Lillian

I agree that he should not be in the lineup against lefties. He's not very good, versus LHP and they do need to limit his playing time.

Alonso provides a much needed left handed presence in the middle of the order. You all know the value, which I place on that. With Palka's slow start, that importance is magnified. I love the current sequence of hitters, in the lineup; SW, SW, RH, LH, RH, LH. Those first 6 hitters represent the main run producing portion of most lineups. It will be interesting to see what they do when Jay returns. Unless either Leury cools off, or Yolmer starts hitting, they may give Leury some time at 2ND, and relegate Sanchez to the back up infielder.

Here is an interesting and insightful article about Bishop: https://www.usabaseball.com/golden-spikes-award/news/gsa-spotlight-hunter-bishop/c-305521148?tid=216631556 It does state that his arm is his only "fringe to average" tool. This quote from his coach speaks volumes about why he is such and intriguing prospect: "I think it's just funny, I've been thinking a lot about this, I hear guys talk about it. As always, you try to pick apart what he doesn't do - 'Oh he doesn't have any history, this and that.' I'm sitting here saying, 'I dunno, I've coached some pretty darn good players in my career. This guy's a freak, physically,'" Smith said. "He hits balls as far as anybody I've ever coached, he runs as fast as anybody I've ever coached. So not having history? To me that's a plus. Look at the jumps that he's made, to me it's the tip of the iceberg. There aren't people I've seen out there in college baseball doing what he's doing, not many of them, quite frankly in the last 10 years. His bat speed, it's ridiculous. He's in the same breath as Schwarber and Travis, but faster. I think he has the ability to play center field in the big leagues with that power. That's rare, I think."

Where did you find a scouting report on his arm? I haven't seen anything. Thanks. It wouldn't surprise me it Eloy ends up at 1B. He doesn't profile best as an outfielder and this system has a lot of potential outfielders. If the Sox draft Bishop for LF. Let Adolfo, Rutherford, Basabe, Gonzalez and Walker compete for the RF slot.

If the Sox take Bishop, he likely ends up in right field. That's probably the only outfield spot open, with Eloy and Robert almost locks for LF and CF. I understand that there is quite a potential log jam for RF, but Bishop would be fine there, if his arm is good enough.

Are you forgetting that Santana is probably going to be joining the rotation soon? The Sox have both Nova and Santana for that "veteran presence". The Rotation of Rodon, Giolito, Lopez, Nova and Santana is ok. Then there is the possibility of Cease being added later in the season. Banuelos is also available, if needed.

I don't think that any of us are extrapolating his numbers from just the first 5 games, to suggest that he will continue at this pace. The point is simply that he has apparently made some important adjustments and that they seem to be working. The kid was the number one prospect in baseball and was signed by Boston, for $31 million, before ever playing a game in America. Excuse us, if we are excited to see him making some positive strides.

Moncada looks terrific. He seems to understand the inadvisability of taking so many close pitches. Apparently he has taken Abreu's and the coaching staff's advice, to heart. One of the greatest joys of being a fan is watching a talented young player blossom into a star. We could be watching just such a maturation process. Anyone who won't let themselves dream that dream, is missing a lot of fun. Those two balls, which he crushed today were very impressive. We could ultimately be able to look back at the acquisitions, resulting from the Sale, Q and Eaton trades, as having been key to our next World Series Championship. Kopech, Cease, Giolito, Lopez, Dunning, Moncada, Eloy and maybe even Basabe, all have a chance to be significant contributors. It will be very interesting to see how those trades look in another year, or two. Patience is the key.

If Bishop loses a step, but still hits, I'd take that. Moreover, he's closer to being physically mature, as he will turn 21 in a couple of months. Isn't it a lot harder to project future physical stature, for a high school kid?

Watching video of Abrams, he appears to have a very slender, slight build. One has to wonder whether he would ever have much power, without gaining some weight. and If he were to gain weight, how much of that elite speed would he lose? It seems like he will either have one, or the other, but not both. That's one of the inherent problems of trying to evaluate high school kids. Who knows what he will look like, when he becomes a mature man?

I would imagine that Bishop will soon be moving up the rankings soon, and will be on almost everyone's top 10 list. His production is hard to ignore.

Yes, Bishop has been hitting behind Torkelson, all season.

I'll take a nice, new, bright shiny left handed, middle of the order bat. Thank you. I know that you don't pick, based upon need, but Bishop may turn out to actually be the "best player available" at number 3. We'll see.

Wild game, Arizona State won 17 to 16. Bishop 1 for 2, a double. 4 walks, 1 HBP and 1K. On base 6 times in 7 plate appearances. I guess that answers my question about his ability to take his walks, if opposing pitchers are going to stop pitching to him.

He was able to throw 94, even 95, in his last inning of work. That plus 8 K to 1 walk (to the first batter), is very encouraging indeed.

As of this moment, I would rate the top collegiate players, overall as Adley, Bishop and Vaughn, in that order. I have no idea how one would rank the high school guys against those 3 college players. Witt may go in the top 2, leaving the Sox to choose between Bishop and Vaughn. Again, a lot can change, between now and June. We'll see. Of course, I am only going off of stats and video clips. The professional scouts would have a much better idea. It will be interesting to see how far and how fast Bishop climbs the rankings. Rutschman having a rough day; 0 for 3 with 3 K's.

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.