You do believe in your own eyes, and, presumably, the flying spaghetti monster.

QUOTE(southsideirish @ Dec 20, 2007 -> 05:53 PM) I don't think Garland is worthless, I think he is worth less than some on this board do. He is a #3 or 4 starter. I do think we took the Angels for a ride. An overpaid #3 or 4 pitcher for one of the best SSs in the league plus cash is a great deal. I don' think Zito deserved it and didn't want him on my team either. You are correct - I don't trust FA rankings. Is Cabrera "one of the best SS in the league?" Lets find out... He ranks 18th in OPS+ among everyday SS the last 3 seasons. (That doesn't include some guy named Tulowitski, who is better than Cabrera now and will be much better in the future) Adjusting for defense, he's not listed among the top 10 SS (2005-2007) according to the Fielding Bible. He's not listed among the worst either, and is probably above average.... How much does that move him up the list? Not much, as he'll lose ground to a few around him. His runs saved on defense probably pushes him past a player like Felipe Lopez, and probably Eckstein as well. BUT the rest (of those with a similar OPS+) are all equal or better defenders. What does that leave us? About the 15-16th best SS in baseball. -- That sounds average to me... If you assume that there are 5-8 teams looking for a better SS at all times (i.e. there are only 25 major league SS at any one time) I suppose you can say the same thing about Cabrera that you can say about Garland or Zito. He's a decent player, but not a very good one. Average to above average. He's not one of the best SS in baseball though. Not even close.

QUOTE(southsideirish @ Dec 20, 2007 -> 05:55 PM) He wasn't? Was he close? Who was? Yes I am. Bobby had issues. Pierzynski - Possibly one of the worst trades ever in the history or MLB. Then he supposedly had issues. Your comparisons are funny. The Milledge trade was immediately panned by pretty much anyone with half a brian, which, I assume is the reason you used that example, not realizing it was and will be considered a BRUTAL trade. Oh and guess what, Milledge SUPPOSEDLY has issues. Rap music issues, mostly. Funny, They're delightfully comparable. The answer to #3 is all I need. You're off your rocker if you equate what a player is traded for with their future worth, to which you just admitted.

QUOTE(southsideirish @ Dec 20, 2007 -> 05:45 PM) That means I don't trust any rankings on what team has the best and worst farm systems. NONE. Barry Zito, proven major leaguer with 100 wins, was the consensus #1 pitcher on the free agent market last year and got a $100+ deal. He's a decent pitcher, but not a very good one. Average to above average I'd say. VERY COMPARABLE TO JON GARLAND, whom you seem to think is worthless. Shouldn't that mean you don't trust consensus free-agent rankings?

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Dec 20, 2007 -> 05:41 PM) Well of course Jaime Torres is going to say that, he's trying to drum up as much interest as possible in his client. What would really annoy me is if Cleveland (one of the teams most interested in him) did sign him, and he became a very good hitter for them who was under their control for 6 seasons. That would really, really hurt. If he was any good there would have been a bidding war already... There were a few players who came out of Cuba in the last two years (Linares is the only one I can think of off-hand), but they landed with poor teams... It was no coincidence. I believe two of the three I'm thinking of required major league deals, while none has sniffed the majors... None were what I would call "prospect young" like Morales in Anaheim. They've all been listed at 23-27. Alexei is 26, he either is a major league talent right now or he's a minor league lifer. The lack of serious suitors at this point tells me he's the latter.

QUOTE(southsideirish @ Dec 20, 2007 -> 05:12 PM) I'll give you that. A little something. How many prospects do they say will be great MLB players but are s***? How is Lastings Milledge doing? Wasn't he the number 1 overall player a couple years ago? Now all they could get for him is Ryan Church and Brian Schneider? WOW! Baseball America knows a little - that is for sure. How is Lastings Milledge doing? Well he was more productive (when factoring in Dye's tremendously bad defense) than any of our outfielders last year... at age 22. Wasn't he a #1 overall player a couple years ago? No. Are you seriously using the package for which a player was traded to determine his future worth? Seriously, as a way to disparage an publication filled with people who actually watch minor leaguers (and big leaguers) day-in-day-out as opposed to, you know, you, who has demonstrated his limited scope in this thread. I mean, is Bobby Jenks worth nothing because he was waived by the Angels? What about Pierzynski? He was traded for a reliever and two prospects. It was considered an even trade at the time.... A year later, he was non-tendered and the prospects were among the best in baseball. So does that mean that Pierzynski is really valuable because he was traded for 3 productive players, or has zero value, because he was released outright?

.blogspot. That's gotta be a reputable source.

QUOTE(Greg The Bull Luzinski @ Dec 17, 2007 -> 10:14 PM) Another quality draft pick in the toilet. I think most of us expected this one to be a bust though. I think people have forgotten what a good prospect he once was. He's one of the Sox best first round selections since the Thomas/Ventura/Fernandez/McDowell days. He was great prior to getting injured.

How the f*** is that a penalty?

Since 2005 games with 7+IP and less than 3 runs allowed. (because 6IP 3ER is a 4.5 RA) Brandon Webb 45 Johan Santana 45 Jake Peavy 44 Roy Oswalt 42 John Smoltz 37 Roy Halladay 36 Carlos Zambrano 34 C.C. Sabathia 34 Andy Pettitte 34 Tim Hudson 34 Danny Haren 34 Aaron Harang 34 Dontrelle Willis 33 Jon Garland 33 Chris Carpenter 33 Barry Zito 32 Bronson Arroyo 32 Derek Lowe 31 Mark Buehrle 31 Doug Davis 30 Joe Blanton 30 Remove all the NL guys, and Garland is 5th in the AL, Buerhle 6th. AL Quality starts since 2005 Johan Santana 65 Danny Haren 63 Jon Garland 59 C.C. Sabathia 58 John Lackey 58 Joe Blanton 57

QUOTE(bigruss22 @ Dec 17, 2007 -> 07:54 PM) too bad, wouldve been nice if he panned out, we couldve used him recently if all went to plan Didn't this happen in August, or was that just a rumor? He asked for a release back then anyways, he wanted to be with his friend from Providence in the Cubbies organization.... He's toast, so it's not like it's any loss at this point.

Do.not.want wuz robbed

QUOTE(iamshack @ Dec 16, 2007 -> 01:15 PM) I actually think what Cowley wrote had quite a bit of merit. I'm no baseball historian, but I'm pretty sure they haven't elected any murderers to the hall, which is exactly what he said.

QUOTE(Texsox @ Dec 13, 2007 -> 08:13 AM) I wonder how much they spend in parked domains? Enough

damn, I was just about to bump this

QUOTE(G&T @ Dec 13, 2007 -> 02:33 PM) ESPN feed seems to be hijacked. Damn Al Queda... Terrrrrrists win again.