Rex Hudler

I think that is overstating it a bit. I think it is fair to say that the general rule that if a guy doesn't make it to the Majors by 24 the chances of him becoming a star are lessened significantly. But with so many college players being signed at 22, using the cutoff age of 24 is a bit outdted. And for what it is worth, in the discussion we were having, Rodriguez was in the Big Leagues by 23. No one says they have to be a star by 24. ummm rex take this in a way that it is intended. stay out of this, you do have a point. Not sure how it was intended, but I'll be happy to bow out for the time being.

Having a solid season. Hitting in the .275 range, give or take a few points. Started very slowly as well.

I think that is overstating it a bit. I think it is fair to say that the general rule that if a guy doesn't make it to the Majors by 24 the chances of him becoming a star are lessened significantly. But with so many college players being signed at 22, using the cutoff age of 24 is a bit outdted. And for what it is worth, in the discussion we were having, Rodriguez was in the Big Leagues by 23. No one says they have to be a star by 24.

yeah yeah yeah.. no need to thank me... did you honestly think i would go to the park without gettin ya one.. geez us...you of all people should know better.......you dont have to hurry out.. the bobble head isnt going anywhere (unless he gets traded for a bobble head to be named later, lol lol lol... ..) anyhow its sittin here and will remain that way till you are able to be in town ok..... so dont fret..... a side note here for those who are reading this......i do appreciate the fact that YOU at least have the manners to say THANK YOU ........ Did you get one for everybody???

The butler provided the knife to the evil stepsister. She did it. Then she ran off with the butler so they could live happily ever after in a trailer park in Remlap, AL.

It's about time that SOB did something. He was 1-for-freakin-8 in his first two games. I was almost ready to write him off.

Beane's premise is that OBP can be found cheaply. Guys that play great defense, have lots of speed, etc. are expensive. He believes that those talents are overvalued and he can't afford them with his budget. So he tries to load his lineup with as many high OBP guys as possible, with a few that have power, in hopes that they can score enough runs to beat other teams. Even though he detests the stolen base, you know he would like to have speed on the basepaths that can take extra bases, turn singles into doubles, etc., but he can't afford it because of the high value that is placed on speed.

Lastly, the Sox signed all of their first 10 draft picks. I am not sure if they have ever done that before. At least not in recent memory. That shows that they did their homework, not only in terms of talent, but in terms of signability as well.

LDF, budget is a big concern. Most teams have a set budget to sign all of their draft picks. Do they ever vary from that? Sure But to draft a ton of guys that may cost 1st round money (or close) woudn't make a lot of sense. If you don't have enough cash to sign someone or can't sign them because they want to go to college, then that is a wasted pick. I think you have to pick and choose in those situations. Even Billy Beane last year when he had those 7 or 8 picks in the first round (incl. supplemental) drafted guys who he knew would be signable. Several of the guys were overdrafted, many feel, because he knew he could sign them for less. Harvey is very highly regarded and was even briefly considered for the top overall pick. He signed quickly, but is rehabbing his knee which he injured before his senior year of HS. It was stipulated in his contract that he would not play until fall instructional league.

I did the same earlier, but all I got was the Sox were sitting him becasue he aggravated the college injury sliding into base. The baseball writers in Great Falls said that it was obvious that something more serious was wrong. Interesting to see if you get any more response from the team PR person. Ya, I'm hoping they give a little inside info or something I also asked for an update on Schnurstein. Schnurstein will be out another 10 days or so. He was originally supposed to be out four weeks (not exactly sure how long it has been, but it feels like 2 1/2 to 3 weeks lol).

I think OBP is important, but I don't think it is the end-all stat for evaluating players. I certainly wouldn't take a stance of not giving a crap about how well a guy can play defense just because he gets on base a lot. There has to be some balance between OBP and other stats, influences a guy can have on your team.

And that might not even be all of it. Somethings, schmucks like us will never know.

I agree. If he is truly a great prospect, he SHOULD be destroying Low A ball.

I think this deal might say more about Rodriguez than anything. Not too often is a guy considered to be a top prospect traded twice within a year. Perhaps the Dodgers had soured on him some as well and Danny Evans wasn't so far off base in moving him? Keep in mind, that there is a lot more to a guy than his numbers. Attitude, work ethic, etc. all come into play. Even Mr. Numbers himself, Billy Beane, moved Jeremy Giambi (whom he really liked for John Mabry who he didn't) because Giambi was too much of a partier. Those are the things that fans don't know about. Hell, I know for a fact the Sox have moved some guys in the past for reasons outside the playing field and talent.

Depends on the circumstances ss2k. It is possible, but the Sox GM will have some decisions to make based on his view of what the market will be.

I wouldn't go as far to call him a genius, but I don't discount him as a great GM either. He is doing a very good job on the limited budget he has, but I don't think he belongs on a pedestal either. Time will tell whether he can hold this thing together or not. Once the normal attrition rate of prospects not making it occurs, and he doesn't have oodles of first round picks like he did last year, then we'll see how things shake out. I do like the way he thinks in some instances and how he is not afraid to go against traditional baseball thinking.

I agree that it is a very good book But it did not make me a convert to the Billy Beane style of thinking. Much of it was very interesting, but I also thought some of his points were sensationalized (that happens in books? lol) trying to put Beane on a pedestal. Parts of the book also show what a bastard he is as well.

I wouldn't over think the Pacheco/Alomar trade. Pacheco has a live arm, but he has never come close to being consistent. I think he was considered a project, therefore the Rockies threw him in. I don't the Sox management really deserve too much credit either, because at the beginning of this year, they had no confidence in him. When he reported to AA this year he was one of the last two pitchers to make the team and was an afterthought on the staff. He was the 10th or 11th guy on the staff and the pitcher that was only going to pitch in mopup situations (see Glover, Sanders). A light bulb basically has turned on for him. I am not even sure it had as much to do with improving the changeup as him just finally learning how to pitch and get guys out. I would credit the Sox coaches on this one. Juan Nieves seems to have found the light switch in him. I have read quotes by Barons pitchers before that Juan does a really good job teaching the mental side of pitching as well as the physical. Pacheco may just be a situation where he clicked with the right pitching coach and it went from there.

hey rex, you been relatively silent this week btw what is your take on him. is he a major league starter Silent?? I have ranted on the Pete Rose Hall of Fame issue, gotten into it twie with HSC over s*** she will still not admit to being wrong (which she was) and probably spouted off about a few other things I barely knew what I was talking about. Guess I have been a bit off with the Minor League boxes though, but with the All-Star break games have been a bit sporadic. Plus one night, I couldn't get boxes for the longest time. All of that matters very little however. My thoughts on Pacheco are these.... He has been very impressive. Apparently he could always throw, but is just now "getting it" in terms of knowing how to pitch. He hits low to mid 90's (legit) consistently and doesn't look like he is trying. It also has excellent movement. He is very slender and not real tall. He has an excellent slider, which on occasion he will leave up (but what pitcher doesn't?). His changeup is servicable. Is he a Major Leaguer? Not right now, so I hope if Texas does pick him, they don't rush him. Is he a Major Leaguer in the future? If he continues to learn to pitch and can handle failure mentally (it will occur at some point) then hell yes, he is a Major League pitcher. He has been very good this year and has gotten better as the year has gone on. There were a lot of scouts there tonight (Narveson did pitch for Tennessee as well) and have been more each time he has pitched lately, so other teams are noticing too. This is his first year of real success, so we have no idea how he will adjust down the road. Can he handle it if he has a bad month? a bad year? Nobody knows, but if he keeps improving, he could be one hell of a Big League pitcher.

Pacheco pitched for the 3rd time since the Everett trade and looked great again tonight. In those three starts he has the following numbers: 1-0 1.47 ERA 18.1 IP 17 H 7 BB 16 K He has been consistently throwing his fastball from 93-95. The Rangers would be stupid if they didn't take him... In fact, don't be surprised if he starts out in AAA or even possibly in Texas!

Looks like we got out own little ebay going here. LOL

No idea. He is in Winston-Salem.

Has anyone noticed that Wing has had thre bad starts in a row?

Gabe isn't an ex-Big Leaguer for no reason....

Sorry, I'll shut up now.