chitownsportsfan

Despite how hard Eloy makes it look, left field is not a hard position for 99% of big league athletes. Vaughn will be fine out there. Anybody that was able to play 3B in D1 should be able to play LF in MLB without too much issue, and Vaughn has been taking some OF reps for over a year now.

My takeaway through two games is that this is the most talented Sox team I can remember. Even sans Eloy. I think the only teams that would come close would maybe be the early 90s squads. On paper this team has way more talent than 2005. Kopech last night was electric, the spin rate on his fastball is insane at 97-99. Adding him as the 5th starter in July or whatever is looking like it's going to be a big boost. For now the fact that he can be a bridge guy and go 2+ innings out of the pen also is a big contribution.

Pushed a lot of the right buttons through the 1st two games. I think we've already seen a number of bullpen decisions (quicker hook for some, longer for others) that Rickie doesn't make. IMO it's been a breath of fresh air. I like that he road the hot arm in Kopech last night even though Trout got on. Rickie liked to burn through relievers when often times the guy was obviously in command and could have gone another batter or two. He also used an early defensive replacement after Vaughn's last AB. Good shit.

What a genius Hahn is for delegating to excellent deputies!

Sure, but even the Twins thought he was nothing more than a middle reliever in his first year there. I think it's just ridiculous to critique Hahn for not thinking Yermin was some 850 OPS monster when the entire league, literally, other than Hahn, thought he wasn't worth a 40 man spot. So it took the Sox some luck and time to get him in the lineup, it happens.

He was a rule 5 draft pick. By definition he's not an asset.

The irony of ripping Hahn when Hahn brought in Yermin for free basically. Blame the self scout team if anything, which Hahn is working on overhauling. Oh and if he keeps hitting he keeps playing.

Sweet

Lol you don’t say

Gas he gawn!

This is emotional wow

Let’s fucking go mike!

Lol robots

Totally. Be better make the play.

I will reiterate: Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ

Town up there slashing then does that lol

Love giolito there in the dugout giving Robert dap for the walk

Abreu! Great inning!

Correct

Lol Vaughn overmatched against 93

The only thing I'll say on this: as someone that worked in electoral politics -- the public badly misunderstands how elections are secure even without showing ID at the polls. The major conflation is that voter roll database errors create potential for fraud without ID. They don't, for various reasons.

Cool.

John Sickels was dead wrong on Nick's physical profile. https://www.minorleagueball.com/2018/4/20/17262286/2018-mlb-draft-nick-madrigal-2b-oregon-state-university-scouting-report Speed is the best tool overall, with grades between 60 and 70 depending on the source. You can split the difference at 65 if you like, but everyone agrees that he’s an excellent baserunner with an ideal combination of instincts, athleticism, and aggression. Speed doesn’t matter much if you can’t get on base but Madrigal excels in that department, with a superior batting eye and contact ability. There’s plenty of bat speed and his power production has improved steadily. He should hit a substantial number of doubles and triples and has a shot at hitting double-digit homers down the line. He can bunt, too, if you’re interested in small ball. Madrigal plays second base for the Beavers due to the presence of Cadyn Grenier at shortstop. Madrigal is a tremendous second baseman, MLB.com going so far as to say he could be a Gold Glover someday. His arm and range are good enough for him to be a plausible shortstop, too. To top it all off, his makeup is considered superb.

That's a good post, takes some guts. I quit drinking after a couple glasses of wine and did some chess puzzles to blow off some steam after the Madrigal error. We can rip Nick, and god knows he deserved it last night, but he's an important piece to the present and future and for know I will try and lay off him a bit in the game threads. @Kalapse, nailed it! Game thread are their own entity. Quite a few forums have a "what happens in the game thread stays in the game thread" policy and it works pretty well.