Milkman delivers

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Jul 19, 2005 -> 10:42 PM) I've been pro schmidt since I saw him pitch a few weeks ago, however giving up Contreras isn't a very good idea and someone please answer my question honestly there may be 1 or better number 4 starters in baseball at this point but to tell you the truth I don't know if I'd take any teams 4th starter over the Count. I really don't even know who most teams' 4th starters are. I can probably think of most teams' rotations, but wouldn't be able to number them correctly. Either way, even though Contreras hasn't been exactly bad, we can still improve. I'm terrified of becoming the next team that does great during the year, but makes an early exit in the playoffs. I won't even know what to do if that happens.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Jul 19, 2005 -> 10:37 PM) Name a team in baseball with a better number 4 starter??? You might be able to think of a few, maybe. Well, you'd always want there to be zero better in baseball. Every single piece counts (which you know, I'm not trying to be a smartass or anything), and I believe that Schmidt would make our rotation better. The best possible scenario, IMO, is to keep Contreras and lose Duque for Contreras.

QUOTE(fathom @ Jul 19, 2005 -> 10:32 PM) Twins just won in the 9th. Tying the game with 2 outs on a wild pitch, and winning the game on an infield single. That's the type of s*** the Twins pull that make any lead against them in the standings never seem big enough. I think even the Twins have given up this division. The Sox collapsing that badly could be compared to some of the worst collapses in baseball history. It's sure not impossibly, but it's highly improbable. Earth hit them really hard a while ago.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Jul 19, 2005 -> 10:25 PM) Twins just tied it. Damn, that's what the O's get for having a fat guy named B.J. as their closer. Poetic justice, I think.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Jul 19, 2005 -> 10:23 PM) We have had success with some of the guys we've brought up, but the Sox have made a majority of good moves with trades for guys who haven't had as much success for their previous team before coming to us like Mr. Podsednik. The Sox need to become good at this though, and I think Brian Anderson is the 1st step on that path. It's harder for us to develop pitchers because it'll be harder for them to pitch at the Cell anyway, but we've got some very good young arms in our system now which hopefully we'll see the benefits of. Good points, but I'll never be able to get the names like Honel, Wright, and Ruffcorn out of my head I stand by my belief, though. Trade just about any prospect if it gets you something of value in return.

Is anyone watching the Twins' game? Stupid gameday is frozen or something.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Jul 19, 2005 -> 10:16 PM) Teams like the Twins have shown the benefits of having good young productive MLB players though. We can't always keep trading for big name priced players, because we don't have a payroll like the Yankees. Francisco was acquired from the Red Sox in the Bobby Howry trade back in 02 IIRC. He was in our system for a few months before the Everett trade. The thing is that the Twins are actually good at producing good players. We, on the other hand, aren't so good. We can produce sluggers on a fairly good basis, but not so much anywhere else. I say if other teams are convinced that we have a great prospect, we take them for all they're worth. Chances are that he'll never pan out anyway. If Francisco was only in our system for a few months, I wouldn't consider him our prospect at all.

And the O's just scored in the top of the 9th, 3-2 Baltimore.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Jul 19, 2005 -> 10:07 PM) Everyone knows Reed is going to be a real good major leaguer though. Morse has that chance too if he keeps hitting well in the majors. Majewski is exactly like Baj, he was given a chance and he's performed. Francisco's pitching last season showed what he's capable of. None of those guys are sure things, though. A lot of guys are "capable" of being great and have flashes of brilliance. It's just the way I feel. Prospects are basically nothing but trading chips, IMO. I'd trade any of them (unless they're absolutely can't-miss guys, like Prior, etc.) for ML pieces. For example, as much promise as McCarthy has (and I do believe he can be great), it wouldn't surprise me in the least to see him fall on his face and never pan out. And baseball-reference says that Francisco was from the other Sox farm system.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Jul 19, 2005 -> 10:03 PM) Well you can't make that statement right now until you give those guys a few years in the majors to see what they're capable of. Yes, but you can't say they're good major leaguers yet, either. There's not many pure Sox prospects that are flourishing in the league right now, that's all I'm saying.

QUOTE(SoxFan1 @ Jul 19, 2005 -> 10:00 PM) Exactly. Schmidt is not a "toss-up" whenever he goes out. You can expect him to be successful and you can expect him to work hard. Contreras, not so much. Just leave this thread alone. Use the other one for the negative comments and leave this one for the positives. Less arguments that way.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Jul 19, 2005 -> 09:43 PM) El Duque doesn't come into this because he was signed previously. And just because B-Mac who has half a season of experience above AA, doesn't come in and set the world on fire in the majors at a very young age, you want to trade him already? Oh and here are some prospects; Frankie Francisco Garry Majewski Jeremy Reed Mike Morse I'd like to see some extended success from any of them to consider them prospects that turned into good players.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Jul 19, 2005 -> 09:32 PM) Based on this season's performances so far, I'd pick Contreras, based on numbers, however if Schmidt comes back into the dominating pitcher he was, of course you take Schmidt. 4-2 with a 2.77 ERA in his last 6 starts. Again, just a name. Which guy would you want to be your starter?

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Jul 19, 2005 -> 09:29 PM) Compare him to his performances last season. He has more favorable splits than Jason Schmidt, not saying he's a great pitcher but to say he's not a good starter when we've had to put up with the likes of Dan Wright and Jason Grilli starting for us over the past few seasons should prove something. Jason Schmidt or Jose Contreras, who do you pick? No explanations, no money issues, just who would you rather have pitching on the Sox?

QUOTE(jphat007 @ Jul 19, 2005 -> 09:23 PM) Yah, Schmidt knows how to locate his pitches to the tune of a 4.80 ERA in a PITCHERS league in a PITCHERS park. I can't believe what I'm reading tonight. its amazing. Give it up and stop looking at stats for this year that are completely different from career stats (for both pitchers, might I add). Schmidt >>> Contreras End of story.

QUOTE(jphat007 @ Jul 19, 2005 -> 09:19 PM) And you are nuts. Jose has pitched 10 times better than Schmidt this year, and it's not really even close. Schmidt's rounding back into form, and he's so insanely better than Contreras that it's...well...insane. Schmidt will finish out this year better than the Count, and I can only hope he does so playing for the White Sox. And you can go ahead and come up with whatever argument you want to try to prove that Contreras is better than Schmidt, but you'll be wrong.

I hadn't realized that Schmidt is 4-2 with a 2.77 ERA in his last 6 starts. I want him and Vizquel so badly. Honestly, I would kill to get them. Ok, maybe not kill, but I'd be really, really mean to someone to get them.

The more I think about Contreras, the more I dislike him. I don't like anything about the guy. Can't stand to watch him pitch, can't stand how he wastes his talent, can hardly stand to think about him pitching (especially in a game with any pressure). Since he's been in the league, he's been a piece of work. He signed a contract with the Yankees while staying in a room paid for by the Red Sox. Struggles, then is reunited with his family...continues to struggle. Moves to a basically pressure-free team and struggles. Hasn't learned how to pitch in 40 years on earth, but somehow makes like 8 million dollars a year. Escapes from Castro's communist regime, but somehow still lacks balls. I can't even force myself to like this guy, even though I still wish he'd do well. But, I wish even more that he'll be traded for someone that will help us more. Sorry, had to get that off my chest.

Don't look now, but we have 2 hits. This is like a weekly thing, at least we win a lot of them.

Thanks for pissing me off more, Hawk.

QUOTE(Greg Hibbard @ Jul 19, 2005 -> 08:51 PM) Tyson Curry? I don't watch or like basketball, but sure. That's probably the same deal.

The Cubans are a problem. Why couldn't they be one pitcher name Jolando Contrandez. A guy with balls that knows how to pitch with talent. The talent coming from Contreras and the balls/knowledge coming from Duque. Unfortunately, we have two half pitchers.

QUOTE(fathom @ Jul 19, 2005 -> 08:43 PM) What a f***ing loser. On a team with such an amazing record this year, our W-L record when Contreras pitches is shockingly bad. Ozzie is leaving him in to die now. I stand by my reasoning that the team doesn't play as well when he pitches. Maybe they just don't feel like they have as good a chance to win as other days. However you wanna say it, there's another run on this loser.

Welp, back to hoping we trade Contreras or Duque.

QUOTE(jphat007 @ Jul 19, 2005 -> 08:40 PM) He's only given up 2 runs in close to 6 innings. That's not bad. He's given up 5 runs in this game, let's not sugarcoat it.