RME JICO

QUOTE(YASNY @ Mar 14, 2006 -> 04:22 AM) That's funny. I could have swore I watched Javy pitch 5 solid innings against the DR. Prior to yesterday's game he had 3 innings, which was what they were talking about in the March 12th article that the original poster was referring to. I was just pointing out that it was probably not the WBC stats since Garcia and Vazquez combined only pitched 6 1/3 innings when that article came out - not currently.

It is great to see both pitchers doing well. Vazquez was lights out vs DOM. Hopefully Garcia can do the same.

QUOTE(Fourofakind @ Mar 13, 2006 -> 11:17 PM) Maybe it includes Garcia and Vazquez WBC numbers.... Thats not it. Vazquez let up a run, and he only pitched 3 innings, and Freddy pitched 3 1/3. They probably included the B games which are not listed in official stats. The good news is if you include McCarthy into the mix, the top 6 pitchers have a 3.18 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 26 Ks, and only 6 BBs in 39 2/3s IP. If you go one step further and add Cotts (3.00 ERA), Jenks (0.00 ERA), and Politte (ERA 12.00), as a team, they still have great numbers: 3.44 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 28 K's, 9 BBs in 49 2/3s IP.

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Mar 13, 2006 -> 02:23 AM) Help them defect from their home country. Yeah, and we won't need rafts or boats since they will all be playing in the states for the next round.

QUOTE(Jordan4life_2006 @ Mar 13, 2006 -> 02:14 AM) I still think it's Lopez at this point. Reynoso is right there, though. I am just wondering if the Sox would consider giving both of them roster spots if they both pitch well for the remainder of ST, considering what happened to Hermie.

What would the Sox have to do to pick up one of these guys from the WBC that is not on an MLB roster. Some of the pitchers have looked pretty decent vs Major League competition.

Reynoso has looked pretty good this spring. Looks like he has taken over as the leading candidate for the Lefty job. IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA WHIP P Reynoso 5 2 0 0 3 6 0 0.00 1.00 J Lopez 6 8 4 4 1 7 0 6.00 1.50 S Tracey 4 8 3 3 2 2 0 6.75 2.50 A Almanza 4 1/3 6 5 5 1 4 0 10.39 1.62 T Redding 4 1/3 10 5 5 3 2 1 10.39 3.00

QUOTE(Buehrle>Wood @ Mar 12, 2006 -> 02:09 AM) I worked very hard on this one... That is a sweet Pods Sig! Your cropping and shading abilities are amazing.

QUOTE(Timoperezrulez @ Mar 11, 2006 -> 10:26 PM) I want a picture under my posts like everyone else! Click on My Controls at the top of page, then click on Edit Signature in the left column. Then add the link to the image inside the image tags.

Yeah, the Sox didn't bring Thome in for his defense. There is enough depth there to keep Thome at DH while still giving Paulie some rest at 1B.

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Mar 11, 2006 -> 12:51 PM) What makes you guys think Lopez can even approach an ERA in the 3's. This guy has been HORRID in the majors (over a long course of action). See the stats I just posted. You don't suck that bad over a course of 3 years by accident. Guys can turn it around. If you are just going to use previous stats, then what about Cotts, Politte, and Hermanson prior to 2005? Cotts 2004 - 5.65 ERA, 1.39 WHIP Cotts 2003 - 8.10 ERA, 2.40 WHIP Politte 2004 - 4.38 ERA, 1.44 WHIP Politte 2003 - 5.66 ERA. 1.39 WHIP Hermanson 2004 - 5.66 ERA, 1.39 WHIP Hermanson 2003 - 4.06 ERA, 1.36 WHIP I wouldn't call any of those blockbuster stats. Lopez had a horrible 2005, but he only pitched 16 innings. Before that: Javier Lopez 2004 - 7.52 ERA, 1.74 WHIP Javier Lopez 2003 - 3.70 ERA, 1.20 WHIP Lopez actually had a good year in 2003 for playing in Coors, he had 58.3 IP, 40 Ks, and only 12 BB's. So if he can return to something like that he will be a good replacement for Marte.

QUOTE(Felix @ Mar 11, 2006 -> 08:46 AM) The only pitcher with more strikeouts this spring is Jose Contreras, who has 12 in 10 innings. Lopez has 7 in 6 innings, while Mark Buehrle is third with 6 in 6 innings. Also, he has had some pretty good control with a 7:1 K:BB ratio. Normally that is one of the best indicators on how well a pitcher is hitting the mark. The bad outing was not really related to bad pitching either:

QUOTE(beck72 @ Mar 11, 2006 -> 06:58 AM) Lopez' stuff doesn't impress me. He's Kelly Wunsch-lite. Lopez doesn't seem to have a pitch that can get hitters out Except for the one that has struck out 7 batters in 6 innings. Other than the last outing he has been pretty decent. If he can rebound from the bad outing and throw a couple of decent innings, he will probably win the job. In reality, how many innings is the 2nd Lefty going to see in the regular season? maybe 40? Last year Cotts pitched 60 and Marte pitched 45. Marte had an ERA of 3.77, WHIP of 1.72, K Ratio of 1.6. Lopez should be able to do at least that good.

Updated stats with some of the remaining 11th candidates thrown in: IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA WHIP P Reynoso 4 2 0 0 3 3 0 0.00 1.25 T Redding 3 1/3 7 2 2 1 2 1 5.40 2.40 J Lopez 6 8 4 4 1 7 0 6.00 1.50 S Tracey 4 8 3 3 2 2 0 6.75 2.50 A Almanza 3 1/3 6 5 5 1 3 0 13.50 2.10

This has to be one of the best polls ever. I cannot even choose my first 2 choices (102 wins or 58 wins).

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Mar 10, 2006 -> 03:49 AM) You're looking at the numbers far too much and forgetting about defense. Who else do we have besides Anderson that could be a full-time starter in CF? You have to take everything into consideration. I am just speculating on previous comments by both Ozzie and KW. There are now articles listing Sweeney and Blakely as in the running for the final roster spot along with Gload, Borch, and Owens. So there is still a possibility that someone other than Anderson makes the team, even though it is probably a very slim possibility. Personally I would like to see Anderson in CF but if he continues to struggle do you think they would reconsider?

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Mar 10, 2006 -> 03:00 AM) The difference is that Ozuna was a 30 year old non-roster invitee nobody of a player. He was a highly ranked prospect at one time but that's before he was found to be 4 years older than his listed age. Sweeney is a 21 year old top prospect that the organization is going to take it slow with. They want him to continue to develop his power in the minors, not in the majors as a fourth outfielder where he won't get enough at bats. He's not going to make the opening day roster regardless of how well he hits this spring. I agree, I would rather take Gload or Borchard who are out of options and let Sweeney, Fields, and Owens get good reps in the minors for a year or two. However, if he keeps this up for the entire month, it will be interesting. BTW, Anderson is batting .188, and I thought they said he would still have to win the job. Is he a lock?

The race tightens as Reynoso throws 2 scoreless innings: Updated Stats: IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA WHIP J Lopez 5 4 0 0 0 5 0 0.00 0.80 P Reynoso 4 2 0 0 3 3 0 0.00 1.25 A Almanza (0-2) 3 1/3 6 5 5 1 3 0 13.50 2.10

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Mar 9, 2006 -> 06:16 PM) Pablo Ozuna hit like .700 in spring last year. Didn't Ozuna make the team after last ST? Ozuna's 2005 Spring stats: AVG G AB R H TB 2B 3B HR RBI P Ozuna .527 26 55 13 29 36 5 1 0 8 Sweeney 2006: AB R H BI AVG OBP SLG OPS R Sweeney 16 5 8 3 .500 .529 1.063 1.653, 3 HR, BB Sweeney still has a shot:

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Mar 9, 2006 -> 05:25 AM) I wonder if Byrnes was still with the Red Sox, whether it could possibly be Tony Graffanino and not Alex Cintron who'd be with this ballclub today? That could have been a possibility, but Cintron seems to have more upside (switch hitter), so I am glad it worked out this way.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Mar 9, 2006 -> 05:19 AM) Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying we will flop. However, I still remember 1984. You can't compare 2005-2006 to 1983-1984. The Sox lost the ALCS in 1983, they didn't go 11-1 in the postseason. Seaver was the main offseason acquisition compared to (Thome, Vazquez, Mackowiak, Cintron). Big difference. 1984 Starting Rotation: Hoyt Bannister Seaver Dotson Burns 2006 Starting Rotaion: Buehrle Contreras Garcia Garland Vazquez

Seems like Ozuna is a lock, so it comes down to Borchard and Gload for the final roster spot, and if the Sox go with 12 pitchers, it might not be either of them.

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Mar 9, 2006 -> 03:54 AM) If Lopez is on the team, I hope Ozzie uses him strictly as a LOOGY. He is getting righties out in ST but they have murdered him in his career. Mike Myers is the same way -- he dominates lefties but righties own him. The deceptiveness of a lefty submariner/sidearmer obviously only works against lefties. According to KW, the Sox are going with 11 pitchers. So with Lopez apparently aboard, it looks like the last two roster spots are between Borchard, Gload, and Ozuna. Or if you think that Ozuna has already made the team, there is one open spot for Borchard or Gload to fight for. This quote is what got me thinking about the 12 pitchers, especially after adding Cintron: So if Hermanson is not 100% or if one of the Starting pitchers needs some time off after the WBC and McCarthy moves up to the rotation, it would seem like a better idea to carry 12 pitchers instead of 5 bench players.

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Mar 9, 2006 -> 03:31 AM) There's a reason that Lopez is getting more innings than the other candidates. They are more interested in seeing what he can do than the others. Kenny originally wanted Mike Myers as our second lefty but he ended up signing with the Yankees so KW goes out and finds another sidearmer. Makes sense I guess. I actually like the idea of a pitcher with a different style. It gives Ozzie more options because I am sure some guys have a harder time hitting someone with that type of pitch angle. I am just wondering if the Sox will go back to the 12 pitcher scenario after the acquisition of Cintron?

After yesterday's outing, it is hard to imagine Lopez not making the roster, but I guess you never know. One of the articles said that Tracey and Haeger were still in the mix, but Lopez has looked good in every outing: IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA WHIP J Lopez 5 4 0 0 0 5 0 0.00 0.80 P Reynoso 2 1 0 0 2 1 0 0.00 1.50 C Haeger 3 6 8 1 2 3 0 3.00 2.66 S Tracey 3 8 3 3 2 2 0 9.00 3.33 A Almanza (L,0-2) 2 1/3 6 5 5 1 1 0 19.29 3.00