scenario

QUOTE(sircaffey @ Dec 31, 2007 -> 01:02 AM) Slightly different situations there considering the Sox now have a black hole in CF and the Indians still have a good 3B. That's why one is magnified and one isn't. The Indians have a good 3B??? According to who? Not even Indians fans believe that. Andy Marte is a bust. He's a lousy fielder who can't hit AAA pitching. He makes Brian Anderson look GREAT. One of the most common discussions on Tribe boards is who they can unload him on now that he's out of options. And that leaves 3B to Casey Blake, who at 34 years old in 2007 had the 3rd best year of his career (.270/.339/.437/.777 with 18 homeruns and 123 strikeouts)? So, do you honestly believe their 3B situation is better than ours?? Please.... We've got two 3Bs. They've got a guy older than Jermaine Dye who was supposed to play 1B for them in '07 but got called into 3B duty because their 'big 3B prospect' sucked his way back to AAA... again. Advantage - Sox. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- btw - What may occur (if Barfield gets his OBP above Uribe's) is Barfield at 2B, Cabrera at SS (his natural position), and Peralta moves over to 3B. That's one of the scenarios that Tribe fans are suggesting because Peralta is not a good SS fielding-wise. They're trying to find a way to keep his bat in the lineup + improve their defense.

Just to make sure we're not barbequing Richar inappropriately for small sample size periods... Here are his last 3 full years of stats (including the combined 2007 Tucson/Charlotte figures). Year (Level): BA/OBP/SLG/OBP 2005 (A+): .300/.347/.537/.884 2006 (AA): .292/.360/.415/.775 (these stats while batting leadoff in the Southern League) 2007 (AAA): .305/.365/.505/.870 So... he projects very nicely as someone who could help us if he gets a chance. To put it in perspective, he has a better offensive history (especially slugging-wise) than Asdrubal Cabrera who is being pencilled in as Cleveland's 2B.

The story describes the 12-day MLBSB school held each year for execs and scouts. Is there another longer school? If so, please describe (length, etc). And where can I learn more about it? Also... I found the following quote from an interesting 2003 MLB.com article about this school. Thought I'd point it out for other posters. (BTW - the series of articles linked here is excellent and highly recommended reading.) For several years now (since 1989), the Major League Scouting Bureau has held "scout schools" where Major League organizations can send employees with an interest in player development to learn to scout. Often they are former players who still want to work in baseball or an employee with an interest in becoming a farm or scouting director. The most famous graduate of the school is current White Sox General Manager Kenny Williams, but it's interesting to note that more than 70 percent of the 400-plus students who have been through one of these camps, is working in baseball in some capacity. Once held in Florida, they are now held in Arizona each fall.

Thanks for the input. Is this the same school you went to? http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/featu...school0123.html I think there have to be statistics somewhere that back up the validity of the scoring model. I'll do some more digging to see what I can find.

BE, is there any information/research you can point me to that validates the scouting scoring model? (For example, articles or studies that verify OFP, and the tools measures, as valid indicators of future success/failure.) I'm not looking to start a debate on it, just looking for info. Anything you can point me to would be appreciated. Thanks.

Found this while digging through info about players from the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). I know signing players at this level is not a big thing, but I found it interesting so I thought I'd share it. JMU BASEBALL PRO REPORT: OFFSEASON MOVEMENT HARRISONBURG, Va., Dec. 7, 2007 – The offseason in baseball can be a busy time of movement for professional players. While it’s still early in the offseason, several former James Madison University Diamond Dukes have already been on the move. Former third baseman Brent Metheny (2000-03) compiled one of the top statistical seasons in the Northern League, regarded among the best independent leagues in the country. He was rewarded recently by having his contract purchased by the Chicago White Sox. Playing for the Winnipeg Goldeyes, Metheny hit .304 with 68 runs, 21 doubles, 21 home runs, 70 RBIs, a .406 on-base percentage, a .561 slugging percentage, and 17 steals in 93 games. He tied for second in the league in home runs, finished third in slugging, and had the fourth-best on-base plus slugging mark at .967. He was one of four Goldeyes named to the Northern League All-Star Game. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I did a little more digging. Looks like he's had one tour of duty with us before. 2006 at Kannapolis. So, he's probably just a minor league roster filler. What are we doing signing 27 year-olds to play A-ball??

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 24, 2007 -> 10:47 AM) I am pretty high on Miranda. I see what GHC is getting at though, his error numbers seem high - which could be worrisome. And he got those awards in a not-exactly top tier conference. Remember... Justin Verlander came from this conference. There are quite a few other current MLB players from the CAA as well. And this year, 17 players from the CAA were taken in the draft by MLB teams, including a supplemental 1st rounder (Kellen Kulbacki). So, the competition isn't too shabby.

I think it will pick up now that Christmas is over.

QUOTE(bighurt4life @ Dec 25, 2007 -> 02:01 AM) Interesting info on Miranda, I wonder why he's struggled with his glove, are the balls hit that much harder in rookie/A ball? I'm guessing it was mental errors... pressing to impress and losing focus. Funny how once you make a few mistakes, they can snow-ball on you as you try harder to avoid them. It will be interesting to see how he adjusts this year. I'd be willing to bet he relaxes and errors go down as a result. So... I'm not worried about his glove yet. What I'd like to know though is whether he has the range and arm to be a major league shortstop.

QUOTE(knightni @ Dec 24, 2007 -> 02:46 PM) Assistant Jim Boylan will probably be the interim coach. I like Boylan, but I'm not sure he'll be the replacement. Jim was Skiles' handpicked right-hand man. If Pax decides to go in a different direction philosophically, he may opt for someone else.

Here's an interesting player I learned about while looking up info on Sergio Miranda... Jared Bolden - Miranda's teammate at VCU He plays 1B and OF. Not sure where he'll rank, get drafted, etc., but appears to be an excellent hitter and fielder. Here's an excerpt from the article linked above... "The season is still over two months away, but the recognition is already starting to roll in as junior first baseman Jared Bolden was named to the 2008 Brooks Wallace Player of the Year Watch List, released late least week. Bolden, a first-team All-CAA performer last year, finished last season with a team-leading .383 batting average, with 18 doubles, five triples and five home runs, along with 49 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. Even more impressive was his defensive prowess as the first baseman committed just two errors all of last season."

QUOTE(Gene Honda Civic @ Dec 24, 2007 -> 02:44 AM) Sergio Miranda -- I'm still unsure about his defense. But right now, he appears to be a steal. If he can play defense, Jason Bartlett seems like his ceiling. Awards won by Sergio Miranda: - 2005 (at age 18) - Colonial Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year, Colonial Athletic Conference All-Star SS (.357/.413/.469/.882) - 2006 - Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Year, Colonial Athletic Association All-Star SS (.400/.457/.560/1.017) - 2007 - Batted .370 in 60 games with Virginia Commonwealth (2nd on team) with a .419 OBP...committed just eight errors... and was named a 2007 Rawlings Division I Gold Glove winner. (.370/.419/.457/.876) I believe his history as a Rawlings Division I Gold Glove winner, etc. suggests that his fielding will come around. Another factor that impresses me about him is his walks/strikeouts. (37 walks vs. 27 strikeouts on the season?) Anytime a young player walks more often than they strikeout, you've gotta like that. And his history shows that it's a trend, not a one year thing. And he blew through rookie league (1.159 OPS) and got promoted to A-ball within a month of leaving college... at age 20? What's not to like? Here's his progression at Kanny by month... - June - .154 BA - July - .270 BA - August - .286 BA - September - 6 hits in 13 at-bats over 3 games (.462 average) In his final 10 games (last 7 in August + 3 in September) Miranda batted .390.

I'd probably put Sergio Miranda on my top 10.

QUOTE(klaus kinski @ Dec 22, 2007 -> 10:35 AM) If he worked out for as many teams as suggested, and signed for so little, to expect an impact at the major league level is not realistic. You have to put the salaries in perspective. Compare what he got to the last two Cuban shortstops who came over to MLB... - When Yuniesky Betancourt came over (2005), he signed a 4-year contract for $2.8M. - Yunel Escobar, the new Braves SS replacing Renteria, is playing for the major league minimum. So not out of line really. In fact, Ramirez is probably feeling pretty good. He just went from Cuban poverty to being an American millionaire.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 21, 2007 -> 06:37 PM) I don't know if the Sox have a single position player above Rookie ball who put up a .900+ OPS in 2007. One. Danny Richar at .956. Josh Fields was close at .891 and probably would have ended up over .900 if he played a full season in Charlotte.

The scouting report that I posted earlier was written up by the international scouting director of a NL club and reported in a interview by Chris Kline (Baseball America) in late September. Scout's View: Alexei Ramirez

Here's an excerpt from a scouting analysis of Ramirez. The quotes are from four scouts who were asked to review his game. "Ramirez profiles as an above-average big leaguer in right field. He’s got slightly below-average power from the right side, but a hit tool that is well above-average. "He played a lot of shortstop in Cuba and I wouldn’t rule that out when he comes to the States because he has the bat to back it up. He’s got a great arm, good hands and very good body control. He can go in the hole and get it and range to his left toward the bag and make the throw on the run with no problem. "He has the ability to be a top-of-the-order tablesetter, but also can drive in some runs. He showed a good knack to drag bunts and beat them out with no problem. While he has good speed, he’s an average baserunner and that’ll take some time over here (in the States) to really get a grip on. "He’s very athletic wherever he plays, (one of the) better athletes you’ll see if he plays in a corner. But the corner is right field because of the arm strength. He’s got a 60 arm (on the 20-80 scouting scale) with accuracy. He’s very aggressive with solid-to-plus ability to play the game." Scouting Grades Hitting - 60 Power - 40 Arm Strength - 60 Fielding - 50 (OF); 55 (SS) Speed - 60

I think the fact that we had Andy Gonzalez play 7 positions for us says alot about our 2007 season. Maybe we should've gone for 8 and tried him in middle relief too.

Buerhle traded to the Reds, eh? I think the odds of Jordan coming back and leading the Bulls to another championship are much higher than that happening. Interesting to see people's responses though.

Good intel iamshack. It seems logical, but since Payton just turned 35 years old I have a hard time imagining the Sox would actually consider it. But, since the O's probably need a shortstop, it seems like a reasonable destination for Uribe... Is there someone else on their roster who may be of interest to us?

The point was 'one of the worst bullpens in baseball'. 11th out of 14 AL teams is not good. It is not in the 'middle of the pack'. If you want a real perspective on this... go to one of the Tigers sites and read what they think of their bullpen. Without Zumaya? The answer is "SUCKS".

QUOTE(jenks45monster @ Dec 18, 2007 -> 09:52 PM) Still, they shouldn't be called one of the worst bullpens in all of baseball. They've got the second best bullpen in our division next to Cleveland. And IMO they have a middle rank bullpen in all of baseball, with a healthy Zumaya of course. The Sox relievers as a team were 12th in the AL in 2007. The Tigers? 11th. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/aggreg...ng&type=reg

You have to put it in perspective. Hitting stats for the entire league are pretty bad. http://www.mlb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?si...131&t=l_tba Compare Pablo Ozuna: http://www.mlb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?n=...&pid=150367 Pretty similar numbers.

Here's a summary of Floyd's minor league career/numbers. He had a very nice year at Charlotte and showed signficant improvement in several key stats.

QUOTE(gosox41 @ Dec 16, 2007 -> 11:08 PM) KW said... that Floyd and Danks are top of the rotation starters. First, top of the rotation to me means #1 or 2 type starters. Middle of the rotation would be a #3. Bottom would be #4 and #5. Would you all agree? Second, KW is going for it next year so I assume he means both these guys would pitch as a #1 or #2 next year. Whenever a pitcher is a high first round draft pick, it's reasonable to assume there are scouts that believe he has top of the rotation potential. But I don't think anyone (including KW) expects Danks and Floyd to assume that type of role or responsibility next year. I'll be extremely happy if they just do an average to above average job in the #4-5 slots in 2008.