CaliSoxFanViaSWside

Sometimes you see him get down 0-2 and just give the AB away by swinging at some slider not close to the zone. I think to myself Ok you are down 0-2, everybody knows this pitcher will go down and away again because that's how you got to 0-2. The pitcher would be foolish to challenge you yet he will still swing. Down 0-2 if you are going to K on 3 pitches then I'd rather see you take a pitch right down the middle because some pitcher decided to surprise you rather than a swing at a slider a foot outside which is what he's going to get 90% of the time in that situation. This is when I start to think the game is still too fast for him. I'd rather he takes more 1st pitches and establish that he will do that. Once that happens he's more likely to see 1st pitch fastballs and then he can start looking for it. If he's in swing mode from pitch 1 he's working against how teams strategize to pitch him. Make them change their strategy so you can see more pitches in the zone.

There was also another out he made at something like 114 MPH where the expected batting average on that velocity is .970

Trouble is when you spend most of your career A ball and lower it's because no one trusts you as a catcher and younger guys, higher draft picks keep getting looks over you. Once you finally hit AA because your hitting can no longer be ignored it becomes apparent that he needed to rise quickly because of his age. He's 28 now and hoping he can stick around and prove his worth. But if he does prove his worth, the smattering of people saying he should've got a shot earlier will only get louder. I'm just thankful he finally got a shot when I didn't think he ever would with the Sox.

https://www.mlb.com/whitesox/news/yermin-mercedes-has-another-three-hit-game

That sums it up nicely.

Maybe an ounce less on the bat.

It's bad ju ju to speak ill of the dead.

Tis a wonderful thing .

Engel is hopefully back soon and there will be a lot less of Hamilton. Hendrick will probably lead the league in innings for a relief pitcher so not real concerned about that either.

Hendrick is a guy who is grateful to pitch, loves to pitch and loves the pressure and doesn't really care how often he works or the inning. All that being said it's certainly a different season then 2020 and managers may err on the side of cautious this year trying not to overuse pitchers.

I know you hate Hamilton but odd to compare a position player's innings to a relief pitcher.

Yeah that has been getting some serious play lately from southsideirish . Say what you want about the 2020 team but keep it truthful and don't present inaccuracies as fact.

On the walk off HR Walsh got a change up on the 2-0 count and swung through it . He hit the walk off HR on a 2-1 count. I don't think he had great command of his change up however but maybe he should have doubled up on it. The fastball to Walsh was up and away. The one he blew by Trout was down. In a situation with 2 runners on and 1 out . pitches just have to be down even with good low ball hitters because you want a DP.

It is very hard which makes 2021 much harder when you have so many guys who haven't played 162 game seasons and with so much youth and lack of depth . People were saying we have a great bullpen. I said the potential is there to be great but fattening up stats against the likes of the Tigers and Royals wasn't a great predictor of success for the future . Your insight on that was very helpful. Many thought Vaughn would be great right out of the gate. That can still happen but people were ragging on me because I had the audacity to say he wouldn't get an extension before the season started. I said the vets would have to lead the way to get a win tonight and they didn't and we lost. I loved Mercedes but I gave up on him making the team this year or ever getting meaningful time but injuries led to the Sox needing a bat . If not for Mercedes we could've lost all 4. I also said many times that the playoffs are not a given. But I am a patient guy. The Sox are very talented but opening in California in a stadium where all that youth hadn't played before nor the vets for a while wasn't going to be easy. They aren't going to win many games if Mercedes and Eaton are their 2 best hitters in a 4 game series on the road with the umps looking like they were paid off.

And you can't say that either unless you name one of those teams lately that carried 9 guys who fit the same description I just gave . Probably wont find one even though you gave yourself an out by naming 3 teams. The Sox situation is unique in that 2020 was not a full season. Yes teams use a lot of players during the season but our guys are all supposed to play key roles now to compete for a Division title at the very least. You can generalize that all you want but until proven I don't believe it. 9 guys is over 33% of the 26 and Cease you could say is the 10th because he has never started a season of 162 yet on the 25 or 26 man roster. So find me 10 guys like that on an Opening Day roster from those 3 teams.

The list is lot longer. Madrigal, Robert, Collins , Mercedes, Vaughn, Heuer, Foster, Crochet, Kopech . All are either rookies or entering their 1st full season .

Last statement very odd. He's only played 3 games and set some team records in the process and broke 1 modern era MLB record. Can't get excited over those things for long when you lose. Maybe that was your point.

This is true. I said at the beginning of the thread that the veteran hitters had to lead the way. What did we get out of Abreu, Timmy, Moncada , Grandal and Eaton ? 0 for 14 and 6 walks. I was hoping I'd be right that they would do it but they didn't.

There really was no reason to hang himself by his arm on the wall like that but he did it because the young just have a tendency to think they are invulnerable even though you would think by now he would have learned that he isn't. I wouldn't dare to try to psychoanalyze him as you did . We learn by our mistakes gradually or in many cases never."Youth is wasted on the young" is another way old timers have of saying that.

Not sure what 2 ways I am asking for ? People get nervous in unfamiliar places and with new experiences. They need to relax and I don't care if its their fellow players or the manager that says relax, slow your mind down , you're our guy . I never said what they are doing out there is related to game threads. That's not even possible. I just want people to be nicer on one day. It's just a place to start from.

I haven't been able to watch the games due to the blackout here in So Cal. I did see the replay on one of the Eaton errors when he was running toward the foul line. I started thinking when was the last game he played in Anaheim ? He seemed a little stumbly and unsure of where he was or how close he was getting to the stands or wall. I also noticed he tried to catch it like we are taught as youngsters with 2 hands. There are times when a LH throwing OFer has to backhand that ball near the RF line with his right hand. Bringing that other hand over next to or behind your glove doesn't help your balance at all when you are on the run and sometimes it will shorten your reach. And he did actually come up short on that ball. He never quite reached it .

Padres are the home team. It could be as simple as that. A lot of our guys have never played in Anaheim and our vets haven't played there in a while and didn't play a night game all spring (ok maybe 1 ? ) I know we have a tendency to think the Sox are getting boned by the umps but even that Angels fan in here seemed to think so. That's going to happen with veteran umps with youth playing against veteran players on the road. So there's a lot working against us.

While the Sox obviously don't have the best defense. I'm just going to say we have some extremely young and inexperienced players who have never played or pitched in Anaheim or Seattle or many of the other parks they will be seeing this year. The Sox might not get off to a great start but I would think some of these guys are going to start to relax. Some handle it better than others but the veterans have to lead the way . Tim , Jose, Grandal and Moncada need to lead the offense . Eaton's been fine offensively but needs to tighten up the defense. Show the kids how it's done and take some pressure off them. Let's show some patience on a Holy Day at least.

See we didn't play service time games with you , now sign the cheap extension ! Trust us we have your best interests at heart.

Vaughn never advanced beyond A+ to face tougher pitching. What he did against a far inferior product has no bearing whatsoever on how he will fare against MLB pitching. He needs to learn and that will be a process that Mercedes mostly has been through. I have no doubt Vaughn has the capacity to learn. Hoping it will come quickly . Also hoping Mercedes continues to prove he can hit MLB pitching. We have some very inexperienced players and even our veterans have not played in night games in some of these parks for quite a while. Guys like Madrigal , Collins , Robert , Mercedes and many of our young pitchers not at all. I know it's not in our nature to consider these things as we blast away at them but I'm also hoping at least a few hesitate a bit before posting scathing remarks in game threads and beyond. They are all pressing to make a good impression with a lot of expectations. They will calm down but now is a time for patience and understanding.