Rex Hudler

These are the only comments I could find from BA in their draft preview on Nanita. • Dominican OF Ricardo Nanita will need a visa to play pro ball in the U.S., possibly reducing his value. He's a center fielder who provides lefthanded pop and arm strength.

Sure there is always a chance. But he would have to show there is separation.

Am I comparing Cotts to Wright and Porzio? In the sense that they could give a s*** less what people on this board think and the fans think, yes. That would be the last thing on any of their minds. They are there to try to pitch well and give the team a chance to win the game. If there is pressure on Neal it would be the pressure of making his first MLB start. If he comes up and doesn't do well, then they will send him down and chalk it u p to him not being ready. He'll go back to pitching in Birmingham and pitching well. That doesn't mean he won't be upset about it, but it is much dfferent than the pressure a guy like Wright or Porzio were under. I think Cotts will hold his own. He may learn that one mistake can turn quickly into a 3-run HR in the Show, but I don't think he will embarass himself at all. The next time the 5th starter will be needed is August 12. I believe that start is in Anaheim.

Yes, I saw it and the best way to describe it is that he just carved him up. The one thing that Neal does is avoid the middle of the plate. He works both the outer and inner third of the plate and leaves the middle alone. His strength is that he uses all 4 quadrants, working up and down as well as in and out. Tonight, he just threw strikes and went after hitters. He knows how to set them up and hits his spots. When he does make mistakes, they usually aren't in the middle of the plate. I would not be surprised at all for him to make his Major League debut in Anaheim. But they may give Danny one more shot, since he actually pitched well for 5 innings. Hell, if he was pitching in any of the Sox other games lately, he has a 6-3 lead going into the 6th. You pitch differently in that situation.

Sorry about that...... the place I looked wasn't updated past his July 26th start. It was a loss, by the way.

Baseball America had Nanita rated the 35th best player coming out of the state of Florida.

Notts??

LOL...Well we've totally destroyed Porzio and Wright for not getting the job done....Why wouldn't there be any pressure on Cotts? We're trying to win a division last time I checked... Because Cotts, Porzio and Wright could give a s*** what "we" think. It is not their job to worry about such drivel.

Porzio only made 2 starts and was 1-1. Stewart made 5 and the Sox were 2-3 in his starts.

Agreed....... Diaz, I believe is also headed to the DL.

Funny how that happens when you win.

Why would he be under tremendous pressure. If he gets rocked, it is a learning experience and is chalked up to him not being ready. If he pitches well, he is the hero. Very little pressure as I see it.

If you get Miller, Jason, I'll be interested in your impressions. I know it was on TV, but I was thoroughly unimpressed last night. His mechanics were not smooth and he just looked like a lot of kids that I played against that could throw hard, but didn't really know how to pitch.

Diaz only pitched one inning in his start last night. Trip to the DL coming??

Didn't Danny pitch pretty well until the 6th? Would you guys not have been happy if his final line was 5 IP 5 H 3 R 2 ER 1 BB 3 K?? Unfortnately, he ran into trouble in the 6th, but until then, I thought he pitched pretty well. I thought I remember most people on this board wanting to get 4-5 innings out of him?

Kohlmeier. Ouch. Son of a b****...why the hell is he in the rotation. Because they don't have anyone else? And because he has pitched pretty well.

Anyone notice Joe Valentine's two shutout innings against Charlotte??

Signed as a free agent in the off season.

Is that a question or a statement?

Yes, I believe he was hit on or around the knee.

Excellent points A team out of contention is much more likely to give guys a "cup of coffee" because they can afford to give them playing time regardless of wins and losses. The last thing the Sox can afford it to bring them up just to play them and give them a cup of coffee. Also, sitting on the bench isn't gonna do much. I think all those guys would understand if they weren't called up to the parent club in september for some experience or what not. When you are in a pennant race you are really only gonna call the few guys up who you think actually will contribute and that you have confidence throwing into the fire at this point in the season. On the flip side, some teams want to call u p young guys in a pennant race to expose them to a winning atmosphere and what it is like in a big league pennant race. Just depends on the organizations philosophy. And budget, of course.

Cerb, if you are talking in Sept. then see he Sept. callup thread someone started earlier today. If you are talking in the offseason, I am not sure yet. Haven't really looked in depth at who will be free agents, etc..

When you ask about players being on the "40 man roster" and the big league teams "25 man roster" are you asking about the same thing? I always thought the 40 man roster was those players that the team protected, and included the actual team roster and 15 minor leaguers we didn't want to lose. The 25 man roster was the group playing for the big league team. Please explain why Cotts is not on the 40 man roster already? There must be a rule that I am not aware of and I am confuced about the questions concerning adding someone to the 40 man roster. Thanks! Players don't have to be protected on the 40-man roster for 3 years (college draftee) or 4 years (HS draftee). Once you put them on the 40-man roster, then their MLB service time clock starts ticking which means arbitration and free agency come sooner. So it is wise to not put a player on the 40-man roster before you have to protect him unless you feel he is ready to make a significant contribution in the Majors and is ready to stay. If you feel he might be a year away, you wait. For example, Matt Ginter was called up in 2000 instead of them letting him play in the Olympics. That started his service time clock and options. He has since been sent back to the Minors in 2001, 2002 and 2003, so he will be o ut of options next year, presenting the Sox with a lack of options. He either will have to make the Major League team next season out of spring training, be traded or placed on waiver to be sent back to AAA. If the Sox woudl have been a little more judicious with his callup (how much of a contribution did he really make in 2000?), they would still have one option on him next year, giving them roster flexibility. Once a player gets to the point where he has to be protected, then he must be put on the 40-man roster by a certain date in the fall (Octoberish) or risk being lost in the Rule V draft. There is more, but that is the long and short of it.

I agree, Nanita has done everything necessary to get himself noticed. He is a bit old for that league, so I hope he can keep it up when he moves to the next level. Anyone notice Sweeney hasn't played in a couple of nights again. Knee must still be bothering him.

rex, when it comes to the prospects i learned never to go against you and mnf. lopez was suppose to be our future 2b, how did he play in the field. ref to ag the ss, i am still glad that he still might be a prospect. how tall did he look brice is the one i am concerned about. i heard that he had a lot of power. a sweet swing via greg walker or baines. could brice did not have a good game. Lopez didn't have any balls h it to him that I can recall so can't s ay how he looked defensively. Both he and Andy Gonz. have room to grow and will get stronger and fill out. Just understand that without that physical maturity, it may take them longer to get there. Don't expect a breakout season where they are deemed "Major League Ready" anytime soon. Patience is the key here. Brice had a nice swing. They said he has no HR's on the season (no, I didn't check to confirm), hence the no power comment. A good body and a nice swing are things you can build on. He is also a guy that won't go blazing through the Minor League system, but that doesn't mean he can't become a solid player down the road.