Lillian

You really don't think that he would get even $35 Million, on a 4 year deal? Isn't he worth $8.5 to $9M per year?

I forgot Moustakas. He would have been a good choice, but then his sister wasn't married to Machado. I'm sorry, I'll stop. I promise.

As one of those, who has been clamouring the loudest for Hahn to DFA Alonso, I'm satisfied that he is finally gone. Nevertheless, I don't think it's entirely fair to fault Hahn. Yonder is not old enough to have completely lost his ability to hit a baseball. If he had performed somewhere near his previous two seasons, he could have helped this young club. Ironically, many of the same people who "rag" on Palka, think that Hahn is an idiot for signing Alonso. Who else was going to provide a little balance to the lineup, from the left side? Harper would have been the best option, but that's "water under the bridge". Brantley would have been another option, to fill the left handed hitting void, but only being serviceable in LF, he would have blocked Eloy, I had hopes that Alonso would be a serviceable DH and back up first baseman. I don't see how anyone could have realistically anticipated that he would suddenly become the worst hitter in the League.

What should give us hope, regarding Herrera, is that his fast ball still has good velocity. It might just be "rust," resulting in a loss of command. I remember earlier in the year, he had a nasty breaking ball. Was it a slider, or a cutter?

Yes, I suspect that they have been monitoring him, for a long time. The Sox drafted him, out of high school, albeit in the 31ST round. He went to the University of Arkansas, instead.

He will be arbitration eligible, this off season. What do you suppose he will get, if he continues to have this kind of year?

Agree, entirely.

Every contract carries with it the risk of a player getting injured, or having diminished productivity. It's the challenge of the front office to assess the likelihood of any player's future level of performance. McCann was considered a pretty good prospect, out of college, and has made some significant adjustments to his hitting approach, this season. Some of us wanted to extend him earlier. Every month that he continues to excel, establishes his bonafides. Now he has been selected to the All Star team. It would probably cost more to extend him now, than it would have just a month ago. In the final analysis, perhaps the Sox just need to determine if they think they would like to have him continue as a key member of their future core. If so, then they should be trying to extend him beyond next year. I'm sure that Hahn would point to his unsustainable BABIP, as part of his negotiating tactics. If the front office deems the cost too high, they may not be able to sign him. I personally don't think that it's too early to try. For my part, it's his catching ability and leadership qualities, that intrigue me the most. He doesn't have to be the team's highest average hitter to be a solid part of the anticipated contending roster. If he can hit around .280, with a .350 OBP and respectable power, that would be enough to plug the hole, at one the most important key positions. Again, as a fan, I consider him a "keeper" and I'd love to have him be the primary catcher to handle the Sox young pitching staff. When Kopech, Cease, Giolito, Lopez and whomever else they add to the rotation, are on the mound, McCann is the guy I want to be calling the pitches. Collins may develop into a good catcher, and having McCann as his mentor, probably increases the prospect of that happening. However, I would be very surprised if Zack will be able to provide what James does, any time soon. And remember, that window of contention should be opening soon, in fact just about the same time that McCann will become a free agent.

So, what do you think the prognosis will be, regarding the degree to which he should recover, and in what time frame? FOLLOW UP: I just read this on MLB.com: "Burdi should be ready to go by Spring Training 2020."

I'm thinking that the Sox need to spend all of that money on pitching depth. The old adage; "you can never have enough pitching," has taken on a whole new meaning. It's beginning to look like you need about 25 viable arms, to ensure that you end up with the 12, or 13 you need. You're lucky if half of the guys stay healthy. Just unbelievable. They better hang on to any reliever, who looks like he can contribute, going forward. Therefore, no Colome trade. The better also sign at least 2 decent starters.

McCann should have been credited with his second hit of the night. Rosenberg scored his bouncer to SS an error. That should have been a hit. We all think that McCann can't keep up this pace, but he just continues to have good at bats. I love his approach, taking some pitches to RF and choking up on the bat, with 2 strikes. The guy is a "keeper". He is so good behind the plate. I hope they can keep him, past next season.

Thanks, I couldn't imagine. Now it makes sense.

The Knights' website has the box score of a game from earlier in the season, but it says that it's tonight's game. What in the world????

Thank you for the suggestion. I'll try to watch for that, the next time I'm viewing a Knights' game. Do you think that's a function of some physical limitation, or just poor mechanics?

I'll defer to you on that topic. Apparently you have more knowledge about the nature and quality of Engel's hands and wrists. I have no such knowledge and try not to pontificate about such things. However, one has to wonder why the Sox would not have just DFA'd him, long ago, if that were the case.

So the list of Sox pitchers now out with TJ Surgery is: Jimmy Lambert, Ryan Burr, Kopech, Dunning and Rodon. Did I forget anyone? Then, there are the guys, who have already had it and come back: Cease, Giolito, Burdi, Jones (who are now lost to other injuries) and Banuelos. Did I forget anyone on that list? This is just unbelievable. Someone is not doing something right.

Yes, hand eye coordination, along with good vision, are essential for hitters. However, even then, many hitters take a long time to develop the skill.

I've been wondering the same thing. Perhaps someone needs to invent an effective piece of protective head gear, for pitchers.

OK, so you would prefer to bring up Robert to play CF. I understand that argument, but I assume that you recognise that there are very good reasons not to do that. Perhaps one of the best reasons is that management is not eager to start the clock on his service time. One might think that a stint in AAA would be a more prudent approach. Then, they could wait until the point, next season, when he would not have yet accrued a year's worth of service time, to bring him up. Remember, this team is not in contention this season. So, what's the rush? Cordell might be ok, but he is not as good of a defender as Engel, and he has not done anything, at either AAA or the Big League level, to distinguish himself as a top prospect. There is only 4 months difference in the ages of Cordell and Engel, so that isn't a factor. You might think that some of us enjoy "pain and misery," but I can assure that I'm not one of those. I'm just trying to be objective and consider all of the options. I have always thought that Engel had loud enough tools to be given every opportunity to succeed. He is very fast and an elite defensive centerfielder. He's strong enough to be a power hitter, but admittedly has had a very difficult time developing his contact skills, with the bat. I think that the organization has always given him more opportunities, not only because of his potential, but because they recognise that he was a football first athlete and learning to hit is a long and difficult process for all but the most gifted hitters. I've always contended that hitting is a skill, which can be learned, without great athletic ability, but it does require a tremendous amount of practice. The offensive bar for Engel is lower than it would be, for an average outfielder, given Adam's defence. If he could hit just .250, with an OBP nearing .340 and hit 15 to 20 homers, he would be a very serviceable centerfielder and certainly a viable option as a 4TH outfielder. I personally don't think that goal is unattainable for him, but that's obviously just a fan's opinion. Apparently Sox management shares that view, or he wouldn't have been given as many opportunities, as he has. Sending Cordell back to AAA would not necessarily be "giving up on him," unless of course, he is out of options. Is he? If he trades places with Engel and puts together a month, like Adam has, he could be brought back up. There is still 3 months of the season left, so there is plenty of time to sort it out. For the time being, the Sox might be better served with Engel's range and glove in CF, to cover for Eloy and Jay, at the corners.

Please present a better set of options to alleviate our "pain and misery".

For those of you, who are unhappy about Palka being called back up, you're really going to hate this suggestion: I was watching the Knight's game last night, and noticed that Engel has yet another new stance. I have no idea when he started using it, but he has put together a very nice streak, over the last 32 games, during which he has raised his average from .137 to .265. Over that stretch he's had 15 multi hit games and hit for power, with 8 HR's and 23 RBI's. He has raised his Slugging % from .216 to .497. So, at the risk of getting "flamed," I would bring Adam back up, until T. A. returns and let him take Garcia's spot in CF, while Leury covers Tim's absence at SS. I know, Engel has had "too many chances already". We've all had that sentiment, at various points in his seemingly charmed career. Someone always seems to get hurt, thus providing another chance for Adam to get playing time. Nevertheless, this might seem like as good of time, as any to take yet one more look at him. It's too soon to call up Robert and neither of the other viable options for CF; Cordell, or Tilson, have demonstrated anything that looks better than Engel and neither one can hold a candle to his defence. If R. R. insist upon playing Jay, let him play RF. Palka alternates with Abreu, sharing first base and DH vs. RH pitching. For those who want to see Mendick, he could take Rondon's place as the utility infielder. Collins returns to his primary catcher's role, at AA, when Castillo returns, unless they can trade or DFA Wellington. There, I said it and I'm not trolling. "Flame" away. Batting order, vs RHP SS Leury RF Jay 1B Abreu 3B Moncada LF Eloy C McCann/? (McCann provides a little protection for Eloy) DH Palka 2B Sanchez CF Engel

Just want to endorse your argument, which is the same one that I've been making. Concerns about his outfield defence may not be warranted, as we're not even sure how they intend to use him. If he simply takes Alonso's spot, sharing first base and DH with Abreu, he'll be fine. I'm still leaning toward Collins going back to AAA, when Castillo returns, so that he can continue to get his reps, behind the plate.

There are circumstances in which providing an opt out to a player might be regarded by management, as being in the team's best interest. It can serve to keep a player more motivated, than guaranteeing his earnings, for the rest of his career. Human nature will drive a player harder to play for yet one more contract. In addition, if a team really only desires to sign a player for 4 or 5 years, but the player wants a longer contract, offering him an opt out might actually be more compatible with the team's preference. So in some cases, while the opt out may appear to be a concession to the player, it may actually be preferred by management.

Does catching once, or twice a week provide enough experience for his development? Having McCann there to mentor him is a plus, however catching so infrequently seems like a poor way to develop the skills required. Therefore, while having the opportunity to see Major League pitching might improve his hitting, catching so little will probably inhibit his defensive improvement. Maybe the question is; which is more important? I don't know the answer, but most seem to think that the part of his game that needs the most work is his catching. If that is the case, then he should probably be back in AAA, because the Sox are certainly not going to give him the primary catching duties, with McCann there.

That may be the plan, until Castillo returns. After that, I'd expect him to go back to Charlotte, where he can get more reps behind the plate. I don't think that the front office has stated what they intend to do, so none of us know. However, that's my guess. Of course, they could try to trade Castillo, or even DFA him.