caulfield12

Used to be 90-92…

Middle 90s still gets you killed in modern baseball if you don't have a reliable array of offspeed pitches to keep batters honest. Likewise, pitching from behind in counts due to command/control issues.

https://www.mlb.com/rangers/news/jake-burger-wife-start-burger-family-foundation-for-down-syndrome This feels a little bit like the terrible year that Adam Dunn went through in 2011...started with appendicitis then more personal/family issues as well. The Burgers will figure it out, hopefully.

Dane Dunning back too with TEX. "Burger was one of the Rangers’ biggest offseason acquisitions, but has been one of many players struggling in the first month of the season. He’s hitting .190 with a .561 OPS in 30 games as the Rangers’ primary first baseman. The Rangers traded for Burger in hopes that he would add some much-needed thump to the lineup. He was coming off a 29-homer season with 76 RBIs for the Marlins in 2024. In ‘23, he hit a career-high 34 homers with the White Sox and Marlins and recorded an .827 OPS."

Brewers fans are still salty about Patrick protected but not Smith...no matter what they always get their pitching, Jose Quintana fell into their laps, for example. Can't possibly imagine Misner's numbers holding up...but with the Rays, anything's possible. Former draftnik favorite.

Did he replace Carson Fulmer lol?

Going by these numbers...Robert heading for a 4.5 bWAR would never come through in the game threads. Huge disparity between b and fWAR numbers with his game. Brooks Baldwin is looked at quite differently as well. Neutral fWAR...here quite negative.

At least nobody has mentioned Julks as an option again...he might receive the same mixed reaction from Getz as pointed Elko/Vaughn questions.

Robert or Benintendi...they are the primary "models," along w/ Vaughn.

1-2 tools vs. 5 tools when healthy and superstar potential as recently as 2023 will be 5-10x more enticing. He's capable of making a real difference for a number of contenders...Vaughn will get a Tier C prospect back, Robert two tier B and closing in on back end Top 100 if he keeps making highlight reels like yesterday. GMs dream about talent like Robert...that can impact the game with speed/defense even when slumping.

Atlanta NYY Royals Guardians Athletics and Phillies getting disappointing contributions from CF. Harris and Bellinger unlikely to be changed out, especially with Acuna soon returning. Phillies and Dodgers speculated about now for months. Then you have the don't trade with AL Central opponents thing I guess.

The difference is the value/trade proposition for both guys. Especially if Robert can get up to a 750-800 ops by the end of May without missing more than a couple of games.

Should be close to $4.75 million at this point, 30+ games into the season. Guess Getz will run it down closer to $2.5 to $3.0 million. Although fan patience is already running quite thin. You run the risk of aliennating some of your minor leaguers when merit-based promotions are blocked when the player ahead of them is objectively now one of the worst performers on one of the worst teams in baseball for the second or third consecutive year.

And obviously all of last year vs. March/April of 2025 doesn't accurately reflect the best summer vacation months/giveaways/promotions. You have to do it game by competitive game...year on year, to be more accurate except you will have different opponents, game schedules and Monday through Thurs. vs. Fri Sat Sun more popular weekend dates. and obviously the weather is so changeable/variable.

Vargas is on an 8 game hitting streak and Robert just might have turned the corner...at any rate, they're much more competitive than last season, even if the actual record isn't dramatically better. The overall feeling around the team is definitely a different vibe than last year with Grifol.

“I don’t know. All I know is I caught the ball,” said Robert, in English, before returning to interpreter Billy Russo for the remainder of the conversation. “I knew it was a very high fly ball and I knew that I had a chance to make the catch.” “Just kind of a sigh of relief that I was out of it and from there you just go in with your stuff,” Burke said. “I definitely think that catch helped out a ton.” chisox.com

Lol. Not even $80 million....even the Pirates have beaten that, and A's with Rooker Severino Butler long/er term deals burying the Sox. Not to mention Jacob Wilson and Kurtz as well would be next in line with Mason Miller.

Biggest positive surprise Jung Hoo Lee (9 votes) Carson Kelly (3 votes) Pete Crow-Armstrong (1 vote) Rhys Hoskins (1 vote) Gavin Lux (1 vote) Geraldo Perdomo (1 vote) Jorge Polanco (1 vote) Eugenio Suárez (1 vote) Spencer Torkelson (1 vote) Luis Robert Jr. had one vote for Biggest Disappointment...Willie Adames won the voting there https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-executives-on-early-surprises-disappointments-2025

quite common in A ball the sb numbers will all start to slide or normalize once players hit AA

Javy Baez 301/787 Homers in two consecutive games...

True stars would never in million years blame anyone but themselves. Beckham Konerko and Quentin expressed this idea quite consistently, about being their own worst enemies mentally/psychologically. Almost like battling personal demons.

Just like picking the WRONG FA's has been the White Sox special niche talent ever since 2011. JR would probably say... well look where we'd be now with Santander AND Benintendi both still on the books??? It's spending wisely...allocative efficiency... not the unwillingness to ever spend over $5 million again.

Robert staying healthy is the biggest thing for this organization now... except for maybe the Big 3 pitchers and Braden/Teel. If he nets a very nice return, Shane Smith and those acquired prospects help cancel out Colson's fall off a cliff.

60-65% of FA deals go this way. Probably close to 70-75% for Tier B. Santander was never a true star... just had that one great outlying season heading into FA which happens all the time before early the inevitable 30s fall off. It's why Machado or Juan Soto or Kyle Tucker or Guerrero Jr., whoever hits FA at ages 26-28, are so nuch more valuable. Majority are high school and Latin American players.

If you can go full bore for 2-3 innings like Joel Zumaya or Andruw Miller back in the day... sure. Regardless of right or left handedness. Pallette has good stuff but it's not elite. Grant Taylor or Shane Smith as a reliever would be much closer. Oppor/McDougal, too.