Lillian

Make that 4 walks. The last one was intentional, I assume, with a runner at second and first base unoccupied. Correction: I see that he was hit with a pitch.

Correction: 0 - 0 with 3 walks

Don't forget Burdi and Tyler Johnson.

Good point.

I really like Bishop's new approach at the plate. Just before the pitch, he does a little half squat, which puts him in the "athletic position. He then uses his legs, as he comes out of the squat, with his swing. What is unusual is that he doesn't assume that squat, until the pitcher is already into his wind up. Seems to work pretty well, for him!!!! I suspect that his next big challenge is going to be learning to simply take his walks, as it's likely that teams are going to stop pitching to him. However, that Sun Devils lineup is very deep, which might not leave much choice, for opposing teams, Scary as that is, they may have to give in and pitch to him.

Most of us recognize that the key to being able to hit outside pitches is to hit to the opposite field. If a hitter tries to pull an outside pitch, by rolling his wrists over, it usually results in a ground ball. Anderson has recently learned to go the other way and it is really helping. Given the strong tendency of defenses to employ the shift, the outside pitch is the most productive out of the strike zone pitch to learn to hit. The hole, which those defenses open up, on the opposite side of the field, provides an easy base hit. I'm confident that Moncada has the ability to become a proficient opposite field hitter, but it does require a different mindset. Hopefully, he is working on developing that approach.

Fangraphs recently wrote: "On my current trip, I saw Arizona State LF Hunter Bishop twice. He has been going insane at the plate. He’s now solidly in the first round, with a chance to move into the top half if he continues at this rate (.414/.534/.948, 8 HR in 15 games) because the tools are real (65 raw power, 60 speed)". I'm still leaning toward Bishop over Vaughn, so far. Still lots of games left, in the college season, but I like his tools, left handed bat and legitimate CF position, over Vaughn's RH bat and first baseman only. As I mentioned previously, he has only begun to concentrate on baseball, after always dreaming of playing Pro Football. He probably still has lots of room for growth, as a baseball player.

I'm watching the Arizona State vs. Oregon game, just to see Hunter Bishop. He struck out in both of his first two at bats, so far. The Sun Devils are going for their 22ND win, with no losses. Here is the link: https://pac-12.com/live/university-oregon

We may have to add Hunter Bishop to the list of considerations, if he continues to perform anywhere near his current pace. The guy is hitting out of his mind. Moreover, he hits left handed. You guys know me, so you can imagine how intriguing I consider the possibilities.

Thank you. That is the kind of insight, which I was hoping someone might provide. At the very least, he provides one more college bat, in the event that both Rutschman and Vaughn are off the boards, by the third pick and Hostetler is determined to draft another collegiate player.

So, what about Hunter Bishop? Is the rest of his game good enough to vault him into consideration for the 3RD pick. A left handed bat, with that kind of power is certainly intriguing. His strike outs are down and his walks are up. 14 Homers and only 11 strike outs. He seems like a completely different player, from the one he was prior to this year. Anyone have any insight? He was a football player, who came to baseball late. K.W. will love this guy. Joe Borchard #2. if Rutschman is off the board, I'm leaning toward taking Bishop, providing his production holds up, although he can't continue at this torrid pace. If he can be taken under slot, which is likely, so much the better. This article provides some of the insight, for which I was looking: https://d1baseball.com/features/golden-spikes-spotlight-asus-hunter-bishop/

I'm wondering if they could give Leury a few more at bats, letting him play 2ND, in place of Yolmer, at least a couple of times a week. He has had a terrific Spring. Problem is that they are both switch hitters, who have better results, hitting left handed. Leury has a much better career average, from the right side, than Sanchez, but with very little power.

I just learned that the Sox have released Guyer. Therefore, I would assume that Rondon gets the 25TH roster spot.

Playing third base will not be the reason for Moncada's failure, if he doesn't succeed.

We've discussed this ad nauseam. Madrigal was the #4 pick in the draft. He is clearly part of the Sox future plans, however he does not profile anywhere, except 2ND base, where he is a potential Gold Glover. Moncada has the arm to play third, and will be fine there. Yes, Yoan would have a better chance at becoming an All Star second baseman, than third baseman, because second is a position that often features defense first, over offense. However, such considerations are not critical to building a winning team. Moncada at 3RD and Madrigal at 2ND, provides the best chance for team success. Isn't that the goal?

We discussed the roster, in another thread. If they go with just 12 pitchers, the 13 position player are: Moncada, Jay, Abreu, Alonso, Palka, Anderson, Sanchez, Castillo, McCann, Engel, Jimenez, Garcia and ??? The thirteenth spot would go to Rondon, or Guyer. My choice would be Rondon. In any case, Escobar is not going to be on the 25 man roster.

I've never had a torn Achilles, however I would think that he could perform such leg exercises as leg extensions and maybe even leg curls. Moreover, dieting is certainly an effective way to lose weight, even without much exercise. I've been actively weight training for 60 years. I started when I was just 15, and have never quit. I've also been very careful about what I eat, for most of my life. It's difficult, but if one's livelihood depends upon it, which mine didn't, it can certainly be done. It's disappointing to see that he hasn't taken better care of his body. The extra weight can't help him, in his quest to be a Major Leaguer. Here is a suggested protocol for rehabilitation: https://www.stoneclinic.com/achilles-tendon-repair-rehab-protocol

This article stated that the Royals are leaning toward Abrams, with their #2 pick. Although I'm pretty sure that few would agree that the Royals would actually prefer Abrams to Witt, that would be interesting, as that would mean that the Sox would have a tough decision. It would mean that they would have to choose between 2 of the consensus top 3. So, if the Sox really had the choice between Vaughn and Witt, which one do you think that they would choose, and which one do you think they should take? If they had to decide at this early stage of the season, my guess is that they would take Vaughn, but I'm not sure that would be the best choice. Witt seems like he certainly has the greater ceiling

He'll get plenty of at bats, starting against all RHP and pinch hitting, in games where a LHP is the starter.

This looks right to me. I like Leury as the back up infielder and Jay as the back up outfielder, who would platoon with Palka. That would give them a left handed bat, who hits lefties. Otherwise, you would have the entire lineup, with the exception of Alonso, hitting from the right side, vs southpaws. It's advantageous to give the pitcher the challenge, of having to face a couple of guys, hitting from the other side of the plate. I think that Santana may win the 5TH starter slot, which would otherwise go to Covey, or Banuelos. If they want to carry 13 pitchers, then Santana takes Rondon's roster spot and you go with just 12 position players. Given Leury's ability to switch hit and play all over the field, would afford them that luxury, if they want the extra arm.

Looking ahead to 2020, I agree with most of you and expect him to be in a battle for the 5TH spot, with Rodon, Kopech, Cease and Lopez being the top 4. Until Kopech and Cease are there, why not continue to see if Giolito can figure it out? There isn't much to lose, at this point.

Let's see if Lucas can find his curve ball, in the early cold weather games. It seems like last year, he had it in the difficult dry air conditions of Arizona, but lost it in the cold weather, at the beginning of the season and never found it, again. He still seems like a work in progress. They have made yet another adjustment to his mechanics. For me, the verdict is still out, on whether, or not, he can be part of the contending rotation.

I don't know how one would go about trying to evaluate a high school kid's ability to hit. He has likely never faced anything close to the kind of "stuff," which he would see in professional baseball. At least a pitcher can be evaluated on the basis of his pitches and command.

How do these numbers compare to those produced by Harper, Trout, A-Rod and Ken Griffey, Jr.? Those guys were all drafted out of H.S.

How often do veteran pitchers end up requiring TJS? It seems like it happens much more frequently to younger pitchers. The answer could significantly affect the values of the various age groups of pitchers. Healthy veterans, with a long history of being able to avoid this injury, might become much more desirable targets of trades and free agent acquisitions, assuming that they are still effective. Someone like Verlander, or Hill, up to a reasonable age, could become more attractive than a young "fire baller". From another perspective, perhaps teams will simply have to anticipate, or even plan to have their young hard throwers undergo this procedure. They might begin to manage the contractual time tables, including service time, around when such a procedure should be performed, in order to avoid falling victim to a circumstance, like the one which involved losing Kopech, right after he began his service time. Maybe they should have young pitchers undergo some sort of thorough exam, before starting the clock on their MLB service time. It wouldn't be surprising if someone eventually creates a procedure to strengthen that Ulnar Collateral Ligament, as a means of preventing these injuries. Perhaps inserting some sort of bionic mechanism, to reinforce the ligament. I had previously directed a post to "Ptatc," to which he responded that there has been some exploratory work done, but with very limited success, to date. In any case, this seems to be becoming endemic. Something is going to have to change.