witesoxfan

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 21, 2010 -> 06:21 PM) One can truly tell at this point that the offseason has gotten boring again. We're really arguing this? It's a pretty critical point of debate. That lack of an additional 's' really means a lot. Yeah, I'm bored. I want baseball to start.

QUOTE (Jerksticks @ Dec 21, 2010 -> 06:07 PM) Remember that trickling little double down the third base line near the end of 09? That was awesome, and I wished so bad he would continually do that. He doesn't do that on a regular basis because not only does it take a great amount of bat control, which Thome does not possess, but it also eliminates any power. Teams can use the shift all they want, but when he hits it 450 feet to right center, no shift is going to catch it.

QUOTE (justBLAZE @ Dec 21, 2010 -> 03:54 PM) To be fair he DID write 3-4 wins not 3-4 WAR pitcher No, he said 3-4 win pitcher, not 3-4 wins pitcher. There is a difference, and in that context, it's to be understood that he means WAR.

Rotoworld thinks Jenks is a relative bargain compared to the rest of the free agent deals handed out to relievers this offseason. Perhaps they don't have time to be objective when they are fellating all things Red Sox.

QUOTE (bucket-of-suck @ Dec 21, 2010 -> 01:05 AM) Uh, no. Yeah it is. Had he told the Sox about it, the Sox could have shut him down for 15-30 days, gotten him healthy enough to pitch, and then perhaps the season goes a bit differently. Players hiding injuries is a huge thing. You are essentially defending the fact that a player hid an injury from the team, and pitching through that injury ended up costing him half a season. That's not smart, especially considering how much money the Sox are going to be paying him.

Thome pulls his ground balls to the right side, but he's pretty much a spray hitter any time he can get good wood on the ball.

Mainly, I think the Brewers need Fielder and Braun getting back to being among the best hitters in the league. Among the others, George Kotteras had a BABIP of .209 last year - that's going to improve, even if it's just a little. He put up a .280ish BABIP in the minors, so he's a better hitter than he showed last year. I think the main thing Milwaukee has to to at this point in time is to do whatever they can to have one of the best benches in the league, because any and all offense they can add to their team, just like any NL team, the better off they will be.

It's hard for me to get excited about a 5'10 pitcher, but if he can bring it, he can bring it, and considering he found some success last year in AA as a 19 year old, there is something there. Still, I don't think the Sox can make a move like that at this point in time. The need for a reliever, no matter how good, isn't pressing when the Sox already have 5 arms in the bullpen under contract along with Infante as a possibility to make the bullpen, as well as several others. The need for starting pitchers is still far more urgent, especially with Peavy's status still a question mark. If the Sox are going to trade a starting pitcher this year, it's going to have to upgrade another significant aspect of the team, and I don't think that's in the form of a reliever.

The reason why closers by committee have failed in the past is the exact same reasons that DH by committee failed last year - the players involved were simply not good enough to get the job done. Crain is a good pitcher, Sale is a good pitcher, and Thornton is a good pitcher, and they'll be called upon differently to get different hitters out. Right now, the Sox have 2 good lefties and 2 good righties in the pen, and if they are going to go by a committee approach, I have no problem with that at all. I think they can probably look to bring in one more lefty and perhaps have a 3 lefty bullpen, but really I am perfectly content with everything that has happened this offseason. And quite frankly, I'd rather the Sox spend $13 million on a pitcher who is likely to fall apart as opposed to the $30-36 million that someone will spend on Pavano, who is a pitcher that is likely to fall apart, or the $120 million on Cliff Lee who is likely going to have 1-2 rough years mixed in there. $13 million isn't untradeable.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Dec 20, 2010 -> 05:13 PM) A tad off-topic, but am I the only one that's starting to think the AL is no longer the more dominant league? Yes, you've got the two cash whores in NY and Boston. But that's somewhat offset by the NL cash whore that has become the Phillies. Outside of that, what's the difference between the two leagues? The NL will never score more runs due to the DH. That has nothing to do with quality of the league. Just a rule (a dumb one depending on who you talk to). For the past few years it's never been about the difference between the top teams in the league. Those teams are pretty much the same in all regards. It's the difference between the worst teams in the league that really make the difference. Kansas City, Cleveland, and Baltimore all figure to be the worst teams in the AL, and while they aren't competing in the NL, I think those 3 have more talent then Houston, Pittsburgh, and Washington (and arguably Chicago too).

For whatever reason, I was thinking of Super 2 players and how teams keep their young players down until early to mid June to save service time and money, and realized that the Braves bucked that idea last Spring and broke camp with Jason Heyward. Whether you use B-R (4.4 WAR) or FGs (5.0), that decision won them the Wild Card, as Heyward was worth more than the 1 win in the two months he was up.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Dec 18, 2010 -> 11:22 PM) According to fangraphs, here are his numbers in low, medium, and high leverage situations.... low - 3.80 K/BB, .271 AVG, 1.30 WHIP, 2.54 xFIP med-2.13 K/BB, .311 AVG, 1.88 WHIP, 3.78 xFIP high-5.00 K/BB, .227 AVG, 1.09 WHIP, 1.90 xFIP Well considering there was a game against Cleveland that became a low, medium, and then high leverage game all because of him, I don't think you can put much stock into that. Far more relevant for Jenks is his -.24 WPA added last year. Closers shouldn't hurt your overall chances at winning games, should they? I would also say that it depends on how FGs defines their lo/md/hi leverage situations, because according to B-R, his WHIP was a hell of a lot higher than that.

LOL people compared Javy Vazquez to Zach Greinke? Sorry, perhaps I'm naive, but I don't equate Greinke with Vazquez at all. Just because a player has psychological issues doesn't mean they can't succeed in the New York spotlight. Hell, that type of stuff can be a motivating factor if you find the right coach. I mean, the Yankees have the most money in the league...if they are to acquire this guy, they are going to find the best psychiatrist they can for him, to allow him to exercise these demons, and to allow him to perform to the very best of his abilities. If anything, the fact that he has desired a trade shows to me that he wants to win before he makes it to his next contract, and he isn't going to find a better place to win than New York. Further, to the person who said that, because the Yankees haven't traded anybody who has meant a goddamn, I point to Ian Kennedy, Robinson Cano, Joba Chamberlain, and Phillip Hughes (and I'm sure there are others as well). The Yankees farm system is fully productive and doing just fine, and if you trust your scouts, you will trade for players they believe are good.

I want to clarify my statements a bit. I'm not suggesting that I wanted Jenks back. I was one of the many who wanted him replaced, and I was a witness to the 7/18 catastrophe. From what I saw of Jenks last year, he hung a ton of pitches, didn't have a good fastball, and flat out sucked. Every time he entered the game, you cringed. He was quite simply not a good pitcher, no matter the results of numbers. All I have suggested is that the numbers show that he has something left. I don't think he is suddenly going to fall off the face of the earth because of a rough year. Rather, I am suggesting it is more likely that the numbers he put up last year will revert more towards his career norms, but that he will pitch better and will put up better numbers. I don't think that's an unfathomable concept. Beyond that, it's entirely possible that he could put up those peripherals and pitch well too, which would make his year fantastic, just as it's possible that he could put up worse peripherals and pitch just as poorly, which would accelerate his plane ticket to Japan pretty mfing quickly. I think the Red Sox overpaid for him, but they have the money to afford such an overpay and, if they believe he still has it, doing so can't really hurt them in the end.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 18, 2010 -> 07:15 PM) So does anyone out there have, or have had, a TrailBlazer or a Vue? Let's hear comments if you have! Our family got rid of our TrailBlazer for a Traverse about 2 years ago because of several of the same issues Knight mentioned. The Traverse is much better all around.

QUOTE (J.Reedfan8 @ Dec 18, 2010 -> 01:59 AM) Wouldn't be any different from what you wear in your relationships princess. BBA in Economics says suck my dick

QUOTE (Chet Kincaid @ Dec 18, 2010 -> 02:27 AM) I'm not a naysayer, I just want him to shut up and pitch. I want him to dominate and be the ace we need him to be. I want opposing teams to fear him when he comes to the mound. I want twins, yankees and red cub fans to be like "f***, PEAVY IS GOING TONIGHT" before important games down the stretch. I couldn't care less what he says. There's not a whole lot more he can do right now. I mean, not even Cliff Lee is shutting b****es up because it's, you know, December.

I get to put on a cap and gown in 7 hours. Holy f***ing f***

QUOTE (WCSox @ Dec 17, 2010 -> 11:32 PM) So, again, why would Epstein want two years of Jenks as a setup man, rather than three years of Guerrier for the same price? Would YOU take Bobby over Guerrier? I sure as hell wouldn't. In the blink of an eye. The Twins have had outstanding infield defense over the past 3-5 years to go along with generally good outfield defense, though this past year was obviously a different story for them. The White Sox have not been nearly as good. Thus, Matt Guerrier's ERA and WHIP will look better compared to Jenks. Jenks still has much better stuff and still has the ability to be a dominant force out of the bullpen. I don't think you ever look at Matt Guerrier and think "dominant." I'm not arguing either of those. Think about it. If it's a low leverage situation - ie, one team is up by 4 or more runs - you are more likely to see substitutes come into the ballgame, the s***ty players who never get to play. Beyond that, players aren't going to care if they get a hit or not - their concentration level will be lower. If it's a high leverage situation, a team is going to put as many of their best hitters up there as they can, and the best players are going to try harder. That means they are going to be pinch hitting for those s***ty substitutes who got the start, and they won't be pulling their best hitters. You using the word "always" is making this out to be a matter of extremes. Linebrink faced some of the best hitters in the league at times, while Jenks faced some of the worst at times, but over the course of the season, a pitcher in high leverage situations is going to face more good hitters than someone who pitches in merely low leverage spots. Which means he was good in 2005, 2007, and 2008. He's 3/6 in both categories, and last year's peripherals suggest that something might be left. I'm glad it wasn't the Sox who signed him, but he's not finished. What's the general consensus from a smart group of Red Sox fans?

QUOTE (WCSox @ Dec 17, 2010 -> 10:30 PM) It is, but only a slight one. Bobby's WHIP was actually higher than Linebrink's last year. It shows me that Theo Epstein (1) has way too much money to play with and (2) seems more interested in placating his team's fan base and media with a recognizable veteran than acquiring somebody who is likely to put up a $6M performance in 2011. Bobby's been trending downward for the past three seasons (with his last two being below-average), and it's difficult to believe that Epstein expects to get anything near "elite" out of Jenks. I'd imagine that Epstein would be thrilled if Jenks put up a 1.27 WHIP as a setup man next year. This appears to be as much about PR as shoring up the Red Sox bullpen. I think you are very, very wrong on pretty much all accounts. First of all, using Jenks' WHIP compared to Linebrink's isn't fair to Jenks. Jenks was pitching in much more high leverage situations and was thus faced with much, much better hitters. If Linebrink ever pitched when the Sox were within 3 runs either way, it was almost always due to other relievers being gassed/injured. Secondly, Theo Epstein is using the statistics provided to him, which suggest that Jenks got unlucky last year. I saw enough of Jenks to know that he got the s*** hit out of him, but that seriously happens to relievers all the time - they will have a year where everything gets hit hard. Sure, he has the money to sign Jenks to that type of deal, but he believes that Jenks still has great stuff and also probably believes that the Red Sox coaching staff can correct his problems. The Red Sox aren't exactly looking to make a PR move at this point in time either. They signed Carl Crawford and traded for Adrian Gonzalez this offseason. Do you really think that Bobby f***ing Jenks is going to be brought in because of PR at this point in time? Just think about that for a second. The publicity behind signing Bobby Jenks compared to that of Crawford/Gonzalez is about 1/28 the significance. Red Sox fans don't give a s*** that they signed Bobby Jenks. Bobby Jenks was signed because Epstein and company believe he can be a great pitcher out of the pen for them. Whether that's true or not is something we'll have to wait to see, but suggesting that Epstein did this for any other reason besides his belief that Jenks will be good is simply wrong.

San Diego really likes acquiring the younger brother of a s***ty player.

QUOTE (Lillian @ Dec 17, 2010 -> 06:54 AM) Thank you both for the great insight. That was exactly the kind of information which I was seeking. I did see somewhere that he is trying to acquire a good splitter. That's a much less stressful pitch than the slider, and very effective, isn't it? It can be effective, but like anything, it depends on how good it is. If it looks like a fastball until it gets to the plate, and then the bottom falls out, it will be effective. If it flattens out and only drops a little, it's basically a hanging fastball and it'll get knocked around. I would say that it's something he can try, but if it doesn't work, he should probably vacate the idea of throwing it. It also will be less stressful on the elbow, as you have the normal snapping of the elbow like you would the fastball. However, I have to imagine that it is a bit more stressful on the hand and forearm too. I also need to clarify that I know virtually nothing of pitching itself and only make inferences based on the data I have. Anyways, hopefully he can make it work, because that would certainly increase the likelihood that he will be effective over his 3 years here.

QUOTE (Lemon_44 @ Dec 17, 2010 -> 06:07 AM) I think was one of the most consisten things you can count on for the Sox over the years has been the performance of Buerhle. Why would this year be any different? I have no idea. I think it's pretty much a given that Buehrle is going to give the Sox 200+ innings and an ERA anywhere between 3.75-4.25 with one terrible month thrown into the mix.

From July 1st to October 3rd, Crain's percentage of pitches were Slider 44.2% Fastball 36.2% Curveball 16.6% From the beginning of the season to that point... Fastball 47.6% Slider 37.6% Curveball 11% The clear difference between the halves of the season was the increased amount of breaking pitches he threw. Whereas in the first half it would appear he used his fastball to set up his slider and curveball, it appears he used his slider to set up the fastball and curveball. By doing so, he gets righties expecting the ball to break down hard and away and lefties down and in, while occasionally getting them behind the fastball and ahead of the curveball. He is also going to see more success against left handed hitters with featuring primarily the slider as it will break down and in towards them. The curveball also likely helps with this too to simply show them something else. According to FanGraphs, Crain's slider all year was a 14.6 runs above average, his curveball 3.8 runs above average, and his fastball -5.2 runs above average (or 5.2 below average). He also throws a changeup and actually threw it more often this past year (1.6%), but he has thrown it less than 1% during his entire career. It was effective this year when he did throw it, as it was worth 0.4 runs above average, but it's really too small of a sample to say whether or not it is a truly effective pitch. The problem with throwing the slider as much as Crain does is that it increases his injury risk. The slider causes increased tension within the elbow and can result in a mess. During his early years, the Mariners didn't allow Felix Hernandez to throw his slider, and the slider is what caused Francisco Liriano's elbow to explode. It was also Edinson Volquez's primary pitch during his phenomenal 2008 season; he missed most of 2009 and half of 2010 due to Tommy John surgery. It's scary for Crain to rely so heavily on this pitch, but some guys can throw the slider that much and get away with it; in fact, I seem to recall reading that one of Larry Andersen (traded to the Red Sox for Jeff Bagwell) or Doyle Alexander (traded to the Tigers for John Smoltz) threw primarily sliders. If it's true, both had very, very long successful careers. If Crain can continue to throw that slider at such a rate and can stay healthy, then I think this is signing is going to be a good one. I wouldn't be surprised if Cooper looks into the possibility of adding the cutter to his repertoire, but he generally hasn't done that with his relievers - save Jenks. I'm guessing that's because he would prefer that the relievers concentrate on those pitches that work for them and to harness those pitches to their fullest extent. He wants starters throwing it because they need an assortment of pitches to fool hitters 2-4 times a game, so he would rather them have 4-5 pitches that they throw "decently," which is where the cutter comes in and is very effective.

I think jewelry commercials in general suck.