chitownsportsfan

Long day of sports ahead come on get this game in it's the perfect lead up to the UM game.

Rotation will be historically awful without a massive improvement from the starters and team defense. I can see the Sox scoring about 750 runs and giving up 850 or so. I'm going with 75-87.

Figures. Looking at the hourly forecast tho Flavum is def correct they should try and move it up. Most of the rain is predicted for later in the afternoon after 3 or so. I think they'll get the game in although it might get delayed for a passing shower.

I thought as part of a good will campaign everybody registered here got free diamond club tix on the White Sox and this was the party thread. FML.

What's his spray chart like? He could be a guy that analytics on batted ball tendencies will hurt big time.

I think we have some common ground here as it's intuitive to think that most low minors hitters are benefiting more from the typical hard throwing no control A ball pitcher than any great command of the strike zone. For college hitters using metal bats completely screws up the data imo. I'd be looking carefully at how how any college hitter performed in wooden bat summer league ball. I'm curious as all hell to see how Madrigal fairs in AA this year once guys that can find the zone start pounding him and he has to prove he won't get the bat knocked out of his hand.

It really doesn't. If everything as as clear and easy as you make it sound nobody would ever screw up a pick. Thing is there is an incredible amount of complexity that going into projecting a college hitter, let alone a HS hitter and that the greater data available on college hitters doesn't make it that much less of a guessing game. I'd argue personally that trying to draft "high floor" guys is pointless. It's as much of a guessing game as taking "combine guys".

Much more complicated than that.

The change in philosophy has been obvious but hasn't clearly shown any better results. Not that any team hits on even half their first round picks but the change seemed to occur sometime around the time Hawkins was entering non prospect status in late 2016. You can see they also have attempted to get high best high upside guys in the system (I like that "combine guy" term someone used yesterday) via Int. Signings and trade (Rutherford obvious example). Overall this remains a bottom 1/3 drafting and development club and probably bottom 1/5. Hard to consistently win until that changes.

physician, heal thyself. You are the poster child for overly aggressive takes and binary thinking.

Not with TINSSAAPP. As we've seen.

I agree and after all those "floor picks" not a single one of them really looks like a great "floor" pick in hindsight. That's not good. Granted it's early for all the post '16 picks.

I'm excited to see eloy and if this team can actually surpass expectations for the first time in recent memory. I guess I'm just succumbing to being a fan and with that comes hope, even for the most beaten down.

Fuck, I'm actually excited for the start of the season.

If he hits like Manny he can be Manny in LF.

I had beef with him for awhile but he's a cool dude, he's probably one of the better admins I've seen on any forum.

Yea Mike sure could go get it but his power never really developed how we hoped. That said, Mike had a great career and should probably be in the "hall of very good". If Robert comes close that would be awesome.

Mike Cameron 2.0?

Well nobody wants a bunch of rain/cold/snow outs to start the season but at the same time as @Balta1701 noted the southern teams don't want to have a top heavy late march and April schedule either so they usually compromise like it appears they've done this year. That said, weather looks good this year mostly. Thank god! Baseball is not meant to be played or watched below 50 or so degrees. Here in Seattle we've had a crazy winter and now start to spring with record cold and now record heat and finally more normal seasonal temps. Should be in the mid 50s, maybe slightly colder, for the 4pm game here against the Red Sox. Should be a fine afternoon to play and the roof open.

when does the season actually start, is it this week? ah, it's Thursday cool.

lol put the beer down and go to bed.

The season starts in about a week. Until then, it's still the offseason and it's been a dumpster fire and folks are going to comment on said dumpster fire. As I've said many times if you admins just made a "b****ing and moaning thread" it would clean things up. But what do I know.

“When we originally sat down with Jerry a little over two and a half years ago to outline the process we were about to undertake in terms of this rebuild, there was a portion of it that dealt with the economics,” Hahn said. “Part of that was continuing to be aggressive with our young players, players we projected to be part of a championship core and trying to get them locked up for the long term. “Jerry was fully on board. He understood that given the current economic landscape, the importance of doing this early and being aggressive when we did do that.” JR: Rick, my accountant guy told me that according to something he read on Fangraphs this morning called "ZIPS" Eloy is probably going to cost us a lot of money in arb and you know I CAN'T STAND that! Rick: Don't worry JR, if it's one thing my ass has done for you it's save money. We'll get this one done before the season and get this -- I got a killer plan -- we'll wait until after Machado and Harper sign elsewhere so it makes the optics better. JR: You're gold Rick, you're really something. I keep you around for a reason.

I'd like to see the overall numbers for MLB in AZ given that spring training in MLB seems to be more and more a "thing you do in the beautiful march weather of southern Arizona". Last time I went in 2017 there was a palpable sense that it had grown into more than just about baseball (good for baseball really) and was about just having a really good time while laying in the sun and taking in the chance to see pro athletes for 10 cents on the dollar and taking that savings to buy booze and food. edit: well, perception can be a helluva thing. Looks like the last year I went in 2017 was a high water mark for attendance and they've seen a small dip the last two years. Dodgers increased their attendance this year at Camelback as well but only slightly, around 2%. Wonder if the nasty Chicago February weather helped? Couldn't find much on Cubs attendance this spring.