southsider2k5

Houser is a free agent after this season. While Houser has had an insane stretch to start this season, he is the exact definition of league average coming into this year. A 4.21 career ERA with a 100 ERA+. His last three years are a 4.76 ERA and a 86 ERA+. You quite literally take the best offer you get for him and count your lucky stars to get it for a dude who was unemployed less than 2 months ago. The odds that the Sox (or really anyone) pulled an Esteban Loiaza on him are so small, that it is almost insignificant. And even if you truly believe that he is "fixed", he is a free agent in 3+ months. You gain nothing by keeping him around, as you still would have to negotiate a free agent contract with him after the World Series, which you can do whether you own his rights or not. Unless someone get absolutely stupid, there is no reason at all to trade Shane Smith.

And it is either 38 seconds long, or 12 minutes. No in between.

In concept, no it isn't an awful thing. But here are a couple of qualifiers for my sanity -Start doing this in the minors: Let them make mistakes and have as much of a learning curve at levels where the games mean nothing (I will accept the argument that Sox games currently mean nothing, but hopefully someday they will again mean something) -Don't play guys absurdly out of position. If a dude struggles to play a decent LF, don't put him in CF. If a guy can barely move and has no arm at 1B, don't make him an OF, even in the corners. -Identify guys for this early in their minor league careers if possible. A guy like Brooks Baldwin is a great example. If he is good enough to play 1 spot in the future, cool, but in the mean time, play him around the 5 or 6 positions he might be able to help at in the future, and help him learn the mentality so that when he hits the majors, it is old hat. -at the MiLB level, I would also like to see them play a guy in one spot for a solid period of time, before moving on the next spot at the early levels to get them comfortable in specific spots and then start to juggle them more, as you would see in the MLB levels, at the higher MiLB levels.

* Must be old for level and have a 30 power rating.

I gotta say, they seem like they like this strategy of trying to get a couple of second tier players with this, instead of taking BPA at the top, and then whoever they can make fit next. Not sure of the results, so far, but with the lack of star tops in this system, I am a huge BPA guy right now.

And then the final answer is a 27 year old middle infielder in the DSL.

This. If it isn't 5 years of control plus, and you get an offer for it, move it.

Which probably means a college pick first, or maybe someone like Hall that isn't as highly rated?

He's a big dude with LONG springy levers. He isn't going to have first step quickness, but once he gets rolling downhill, he can move.

Now that is a band that everyone would pay to see.

The point of a legend pick is that it doesn't take up a regular roster spot.

Cool. Hopefully he doesn't pitch. Give him an extended break.

Gotta take one from each team.

Not to mention like 30 million other dudes under 30. And the reason "greg" gets called out for those posts is because we literally know better. Like actual 1st hand knowledge.

Hopefully it was back related and they figured out how to keep him healthy.

With anyone having a Cinderella stretch you always worry about midnight. The problem with Smith is we don't know if it is innings fatigue, getting figured out, or some of both.

Hell, have all the catchers learn first. It's not like they would block anyone.

It's chicken s%*# baseball. So what is best for the future of your franchise. If you're scared, get a dog.

Colton? Dude. Please stop this act.

Legal pot, probably

They said the distance on the MAT HR was 460? Is that right or just John making stuff up?

Apologies for the last thread getting deleted, but some ad got squirrelly in there. Trying again here:

Being 6'5" with a real vertical helps.

We dropped Nastrini, for Gray. Find someone who loves you the way Getz loves over the hill infielders.